Recap / Sanders Sides S 2 E 8 Learning New Things About Ourselves

Thomas has just seen a friend he hadn't seen for a while. When he asked him what he did for a living, Thomas answered that he was a YouTuber. Then his friend asked him the dreaded question, "What do you actually do for a living?" This time, it has stuck with him and since then Thomas doesn't feel fulfilled with anything he's created, and he doesn't know why, because he's doing nothing different. In order to help Thomas find a way to discover why he's feeling like that, he musn't look for an answer, but for the question he must ask himself to find that answer, which is unknown to him. As this is like "fundamental learning", Patton suggest that they must use one of the fundamental learning methods Thomas used as a child: puppets. So the Sides transform into puppets to help him find "the question".

Release date: October 29, 2018

WARNING: Untagged spoilers ahead. Read at your own risk.

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Tropes

• Bear Hug: Patton gives one to Virgil when Virgil is still in puppet form. Apparently, Virgil doesn't like it at all.
  Patton: I'm getting emotional! Virgil, hug me!
  Virgil: [while Patton hugs Virgil] No, don't hug me, I'm scared!
• Moment of Weakness: Logan, the usually calm, thoughtful and tranquil Logan, loses his cool when Roman calls him stupid. He screams in anger and throws a paper ball right into Roman's eye. He quickly regrets it afterwards.
• Now, Buy the Merchandise: At the beginning Thomas warns viewers to pay attention for a new piece of merch that's gonna appear in the episode. Later, Logan wears his cogitating cap. At the end, Thomas announces that the cogitating cap is now available at the merch store.
• Paper Destruction of Anger: Logan crumples his last vocab card when Roman calls him stupid, before going The Berserker mode and throwing the paper right into Roman's eye.
• Puppet Permutation: The Sides, at Patton's suggestion, using their shape-shifting power, transform into puppets to help Thomas work out an issue.
  • Patton transforms into a paper-bag puppet because he wanted to do something "simple and fun".
  • Roman transforms into a detailed, extra-chinned puppet reminiscent of The Muppets, Sesame Street, or Avenue Q.
  • Virgil transforms into a sock puppet that reminds a bit of Coraline, as Roman points out.
  • Logan initially rejects the idea of transforming into a puppet and refuses to do so, but in the end, when he's convinced by the others that it can be an effective and useful way of working out issues, he transforms into a metallic robot-like puppet with bulbs as eyes and hooks as hands.
• Product Placement: Logan says that maybe it's time to put on their cogitating caps. Then he wears one that would be available soon in Thomas' merch store.
• Rule of Three: The Sides offer three examples of methods by which Thomas used to learn: textbooks, mistakes and puppets.
• Shoutout:
  • Patton jumps to hug Virgil. Virgil immediately says "No, don't hug me! I'm scared!"
  • Multiple references to Sesame Street and its sister series The Electric Company.
  Logan: Well, it all goes back to the point YOU made earlier, Patton. Asking the right question: Why?
  Roman: That's right, today's video is brought to you by the letter Y!
  Logan: No, stop it. Stop. The QUESTION, why! W-H-Y, "Why"!
• Song of Many Emotions: Virgil mentions he felt evil. Patton mentions he felt sad. Roman doesn't want to recognize it but Virgil points out he feels low. And Logan doesn't want to participate, but Virgil points out he feels lost and like a joke for the others.
• Tantrum Throwing: When Roman calls Logan's habit of excessive clarity stupid, he screams, crumples up his flashcard, and throws it in Roman's eye.
  Roman: Earlier... I made you angry. I do that... quite a bit actually... I provoked you and you retaliated with violence ...like a stupid caveman.
• You Can Say That Again: Thomas and Patton go on a rant of this trope until Roman stops them sword in hand.
  Thomas: Wait, so we're stuck in a loop?
  Patton: You can say that again!
  Thomas: We're stuck in a loop?
  Patton: You can say that again!
  Thomas: We're stuck in a loop?
  Patton: You can say that again!
  Roman: [Irritated, sword in hand] Oh, my gosh! I will kill both of you! With my bare hands! [chuckling a bit] ...and this sword.