Recap / Odd Squad S 3 E 3 Portalandia Slides And Ladders

You'll have to excuse her. "Putting others in mortal danger by sending them to a perilous dimension" wasn't a crime 400 years ago.

Portalandia

Airdate: February 18, 2020 ^note PBS Kids premiere

When Orla rushes through constructing a portal without reading the instructions, Omar, Oswald, and Opal end up stuck in the 17th dimension.

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Tropes:

• Alien Sky: The 17th Dimension has a purple sky with at least 4 moons.
• An Aesop: Take the time to think things through before you act. Not doing so can put others around you in danger.
• Another Dimension: The 17th dimension is a rather otherworldly place with multiple moons in the sky, large butterflies that shoot eye beams, and singing sharks, among other threats.
• Answer Cut: Omar says that the Mobile Unit will need to open a dimensional portal to return the plant. Orla excitedly asks how they'll do that, and suggests they fire gadgets, do backflips, and summon dragons. Whip Pan transition to the Main 4 with a box in front of them as Omar explains that it's a dimensional portal kit that comes with an instruction manual.
• Battle Cry: Orla gives a "CHAAAAAAARGE!!" as she goes to attack the Man-Eating Plant at the end of the episode.
• Behind a Stick: Opal, Omar and Oswald hide behind a rock to avoid the large butterflies in the 17th Dimension. While Opal and Omar have pretty good coverage, the rock is too small for Oswald to hide behind, so he sticks out like a sore thumb.
• Beware the Nice Ones: A Cheerful Child Orla may be, but she is still an ancient warrior who can kick your butt with ease, so it's best not to cross her path lest you want a taste of Tranquil Fury.
  Cashier: Well well well, look who should have signed up for the Portal Club!
  Orla: I have no time for this. My friends are in danger so let me make my purchase and be done.
  Cashier: Uh, can I interest you in a shatter-proof case for your new portal kit?
  Orla: [slams her hands on the countertop] I have no need for such things.
  [she takes the box; offscreen crashing]
  [Whip Pan transition to Orla with another portal box]
  Cashier: Now would you like to join?
  Orla: [tired] Yes, I shall join the Portal Club.
• Big "NO!": Omar gives one as he's sucked into the portal.
• Big "WHAT?!": Omar, Opal and Oswald give one when Orla tells them that she has to go to The Portal Master store for her fifth kit.
• Binomium ridiculus: The plant the Main 4 have to take to the 17th Dimension is referred to as a "Geranium Ordenerium", which doesn't grow in Japan.
• Breaking Old Trends: As of this episode, Cold Opens no longer appear at the beginning of episodes — instead, the episode usually starts with the Main 4 in the van or at some unique location.
• Broken Aesop: Orla's lesson about taking the time to think things through is interrupted by Opal pointing out that the plant they were supposed to deliver came back to Tokyo with them. Orla then asks for permission to react without thinking, and once the other agents say yes, she rushes straight for the plant. Later episodes would reveal that Aesop Amnesia has fully set in, as Orla still reacts without thinking at times.
• Captain Obvious: When Orla returns from her training, Opal, Omar and Oswald have already completed the portal. When Oswald says "Pretty exciting, eh, Orla?", Orla simply responds with, "It is a rectangle."
• Carry the One: In a twist of surprising Irony for a show whose primary Aesop is mathematics, this trope is played completely straight when Oswald begins calculating how much time he, Opal and Omar have before they all become food for the sharks, butterflies, and the Man-Eating Plant in the 17th dimension, then utters the trope name verbatim as he writes on a notepad. He doesn't get very far, however, before Orla comes to rescue them all.
• Catchphrase: This episode introduces a new one for Orla when answering the phone, which simply has her say "I am Orla."
• Character Focus: Downplayed. While many episodes do have some or all of the Main 4 agents in some capacity, a majority of them in this season tend to focus on one specific character, and while some episodes make it clear off the bat whom it's about, others are more subtle. In this case, the episode focuses on Orla as her Leeroy Jenkins mannerisms overshadow her common sense and send her teammates to Another Dimension.
• Cheerful Child: Orla is excited to solve another case, and is excited to get a chance to show off her bravery and fighting skills. Unfortunately, she's unaware that Odd Squad nowadays doesn't have as many high-stakes dangers as it did 400 years ago, and becomes disappointed when she finds out that to get to the 17th Dimension, one has to build a portal following the instructions in the instruction manual rather than using more action-based means like firing gadgets.
• Deadpan Snarker: For being an ancient warrior, Orla has a lot of snark to give in this episode.
  Orla: That is our exciting mission? To deliver a plant?
• Disproportionate Celebration: Played with. The episode opens with the Main 4 celebrating their first official case solved as a unit, which would be a good reason to celebrate. However, Opal later reveals that their actual first case isn't the one featured in this episode (which has them going to Tokyo, and not Berlin), so their celebration can come off as this.
• Dissonant Serenity: Orla accidentally sends two of her teammates to a dimension filled with peril. Instead of feeling even an inch of worry, she acts innocent and happy. (Well, up until Omar scolds her by saying that there were 22 more steps to go through before the portal could be activated.)
  • Later on, when she accidentally sends Omar to the portal, she does so with a pure innocent grin on her face before looking around in confusion.
• Dwindling Party: Opal, Omar and Oswald all disappear at various points in the episode. While Opal and Oswald are sucked into the portal together, Omar is sucked in alone, leaving just Orla — the very person who (accidentally) activated the portal that sucked them in in the first place.
• Energy Weapon: The giant butterflies in the 17th Dimension shoot Eye Beams at the Main 3 agents.
• Evolving Credits: The opening theme is changed once again for the second time. Notably, this is also the final time the opening credits are changed for the duration of the season.
  • Instead of the Big O narrating, Opal takes over narration duties in place of Olympia from last season.
  • The "and back to me" slide is removed, and the opening narration is also slightly different, with Opal saying that "we travel the world" rather than explaining what Odd Squad is.
  • The slide of the giant baby is replaced with a slide from (what was at the time) an upcoming episode, "Wax On Wax Odd".
  • Clips from past Season 1 and Season 2 episodes are replaced with clips from various Season 3 episodes such as "Train of Thought" and "Oswald in the Machine".
  • The Character in the Logo shot is re-introduced, featuring the Main 5, and the "Who do we work for" line is replaced with "We work for Odd Squad".
  • The closing credits are also changed beginning with this episode and "Slides and Ladders", showing the van flying through the sky rather than the two main Investigation agents of each season riding the tubes. It also shows off new vanity cards for the renamed Fred Rogers Productions (having changed its name from The Fred Rogers Company a couple years before) as well as for Sinking Ship Entertainment.
• Fatal Flaw: Orla's Leeroy Jenkins approach to things ends up becoming one for her when she sends the rest of her teammates to the 17th Dimension. Subsequent episodes reveal that she still hasn't learned from her mistake.
• Flanderization: Oprah's Catchphrase of "Well, what are you waiting for? Go!" has well carried over into Season 3, even with her promotion. And it still manages to startle the Main 4 just like how it's startled all of the main characters of the past 2 seasons.
• Freeze-Frame Ending: The episode ends with Orla leaping towards the plant and making a rather...odd face expression.
• Funny Background Event: As the Main 3 are delivering the mathematical Aesop of the episode, Orla can be seen doing all sorts of acrobatics as training for if (or in her mind, when) danger crops up.
• Fun with Acronyms: Invoked by Opal — she comes up with the acronym OSMU, or the Odd Squad Mobile Unit, and recites it as "Aws-moo" instead of pronouncing each letter individually (which would make it O.S.M.U). Naturally, it's a hit with the rest of the agents, and has been established as a team name for the group.
• Good News, Bad News: Played the straight way, with Oswald telling Orla the good news followed by Opal telling them the bad news. In their case, the good news is that they aren't being chased by a giant evil plant, but the bad news is that they're now being chased by giant sharks that sing opera.
• Gratuitous Japanese: Upon arriving in Tokyo, a woman comes up to the Mobile Unit and begins speaking Japanese to them. ^note While it's undecipherable to anyone who doesn't speak Japanese fluently, it's likely that she's saying "Thank you for coming, Odd Squad" or something along those lines. None of the Main 4 can speak Japanese, so they use the Translator-inator gadget, which causes the woman to speak in fluent English so they can understand her.
• Here We Go Again!: Orla rescues her teammates from the portal, but the plant they were supposed to bring back comes back to Tokyo with them, leading Orla to attack it head-on.
• Idiosyncratic Wipes: This episode introduces a new transition wipe for the Mobile Unit, which consists of the department's logo (shaped like a steering wheel) flying down onto a hexagonal dark-colored background, then flying towards the screen with the next scene being shown in the small hole in the middle of the logo.
  • There's also another transition wipe introduced for the Mobile Unit, which consists of the hexagonal background closing in on the scene, followed by the logo of the Mobile Unit appearing in a flash of light, then the logo moving backwards as the background clears away to open the next scene.
• Ignored Expert: The cashier at The Portal Master store offers Orla and Omar a chance to sign up for the store's loyalty program, which gives them a buy-one-get-one free deal on portals. Omar says that it sounds like a good idea, but Orla, naturally, declines and heads off, with Omar giving a whispered "sorry" to the cashier. It isn't until Orla buys a portal and immediately breaks it offscreen that she gives up the fight and joins the program.
• I Resemble That Remark!: Opal breaks the news to Orla about her bad habit. Naturally, Orla is not pleased.
  Opal: Please don't take this the wrong way, but you have a tendency to rush through things.
  Orla: State one time where I have rushed things.
  Opal: On our first mission, the one we just solved in Berlin, you-
  Orla: Can you hurry up with this story? It is taking forever.
  Omar: [reading the instruction manual] Step 1-
  Orla: [groans]
• Man-Eating Plant: In the 17th Dimension, the plant the Mobile Unit bring there grows giant and begins to attack Opal and Oswald, as well as Omar when he gets sucked into the Dimension.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Orla manages to send all three of her teammates to the 17th dimension due to her tendency to be a Leeroy Jenkins and rush into things. Eventually she realizes what she's done and sets out to rescue them.
• No Listening Skills: Orla. Whoo boy, Orla. She just refuses to listen to her teammates about building the portal, and as a result, she puts them in danger and has them fighting for survival in Another Dimension.
• Not-So-Imaginary Friend: Orla decides to imagine a clone of herself so she'll have someone to yell commands at. Instead of yelling commands, however, the imaginary clone gives the real Orla some advice on how to construct the portal before it disappears.
• Off-the-Shelf FX: The button to activate the portal looks quite similar to the Talking Easy Buttons◊ that Staples sells, only with the "easy" logo removed on the top and the Staples logo removed on the side.
• Reading Foreign Signs Out Loud: While walking in The Portal Master store, Orla reads a directional sign in an aisle aloud.
• Read the Freaking Manual: Opal, Omar and Oswald are all willing to construct a portal by following the instruction manual. Orla, on the other hand...
  Orla: We are in the land of warriors, and you wish to consult a manual? We Odd Squad agents have no need of such thing. [lunges for the box] Allow me!
  [the rest of the Mobile Unit holds back Orla]
• Series Continuity Error: Two that occur in the same episode.
  • The beginning of the episode has the Main 4 celebrating their first mission solved as a group. However, Opal later reveals that their actual first case was in Berlin, and isn't the case in this episode.
  • Omar says that none of the Main 4 can speak Japanese, but when he recites The Portal Master store's slogan, he says it rhymes in Japanese. Directly after that, Orla reads aloud a sign written in Japanese directing them to where they need to go. This is despite the fact that they aren't shown learning Japanese at any point in the episode.
• Shout-Out: Omar mentions how The Portal Master store has a 99-cent meatball lunch special. What store also has meatballs? IKEA, which has stores in Canada, where most of the people working on the show are from.
• Shown Their Work: Zig-zagged. The sign seen in The Portal Master store is written in Japanese, and it's not simply made-up Japanese either — the English translations are accurate. However, the translations that Orla provides aren't accurate at all. In downwards order, the sign reads:
  • Big portals
  • Medium portals
  • Medium portals
  • Medium portals
  • Maintenance and repair
  • Restrooms
  • Portal meatballs
  • "You are here"
• Stock Footage: This episode introduces the footage of the van flying through the air that kicks off a few of the episodes, which is repeatedly used as an establishing shot.
• Super Cell Reception: Even in the 17th Dimension, Oswald, Omar and Opal can still call Orla from where she is in Japan.
• Tempting Fate: When Omar says that the group should make T-shirts, Orla says that there's no time, as they have more cases to solve. Oswald then asks when they think their next one will be. A second later and the Big O calls them to assign them their next case.
• Thinking Out Loud: Orla does this at the climax of the episode, and uses an imaginary clone of herself to give her advice on building the fifth portal.
• Three-Point Landing: Orla does this when entering the 17th dimension, even with a rope in her hand.
• Tokyo Is the Center of the Universe: The entirety of the episode takes place in Tokyo.
• Transatlantic Equivalent: A variant with a store instead of a TV show or music — The Portal Master store looks an awful lot like a Japanese Home Depot, with its abundance of orange and a section of the store where Omar and Orla check out that looks like a Tool Rental Center. While there are Home Depot equivalents in Tokyo, none of them match The Portal Master.
• World Tour: This episode begins the agents' journey to various locations worldwide, with the Main 4 going to Tokyo.
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Opal gives Orla some encouraging words when the ancient warrior believes that she has been given a faulty portal kit.
  Opal: You can do this! You may be a brave, strong warrior, but your most powerful muscle is your brain!
  Oswald: Technically, your brain is an organ.
  Opal: Just slow down and take the time to think through the problem. You'll solve it! HURRY!!

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Holding the Floor is hard. But don't let Opal do it.

Slides and Ladders

Airdate: February 18, 2020 ^note  PBS Kids premiere

Oswald finally lands an interview on a famous Odd Squad podcast with Orchid to talk about the new Mobile Unit van.

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Tropes:

• Ambiguous Time Period: Averted. Opal states that she and the other Main 4 have only been inside the van for a week, meaning that "Portalandia" also takes place within the span of a week — specifically, the week of August 8, 2019.
• An Aesop: Don't act like you know everything about a subject if you clearly don't. It's okay to not be knowledgeable about some things.
• Answer Cut: Oswald tells Orchid that he knows someone who does know everything about the van and whom would make a better interviewee than him. Transition to Orchid interviewing Omelda while the Main 4 sit in chairs not too far away.
• Art Evolution: The graphics for things such as numbers (which are in a different font) and blueprints get an upgrade in this season.
• Bad Liar: Even after being told that the van has 87 floors, Oswald still attempts to convince his teammates that he's got everything under control, when he clearly does not — and they appear to realize just that: he doesn't have everything under control.
• Bait-and-Switch: With the announcement of the Odd Squadcast (a podcast based on the show that features characters from the show), one would think that this episode, which is based on an Odd Squad podcast called "Odd Podcast", is a lead-in to that one. Unfortunately, it's not — the episode revolves around Orchid having her own separate podcast with Oswald set to be a guest on it, as it revolves around interviewing Odd Squad agents on things they know a lot about. Since the podcast is never seen or heard from again after this episode, whether invoked They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot or not is up for debate. ^note  May be justified by the fact that the announcement about the podcast didn't come until a month before the show was set to premiere, and when making the episode, the writers might not have had the idea for the Squadcast until after it completed production.
  • Oswald leaves the door to the Bubble Room ajar, which causes bubbles to spill out of the room. While this would be cause for alarm (since the van could become overrun by bubbles), it's ultimately meaningless and doesn't serve any purpose other than to dirty up Oswald some more on his way back to the bullpen.
• Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Oswald is all dirtied up from his journey to get to the bullpen, while everyone else remains uninjured despite Orchid's tendency to be aggressive. May be justified due to Orchid's Character Development.
• Bigger on the Inside: Yes, we're well-aware that the van is this. However, this episode takes it up to eleven by revealing that it has 87 floors and 932 1/2 rooms. Not even the diagram that Opal pulls up (which automatically locates every slide and ladder in the van) makes much sense.
• Big "WHAT?!": Oswald gives one when Opal tells him that Orchid has arrived to conduct the interview.
  • Opal, Omar and Orla later give one in unison when Oswald tells Orchid that he's not ready for the interview.
• Bread, Eggs, Breaded Eggs: Oswald passes by the Cheese Room, the Cake Room, and the Cheesecake Room at one point.
  • When stalling Orchid, Opal's final three options in her test question are to scream, run, and scream and run.
• The Bus Came Back: Coach O, who hasn't been seen since "Other Olympia", returns in this episode.
  • Similarly, invoked Precinct 13579's Headquarters also returns in this episode. However, the Headquarters doesn't actually appear — it's merely a green screen, which is made invoked painfully obvious by the fact that Orchid and Coach O are set up directly in front of the double-doors leading to the Trophy Room.
• Character Development: While Season 1 and Season 2 Orchid wouldn't tolerate the Mobile Unit's stalling techniques, this episode has her be a lot more tolerant while still being upset at them. Similarly, she also isn't as aggressive as she was in past episodes, instead going for Tranquil Fury.
• Chekhov's Gunman: While trying to find his way back to the bullpen, Oswald bumps into a Maintenance worker named Omelda, who comes to the van once a week as part of the OSMU Maintenance crew and is revealed to be a lot more knowledgeable about the van than Oswald is. No points for guessing who ends up being interviewed by Orchid at the end of the episode.
• Comically Missing the Point: Orchid thinks that Orson needing a nap is "unprofessional". No one tell her that Orson is a baby, and taking naps is what babies do.
• Contrived Coincidence: Both ladders Oswald has to climb to get to the main floor happen to be out of order. (No, it's not possible, but hey, Rule of Funny is in full effect.)
• Cross-Referenced Titles: A minor example with "Swamps N' Gators".
• Deadpan Snarker: For how timid Oswald is, even when he's lost in a van with over 80 floors, he still dishes out snark to Omelda.
  Oswald: I'm on Floor -1 now? What do I do?
  Omelda: Maybe not a podcast about the van.
  Oswald: [completely deadpan] Can you just tell me how I got here?
• The Dreaded: Orchid, natch. Not only is Oswald anxious about being interviewed by her, but the rest of the Mobile Unit has no issue complaining about her.
  [all in unison]
  Orla: How horrible.
  Omar: Orchid.
  Opal: Ah, Orchid...
• Flashback Cut: One is shown to explain who is in charge of the podcast: Orchid.
• Great Big Book of Everything: The van apparently has a manual, which helps Opal to assist Oswald in getting him back to the bullpen.
• Here We Go Again!: Opal praises Oswald for doing the right thing and letting Omelda be interviewed instead of him, even if it meant he didn't get to be interviewed. Oswald, however, states that he is getting interviewed, only he won't talk about the van — he'll talk about how to make friends with a caveman.
• Hidden Depths: If the whiteboard is any indication, Opal is a good artist, and she may have a lot more mathematical talent than she lets on to.
• Holding the Floor: Opal does this with Orchid, attempting to stall for time until Oswald can return. She decides to make up an OSMU Van Safety Test for Orchid to take, but she sorely underestimates just how much experience Orchid has under her belt, as she answers the question off the bat. Then, Omar takes charge and decides to throw a graduation party for the agent.
• Humble Goal: Oswald's dream isn't to be promoted to a position of power, or be the best agent Odd Squad's ever seen. His dream is to be on a podcast, which is rather tame compared to the aforementioned goals of Olive and Olympia, respectively.
• Idiot Ball: Oswald must have found this in the halls before coming across a door with bubbles on it. He goes to open it and asks what could be inside. Gee, we wonder what...
• I Heard That: Oswald says this when Omelda begins Thinking Out Loud and says that he's going to need good luck for his interview.
• Impossible Task Instantly Accomplished: Opal lists off answers to the first question of the OSMU Van Safety Test by going in the order of the alphabet. When she lists off Z, "scream and run", Orchid answers the question straight off the bat with Q, "activate laser chicken shield", which stuns the Main 3 as they wonder how she was able to answer it so quickly. (Of course, they're likely unaware that she's been working for Odd Squad for over 5 years...)
• Instantly Proven Wrong: Oswald takes a slide down to one of the lower floors in what he believes to be in the Spaghetti Room, and when he realizes he's not in the bullpen, he begins frantically checking doors to find another slide.
  Oswald: Paint Room? No. Beach Room? No, I forgot my sunscreen! And Cave Room. There's no harm in checking.
  [he enters the room; cue caveman growling at him as he runs back out]
  Oswald: There's harm in checking!
• Insistent Terminology: Opal tells Oswald that he has to get to a "3 slide" in the Spaghetti Room in order to go down to the bullpen. However, Oswald ends up going through the Linguine Room, as Omelda points out — and going through the wrong one ends up setting him back.
  Oswald: There's a difference?
  Omelda: Linguine is flat pasta and spaghetti is circular. Linguine also goes better with-
  Oswald: Okay!
• Long List: Orchid asks Omelda to name all 932 1/2 floors in the van. Omelda complies, and begins rattling off the names of all the rooms. And she's still going by the time the episode ends.
• The Maze: There are so many floors and rooms in the van (87 and 932 1/2, respectively) that Oswald gets easily lost, and the majority of the episode is spent with him trying to get back to the bullpen.
• Nervous Wreck: Par for the course for Oswald, the Cowardly Lion of the group — he starts the episode feeling confident about himself until the rest of his teammates instill a sense of fear into him by letting him know that the rooms seen in the bullpen are only just a small fraction of what's in the van.
• No Listening Skills: Oswald muses that there has to be another way upwards. Omelda tells him that there's another rope ladder around the corner, and he heads right for it, not bothering to listen to what else she was going to say: that said ladder won't take him to the bullpen.
• Offscreen Teleportation: The caveman that Oswald had been running from at a couple points in the episode suddenly appears beside the agent, where it's revealed that they are on good terms with each other.
• Parrot Exposition: Opal and Oswald do this at the beginning of the episode.
  Oswald: How many other floors are we talking about here?
  Opal: 87.
  Oswald: [growing more anxious] Please tell me you said 8 or 7.
  Opal: 87. That I know of.
  [Oswald gives a ragged sigh]
• Podcast: Aside from the aforementioned Odd Squadcast, this episode introduces a new podcast that Orchid hosts, titled the "Odd Podcast", where she interviews agents about their talents.
• Pride Before a Fall: Oswald has a very high opinion of himself and his knowledge about the van, and briefly moves past his timid nature, displaying a sense of confidence. However, he quickly changes his tune when Opal lets him know that there are 87 floors, causing him to panic and head off to quickly brush up on the rooms and floors of the van. He ends up getting lost, which nearly costs him his chance to be on Orchid's podcast, but it doesn't stop him from being prideful to those like Omelda, who quickly shuts him down.
• Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: Orchid does this twice.
  Orchid: Now where. Is. Oswald?

  Orchid: No. More. Pictures.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Orchid starts to pull one of these when she's fed up with the Mobile Unit's stalling techniques, but is stopped when Oswald — the person she was expecting in the first place — comes sliding down into the main floor.
• Secret Handshake: Oswald and the caveman have one, which doesn't impress any of his co-workers.
• Series Continuity Error: Orchid refers to Orson with his title of "Agent", rather than by Mr. O, as he was promoted to Director of Precinct 13579 at the end of Season 2. Whether this Retcons Orson's promotion in that episode or whether it was a dialogue slip-up on Orchid's part is never explained.
• Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Averted. As Oswald is dragging a table and a few chairs across the bullpen, Orla pauses in her mini-golf game to stare at him, and Opal and Omar do the same, eyeing him with confused expressions.
  • It's played straight for Orchid, however, as she doesn't even bother to comment on why he's covered in a mess of pasta and bubbles.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Orla has this reaction to Opal's method of stalling. And rightfully so, since Opal does a terrible job at it (and yet, Orchid still falls for it).
• Worldbuilding: This episode serves as a way to get the audience acquainted with the Odd Squad Mobile Unit van, its rooms, and its features. Among the rooms shown are the Cheesecake Room, the Paint Room, and the Bubble Room, among many others.
  • In the van, rope ladders are used to ascend to floors instead of stairs, while slides are used to descend (hence the episode title).
  • The van also has a Maintenance crew, which Omelda is a part of. Those on the crew come to the van once a week to make sure it's in peak condition.
  • Continuing the trend of having smartwatches equipped with the main characters, Oswald is revealed to have his own smartwatch, which a circular screen similar to Maintenance to represent the Mobile Unit department's symbol. Later episodes would show the rest of the Main 4 having similar smartwatches.
  • The van itself is revealed to have 932 1/2 rooms and 87 floors.

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