It's Picture Day, and Gus is super excited, for it's his first Picture Day ever. But when the Recess Gang learns that the fourth graders are going last, TJ and his friends do everything they can to keep Gus' clothes clean.
Tropes:
- Affectionate Parody: The entire episode seems like an homage to Saving Private Ryan.
- Covered in Gunge: Gus ends up covered in cheese by saving TJ from Lawson, who is also covered with cheese dip.
- Covered in Mud: Most of the fourth-grade class ends up with muddy clothes, due to the younger kids.
- Doomed New Clothes: After each class photo, the kids are eager to get their clothes messed up. As time progresses, Mikey, Vince, Gretchen, and Spinelli all get their clothes messy from younger kids. Eventually, even Gus gets covered in cheese due to saving TJ from a cheese-covered Lawson. By the time the fourth-graders take their picture, everyone save TJ have gotten dirty due to the other grades going out of their way to mess up their clothes.
- Dwindling Party: One by one, the gang get their clothes ruined until only T.J. remains.
- Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: As the Dwindling Party takes refuge by Old Rusty, Spinelli says she sees first, second, and third graders safely away from them. TJ then realizes they don't know where the kindergartners are, so they look up.
- Forced into Their Sunday Best: None of the younger grades are happy about being forced into their fancy clothes and go out of their way to ruin them the second the pictures are done with.
- "Hell, Yes!" Moment: Just about every kid over having their picture taken and finally being able to change clothes or get messy.
- Hidden Depths: Even though he did steal it from a messy kid, it's nice to know that Randall knows how to play the harmonica.
- How We Got Here: The episode opens with TJ narrating the beginning of a letter that explains what we're about to see.
- It's Personal: Gus and his parents consider class picture day a historic occasion because it's the first time he's ever stayed in a school long enough to participate in one before. Therefore, he considers the class going last a complete disaster. Hearing his reasoning, the rest of the gang agree to help keep him clean.
- Kids Are Cruel: The dirty kids. Once they've had their pictures taken in their good clothes they actively try to get them as dirty as possible and seek out any clean kid who hasn't had their picture taken yet to ruin their clothes.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Miss Grotke volunteered the fourth graders to go last because she wants "to let others to go first." Unfortunately, this means that Gus has to stay clean all day.
- No One Gets Left Behind: Spinelli goes back for Gretchen when her bow gets stuck on the fence.
- The Power of Friendship: Makes you get Covered in Gunge without regrets.
- Sadistic Choice: Ultimately, Gus has to choose between staying clean for the photo or going back to help a friend. He chooses the latter.
- So Proud of You: "That's my son right there near the middle in his first class picture ever. If you ask me, soldier, well, I'd say he's never looked better."
- Sweet and Sour Grapes: Gus jeapordizes his picture by taking a handful of cheese sauce to protect TJ. However, his father cares less about the ruined clothes and more about the fact that Gus was willing to do that for a friend, saying he's never looked better in the resulting picture.
- True Companions: Gus wins his father's approval, not by keeping his clothes clean, but by getting his clothes covered in cheese to keep TJ's clothes clean.
