The Not-So-Good Ol' Days
Directed By: Austin Clark
Written By: Miles Luna
Written By: Miles Luna
Wash travels back in time to the heyday of Project Freelancer to figure out where Carolina was hiding between the events of the flashback and present-day segments of Season 9.
Note: This episode's tagline is "Wash takes up freelancing."
This episode has examples of:
- Beneath Notice: Carolina reenlisted in the UNSC and landed herself in an average station, figuring that it would be the last place anyone from Project Freelancer would think to look for her.
- The Bus Came Back: The Triplets return since their only focus episodes from Season 14, currently still part of Project Freelancer, with Wash going to them to vent his frustrations.
- Corner of Woe: While Wash is moping over his Humiliation Conga of reliving his Freelancer days and realizing just how much nobody respected him, he is briefly seen in a corner asking why nobody will listen to him. South, who is revealed to be standing just off-screen, then twists the knife further by saying it's because he's a loser.
- "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: Washington goes back in time to his time in Project Freelancer, hoping to find some kind of hint to where Carolina would go while she was Faking the Dead. After continuous failures and being reminded of how much of a "loser" he was back then, he explains everything to his old friends The Triplets, and Iowa asks him why doesn't he just go to the future when he and Carolina are friends and ask her himself. When Wash decides to do this after a period of Stunned Silence, and finds that it works instantly, he lets out a loud frustrated scream over putting himself through all that for nothing.
- Didn't Think This Through:
- Downplayed at the beginning. Wash realizes a flaw in his and Donut's plan. If he shows up and frees the Reds and Blues himself then Genkins will know what they are up to and stay so close to Carolina that they won't be able to save her. So he changes plans slightly and decides to find her first and take her to Blood Gulch with him so everyone can be saved at once.
- Played straight for a majority of the episode when Wash chooses to go back to his Freelancer days in the past to try to find hints of where Carolina might have gone when she was presumed dead, instead of simply going to the future when they are friends and asking her himself.
- Dumbass Has a Point: It's Iowa, quite possibly the dumbest character in the series, who points out to Wash that he could just go to a point in his timeline where he and Carolina are friends and get the information he needs.
- Jerkass Realization: Played for Laughs; Wash is audibly disturbed when he realizes that his Butt-Monkey situation in the past among the Freelancers is very similar to what Donut has been pretty much always dealing with among the Blood Gulch Crew, and that he hasn't been helping Donut's situation prior to this story arc.
- Killed Offscreen: Washington tells Carolina that he "took care" of Wyoming, implying that he killed him off-screen before arriving.
- Mythology Gag: Project Freelancer's status as a Dysfunction Junction being sarcastically compared to high school by Wash is a subtle reference to an interview Shannon McCormmick (the voice actor for Agent Washington) did with AfterBuzz TV for Season 14 wherein he jokingly analogized Project Freelancer for being a "Japanese high school".
- Noodle Incident: While in the past during his Freelancer days, North tells Wash to remember to pull the pins on the grenades before throwing them, simply saying he doesn't want "another situation like last time". Whatever "last time" was is never explained, though Wash seems to remember after a moment.Wash: Last time? Ohhh wait this does sound familiar...
- Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond: Wash remembers he was this back at Freelancer.Wash: I forgot what it was like being at the bottom of the food chain.
- Nostalgia Filter: Wash already knew he was the worst Freelancer in his squad back in the day, but he clearly forgot just how bad he actually had it. Nobody is willing to give him the time of day or take him seriously due to his low ranking, even his friends like Agent York, and he quickly realizes Carolina was a lot meaner than he remembers her being.
- The Reveal: Carolina reveals that, after Freelancer, she reenlisted in the UNSC.
- Skyward Scream: Once Wash goes to the future to ask Carolina about her past, and she instantly agrees and asks him what's up friendly, Wash lets out a loud frustrated scream due to putting himself through a Humiliation Conga reliving his Freelancer days for nothing instead of doing this from the start. He actually turns off his radio, causing it to be muffled, but it is still loud enough to be heard.Wash: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH GOD DAMN IT!!!
- Small Role, Big Impact: The Triplets only appear for one scene, and only Iowa is given a line, but they are the ones to essentially give Wash the solution to his problems by suggesting he travel to the future, when he and Carolina are friends now, and ask her what he wants to know.
- Stating the Simple Solution: After Wash explains his situation to the Triplets, Iowa asks him if he can jump anywhere in time, why doesn't he just go to the future, when he and Carolina are friends, and just ask her what he wants to know himself.
- Stunned Silence: An utterly hilarious example happens when the Triplets inform Wash that he should go to the future and ask Carolina what happened to her back then instead of continuing to fail in the past. Cue a very, very long and silent five second pause before Wash travels forward in time to the Reds and Blues' time on Iris.
