Recap / Odd Squad S 2 E 6 Oscar Strikes Back

Not while dealing with Brainwashed and Crazy Scientists this close to him and his precinct's boss, he won't.

Oscar Strikes Back

Airdate: July 5, 2016 ^note PBS Kids and TVO Kids premiere

Oscar attends a gathering of Odd Squad scientists called Lab-Con at the Odd Squad Academy.

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Tropes:

• Ad-Break Double-Take: While US and Canadian airings of the show don't have commercials played in between parts, Part 2 begins with Ms. O repeating her orders to Oona, followed by Oscar telling her he doesn't want to risk Oona becoming mind-controlled as well, after having done so at the end of Part 1.
• Air-Vent Passageway: Oscar and Ms. O hide in one of these to escape the Scientists, and make their way through as they're teaching Oona how to identify gadgets over the phone so she can find one that will benefit them. However, they end up being cornered by a few Scientists, and they end up exiting the vent by going down to the bottom-most floor.
• All There in the Script: The Scientist that demonstrates the ability to combine gadgets (and uses it to create hats for two other scientists) isn't named in the episode, but the credits seemingly list him as "O'Terry".
• Bad Boss: Obbs is one. He not only brainwashes his Scientists into doing his bidding, but it's implied that he's been planning the takeover of Odd Squad as an organization for years, and that he generally mistreats his Scientists.
• Bittersweet Ending: Obbs' plot is eventually foiled, he gets fired from Odd Squad, Oscar is promoted to President of the Scientists in his place, and Oona is promoted to Lab Director of Precinct 13579 in Oscar's place. However, Oscar becoming President of the Scientists means that he won't be working at Precinct 13579 anymore — a place he's worked at since before Olive and Otto became agents. It also marks his official departure from the series as a whole, barring one final appearance in The Movie (which came out for Canadian audiences a little over a week after this episode premiered; it aired on PBS Kids for American audiences about a month afterwards).
• Bottle Episode: Aside from two brief cutaways to Precinct 13579's lab, he episode takes place entirely in the Science building of the Odd Squad Academy, making this the second episode to not have Headquarters prominently featured (the first was "Crime at Shapely Manor").
• Borrowed Catchphrase: Oona borrows Oscar's "What am I, crazy?" Catchphrase when explaining who she left to run the lab while she's away.
• Boss Remix: "Oscar is Awesome" gets a boss-battle-esque recreation as the eponymous Scientist beats back his fellow brainwashed Scientists in order to get to the Sticky-String-inator. It's perhaps invoked one of the best songs to come out of the series to date.
• Brought Down to Badass: Both Oscar and Ms. O don't have any weapons on them to attack with — in this case, Oscar doesn't have his gadgets (due to surrendering them before Lab-Con began), and Ms. O is unable to use her fists (since, while she does have the ability and strength to punch Scientists out, she would be terribly outnumbered — not only that, but this is a kids' show with very little human-on-human violence). As a result, all they can do is run and hide. They do manage to get the Sticky-String-inator from Oona in order to beat back a horde of Scientists (along with Oscar's 17 lab coats), but it doesn't last for very long, and they eventually succumb to mind-control when chased into Obbs' office.
• Bungled Hypnotism: While Obbs has no issue with the act of hypnotizing the Scientists, getting them to actually do his bidding and capture Ms. O and Oscar is harder than he anticipates, especially since they have their IQ points reduced.
  Obbs: [growls] How are you suddenly all not smart after I controlled your minds?!
• The Bus Came Back: Odelia, who hasn't been seen since "The Curious Case of Pirate-itis", returns in this episode with a major role. Odie, who was also last seen in "The Curious Case of Pirate-itis", also returns in this episode, and is on much better terms with Oscar.
• Call-Back: Odie recalls how Oscar created the first lab in Odd Squad history.
  • He also recalls how Oscar came up with the ability to combine gadgets to make new ones, something that was previously featured in a Training Video.
• The Cameo: Owen and Ohio make cameo appearances as the Security agents who inform Obbs of his firing and order him to turn in his badge and lab coat.
• Cassandra Truth: When Oscar catches on to what Obbs is doing, he flees from the mind-controlled Scientists and heads out of the classroom. However, Ms. O is sitting right outside of the door and stops him from leaving, saying that she knew he was going to try and sneak out and refusing to believe that he's being chased by them. Sure enough, said mind-controlled Scientists come out of the classroom and confront both of them.
  Ms. O: [fearful] Now I believe you...
  • Oona doesn't believe that Obbs has Oscar and Ms. O under his control, claiming that it's nothing more than a trick that he's pulling on her, and that he just found Oscar's phone. Obbs uses the screen in the elevator she's located in to show her otherwise.
• Cell Phones Are Useless: Zig-zagged. Obbs jams signals so that calls can't be made outside of the Science building, which ixnays Ms. O's plan to call Precinct 13579 for backup. However, calls can still be made inside the building, meaning that Oona (who is in the garage with the ice cream truck) can call them and assist them, and vice versa.
• Chameleon Camouflage: Oona invokes this when Odelia and her team of Scientists enter the garage in search of Oscar and Ms. O. She not only covers the van in sticky notes, but she covers herself in them as well, allowing her to pass the brainwashed Scientists' detection.
• Character Development: Much like how "O is Not For Over" was the pinnacle of character development for Olive, Otto, and Ms. O, this episode is the pinnacle of Oscar's development. He goes from a Nervous Wreck of a Scientist who was afraid to stand up to Olive's old partner in battle (and yet still put on a brave front anyway) and who wasn't used to going out onto the field to solve cases and fight oddness, to a Science Hero who Took a Level in Badass and who manages to get quite far in nearly stopping Obbs before he succumbs to his mind control along with Ms. O. The rock remix of "Oscar is Awesome" that plays as he beats back the horde of mind-controlled Scientists chasing him and Ms. O, as well as his promotion to President of the Scientists in Obbs' place at the end of the episode, perfectly embodies the development.
• Chekhov's Gun: When testing various gadgets in the ice cream truck, Oona comes across a Tiny-Note-inator, which she activates in an attempt to find a gadget that can help Oscar and Ms. O. When Odelia and a few other Scientists enter the garage where she's located, she uses the Sticky-Note-inator to cover the entirety of the inside of the van -- as well as herself -- in sticky notes. It ends up working, and Odelia and the others pass her on by. Not only that, but those sticky notes end up helping her combine gadgets to recreate the mind-controlling gadget and defeat Obbs. If that isn't badass, then God knows what is.
• Chekhov's Skill: Oscar quickly tells Oona how to combine gadgets to make new gadgets as he and Ms. O are making their way through an Air-Vent Passageway to escape the Scientists. Sure enough, this comes in handy when she uses the skill of combining gadgets to build one that frees all of the Scientists, including Oscar and Ms. O, from mind control.
• Cliffhanger: Part 1 of the episode ends with Ms. O and Oscar being approached by a horde of mind-controlled Scientists with no way to fight them, as Oscar forbids Oona from exposing herself and giving them the weapon they need to defeat the Scientists. The cliffhanger is resolved in Part 2 when Oscar finds a workaround (having her send it up the elevator to the second floor, where he and Ms. O are located), managing to get the weapon by beating back the Scientists on his own.
• Comically Missing the Point: When Ms. O tells Oscar that the Scientists need a new President following Obbs' firing, Oscar initially believes she's referring to herself and tells her that she can't leave Odd Squad. Ms. O then clarifies that she's talking about him.
• The Coats Are Off: Oscar takes off all 17 of his lab coats before charging into battle with them, throwing them at the Brainwashed Scientists to distract them so he can get the Sticky-String-inator.
• Continuity Nod: One of the options Obbs is presented with following his firing is Odd Todd's Life of Grime, which is a villain rehabilitation place focusing on gardening, seen in "Mid-Day in the Garden of Good and Odd".
  • In "Dance Like Nobody's Watching", Oscar activates one of the Precinct 13579 bullpen's booby traps, which happens to be Sticky String that binds him to the wall. In this episode, the tables are turned as he uses a Sticky-String-inator to beat back a group of mind-controlled Scientists.
  • The "I Am Great!" Song "Oscar is Awesome", from "Trading Places", gets a Boss Remix update as Oscar fights back a group of mind-controlled Scientists.
  • A Shmumbers Hotel ad appears on the screen inside of the elevator that Oona hides in.
• Diving Save: Oscar does one to get the Sticky-String-inator before the elevator doors close.
• Dragged by the Collar: Ms. O pulls Oscar back by his arm or shoulder every time he attempts to pull a Screw This, I'm Outta Here.
  • When Oona arrives at Lab-Con and Ms. O takes the helm in bringing her back to the ice cream truck (which is implied to be how she, Oscar and Oona arrived at the convention to begin with), she grabs ahold of Oona's wrist and begins forcefully pushing her there.
• Dramatic Ammo Depletion: When Oscar and Ms. O reach the 5th and final floor of the Science building, they immediately come across the Scientists Oscar had beaten earlier. However, when the un-brainwashed Scientist goes to use the Sticky-String-inator, he is unable to, due to it being out of Sticky String. As a result, Oscar and Ms. O are forced to retreat into a nearby office...which just so happens to be Obbs'.
• Dressed in Layers: Oscar wears seventeen lab coats, due to the fact that he gets chilly easily.
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: Obbs' modus operandi. He believes that Investigation agents get all of the credit for solving oddness, while Scientists -- the ones who provide the gadgets needed to solve oddness -- get no credit at all. When he brought up the issue with a few other Scientists, they responded by saying that they like helping and that agents and Scientists are on the same team. This obviously doesn't sit well with with the President of the Scientists, who proceeds to mind-control every single Scientist into attempting to take over every Odd Squad precinct in the world.
• Enemy Rising Behind: After tying up the other Scientists with Sticky String, Oscar quickly tells Ms. O to watch out. As soon as the Director ducks down, a brainwashed Odelia is shown rising above her, about to capture her before being sprayed with Sticky String.
• Face Your Fears: Oscar is afraid to leave the lab unattended, which is why he has repeatedly missed various Lab-Cons over the years — and with Oona running it for the first time, he's even more anxious. This time, however, he has Ms. O with him, who attempts to help him overcome his anxiety. Her efforts later fall flat when Oona herself appears at Lab-Con, wanting to ask Oscar a question about what to use as a writing utensil for gadget sign-out sheets. By the end of the episode, Oscar has overcome his fear and anxiety about leaving Oona behind in the lab, as she ends up being promoted to Precinct 13579's Lab Director in his place.
• Fake-Out Fade-Out: When Ms. O returns to Oscar after having left him and asks him if they want to hang out right now, he says yes, and the pair begin walking away, with the episode seemingly ending as it fades out. However, the episode fades back in to the lab of Precinct 13579, with Orchid still having a Staring Contest with Oona's wax figure. The episode actually ends when Orchid eventually loses the contest, only to start another round.
• Fan Convention: Zig-zagged. Lab-Con is meant to be modeled after conventions such as the San Diego Comic-Con (and is named after such a convention), and it has the similar feel of a convention (with a small car as well as a few gadgets being on display), but at one point, it's referred to as a conference rather than a convention, with Obbs showing up to give a "welcome speech".
• First-Name Basis: When Oscar is having a private conversation with Ms. O at the end of the episode and calls her by that name, she responds by telling him to call her by her real first name, Oprah, instead of her formal rank title (inversely, she refers to him by his formal rank title, President Oscar). To put it in perspective: "Training Day" had her angrily correct Todd — one of her Investigation agents at the time — when he referred to her as Oprah. Past episodes have also shown that she is constantly referred to as Ms. O, and it has been strongly implied that only those close to her — such as her former partner, O'Donahue — are allowed to call her Oprah.
• Foreshadowing: When Ms. O tells Oscar that someone has to step up in Obbs' place, Oscar initially believes she's promoting herself. Come the Season 2 finale, the Big O ends up promoting her in his place (which, funnily enough, puts her in a much higher position than Oscar). Furthermore, one of the videos in the "Odd Squad Healthy Habits" series released during Season 3 (in light of the COVID-19 Pandemic) regarding social distancing implies that she regularly keeps in touch with Oscar, even as the Big O — meaning that she does indeed make good on her promise made to him in this episode for him and her to hang out often.
• Hidden Disdain Reveal: Oscar states that he doesn't like Obbs, his boss, due to being showy and not wearing a bowtie like the other Scientists. While his complaints initially appear to be petty, it turns out that Oscar has a pretty good reason for disliking him.
• Hidden Wire: When Ms. O promotes Oona to Oscar's former position as Lab Director of Precinct 13579, her words are cut short by a recording device being held up to her face. The device ends up belonging to Oona herself, who is recording Ms. O's words so she can repeat them back to herself later when she performs poorly in her new position.
• Humble Hero: When Oona frees the Scientists and Ms. O from Obbs' mind control, Oscar is quick to catch on that Oona was responsible for saving everyone. She responds by denying his praise (at least initially).
• Hypno Trinket: The pins that come included with the bag of various items every Scientist receives when registering for Lab-Con have the ability to mind-control the wearers via use of a remote-like gadget. Oscar ends up not being hypnotized by the pin initially because he isn't wearing it when Obbs performs Mass Hypnosis on the other Scientists, and as a result, Obbs and the Scientists go on a chase to find and apprehend him, as well as Ms. O.
• "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: Oscar attempts to do this with Odelia. It doesn't work, as she ends up faking her release from Obbs' mind control just to mess with Oscar.
  Ms. O: [nervously chuckling] At least they still have a...sense of...humor. Run!
  Oscar: Run!
  [they immediately dash off]
• I Know You're Watching Me: When Obbs reveals to Oona what happened to Oscar and Ms. O, he asks her if she now believes him after he told her where they are and she initially brushed it off. Disheartened, she nods, only for Obbs to tell her that the camera in the elevator only goes one way. He then asks her if she's nodding, to which she replies with "yes".
• Illness Blanket: While not necessarily ill from Obbs' mind-control, Odie, Odelia and O'Terry share one after the President of the Scientists is apprehended and fired. Two other Scientists are also shown wearing one each while being interrogated by an Investigation agent.
• In-Series Nickname: Orchid refers to Oona (or what she thinks is Oona, anyway) as "Gadget Lady".
• Insistent Terminology: When Oscar first attempts to leave Lab-Con, Ms. O calls him back and reminds him of why she and him came to begin with.
  Ms. O: Oscar! This is why I came. You always complain about missing this weird...sweaty Scientist party.
  Odelia: Lab-Con. It's called Lab-Con.
• I Surrender, Suckers: Oona pulls this on Obbs, although it's not revealed initially and is instead revealed via a Flashback. When he tells her to give in, she puts on a knowing smile, feigning defeat as she tells him she'll come to his office shortly. Once she builds the weapon she needs, she enters his office with her head hanging low before gaining the upper hand as she unveils said weapon: gadget #234, the same number that Obbs' remote has. She orders Oscar and Ms. O, who are flanking Obbs, to hold his wrists down to the chair he's sitting in as she explains how she was able to stop him.
• It's All My Fault: After Obbs is fired, Oscar berates himself for not coming to Lab-Con sooner; otherwise, he would have seen what Obbs was planning, and stopped him before things got out of hand. Odelia, Odie, and O'Terry assure him otherwise, saying that it's not his fault at all.
• It's a Long Story: When Oona calls Ms. O and asks her if she needs a parking permit for the ice cream truck, Oscar asks the Director to hand her phone to him so he can talk to his assistant. He ends up taking exactly 20 minutes to summarize what's currently happening.
  Oona: Whoa, I can't believe it!
  Oscar: I know...
  Oona: No, I mean, that took exactly 20 minutes to explain. You really called it.
• Know When to Fold 'Em: Subverted. While the scene with Obbs telling Oona to give up, come to him, and succumb to his mind-control is initially presented as her giving up (knowing that not only are Oscar and Ms. O brainwashed, but so are the rest of the Scientists, and she is unable to fight them all off on her own), it's eventually revealed that she pulled an I Surrender, Suckers on him, and manages to gain the upper hand.
• The Leader: Odelia is picked by Obbs to lead a team to search the building, and at one point heads the group of Scientists that confront Ms. O and Oscar once they head to the bottom-most floor. Since she's Brainwashed, however, it's difficult to tell what type she falls into.
• Literal-Minded: When Obbs commands Odie and O'Terry to clean the Sticky String off of them, they take a tissue each and immediately begin rubbing it on their bodies in a robotic manner. Obbs then tells them to use the whole box, at which point Odie picks up the entire tissue box and robotically rubs that on himself. Obbs gives an anguished cry of frustration and spins around in his chair as Odie begins whacking O'Terry with the box (and vice versa, with O'Terry rubbing the tissue on Odie).
• Locked Out of the Loop: Due to being a new employee of Odd Squad, Oona is unaware of Obbs' existence. Similarly, Obbs isn't aware of Oona's existence up until she calls Oscar and Ms. O, only to hear the President of the Scientists' voice on the other end of the line.
• Long Game: It's implied, albeit subtly, that Obbs has been planning for Scientists to take over Odd Squad as an organization for years — something that Oscar kicks himself over, as he laments not coming to previous Lab-Cons (due to the fact that, had he done so, he likely would have exposed Obbs and his plan before the President of the Scientists was able to carry it out).
• Loved by All: Oscar is loved by nearly every Scientist due to the fact that he is the first Scientist in Odd Squad history, and is the original mind behind the concept of combining gadgets. He's loved enough to have a statue of him standing outside of the Scientist building of the Academy.
• Mass Hypnosis: Obbs does this to every Scientist that attends Lab-Con, using the pins received when registering for Lab-Con in order to control their minds. He later manages to get both Oscar and Ms. O under hypnosis as well after they are chased into his office. It's implied that he has been planning such a stint in order to take control of Odd Squad for years, but chose this year's Lab-Con to carry the plan out.
• Mind-Control Device: Obbs uses a remote-like gadget to activate the mind-controlling pins.
  • Oona makes one of her own by combining gadgets #200, #30, and #4 — gadget #234, which is the same gadget as Obbs' remote. This allows her to override his own device and control the Scientists, as well as Ms. O, on her own.
• Mirthless Laughter: When Oscar explains to Odelia how he left Oona in charge of the lab while he's gone, he lets slip his implied fear of her accidentally pressing the wrong button and causing the lab to explode. While Odelia and Ms. O both get a good chuckle out of it, Oscar's laugh is more anxiety-ridden.
• Mood Whiplash: The episode's ending goes from heartwarming (and quite the invoked Tear Jerker) to humorous as Orchid continues her Staring Contest with the wax figure of Oona.
• Multi-Part Episode: The second one of Season 2.
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: When Obbs is issuing some False Reassurance to Oona by telling her to come up to his office so he can brainwash her as well, he waves his remote at the camera, holding it at such an angle where the numbers on the bottom are easily visible. This leads Oona to combine a few gadgets out of the ones she had brought with her from the ice cream truck to make gadget #234 (the same numbered gadget as his remote), which allows her to override Obbs' Mind-Control Device with her own and control everyone for herself.
• No Escape but Down: When cornered by four mind-controlled Scientists in the Air-Vent Passageway, Ms. O, realizing there's nowhere else to go, slams her fists on the floor, causing it to give out beneath her and Oscar as they fall to the lower floor.
• Not the Fall That Kills You…: Averted. Ms. O and Oscar fall from the first floor to the bottom floor and land on their feet in kneeling positions, but suffer no injury.
• Oh, Crap!: Naturally, for a high-stakes episode involving brainwashing, there are a lot of these moments — but two of the most notable expressions are Oscar's and Ms. O's, once they realize they were chased by the mind-controlled Scientists into Obbs' office.
• Our Presidents Are Different: The leader of all the Scientists in Odd Squad is known as the "President of the Scientists". Obbs is a mix of President Evil and President Scheming, while Oscar is a mix of President Geek, President Action, and President Personable.
• Pop-Culture Pun Episode Title: The episode title is a reference to the Star Wars film The Empire Strikes Back.
• Power Glows: The pins glow green when they are in use.
• Preemptive "Shut Up": When Oona begins repeating Ms. O's praise of her in the form of a song, she doesn't get any farther than "I'm cool" before the Director gives her a taste of her trademark "shut up" hand gesture.
• Put on a Bus: This episode marks Oscar's final series appearance, although it wouldn't be his final appearance in the show as a whole, as he would go on to star in The Movie.
• Rank Up: Oscar is promoted from his position as Lab Director of Precinct 13579 to President of the Scientists, in place of Obbs.
  • Oona is also promoted to Lab Director of Precinct 13579 in Oscar's place.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: The Scientists' eyes (as well as Ms. O's) flash green whenever Obbs activates the mind-control pins.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Consistently defied by Ms. O when Oscar attempts it. The former of which always manages to pull him back in some manner and assure him that everything is fine.
• Ship Tease: There is a ton of it to be found in this episode with Ms. O and Oscar.
• Shout-Out: The smiles the brainwashed Scientists consistently wear, as well as the plot of one person brainwashing others in order to fulfill an ultimate goal, may remind some people of the ponies of Our Town, seen in the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic "The Cutie Map" two-parter.
• Slippery Skid: Ms. O invokes this trope by opening a stand filled with balls popping like popcorn nearby and knocking it to the ground, sending the balls rolling on the floor in order to distract the Scientists so she and Oscar can escape.
• Speak in Unison: The hypnotized Scientists do this often, at Obbs' command. While at first they speak in a Creepy Monotone, Obbs changes it so their voices sound more psychotically upbeat.
• Staring Contest: Orchid has one with whom she thinks is Oona. However, since "Oona" is nothing more than a wax figure of the Scientist herself (and thus, can't blink), Orchid ends up losing (despite her faring well in these types of contests), but goes for another round because she doubts "Oona" being better at staring contests than her.
• Stepford Smiler: The brainwashing that Obbs does to the Scientists gives all of them creepy smiles that remain on their faces. This is paired with their creepy, cheerful "Get Oscar, get Ms. O!" line that all of them consistently repeat.
• Surprisingly Creepy Moment: The end of the episode has Orchid still having a Staring Contest with whom she thinks is Oona. There is virtually no noise aside from soft beeps...that is, until some incredibly ominous music begins playing as background music, which is accompanied by Orchid acting as though she's a monster hellbent on killing, low soft growls and all.
• Surrounded by Idiots: Despite having the ability to make them do whatever he wishes, Obbs expresses great frustration over his brainwashed subordinates having the intelligence of rocks.
• Take a Third Option: Oona has a gadget that can help Ms. O and Oscar beat back the horde of Scientists. However, Oscar forbids her to bring it to them in person (which is an order given at Ms. O's behest), saying that he doesn't want to lose the one Scientist that is not mind-controlled by Obbs (barring himself, natch). Instead, he has Oona send it up the elevator, and he makes a break for it while beating back the Scientists. He manages to catch it, and ties the Scientists up with Sticky String when they get back up to try and attack again.
• Take Over the World: Obbs' ultimate plan goes as follows: take over Odd Squad, take over Earth, then take over whatever planets happen to have life on them (he has a hunch about Neptune in particular).
  • Oona subverts the trope once she builds a gadget that overrides Obbs' own Mind-Control Device, saying that with every Scientist (and Ms. O) under her command, she can go on to rule the world. Cue her performing a very psychotic-sounding Evil Laugh. She then says that she's only joking and smashes the gadget onto Obbs' remote, breaking both devices and freeing everyone from mind-control.
• Team Power Walk: The mind-controlled Scientists do this in unison quite often. When chasing after Ms. O and Oscar, it becomes more of a fast walk.
• Tempting Fate: Ms. O assures Oscar that Oona will be fine in the lab. Not even a second later, The Apprentice herself shows up to ask Oscar what agents should use when writing on gadget sign-out sheets.
• That Reminds Me of a Song: A consistent Running Gag in the episode is having Oona suddenly burst into song. For Ms. O, it delves into Incessant Music Madness to the point where she abruptly stops Oona at the end of the episode when she's about to sing again.
  Oona: [singing, as she's being taken to the ice cream truck] Everything's going to be fii-iiiine!
  Ms. O: Please stop singing.
• Thinking Out Loud: Oona does this at one point as Oscar and Ms. O are making their way to Obbs' office with the Sticky-String-inator in hand. However, she immediately regrets doing so once she sees Odelia and her team of Scientists enter the garage in search of Oscar and Ms. O.
  Oona: I picked the wrong week to stop talking to myself.
• Took a Level in Badass: Oscar manages to beat back the group of mind-controlled Scientists on his own. With seventeen lab coats. Even Ms. O is surprised.
• Turn in Your Badge: Owen forces Obbs to do this following the latter being fired from Odd Squad.
• The Unsmile: When Obbs changes the Brainwashed Scientists' voices from Creepy Monotone to chipper and cheerful, it also makes them smile in a very forceful manner. It's especially prominent with Ms. O and Oscar.
• Unwitting Pawn: Defied by Oscar, who refuses to come down towards Obbs so the President of the Scientists can fix his mind-control pin that accidentally dropped and broke, saying that he can fix it in the bathroom. However, he ends up making a run for it instead, leading Obbs to send the mind-controlled Scientists after him.
  • The trope is later played straight when Oscar and Ms. O end up escaping from the brainwashed Scientists into a nearby room. Said room happens to be Obbs' office, where the President of the Scientists quickly places them under mind-control.
• Wacky Sound Effect: Oona activating every gadget in the ice cream truck is accompanied by various odd sound effects and numerous flashing colors.
• Waistcoat of Style: Obbs dons a green one under his labcoat, in contrast to the other Scientists' white button-up shirts.
• Weaksauce Weakness: The horde of mind-controlled Scientists are knocked to the ground by Oscar throwing his lab coats at them, as well as being sprayed by Sticky String (the Sticky String is a justified example, however, as it has binding properties in this universe, and has more of a potential to blind attackers). However, in the case of the lab coats, the Scientists just get right back up afterwards.
• Wham Episode: This episode has Oscar being promoted to President of the Scientists, marking his departure from the show. Similarly, Oona is promoted to Lab Director of Precinct 13579 in his place.
• Worldbuilding: This episode introduces us to the Science division of the Odd Squad Academy, which is where a convention for Scientists known as Lab-Con is hosted annually. It also introduces the rank of President of the Scientists, which Oscar is promoted to by the end of the episode.
  • At the beginning of the episode, there is an overhead shot of the six buildings comprising the Odd Squad Academy, albeit only the Science building is prominently featured.
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are: As Oscar is doubting his new position, Ms. O gives a few positive choice words to him before leaving (and eventually coming back, asking him if he wants to spend a little more time with her before she leaves).
  Oscar: Um, it's a huge honor, and...I want to, but-
  Ms. O: But what?
  [Beat]
  Oscar: I don't want to not see you every day.
  Ms. O: Me neither. But they need you here. And, I'll visit you. You'll visit me. We'll hang out all the time. Go. [puts her hand on his shoulder] Be the leader I know you are.

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