Recap / Odd Squad S 2 E 8 And Then They Were Puppies A Case Of The Sillies

Everything's Precious With Puppies, especially when they're wearing Odd Squad jackets!

And Then They Were Puppies

Airdates: July 7, 2016 ^note PBS Kids premiere, July 12, 2016 ^note TVO Kids premiere

When every agent turns into a puppy, it's up to Agent Ohlm to save the day.

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Tropes:

• Adaptation Distillation / Adaptation Expansion: A few months after the episode aired, a 2017 calendar was created based on the photos of the agents-turned-puppies taken at the end of the episode, titled the Puppies of Odd Squad. (The idea of creating a calendar to begin with was a Brick Joke within the episode itself.) Various fictional holidays are marked in the calendar (such as Pillowcase Hygiene Day and Jackalope Appreciation Day; some days are marked with agents' absences), birthdays are added (including the ones of Olive, Otto, Oren and Olaf, which were all established in "Best Seats in the House"), notable days were added (such as Owen's days off and a day for Timetastrophe Savings Time) and pictures of puppies that weren't seen in the episode proper, such as one of Ms. O's assistants and one of an Odd Squad doctor, are added. The calendar consists of a Continuity Cavalcade, and reveals some Hidden Depths about Precinct 13579 and the agents who work there. While it was unfortunately removed from the show's section of the PBS Kids website in 2018, a downloadable copy is still reserved on the Wayback Machine.
• Answer Cut: Oona explains that there's one agent that is still in the outside world. Ms. O asks who it is, to which the Lab Director responds that her boss isn't going to like the answer. Cut to Ohlm, who is receiving ice cream from a local vendor, only to lick it once and have the rest fall to the ground.
• Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Since the Puppy Master doesn't work for Odd Squad (and thus, doesn't have a colored ball or a department she belongs to), she travels through the tubes in a clear-colored, transparent ball.
• Comically Missing the Point: Ohlm has this reaction when he hears that Ms. O and the others have turned into puppies and will stay that way forever.
  Ohlm: Well, you won't be puppies forever.
  Ms. O: What are you talking about?
  Ohlm: I mean, eventually you'll grow up to be dogs, right?
  Ms. O: Ohlm, don't argue with me!
• Continuity Nod: When Ms. O informs Olympia and Otis that the Puppy Master is in Headquarters, Otis asks her if she meant the Puppet Master.
  • This isn't the first time that the mathematical Aesop, as well as the plot, focuses on maps, landmarks, and following directions.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Ms. O has faith in Ohlm being able to beat the Puppy Master due to his ability to confuse and distract, as well as his wild unpredictability in battle. For his complete ditziness, he manages to succeed in destroying the Puppy Master's remote for the giant ray, and manages to get her original gadget back as well.
  Olympia: But...is Ohlm even in control? Does he know what he's doing?
  Ms. O: No one knows. Not even him.
• The Ditz: Jerry. Good God, Jerry.
  • Ohlm is initially this, being incredibly incompetent throughout the episode up until he graduates to being a Genius Ditz. However, this is before The Reveal in the finale, where he is found out to be faking it.
• Doomsday Device: The Puppy Master's ultimate plan is to return to her evil lair and use a giant puppy ray (which is a much larger version of her original handheld one that she uses to turn the Odd Squad agents into puppies) that will turn everyone into puppies.
• Evil Wears Black: The Cold Open clients' evil twins are all dressed in black.
• Evil Twin: The Cold Open clients have the issue of their evil twin selves appearing in the real world via a portal. Apparently, there's an Alternate Universe full of them.
• Eyepatch of Power: One of the Cold Open clients' evil twins wears one.
• Fingertip Drug Analysis: When a frustrated Ms. O declares that she needs a juice, one of her assistants gives her a bowl of the stuff, then tastes it to make sure it's safe to drink. Ms. O isn't happy about it and demands she give it back. The assistant complies, and then begins licking her boss's face.
• Furry Reminder: Being humans that are transformed into puppies, a majority of the agents go along with canine instincts (some engage in play-wrestling, while Otis chews up Ms. O's badge phone due to him teething).
• Gadgeteer Genius: The Puppy Master appears to be one, as it's all but implied that she not only built the ray with which she turns the Odd Squad agents into puppies, but she's built a giant version.
• Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal: The agents-turned-puppies are all wearing their respective jackets, with some retaining whatever accessories they have while in human form (such as Oona keeping her bowtie and Otis keeping his tie) while others go without (Ms. O doesn't have her trademark necklace and Olympia doesn't have a white button-up shirt nor a tie). However, all of the agents-turned-puppies aren't wearing any pants.
• Hidden Depths: Otis is apparently Not a Morning Person — while he doesn't need an alarm clock to wake up, he sometimes falls right back asleep.
• Iris Out: The episode ends on a shot of the Main 4 as puppies, with a star-shaped iris closing in on Ms. O with a brief Lens Flare accompanying it.
• Lower-Deck Episode: This episode focuses primarily on Ohlm as he is the one that must turn everyone else back to normal.
• Medium-Shift Gag: The choruses of the Pigeon Song are solely animated, with Alan being in CGI.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Ohlm was able to stop the Puppy Master, destroy her remote, and get her gadget back. However, upon returning to Odd Squad, he manages to turn himself into a puppy, thereby destroying the agents' chances of returning back to their human forms.
• No Sense of Direction: Ohlm, due to being The Ditz. He ends up going far enough as to board a ship leaving town at one point instead of going to the Puppy Master's lair because he doesn't know his left from his right (keep in mind, he had to go to a stone pillar, take a right, and keep going straight).
• Phrase Salad Lyrics: True to the structure of this show's songs, the Pigeon Song has lyrics like this that basically describe what Ohlm is doing on his way to the Puppy Master's lair (eating salad, trying to touch a tree branch, etc.).
• Precious Puppy: Pretty much all of the puppies qualify for the trope.
• Rousing Speech: Ms. O gives one to the rest of her agents regarding their transformations into puppies, but it doesn't go over so well.
  Ms. O: Listen up! I know we are furrier and droolier than usual, but underneath these collars, we are still Odd Squad agents. And I need all of you to stay focused and professional. [music dies down]
  Dr. O: Hey guys, I found a slipper.
  [various cheers]
  Ms. O: Gimme that thing. [falls off the steps] Whoa!
• Ship Tease: Yes, even though they're puppies, Ms. O telling O'Malley that the more scared he is, the cuter he gets can definitely qualify. Despite the form change, it's quite possibly the closest the show has ever gotten to anything romance-related in terms of agents.
• Sleepyhead: Ohlm takes one bite of salad, sets the container down next to him, and immediately falls asleep sitting up, just before waking up and catching himself. He then begins to fall asleep again, only to wake up and catch himself once more.
  • One of the Odd Squad nurses, turned into a puppy, is one of these. It's justified, though, as he's a puppy.
• Species Surname: Played with. Alan, a pigeon that Ohlm befriends, is referred to as "Alan the Pigeon" in the credits, but no one speaks his full name.
• Spoonerism: Ohlm asks a couple to give him their map by saying, "Sire, meem, I need to commandeer that mape."
• Supervillain Lair: The Puppy Master has one that looks like an old observatory with a dog bone on top.
• Talking Animal: All of the agents-turned-puppies can speak to humans, as demonstrated with Ms. O (who is a bulldog puppy) talking to Ohlm (who is a human), who can understand her fine.
  • Alan, a pigeon that Ohlm befriends, can also speak to humans, who understand him fine. He also speaks in coos like normal pigeons do.
• Travel Montage: One is shown as Ohlm makes his way through an alternate route to get to the Puppy Master's lair, accompanied by a song sung by Alan, the pigeon.

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Otis is enjoying this Friendly Tickle Torture a little too much.

A Case of the Sillies

Airdates: July 7, 2016 ^note  PBS Kids premiere, July 12, 2016 ^note  TVO Kids premiere

When Dr. O catches a case of "The Sillies", Ocean and Oona must collect all the ingredients to make a curing antidote.

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Tropes:

• A Day in the Limelight: This episode focuses mostly on Oona and Ocean.
• Amusing Injuries: Olympia and Otis get quite a few of these thanks to the stunts Dr. O pulls.
• Are You Pondering What I'm Pondering?: When Olympia and Otis slip on their 5th banana peel, a frustrated Olympia asks where the bananas are coming from. She and Otis then rattle off a series of answers in unison until they land on the right one:
  Olympia and Otis: Costa Rica! No. India! No. Mexico! No. Banana Room, yes!
• Bait-and-Switch: Otis and Olympia are having routine checkups done in Dr. O's office, where she checks the former's mouth. After she asks them to sing a note in the key of C, she then says that it's "just as I suspected". Cut to Olympia and Otis looking rightfully worried before Dr. O assures them that they're both healthy.
• Banana Peel: Olympia and Otis both slip on some while trying to find Dr. O. (Five, to be exact.)
• Big "WHAT?!": This is Oona's reaction when Ocean tells her that she has to sing in order for the Grabber Plant to let go of her arm.
• Buffy Speak: Ocean refers to a ruler as a "sticky thingy" at one point.
• Butt-Monkey: Both Olympia and Otis are the victims of numerous pranks played on them by Dr. O.
• Cloudcuckoolander: The Sillies is a progressive disease that gets worse the longer it is left untreated in the victim. If left fully untreated, it's explained that eventually, the person with the disease stops talking entirely and simply runs around making silly noises. Dr. O falls victim to this disease, and goes from simply laughing at the end of every sentence she speaks, to pulling a Heh Heh, You Said "X" joke on her patients, to playing practical jokes on them.
• Continuity Nod: A Find the Cure! plot where two characters have to mix up an antidote for a sick individual? Wouldn't be the first time (although there's no secret-keeping involved, and Dr. O herself is the one sick).
  • "Is There A Doctor in the House?" begins playing when Dr. O pranks Olympia and Otis with the "tape across the door" trick.
  • Oona gets her arm nearly eaten off by a Venus flytrap-like plant (called a Grabber Plant), and before it does, she remarks how it looks like the one Ocean has in the Creature Room.
• Covered in Gunge: The antidote for the Sillies looks like thick strawberry yogurt, and Dr. O ends up covered in it when it's poured on her.
• Cross-Referenced Titles: With "A Case of the Sing-Alongs".
• Damn You, Muscle Memory!: Otis calls Odd Squad to ask for a shutdown of a tube entrance in a man's office (which is behind a filing cabinet). When he and Olympia begin to leave, they attempt to do so through the same tube entrance they used when entering the man's office — the same one that's now inoperable. As a result, Otis (but not Olympia, who's behind him and crouched down) runs right into the filing cabinet and nearly knocks down the man's large painting before composing himself, completely flustered.
  Olympia: We should've seen that one coming.
• The Dividual: Ms. O invokes this in the form of telling Ocean and Oona that they both have to act like Dr. O herself in order to mix up the cure needed for the doctor's Sillies, as they assume the Syndividual type.
• Dragged by the Collar: When Dr. O realizes that she's laughing after every sentence she speaks, she reacts by forcefully grabbing Olympia and Otis by their shoulders and yanking them towards her as she asks what they see in her eyes.
• Friendly Tickle Torture: Dr. O does this to Otis while currently apprehended by both him and Olympia. She manages to tickle him hard enough to cry.
• Heh Heh, You Said "X": Olympia, Otis and Ms. O all fall for the classic "under where/underwear" gag, much to Dr. O's amusement.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: Olympia and Otis manage to catch Dr. O by using plastic wrap, which was part of an earlier prank on the partner pair.
• Hollywood Tone-Deaf: Played with. Oona's singing voice is absolutely terrible, but it's slightly justified due to the fact that she is incredibly nervous — rightfully so, considering her arm is about to be entirely ripped off by a large Venus-flytrap-like plant. In addition, Olivia Presti's singing voice is actually pretty solid, considering her brief performances in "Oscar Strikes Back".
• "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: Olympia and Otis try to make Dr. O come to her senses. However, since the Sillies has overtaken most of her body to the point where she can't speak coherent English, it doesn't really work. Luckily, they manage to bind her in plastic wrap — the very same thing they ran into earlier.
  Olympia: [as she and Otis walk slowly towards Dr. O] Dr. O, you're better than this. You're not Dr. Silly. You're Dr. O.
  Otis: We're more than just your co-workers. We're your friends. Sure, you can stay on the path to Silly Town.
  Olympia: Or, you can help us help you. It's your choice.
  Otis: [leans in and whispers] What is your choice?
  [Dr. O looks at Olympia and Otis while twitching; she blows a raspberry and runs off]
  [Otis and Olympia chase after her and find her trapped in plastic wrap]
  Otis: Plastic wrap trap.
• Insane Troll Logic: Ms. O pairs Oona and Ocean together to help mix up a cure for Dr. O because one is a Scientist, and the other deals with creatures — apparently, combining creature skills and science together makes them a doctor.
• Instantly Proven Wrong: The Cold Open client has an issue with a tube entrance being placed in his office, meaning that agents come through the office all day and disrupt his work. Olympia is in disbelief, saying that, after having one agent come through the tube entrance, only one agent isn't "coming through here all day". Cue two more agents coming through the same tube entrance.
  • When Ms. O tasks Olympia and Otis with the duty of monitoring Dr. O, Olympia assures her that they've got it under control. A second later, the doctor takes off screaming and laughing.
  Otis: We're in the process of getting it under control.
• It's the Best Whatever, Ever!: The Squanzo Bonzo ends the episode by saying it's the "best day ever!"
• Lazy Alias: Played for laughs with Oona using the alias "Diane" while on the phone with Olympia, telling Ocean that she doesn't like to give away her identity.
• Literal-Minded: When Ms. O remarks how Ocean and Oona working together functions like a doctor, Ocean believes that she's referring to Oona standing on his shoulders, with the two of them wearing a coat so they look like one tall person.
  • While on the phone with Olympia, Oona says "Hold the phone!" Then she gives her badge phone to Ocean to hold.
• Mouth Cam: Right after the Cold Open, there is a shot taken from inside Otis's mouth as Dr. O checks it with a tongue depressor.
• Non-Ironic Clown: Downplayed; Dr. O doesn't become an actual clown, but she does wear clown-like face paint to signify her humorous status.
• Not So Above It All: Even when she's returned to normal, Dr. O expresses her thanks to the Main 4 (sans Ms. O) and Ocean by spraying them with Sticky String...and then saying "thank you".
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Dr. O is normally regarded as The Comically Serious, but very rarely laughs. So when she begins laughing at random times, she is quick to realize that it's cause for concern.
• Our Monsters Are Weird: The Squanzo Bonzo definitely qualifies, even in a world full of odd creatures. It looks similar in color and texture to a blob, with multicolored eyes and a creepy mough, and is a consistent Pollyanna.
• Orbital Shot: One is used when Ms. O first calls on Oona and Ocean to work together.
• Screen Shake: Happens when Olympia and Otis slip on the banana peels that Dr. O left behind.
• Ship Tease: This episode is one of the few that explores the duo of Ocean and Oona. Following this episode, fans were quick to ship the two together. This episode makes it a bit more prevalent, however, by having the Squanzo Bonzo affectionately refer to Oona as Ocean's "lady friend".
• Shout-Out: Oona explains to Ocean that mustaches are comprised of hair that men grow on their upper lips to make them look ironic...or like a private investigator in Hawaii.
• Stealth Hi/Bye: Yes, this trope is as common in this show as oddness in and of itself, and Ms. O does it enough times to give Pinkie Pie a run for her money. This time around, however, her doing so when finding out Dr. O has the Sillies is accompanied by a comical "boing" sound.
• Stop Copying Me: One of Dr. O's pranks involves prank-calling Otis and copying everything he says. Eventually, they manage to find her in a nearby hallway...but before they can apprehend her, they run straight into clear plastic wrap stretched across the wall.
• Tears of Blood: Parodied; the Squanzo Bonzo doesn't cry tears of salty water, he cries tears of non-fat strawberry yogurt. (And yes, it's edible.)
• Wingding Eyes: Dr. O's hazel eyes turn to colorful spirals under the influence of the Sillies.
  Otis: It's like a circus on spin cycle!
• Worldbuilding: Presumably, the office where the Cold Open client works is a central hub for Tube Travel.
• The X of Y: Olympia refers to the Cold Open client's office as the "Chicago O'Hare of tube entrances".
  Man: I thought everybody flew through Denver.
  Olympia: Uh, Denver or Chicago. However you want to look at it, really.

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