Recap / Odd Squad S 3 E 32 Sunny Sides Add Up Old Odd New Tricks

Seven villains. One Ancient Artifact.

Sunny Sides Add Up

Airdate: November 9, 2021 ^note CBBC premiere, July 7, 2022 ^note PBS Kids premiere

Orla thought she was the only ancient agent left. However, when a distress call comes through, it becomes clear that she was wrong.

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Tropes:

• Arc Number: 43 is brought up by Orla at the end of the episode when she explains that spider milk pudding no longer takes 43 days (or over a month) to cook, but it serves as more of a Continuity Nod than anything else.
• Artifact of Power: Although it was already known that the Golden Sundial was this to some degree, this episode reveals that activating it will allow time portals to be opened, while destroying it will cause a timetastrophe that could potentially threaten not just the planet, but the entire universe. A group of seven villains wish to use the artifact to open time portals and bring items back from the past to the present that will aid them in defeating Odd Squad for good.
• Bizarre Taste in Food: Orla is shown making spider milk pudding (known as a recipe among ancient Odd Squad guardians) at the beginning of the episode in a large cauldron. She forces Omar to try some and he ends up liking it, but when she tells him what he's eating, he drops his spoon and stares at her in shock.
  Orla: I am impressed. Most people find spider milk pudding unpleasant. Osmerelda, care for a taste?
  Osmerelda: I'm good, heh...
• The Bus Came Back: Olando returns in this episode after having last been seen in "Odd Off The Press". Likewise, the Sticky Sisters also return from "Odd Off the Press" and are set to raid Olando's ancient Headquarters.
  • The Queen of the Ice Trolls, who was last prominently seen in the Season 2 episode "Happy Halfiversary", returns in this episode as part of the villain group aiming to get the Golden Sundial.
• Call-Back: While this episode takes a lot of elements from "Odd Beginnings" to the point where it has a Recycled Premise, it also seems to lampshade just how similar it is by having Oswald remark that Olando's going to ask them a question to prove his and the others' identities when the Ancient Agent captures them with the Rope-inator.
• Cassandra Truth: Olando attempts to tell the villains that moving the Golden Sundial without solving the secret equation needed to unlock it will have disastrous consequences. The first Sticky Sister simply brushes it off as a load of horse manure.
  Sticky Sister 1: Pff, the old "walls will close in on us if we don't solve the equation" line. Not gonna fall for that one!
• Casting Gag: Hot Potato Harry, a villain with a potato theme, is played by an actor known as Olaf Sham. "Olaf" was the name of a character from Season 1 on the heroes' side who was mainly defined by his extreme love of potatoes.
• Clock Tampering: The villains attempt to steal the Golden Sundial and plan on using it to open time portals and use things from the past to help them beat Odd Squad in the present.
• Continuity Nod: The episode ends with the same "freeze-frame and glow" effect as "Nature of the Sandbeast".
• Didn't Think This Through: The villain group plans on bringing creatures like saber-toothed tigers and dinosaurs into the present so they can beat Odd Squad. They seem to be unaware that Odd Squad has been around since the cavemen times, and thus, they likely have knowledge on how to beat such creatures.
• Eye Beams: The Queen of the Ice Trolls fires these to freeze the stone door in what she dubs the "Subzero Stare".
• Horrible Judge of Character: Subverted. Olando initially believes that the Mobile Unit agents are villains and traps them using the Rope-inator, but then states that he's aware the agents are heroes and frees them using the Scissor-inator less than a minute later.
• I Choose to Stay: Subverted. Despite not having anything to protect any longer, Olando states that he wants to stay in his Headquarters so he can protect it from the villains, who may return and try to attack it or him. Orla assures him that they're not returning, and then he admits that he's been in his Headquarters for such a long time that he's afraid of leaving because he feels that society doesn't have a place for him and he won't be able to fit in. Orla is quick to tell him that she felt the same way, but eventually found her role in the world and has confidence that he too will find what role he was meant to play. He eventually decides to join the Mobile Unit as a Sixth Ranger.
• Idiot Ball: Oswald is holding a helmet that is getting very hot to the touch, but needs a prompt from Osmerelda to set it down so he won't burn his hands.
• Instantly Proven Wrong: When Hot Potato Harry offers to break down the stone door of the ancient Headquarters using his watch, the other villains frown upon the idea. He then rips off the watch from his wrist and hurls it at the stone door, causing it to instantly shatter to pieces and open the entrance for him and the other villains.
• Internal Reveal: The Mobile Unit all learns of Olando's existence in this episode, as well as the existence of the Golden Sundial.
• Ironic Echo Cut: Shortly after the Mobile Unit finds out the source of the distress call, this happens.
  Oswald: I wonder what kind of danger the protector is facing.
  Orla: It could be anything. Creatures, an odd storm...or even villains.
  Osmerelda: Villains? We just heard about these ruins. How could a bunch of villains know about this place?
  [Whip Pan transition to the Ancient Headquarters in the middle of the Sahara Desert]
  Sticky Sister 1: I bet you're asking yourselves, "How do we know about this place?"
  Noisemaker: Honestly, zat sounds more like somezing Odd Squad would ask.
• The Leader: It's made clear that the first Sticky Sister is the leader of the villain group, with her sister serving as The Lancer.
• Leeroy Jenkins: Par for the course for Orla — she knows there are dangerous booby traps inside Olando's Headquarters and immediately rushes off in her pursuit of the Golden Sundial. Since her Headquarters also had booby traps, however, it's justified.
  • Likewise, Osmerelda is also raring to go and rushes after Orla to face the booby traps alongside her despite the fact that she's a new agent and has never been in a Headquarters with booby traps before.
• Malicious Misnaming: The second Sticky Sister refers to Odd Squad by a new punny misname, "Odd Clods".
• Mundane Object Amazement: Orla and Olando bond a little at the end of the episode over microwaves and what they do. Orla excitedly describes the appliance as "wielding the breath of a dragon inside a box", which in turn piques Olando's interest.
• Musical Assassin: The Noisemaker plays his flute in a shrill, high note in order to make the stone door of Olando's Headquarters crack.
• No Name Given: The egg-based villain isn't given a name despite having previous appearances.
• Power Glows: Orla's Protector's Helmet begins glowing a bright red to signify that a distress call from an Odd Squad Ancient Guardian has been issued. The helmet itself also grows extremely hot.
• Recycled Premise: This episode, and the Story Arc as a whole, takes a lot of elements from the "Odd Beginnings" two-parter season premiere.
  • The Sticky Sisters raid another ancient Headquarters, and this time, they've brought backup.
  • An Ancient Agent joins the Mobile Unit as a Sixth Ranger, although Orla instantly became a main character and doesn't fill the "sixth ranger" role.
  • An Artifact of Power needs to be protected for some reason or another, and is eventually taken away from its home and placed into safe hands.
  • Moving the artifact causes people to be in immediate peril — while the 44-Leaf Clover had the safety precaution of the Headquarters falling to pieces when someone took both staircases to reach it, the Golden Sundial has the walls begin to close in on each other if an attempt is made to move it from its spot.
  • The Odd Squad Ancient Agent that the episode focuses on is forced to leave their workplace for some reason. While Orla had to leave because her Headquarters was destroyed, Olando comes with the Mobile Unit so they can help keep him and the Golden Sundial safe from villains.
  • The episode ends on a Cliffhanger of some sort, each tying into a Story Arc.
• Rock–Paper–Scissors: The Mobile Unit does this with a Medusa at one point while blindfolded, and they end up winning.
• Scary Scorpion: A huge one is located at the bottom of a chasm as the final obstacle to get to the Golden Sundial. It raises its stinger tail menacingly, but not to sting people — it does that in order to grab people who swing over the chasm instead.
• Screams Like a Little Girl: Oswald screams when crawling his way over a huge pool of lava, and surprisingly, it sounds exactly like a little girl. We didn't think Gavin MacIver-Wright had it in him!
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: All the villains make a run for it when they manage to make the walls close in on themselves and on the Mobile Unit.
• Secret Handshake: Most, if not all, Odd Squad Protectors share one of these, and Orla and Olando perform it upon meeting each other.
  Orla and Olando: Fiddle-yee-hee, fiddle-yee-ho, we are both protectors!
• Series Fauxnale: This is the first part of a three-part season finale.
• Ship Tease: There's so much of this between Orla and Olando that one could cut it with a knife.
• Talking Is a Free Action: Zig-zagged. The agents know that time is of the essence and that it can't be wasted, but at the same time, they also give math lessons while the walls are closing in on them at a rapid pace.
• There Is Another: Orla initially believes that she is the last Odd Squad Ancient Guardian to exist. However, she is proven wrong when a distress call comes through from Olando.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Prior to her Heel–Face Turn, The Shadow left behind an ancient Odd Squad journal. However, when she did turn to the side of good, she neglected to take any sort of action regarding the journal, such as handing it to Oprah for safekeeping or disposing of it where villains couldn't reach it. The Sticky Sisters finding the journal allows them to be able to access the Odd Squad ancient Headquarters in the Sahara Desert so they can attempt to steal yet another artifact.
• Villain Team-Up: As shown above, numerous villains team up in order to steal the Golden Sundial, including the Sticky Sisters, the Noisemaker and Evil Knight, among a few others.
• The Walls Are Closing In: Attempting to move the Golden Sundial from its post without unlocking it will cause the walls to begin closing in on the person who tries to move it. When the Noisemaker does this, the walls begin shifting and start to close in on the villains, but they're quick to make their escape, leaving Olando and the Mobile Unit the only ones about to be crushed to death. Naturally, they manage to unlock the sundial, which makes the walls move back to their original positions.
• Worldbuilding: The interior of Olando's ancient Odd Squad Headquarters, as well as its location, is introduced. The Headquarters sits largely abandoned in the Sahara Desert, with two entrances (one in the front, and a secret back entrance). Like Orla's Headquarters, the walls are riddled with drawings and markings, booby traps exist around every corner (including a pool of lava and a deadly, ready-to-sting scorpion), and an Odd Squad Ancient Artifact sits at its center — in this case, it's the Golden Sundial.
  • It's revealed that Odd Squad Ancient Agents had to go through "ancient training", with one lesson being to press 5 on the designated Protector's Helmet if a distress call comes through. In ancient times, shapes were also used in place of numbers, with how many sides a shape has correlating to what number the shape was (a triangle having three sides standing for the number 3, for example).
• You Are Too Late: The first Sticky Sister says this upon making her way into the same room where the Mobile Unit is located, responding to Omar telling Olando and Orla that they have to act fast to get the Golden Sundial somewhere safe.
• You Can't Go Home Again: Orla's old Headquarters, where she worked for years, was utterly destroyed to the point of her being unable to return back to it, and her being in the Mobile Unit means that she doesn't have to go back to living in a dark cave — so when she walks inside Olando's ancient Headquarters for the first time and notes the slimy walls, dirt for floors, and the lack of sunlight, she's quick to remark that it feels like home to her.

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Clearly having a child didn't have much of an impact on Triangle Sue's finances.

Old Odd, New Tricks

Airdate: November 10, 2021 ^note CBBC premiere, July 7, 2022 ^note PBS Kids premiere

Now that ancient Agent Olando has completed retraining, he is ready to go out into the field with the Mobile Unit.

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Tropes:

• The Ace: Olando is a skilled agent who can catch villains with ease, and according to Orla, there has never been a villain that he could never catch. She dubs him "Olando, Catcher of Villains", and the title sticks with him.
• Angry Guard Dog: Parodied. Scalene, Triangle Sue's Bichon Frise, is implied to be this, but as he's a small dog against three children, he doesn't pose much of a threat.
• Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Olando lists off the modern inventions he's learned during his time at the Academy — badge phones, smartwatches, and the tiny light that comes on when you open the refrigerator. Also refrigerators themselves.
• Authority in Name Only: Orla jokingly refers to Olando as "Olando, Catcher of Villains", and he adopts that as an actual title. Although she claims that he can catch most any villain, he fails to catch Triangle Sue.
• Bait-and-Switch: A common Running Gag is Triangle Sue asking a question of the Mobile Unit in an ominous threatening voice, as though she's beginning to see right through their ruse, then answering the question in a more cheery tone of voice.
• Broken Record: Triangle Sue's Evil Laugh comes off like this to the point where it becomes an Overly Long Gag.
• The Bus Came Back: Circle Sue, who hasn't been seen since the Season 2 episode "Partner Problems", makes a reappearance in this episode, apparently having given birth to her child and switching back to the name Triangle Sue.
• Call-Back: This wouldn't be the first episode that has agents attempting to mentor someone who is nearing Odd Squad Academy graduation. However, it's not a bonafide Babysitting Episode, and Olando is far more destructive (and far more of a Jerkass) than Ori could ever hope to be.
  • This also wouldn't be the first time that someone reacts badly to being told that they need more training to work through a Fatal Flaw of theirs — Odd Squad: The Movie had Oprah and O'Donahue telling Om that he needed more training to understand how to take things slowly, think things through, and not blast everything in sight just to solve a problem, followed by him taking offense to the suggestion and performing a Face–Heel Turn. This episode even implies that Olando is going to turn villainous just from being told that he needs to learn about Team Spirit.
• Continuity Nod: The smooth jazz version of Soundcheck's "Take Away 4", which was previously a part of Otto's Soundcheck Room in "Soundcheck Part Deux", plays as elevator music.
• Contrived Coincidence: Triangle Sue just happens to need the services of a dog groomer and a painter, and relies on Oswald and Omar for those services. She also just so happens to love the color chartreuse.
• Dwindling Party: Each member of the Mobile Unit compromises themselves and willingly goes to distract Triangle Sue and her security guard, to the point where only Orla and Olando remain.
• The Elevator from Ipanema: The elevator music heard while Orla and Olando ride Triangle Sue's elevator to the roof her her headquarters is the smooth jazz version of the Soundcheck song "Take Away 4". Orla, understandably pissed off by this point due to Olando's foolish actions, expresses her dislike of the song.
• Fish out of Temporal Water: Olando has a far harder time adjusting to the modern world than Orla.
• Gadgeteer Genius: Triangle Sue is apparently apt enough in gadgetry to build a rather large triangle ray.
• Good Is Not Nice: Olando is allied with Odd Squad and is employed with the organization in the Investigation department, but he's definitely not a nice agent, especially since he lacks the value of teamwork.
• The Guards Must Be Crazy: The security guard's method of catching intruders is to casually walk up to them and state that they're coming with him. Since Omar, Osmerelda and Oswald don't really have a choice in the matter considering what their mission is, they're forced to oblige rather than try and escape.
• Hidden Depths: Being a Renaissance Agent, Osmerelda can play the guitar surprisingly well for having come up with the "rockstar" persona on the spot.
  • Likewise, Oswald does a pretty good job trimming and styling the fur of Triangle Sue's Bichon Frise, especially since he too came up with his "dog groomer" persona in an instant.
• Idiot Ball: Orpita gets the ever-so-bright idea to simply ask Triangle Sue to not commit her odd crime of turning everyone and everything into a triangle. The villainess responds aptly by simply telling her "no" and launching into her Evil Laugh.
• Immediate Self-Contradiction: Orla and Omar attempt to teach Olando about elevators, and it doesn't go over well initially.
  Orla: We need to get to that elevator.
  Omar: And before you ask, an elevator is a tiny metal box that can transport us to the roof of this building.
  Olando: That sounds terrifying.
  Orla: It plays really soft music.
  Olando: Oh, much better.
• Internal Reveal: The Little O now knows of the existence of Olando, and knows of the events of the previous episode as well.
• Instant Costume Change: The Random-Costume-inator feature, which is embedded into Mobile Unit agents' suits, allows them to transform into various costumes simply by tugging on their right sleeve. However, they can't control what costume they change into, and they revert back to their normal outfit when someone says the word "chartreuse".
• I Work Alone: Olando has this mentality, and it manages to cost him quite a lot in terms of friendships and employment status.
• Jet Pack: Orpita uses one to fly onto Triangle Sue's roof at the end of the episode, since she was called for backup purposes by Omar.
• Leeroy Jenkins: Deconstructed. In contrast to Orla, who embodies this trope but is not as impulsive as she was previously, Olando often rushes into things without consulting or listening to his teammates first, irregardless of any danger, and it manages to make him come off as a Jerkass who couldn't care less about the safety of agents that are meant to be his friends and have done nothing but help him out in the past. This costs him majorly when he manages to nearly get himself into a nasty argument with Orla and gets fired by Orpita for his misconduct, which turns him bitter.
• The Millstone: New addition and Sixth Ranger Olando fills this role in the Mobile Unit team. His Leeroy Jenkins nature manages to cause more problems for him and the others than it solves.
• No Listening Skills: Talking to Olando and convincing him to do a morally correct thing is like talking to a brick wall — Orla does it, and Omar does it, and both attempts get absolutely nowhere.
• Not-So-Harmless Villain: Past episodes showed that Triangle Sue was relatively harmless, not going out to cause oddness despite being a villain. This episode has her finally taking action and making a triangle ray that will blast everyone and everything and turn them into triangles, showing everyone exactly how dangerous she really is.
• Oh, Crap!: The looks on Orla's and Omar's faces when Olando steps on an equilateral triangle tile instead of an isosceles triangle tile and sets off yet another alarm are absolutely priceless.
• Paper-Thin Disguise: The Random-Costume-inator feature of the Mobile Unit's jackets allow them to wear costumes to help them disguise themselves. When Osmerelda uses hers, it turns her into a rockstar, while Oswald uses his to turn into a child in a dog suit. Despite the fact that they can't lie to save their skin and they look like two children conversing with two adults, Triangle Sue buys the ruse. Omar's disguise of a painter isn't much better, but it manages to fool the villainess's security guard regardless.
• Precious Puppy: Triangle Sue owns a Bichon Frise fittingly named Scalene, who also serves as somewhat of a guard dog and direly needs a trim.
• Pronoun Trouble: Osmerelda mistakenly refers to Oswald with the "she" pronoun at one point, despite the fact that Oswald is male and is always referred to with the pronouns "he" and "him". Whether this is a dialogue slip-up on Glee Dango's end or not is never explained.
• Really Was Born Yesterday: Subverted. When Omar explains that he's a door-to-door painter, Triangle Sue asks him if he thinks she was just born yesterday. Omar nervously answers with "no", and she cheerfully tells him that he's correct.
• Series Fauxnale: This is the second part of a three-part season finale.
• Sixth Ranger: As of this episode, Olando joins the Mobile Unit on their adventures as a fifth member (or sixth overall, counting Opal). However, this role is quickly revoked when he gets fired.
• Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace: A variant that doesn't occur at a wedding — on the subject of The Plan to destroy Triangle Sue's triangle ray, Orla states that her teammates should "speak forth if you have any questions, or forever hold your peace." Omar then attempts to open the door, and asks the question of how they're going to get inside.
• Stating the Simple Solution: Olando attempts to bust into Triangle Sue's headquarters using brute force, yanking on the handle to try and open it to no avail. Osmerelda then suggests that the group figure out how to get in by breaking the alarm code, which ends up being a much better solution.
• Stealing the Credit: Olando states that "we" ended up stopping the triangle ray, despite the fact that Orla was the sole agent who stopped it.
• Stealth Hi/Bye: Yep, even an ancient agent like Olando can possess this ability, and he uses it to sneak up on the Mobile Unit in the Little O's office.
• Team Spirit: Averted. Teamwork is the one asset of Odd Squad that Olando fails to understand, and because of it, it's suggested that he return to the Academy for more training. However, Olando shoots the idea down and lets his pride get the better of him, which costs him a job.
• Traveling Salesman: Osmerelda advertises herself to Triangle Sue as a door-to-door rockstar. Oswald quickly takes this opportunity to build on his partner's Blatant Lie and advertises himself as a door-to-door dog groomer.
• Turn in Your Badge: The Little O forces Olando to do this when he refuses to go back to the Odd Squad Academy to receive more training.
• Uncomfortable Elevator Moment: Orla and Olando have one in the elevator while they ride to the roof. When Olando tries to strike up a conversation by noting Orla's annoyed face expression, it leads to them being on the verge of a nasty argument.
• Vague Age: Played with. It's implied that Olando is Orla's age, 500, but his actual age is never revealed.
• Villain Respect: Osmerelda praises Triangle Sue for sticking to a theme. Unfortunately her praise is a little misguided considering that Triangle Sue often switches between liking circles and liking triangles, something that dates back to her very first appearance in "Soundcheck".
• We Will Meet Again: Olando says that Orpita and Orla haven't seen the last of him when he is fired by the former. Although it's played off as a joke by him clarifying that he doesn't know his way around Triangle Sue's headquarters and needs a ride back to the Sahara Desert, it does have some ominous implications going by his tone.
• Wham Episode: Olando is fired by Orpita at the end of the episode due to his sheer inability to grasp the concept of teamwork and being unwilling to go back to the Academy, and is forced to turn in his badge. Although the line is played off as a joke initially, he also states that Odd Squad hasn't seen the last of him, implying that he might perform a Face–Heel Turn.
• Wham Line: The end of the episode has this to offer.
  Olando: I am an ancient warrior who worked alone for 500 years. I did not need teamwork then, and I surely do not need it now.
  Little O: Then you won't need your badge either.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Orla consistently chews Olando out for his impulsive actions, but no matter how hard she tries, she fails to spark any sort of a Heel Realization within him.
• You Are Too Late: Triangle Sue tells Orla and Olando this just when she finishes activating her triangle ray.

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