Thurston's usual brand of brainlessness ends up wreaking havoc for the lesser members of Scar's army.
This episode contains examples of:
- Bond Villain Stupidity: Once the Outlander grunts believe Thurston tricked them, they decide to eat him...except they can't decide how to split him.
- Crying Wolf: After Thurston's advice all fail them, the Outlanders refuse to listen to him during the one time he wouldn't mix up the Lion Guard with himself: explaining which part of a zebra is the tastiest.
- A Day in the Limelight: For not only Thurston but the less intelligent sidekicks to the pack leaders.
- Double-Meaning Title: While "The Zebra Mastermind" can mean an intelligent zebra, it also refers to how a zebra was behind the Outlanders' weird attempts to attack the Lion Guard.
- Hey, You!: Ono just identifies Thurston by his Catchphrase due to apparently not knowing what his name is.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Subverted since ultimately all the supposed valuable info that Thurston gives the Outlanders is totally worthless, and he ends up just making the Outlanders suffer through a bad day, and then they believe he tricked them.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Kion thinks the strange attacks they have been receiving from Scar's Legion of Doom were some kind of trick to get him to lower his guard down. Subverted because it was all from a zebra more idiotic than the grunts.
- Unwitting Pawn: Subverted. Scar's troops believe they are making Thurston into their Unwitting Pawn since they misinterpret him, believing his weaknesses are those of the Lion Guard's. All it does it send them on wild goose chases.
- Vagueness Is Coming: The backdrop of the episode is that Scar is busy holding an important war meeting with the pack leaders (Janja, Mzingo, Kiburi, and Reirei). We don't bear witness to the meeting, but it's repeatedly brought up and hinted to be preparations for something suitably big.
- You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: The Lion Guard grow more and more exasperated with the Outlanders' zany attempts to attack them thanks to Thurston's advice.
