Recap / Odd Squad S 3 E 4 Running On Empty

What happens when Poor Communication Kills? You get stranded in a Thirsty Desert with nothing but pineapple juice for sustenance.

Running on Empty

Airdate: February 19, 2020 ^note PBS Kids premiere

On their way to deliver a baby blob to the Big O in London, the Mobile Unit van runs out of fuel.

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Tropes:

• Acronym and Abbreviation Overload: In an effort to preserve power, Van Computer begins talking in abbreviations like "IMO" and "FYI".
• Adaptational Context Change: The scene with Omar and Oswald playing Two Truths and a Lie is an adapted version of a sample script that was part of a casting call for Omar as a character. However, there's no context provided for the sample script's version other than the location and what they're doing (in Precinct 13579's HQ, hanging out). This episode provides more context for the scene: Omar is paired up with Oswald in order to keep an eye on the blob, and they are in the bullpen of the Odd Squad Mobile Unit van, not in Precinct 13579.
• A Day in the Limelight: Of a sort — the episode is meant to expand on the characterization of the Main 4 and have them (as well as the audience) get to know each other better, and while it makes a point to focus on Opal specifically, all of the agents get decent characterization.
• All Deserts Have Cacti: Opal and Orla come across a cactus in the desert and get a pretty decent amount of water out of it.
• Artistic License – Biology: There are ways to get water from certain cacti, but magically conjuring up a faucet as though the cacti is a simple hose is not one of them. Drinking water from cacti is also impossible lest you want nausea and diarrhea, which can further dehydrate you. But of course, since Odd Squad is a World of Weirdness, water being inside cacti and being accessible via a faucet has some justification.
• Artistic License – Physics: While many things in the show regarding this particular Artistic License can be overlooked, the van is often on the brunt end of this trope — in this episode, a parachute is used to help it land safely, when quite obviously, the parachute would do nothing to help slow a vehicle of any sort down, no matter how big it was.
  • The blob that Omar and Oswald catch shouldn't be able to easily slip out of the containers they use. For example, the trash can that Omar uses has small holes that allow him to get slimed by the blob repeatedly, and the same goes for the sack that he uses later on — but the holes aren't large enough for the blob to slip out of in a matter of seconds, even if it does help set up an Aesop of the episode. It may be justified by the fact that it's implied that blobs are of a liquid state, and liquids can get through the holes of the trash can easily, but not so much the sack. In addition, the blob is shown as having more of a thickness to it (since it's technically slime).
  • Tying a rope to a quart-sized container isn't really as effective for getting water from a well as a bucket is — it's effective, but doesn't work as well. Tying a rope to a rain hat, however, should not be possible, never mind the fact that it's nearly ineffective at getting water from deep down within a well.
• Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: The red big brother blob is huge, being about half the height of Big Ben.
• Bait-and-Switch: As Opal and Orla set off to retrieve 2 more quarts of water, they hear someone ordering them to freeze, and stop in their tracks. One would think that a villain has spotted them and wants to battle them, but no, it turns out to be an avid watercolor artist who is painting them.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Oswald suggests that he and his teammates call the Big O to let them know of their current situation. Opal, the de facto leader of the group, snaps at him and yells that if they call the Big O, she will think that the Mobile Unit can't handle themselves in the face of danger.
• Big Brother Instinct: The "big brother blob" looking for its sibling is trying so hard to find it that it's griming up London (and those in it) as a result. Once the Main 4 return said sibling to the blob, it becomes happy and stops attacking.
• Big "WHAT?!": All of the Main 4 do this when Van Computer tells them that the van is low on fuel.
  • Opal later gives one to Omar when he tells her that the blob has escaped and that he and Oswald are chasing it down.
• Bizarre Taste in Food: Oprah finds the taste of blob on fish and chips to be "not bad".
  • Par for the course for Omar, who has no issue with drinking pineapple juice from a hollow barrel that Oswald has been sitting on.
• Blatant Lies: Once Opal fakes a bad connection with the Big O and hangs up, Orla asks her if she just hung up on the Big O. Opal denies it, saying that she ended the call quickly because the two agents are on a mission and don't have time to waste.
• Blunt "Yes": Omar explains the "Two Truths and a Lie" game to Oswald. When Oswald asks if he wants him to lie, Omar says in dead earnest, "Yes."
• Breaking Old Trends: This episode begins the trend of splitting up the Main 4 into alternating pairs. ^note While episodes in past seasons mostly focused on a partner pair and not solely on Ms. O and Oscar (or Oona), this season has a four-way partnership between Opal, Omar, Orla and Oswald. In this case, Omar goes with Oswald, and Orla goes with Opal.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: When Opal tries reciting her Rousing Speech again at the end of the episode, she gets cut off by the episode ending on a Smash to Black. Her response is an outraged "Seriously?!"
• Brief Accent Imitation: Oswald imitates a British accent twice, saying that he's always wanted to see London. The second time around, the rest of his teammates aren't impressed by it and simply shoot him awkward looks.
• Buffy Speak: When Oprah recites her "Something very odd has happened" Catchphrase, Omar says, "Yeah, and we un-happened it."
• Call a Rabbit a "Smeerp": Orla refers to the van as a "metal chariot", and refers to water as "nectar". She only clarifies what she means after others give her confused looks.
• Call-Back: This episode features Oswald and Omar attempting to catch a blob, similar to what Olive and Otto had to do in "Blob on the Job" — only this blob is red, and the two Mobile Unit agents have a much harder time catching it. Similarly, the Aesop in this episode (gallons, quarts, and measuring liquid) is the same Aesop from that episode (apart from another Aesop in this episode that deals with porous and non-porous containers).
• Character Focus: While the episode makes it a point to focus on the Main 4 in their respective pairs equally, it puts a little more emphasis on Opal and her perfectionist tendencies.
• Chekhov's Classroom: Omar Comically Missing the Point and teaching Opal about the difference between porous and non-porous things turns out to help her and Orla figure out how to get water from the water well.
• Chekhov's Gun: The rain hats that Orla and Opal wear turn out to be just what they need to gather water after feral watercolor artists take all of their quart containers.
  • Omar's "Two Truths and a Lie" game that he repeatedly attempts to get Oswald to play helps them to catch the missing blob later on.
• Circling Vultures: Played with — while no vultures are actually seen, their cries can be heard as Orla and Opal walk along the desert.
• The Cloudcuckoolander Was Right: Suzanne was right on the money with warning Opal and Orla about wild watercolor artists. Too bad they disobeyed her warning...
• Comically Missing the Point: Once they've gathered items that are porous and non-porous, Oswald suggests that he and Omar refresh their memories on what's porous and what's not. Omar answers with the facts that Oswald told him earlier.
• Coming in Hot: Downplayed, as the van has a parachute that (somehow) helps to slow down its fall, but nonetheless, the Main 4 brace for impact and the van lands with a loud "boom" noise that nearly knocks them off their feet.
• Companion Cube: The aptly-named Bouldy, a boulder that Orla sat beside while guarding the ancient Amazon Odd Squad Headquarters. Apparently, Orla was best friends with it before something happened that caused a rift in their friendship, but what actually happened isn't explained.
• Compressed Vice: Omar is a lot more idiotic than he's been in the past few episodes, prioritizing playing a game over catching a blob that could wreak havoc on the van that he stays in.
  • Orla also consistently averts the Determinator trope, oftentimes when it's not needed (right after Opal says she doesn't have a one-gallon container, for example, instead of finding a workaround), despite her being shown to play the trope straight in past episodes and having a strong sense of perseverance. Similarly, she is shown to be unaware of what a gallon and a quart is simply to pedal one of the episode's Aesops.
• Continuity Nod: Opal feigns Fake Static to get out of a conversation with Oprah...when she herself did the same exact thing in "Trials and Tubulations". And this time, she actually falls for it.
• Crazy-Prepared: Opal and Orla need 4 quart containers to fill up with water and take back to the van. However, Opal ends up packing 14 in total.
• Creepy Monotone: Van Computer speaks like this due to the van being low on fuel, and by extension, the computer itself being low on power.
• Crossing the Desert: Opal and Orla do this on their quest to find water to refuel the van. While Orla has a high amount of stamina and can endure the conditions for a long while, Opal — who is carrying a backpack full of quart containers on her back — grows tired.
• Determinator: Averted for Orla numerous times throughout the episode. Later on, Opal also averts the trope in a role reversal, but naturally, both agents manage to play it straight by the end.
• Does Not Like Spam: Oswald doesn't like pineapple juice. Ironically enough, the only liquid that happens to be on board the van is pineapple juice.
• Eccentric Artist: Suzanne definitely qualifies. She is a watercolor artist who is commissioned by the Sahara Desert Tourism office to paint pictures that revolve around life in the desert, which of course includes Orla and Opal, who are traveling in the desert. She also gestures with her hands a lot.
  • The feral watercolor artists exaggerate the trope and take it up to eleven — all they do is speak in yips and waste no time grabbing ahold of Orla and Opal's empty containers. Why they're in the desert of all places is anyone's guess.
• Fake Static: Opal invokes this to get out of a conversation with the Big O. It works, but Orla calls her partner out on it after she hangs up.
• Foreshadowing: The episode opens up with what would eventually become Stock Footage of the van flying over an ocean. As it turns out, the van needs to be refueled with water.
• Fragile Speedster: Played with. Oswald is by no means fast, and his lack of agility makes it difficult to catch the blob. However, whether he's weak in combat is ultimately up for debate.
• GIS Syndrome: The establishing wide shot of the van against sand dunes is a stock photo that is edited to include the van, as well as a darker blue sky.
• HA HA HA—No: When Opal asks if the process of using a faucet to get water from a cactus goes any faster, Orla laughs, and then stops abruptly and says that no, it does not.
• Hidden Depths: Apparently, Oswald likes throwing snowballs. He also likes watching people catch them.
• I Can't Believe I'm Saying This: Orla has a variant on the usual Stock Phrase.
  Orla: Opal! We have been walking forever. And I do not usually say this, but...I am tired.
  Opal: Really? You don't look tired.
  Suzanne: She does in my painting!
• Idiot Ball: None of the Main 4 are apparently aware that their van, however high-tech it is, is still a vehicle that needs fuel to run. It's revealed that the Big O attempted to tell them that it runs on fuel, but none of them listened due to being too fascinated by the features of the van. As a result, they become stranded in the Sahara Desert with little fuel.
  • Omar grips the ball so hard it's amazing how Oswald doesn't go through Sanity Slippage from keeping him focused on the task of finding a blob.
• Instantly Proven Wrong: The Van Computer does this a lot throughout the episode.
  • Opal believes that since the Main 4 caught the blob, it's mission accomplished to them. However, the Big O says that the mission isn't accomplished, because they now want the group to bring the blob to where she and a few other agents are in London.
  • When the van begins sounding a Red Alert that it's low on fuel, Oswald says that the Big O never told them that it ran on fuel. Van Computer says that she definitely told them it runs on fuel, with a Flashback Cut to the Big O saying just that.
  • Right after that, Opal tells the group that she's sure the van has enough fuel to get to London. Van Computer pipes up and says that it does not, earning it a Death Glare from Opal.
  • It's subverted when Oswald asks Opal (who had just yelled at him) if they're in danger, only for Opal to tell him that "handling oneself in the face of danger" is an expression and that she, him, Orla and Omar aren't in any danger. Van Computer says that she's right, and deploys the van's parachute for landing.
  • Omar says that the blob couldn't have gotten far from the bullpen. Van Computer corrects him by saying that there are 87 floors and 932 1/2 rooms in the van.
  • A non-Van Computer example occurs with Opal and Orla, as the latter says that she doesn't think a rope tied around a quart container and lowered into a water well will hold, followed by the former saying that it will. Sure enough, Orla lowers the container into the well, and it slips out of the rope, falling into the water.
  • Another non-Van Computer example occurs with Omar telling Oswald that the blob can understand what they're saying. Oswald says that's impossible...right before Omar tells the blob to attack Oswald, and it does so with ease.
• Ironic Echo: When Van Computer tells Omar that it won't be as easy to find the blob as he thinks, Oswald pats his partner's shoulder as he says, "You were saying?" Later on, as Oswald asks Omar why he's smiling and he answers with, "I just found out you mean business!", he pats Oswald's shoulder as he walks away, much to the agent's chagrin.
• It's a Long Story: When Opal chastises Omar for letting the blob escape, he simply responds with, "Long story, gotta go!" before hanging up on her.
• I've Heard of That — What Is It?: Oswald tells Omar that the trash can he's holding is porous. Omar agrees, but Oswald knows that he has no idea what he's talking about, which causes Omar to respond, "Yeah, no idea."
  • Later on, Oswald tells Omar that they need to find something non-porous to catch the blob. Omar acts like he knows what "non-porous" means, but Oswald decides to cut right to the chase and explain it to him.
• Jaw Drop: Opal has this reaction to Orla interrupting her Rousing Speech.
• Lens Flare: A couple can be seen when Opal and Orla are walking on top of a sand dune.
• Let's Split Up, Gang!: Omar invokes this, as he tells Opal that the two of them have been partners forever, and that the Mobile Unit should switch up the pairs. As a result, Omar teams up with Oswald, and places Opal with Orla.
• Letting the Air out of the Band: As the Big O tells the Main 4 that it's "mission not accomplished!", the Background Music suddenly stops.
• Literal-Minded: The London Eye is depicted as being an actual eye, while the Ferris wheel that actually is the London Eye is referred to as just that: a Ferris wheel.
• Makes Just as Much Sense in Context: The scene of the feral watercolor artists descending on Opal and Orla and grabbing all of their empty containers is enough of a invoked Big-Lipped Alligator Moment even by this show's standards. They leave just as fast as they come.
• Mickey Mousing: Omar going to catch the blob in a thin bag, followed by it squirting him with slime, is synced up to the Background Music.
• Multi-Part Episode: The second one of Season 3, and the first one to be a typical two-parter episode (i.e., two 11-minute segments airing together) rather than having it explicitly be two parts.
• No Listening Skills: The Main 4 didn't listen to Oprah when she told them that the van runs on fuel, which is how they get stranded in the desert to begin with.
  • Omar simply refuses to listen to Oswald when he describes the severity of their situation: finding a missing blob.
  Oswald: A non-porous container is made of materials without holes. We need to find some right now!
  [cut to Omar smiling]
  Oswald: Why are you smiling?
  Omar: I just found out you mean business!
• Noodle Incident: Whatever happened that caused Orla to stop becoming friends with Bouldy, her boulder friend, isn't explained.
• Oh, Crap!: Omar's reaction when he realizes exactly where he and his teammates are stranded.
  • He and Oswald later share another moment when the Van Computer reveals that it powered down the blob containment unit.
• Overly Long Gag: Opal and Orla exchanging "okay's" begins to delve into this, but Suzanne stops the agents before they can get very far.
• Pop-Culture Pun Episode Title: The episode's title is a reference to the Jackson Browne song of the same name.
• Power Source: The van doesn't run on gasoline — it runs on water. Unfortunately, the Main 4 had to make an emergency landing in, of all places, a desert, leading Opal and Orla to search for water to refuel the van. Similarly, the van doesn't use a gas tank, but rather, it has a compartment inside the van for the Main 4 to put their fuel into, with the opening shaped like a mouth.
• Prim and Proper Bun: Suzanne sports one of these.
• Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: "Find. The. Blob!"
• Red Alert: One sounds to indicate that the van is low on fuel.
• Rousing Speech: Opal attempts to give one, but it becomes consistently defied by others.
  Opal: Not to worry, Big O. We're an elite team of agents, dedicated to solving anything strange, unusual-
  Orla: [to the Big O] We're on our way.
  Opal: Orla, I wasn't done with my speech.
  Orla: It is a very long speech.
  Opal: Only because there is a lot of important info to get across.
• Running Gag: Opal attempting to recite her Rousing Speech of "We're an elite team of agents..." only to get cut off by something.
  • Omar consistently getting Oswald to play Two Truths and a Lie with him, when both of them are trying to catch a blob.
• Shout-Out: Orla pointing to her head after Opal says that it's the end of OSMU bears a very strong resemblance to the Roll Safe meme.
• Skewed Priorities: The Main 4 are on a time-sensitive mission and need to refuel their van as quickly as possible. Omar, however, decides to take the time to invoke some bonding and splits the Main 4 into unique pairings. Opal's response?
  Opal: Omar, we're stranded in the middle of a desert with a blob that needs to be reunited with its very angry big brother blob, and you want to play "get to know you" games?
  Omar: Glad we're on the same page!
  • Omar would rather play Two Truths and a Lie with Oswald than try to actively catch a blob. Naturally, this irritates Oswald to no end.
• Soft Glass: A variant — Omar and Oswald don't crash through glass, but the glass bowl that the latter is holding splits cleanly into two on contact when dropped. Normally, a bowl from that height would either do little damage (aside from a few cracks), or would shatter into small pieces.
• Sticky Situation: Omar gets his hand stuck on a piece of paper due to coming in contact with pineapple juice, which sticks if left on a surface for too long.
• Subverted Catchphrase: Opal's normal go-to for answering the phone is "go for Opal" (continuing the trend of "go for [name]" Catchphrases that started with Olive in Season 1). However, this episode has her performing the Running Gag of her attempting to start up with her Rousing Speech instead, before getting cut off by the Big O.
• Suddenly Fluent in Gibberish: Inverted. It's revealed that red blobs, unlike their blue counterparts, can understand English, and as a result, it understands Omar's directions to Oswald and dodges accordingly.
• Tempting Fate: "How hard can it be to find water?" Opal asks, just before she opens the van door to reveal exactly where she is.
  Oswald: Extremely hard would be my answer.
  • Omar believes that the blob is safe where it is in its cage, and that it won't break out. Naturally, when Van Computer powers down things to conserve energy, it also powers down the cage, which allows the blob to escape.
• That Reminds Me of a Song: Suzanne sings a short ditty about Opal and Orla as they're on their way to get more water, which primarily consists of what they're wearing. Neither one of them is impressed.
• Thirsty Desert: The Main 4 end up stranded in one of these. In a unique twist, however, their van happens to run on water, and they search for water as a fuel source, not for hydration (they have pineapple juice for that).
  Opal: I will say this about deserts: they're as hot as they look.
• Two Lines, No Waiting: The plotline of Opal and Orla finding water for the van and the plotline of Omar and Oswald attempting to find the escaped blob eventually intertwine at the climax.

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