Looks like it's Oddness on the North Dakota Express. Oswald is on the case!
Train of ThoughtsAirdate: February 26, 2020 note
A villain turns train cars odd.
Tropes:
- Artistic License – Physics: Though it's justified by the world of the show (and the fact that the train is moving slowly), the van is somehow able to (presumably) land and stay on a moving train.
- Bait-and-Switch: When Orla and Oswald confront Double Danny in train car #24 about creating oddness on the train, Danny admits to doing it..."it" being that he took 2 bags of pretzels instead of 1.
- Big "WHAT?!": Omar has this reaction when a passenger informs him that there's no gift shop onboard the train.
- Orla and Oswald give one when the conductor shows them train car #27 filled with pineapples.
- Blunt "Yes": Inverted. When Oswald asks if anyone sees a pattern in his number line, the conductor, Orla and Omar all answer with a blunt, almost unisonant "no".
- Borrowed Catchphrase: The conductor borrows Orla's "Onward ho!" catchphrase as the Main 4 split up.
- The Bus Came Back: Rainbow Robin makes an appearance after 2 seasons of being absent, with her last appearance being "Recipe For Disaster".
- Call a Rabbit a "Smeerp": Par for the course for Orla, who calls books "collections of words". She also puts her own spin on the "wait a minute" phrase: "Whoa whoa, wait one tiny little notch on the sundial!"
- Character Focus: The episode focuses primarily on Oswald, and also deepens the bond between him and Orla.
- Chekhov's Gun: The conductor pointing out that there are 30 train cars, and not 10 as Oswald writes down, turns out to be important after Threesie Louise-ie is found to not be the culprit.
- Omar's souvenir, a miniature train figurine, serves as an essential clue in solving the mystery.
- Comically Missing the Point: This exchange occurs between Orla and Oswald after Threesie Louise-ie is found to not be the culprit.Oswald: This makes no sense.Orla: I agree. How could Detective Shmumbers learn how to fly a spaceship in 5 minutes?Oswald: I was talking about how the pattern makes no sense.
- Cool, but Inefficient: Threesie Louise-ie wears a pair of headphones that have three pairs of speakers: one that goes on her ears, and two more that ascend up the sides of her head. This matches her Numerological Motif of 3, but it's very impractical.
- Felony Misdemeanor: The conductor thinks that Double Danny getting 2 bags of pretzels and not 1 is outrageous.
- Finish Dialogue in Unison: Subverted at the end of the episode.Orla: And as your favorite detective always says, if you need to call Detective Shmumbers- [with Oswald] don't forget to stack the numbers!Oswald: [with Orla] Always bring the cucumbers!Orla: She has a lot of catchphrases.Oswald: Yeah, she does.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: When the Big O teleports her video feed to one of the computers inside of the desk, a picture can be seen next to it of two agents-in-training, one of whom appears to be Opal.
- Friendship Moment: Opal helping Omar find a souvenir definitely counts as this. It's been some time since the two, who have been bonafide partners since the beginning of the season, have had a one-on-one bonding moment with each other.Omar: [sad] I've never been on an odd case where I didn't get a souvenir...Opal: Challenge accepted!Omar: Did I issue a challenge?Opal: I know how important souvenirs are to you. So we're gonna find one. Gift shop or not, rain or shine!
- Similarly, Orla assisting Oswald in solving the case also counts. While they haven't been an actual pair of partners like Opal and Omar before, the episode takes some time to strengthen the bond between them.
- The Gadfly: The Big O makes her video feed apparate from screen to screen inside the van, and has no shame in admitting how fun it is to her.
- High-Class Glass: Oswald has a monocle which he offers to Orla at the end of the episode, only for her to decline. According to him, it's also a prescription glass, which would imply that he has bad eyesight — however, his vision is shown to be perfectly fine.
- Idiot Ball: Oswald, whoo boy. He believes that the villain on the train is working in a number pattern because every single book he's read in the Detective Shmumbers series has its culprits working in the same exact pattern. Orla doesn't get a chance to tell him that This Is Reality, and what happens in books doesn't necessarily play out the same way in the real world, saying that people don't always follow a number pattern when doing things. However, when reading the latest book in the series, Space Crime, she finds out that the culprit is working in a shapes pattern rather than a number pattern, but when she informs Oswald, he refuses to listen. It's only when Omar shows his new painted souvenir off to Oswald does he realize that he's in the wrong.
- Instant Costume Change: Oswald tells Orla that he has an official detective's costume, the camera cuts to her, then Oswald pops up seemingly from below the screen in a detective's outfit.
- Irony: Rainbow Robin, a rainbow-themed villain, is only striking the black and white cars on the train. Justified, as her reasoning is that those cars were ruining the other, more rainbow-colored cars.
- Is There a Doctor in the House?: While looking for a souvenir, Opal calls for a doctor onboard the train, but not because she needs medical treatment — rather, she calls for a doctor because she's looking for someone who's smart.
- It's All My Fault: A Played for Laughs variant — when the conductor is able to prove that Threesie Louise-ie isn't attacking the train cars, and Oswald says "my mistake" while Orla points at him and says "his mistake" in unison.
- The Knights Who Say "Squee!": Oswald's hero is Detective Shmumbers, a detective in a similar vein to Nancy Drew.
- Leitmotif: Exterior shots of the train have one, an upbeat trumpet-filled melody that's full of suspense.
- Let's Split Up, Gang!: Orla and Oswald, as well as Opal and Omar, appear to be popular pairings with the writers — this episode has them as pairs again for the third time this season.
- Letting the Air out of the Band: When the conductor tells the Main 4 what Rainbow Robin did, he whimsically states that the balloons she put in train car #3 are colorful and wonderful as airy BGM plays...and then the BGM stops as he gets back on track.
- Magic Wand: Rainbow Robin has one that she uses to create oddness with.
- Mistakes Are Not the End of the World: Orla states that what she learned from reading the Detective Shmumbers books is that even a great detective can make mistakes.
- Not-So-Harmless Villain: In "Recipe For Disaster", Rainbow Robin was seen performing good deeds for the town of Toronto, being less of a villain and more of a hero and not causing any harm to the town or Odd Squad. This episode has her actively committing acts of oddness, and also brandishes a new weapon: a rainbow-colored wand. She also antagonizes the Mobile Unit, and vice versa.
- Off Bridge, onto Vehicle: In what is perhaps one of the most death-defying stunts seen on the show, the Main 4 all manage to get aboard a moving train from their airborne van by throwing a rope ladder down, securing it, and making their way downwards through the roof of the train.
- The Perfectionist: Opal, who else? She refuses to let Omar be happy with the uncolored miniature train set, and asks the mini-train enthusiast on board to color it for them, even when Omar tells her that it doesn't have to be perfect.Opal: Omar. We're getting you a perfect and exact replica of this train.
- Recycled In Space: Space Crime? It's Nancy Drew, IN SPACE!
- Red Herring: Threesie Louise-ie and Double Danny, who are both villains traveling on the train, are found to not be the culprit.
- Rhymes on a Dime: All of Detective Shmumbers' Catchphrases rhyme in some way.
- Shout-Out: The Detective Shmumbers book series is an obvious reference to the Nancy Drew series.
- One of the Detective Shmumbers books that Oswald shows Orla is Crime on the Shmumberland Express, a reference to Murder on the Orient Express.
- Thriller on the Express: The episode largely takes place on a train that is crossing through North Dakota.
- Thrill Seeker: Opal eagerly volunteers to do something that could potentially cause her death: use a rope ladder to get from a moving vehicle that is airborne to the inside of a moving train.Opal: Who wants to go first? [raises her hand eagerly] I do![Omar, Orla and Oswald exchange worried and surprised looks]
- Two Lines, No Waiting: The episode focuses on both Opal finding Omar a souvenir, and Orla helping Oswald solve the mystery of the villain causing oddness on the train. Both plotlines intertwine at the climax.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: The passengers in train car #6 could care less about balloons being strewn about, and aren't even concerned when Omar and Opal enter. They do, however, give them a round of applause when they remove the balloons.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Opal gives Omar a taste of this when he tells the conductor that the two agents will clean up the messes in train cars 3 and 6. She essentially has no choice but to clean up the cars while Orla, Oswald and the conductor go to train car 9.Omar: You'll thank me later.
Well, we've done it. We've found a pair of X's that aren't total Hate Sinks.
Overdue!Airdate: February 26, 2020 note
Orla is kicked off the squad when a library book she took out 400 years ago is overdue.
Tropes:
- Actually a Good Idea: Double-subverted. Oswald suggests that the Main 4 spend the $5 they have. Everyone else shoots him skeptical looks, and he tells them that the idea will hit them soon enough. They don't get it, and he explains that they can spend money to make more money, which everyone else then agrees is a good idea.
- Chekhov's Gun: Octavius's love of shushing turns out to be just what is needed to pay the late fee in the form of a "shushing stick" and have Orla return the library book.
- Continuity Cavalcade: Various magazines, such as the Most Odd List and the Odd Squad Magazine, can be seen when Octavius is helping Opal and Omar.
- Continuity Nod: At one point, Octavius is seen reading The Second to Last Unicorn.
- Contrived Coincidence: There just so happens to be a magazine whose cover is blue, and has a koala and a spaceship on it: Alien Koala Monthly. It's so coincidental that both Opal and Omar have to do a Wild Take.
- Determinator: Even when Octavius isn't given a book title, author, or subject, he's still determined to find what people are looking for. Same goes for magazines — no title, no date of publication, and yet he still has a drive to find them.
- Do You Trust Me?: Oswald asks this of the rest of the Main 4 when he gets an idea on how to pay Orla's late fee, but says that he needs to spend the $9 they currently have to do it. At first, they're hesitant to trust him, but when he offers to whisper his plan, they're all immediately on board.
- "Eureka!" Moment: Omar commenting on how the magazine is good and how Octavius is a good librarian who loves to shush ultimately gives Oswald an idea of how to pay the late fee.
- Extremely Overdue Library Book: Orla has a book that she's had out for 400 years. Unfortunately, since it's an Odd Squad rule that books taken out 400 years ago cannot be overdue (under Code 7685), Xuxa and Xeno, who are part of the Task Force, demote her, and some persuasion from Oswald lets them give Orla until the end of the day to return the book and have the head librarian sign a required paper. However, she can't return the book due to having to pay the late fee which, while expected to be high, is really a mere $10, and she finds that the Mobile Unit is $5 short. Eventually, she gets the head librarian, Octavius, to pay for the fine himself in exchange for a stick that makes a shushing noise so he can shush people all day, and she is promoted back to the Mobile Unit department.
- Firing Day: Orla is demoted from her Mobile Unit department and fired from Odd Squad as a result of her book being overdue.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: Pause on any scene where Octavius has his computers running, and look closely — one can see that he is using Microsoft Windows as an operating system, rather than Apple, the latter of which a majority of computers in Odd Squad run on.
- Funny Background Event: When Orla is re-hired onto Odd Squad, Octavius is shown doing the very thing he hates: cheering along with the Main 4 and being loud, directly before he catches himself and uses his new "shushing stick" to silence the Main 4.
- Gasp!: One from Oswald is given when Orla is forced to pay a $10 late fee.
- Hate Sink: Averted. Xuxa and Xeno aren't out-and-out villainous like Xavier and Xena, and aren't meant to be hated on — they're just trying to do their jobs. They also aren't overtly antagonistic towards the Main 4 in any way.
- Idiot Ball: Odd Squad Library rule #2 states that no one can start a business inside of a library, and Oswald and Orla break the rule by starting up a lemonade stand, then a bandage stand. However, it's not elaborated on why they can't just set up outside of the library rather than inside so they won't break any rules, which would be a much smarter idea.
- Opal and Omar have no idea how to act inside of a library, being loud and not quiet. Justified, as they've been in the Arctic for many years, which obviously doesn't have libraries (and the fact that both of them are Cute, but Cacophonic to begin with).
- Immediate Self-Contradiction: While flying in the van, Oswald — who always sits in a back seat — asks Opal why she sits in the front, and she invites him to trade places, which he accepts. When an alarm sounds, he decides to stay right where he is.
- When relaying the rule that if a book taken out from the Odd Squad library isn't returned by 400 years' time then one will be fired from Odd Squad, Omar angrily tells them that it's a ridiculous rule. The others agree...and then Omar says that 400 years is a reasonable time to return a book, prompting a worthy What the Hell, Hero? reaction from Orla.
- Impossibly Tacky Clothes: Orla doesn't like the dress made out of canvas that she is forced to wear following her firing.Orla: Octavius, I do not wish to spend another day in this canvas outfit, now that I have felt the wonders of a cotton-polyester blend.
- Instant Costume Change: Xeno uses a gadget in a similar vein as the Mr. O-inator and the Ms. O-inator to change Orla's clothes from her Mobile Unit uniform to a rustic, ancient-looking dress made out of canvas, and vice versa.
- Literal Metaphor: When Orla and Oswald are found out by Octavius, they, as well as Omar and Opal, meet up in the van's Breakroom, where Orla sadly says that they are "a day late and a dollar short". As it turns out, the group is quite literally $1 short of paying the overdue fine in full, something that Orla lampshades by tacking on "literally" to her metaphor.
- Loophole Abuse: There is an Odd Squad rule in place that states that an agent can be fired from the organization if their book is overdue, with a 400-year borrowing period. Oswald, a former librarian (or "library museum person") himself, finds a loophole in the rule and says that the Main 4 have the end of the day to return the book, lest Orla gets fired. The X's aren't too pleased with it, but allow it anyway.
- Oswald also manages to get around Orla paying the late fee by not paying in dollars — rather, he has it paid by Octavius himself, who pays them $10 with a stick that makes a shushing noise (although he doesn't pay them the $10, and instead, he signs the required paper that the X's gave the Main 4).
- Loud Gulp: Oswald does one when he and Orla are snuffed out by Octavius.
- "Metaphor" Is My Middle Name: Octavius says that "Help You Find a Book" is his middle name — meaning that his full name is "Octavius James Help-You-Find-A-Book Donaldson".
- No Indoor Voice: A Running Gag for Opal and Omar throughout the episode is their sheer inability to remain quiet inside of a library.
- Overly Long Name: Octavius lampshades his incredibly long name of "Octavius James Help-You-Find-A-Book Donaldson" by telling Opal and Omar that it's a nightmare for paperwork.
- Rules Lawyer: Octavius largely enforces the "no being loud in a library" rule — so much so, that his shushing has gotten to the point where his throat runs dry from doing it so often.
- Running Gag: Esmeralda Kim returns for the first time since "Odd Beginnings: Part 2". This time around, she offers to help the Main 4 find $10 to pay Orla's late fee, but then says that she has to go to a volleyball game, then flute practice, then she has to pick up her sister from the dentist.
- Like the Mirthless Laughter of both Xavier and Xena of the previous season, Xuxa and Xeno have casual whistling as a running gag between them. Bonus points go to the fact that their whistling is used to emphasize their more heroic stance, versus Xavier and Xena's stiff, evil-sounding laughter which is used to show that they're villainous.
- Series Continuity Error: This episode features American dollars as the primary currency instead of Jackalope Dollars. May be justified, since Jackalope Dollars may only be currency in the town of Toronto and nowhere else.
- Serious Business: Octavius takes his job very seriously, to the extent that he even took an oath for his job: "To Protect and Shelve".
- Shown Their Work: A nearby agent who receives a paper cut from a book she's reading tells Orla and Oswald that $2 per bandage is too expensive. She's not wrong — $2 is a steep price for a single box of bandages, but selling one each for that price is very expensive, which explains why the agents were only able to sell 4 bandages versus 100 cups of lemonade (which they charged for a penny).
- Silence Is Golden: Octavius, being a librarian, frequently invokes this. Speak so much as a decibel above a whisper and he will immediately shush you, with the shush being louder than anyone else in the library, to the point where it echoes.
- Stealth Hi/Bye: Xuxa and Xeno both do this at the end of the episode, directly after Orla says that the Main 4 have to get the signed paper to them.
- Tempting Fate: "We have $9, just 1 more dollar to go. Nothing can stop us now!" Did you forget about your librarian friend, Oswald? Because he hasn't forgotten you, and won't forgive you for breaking library rules either.
- Treasure Room: The Mobile Unit keeps their money in a small vault behind their cubbies.
- We Need a Distraction: Omar and Opal distract Octavius by having him looks for books and magazines they presumably want while Orla and Oswald try to get more money. It works for a time, but ultimately fails when Octavius leaves after giving Opal and Omar all of the versions of Alien Koala Monthly.
- Worldbuilding: This episode reveals that the Task Force department apparently has their own private jet, equipped with a tube for Tube Travel.
- The main Odd Squad Library is introduced for the first time. It's run by an Odd Squad Librarian named Octavius, whom Oswald is familiar with.
- Young Entrepreneur: Oswald gets the idea to run a lemonade stand in order to make more money, charging a single penny per cup. When that doesn't work out, he and Orla switch to selling bandages for paper cuts, and sell those for $2 per bandage before lowering the price to $1 when a nearby agent says that $2 is too expensive.
