Line #85 Recap/OddSquadS1E36OscarOfAllTradesSwampsNGators


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2020_06_29_372.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Just two best friends chatting about work, catching up on life, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking doing]] FlashbackStares. (You know, as friends do.)]]
3	'''''Oscar of All Trades'''''
4
5	'''Airdates:''' January 18, 2016 [[note]]PBS Kids premiere[[/note]], September 13, 2015 [[note]]ICI Radio-Canada premiere[[/note]]
6
7	Oscar tells Olive about his early days at Odd Squad.
8
9	----
10	!!Tropes:
11
12	* AccidentalMisnaming: Ms. O repeatedly gets Oscar's name incorrect. It's only when she begins to yell it at the top of her lungs that she begins to remember it.
13	* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Olive is regarded as one of the best agents of Precinct 13579 due to her experience working for Odd Squad as an organization, since she's worked there for years. However, this episode reveals that in comparison to those like Oren, Olaf, and Octavia, Olive is actually ''inexperienced'' in regards to her longevity working at Odd Squad, as all three agents have been working for the organization longer than she has. (Granted, at least she's far more competent than any of them.)
14	* TheAlcoholic: While it's already established that Ms. O is a PG version of one, Oscar's assistant flashback takes those tendencies up to eleven, showing that she sometimes drinks around 100 juice boxes ''in one day alone'', with some LampshadeHanging to boot.
15	--> '''Oscar:''' Wait, this is just ''today''?
16	--> '''Ms. O:''' Are you an assistant or a judge?
17	* AmusingInjuries: Ms. O goes to sit down in her chair, and immediately falls to the ground due to Oscar pulling out her chair too far. The loud "thump" noise and the slight ScreenShake that ensues shows that it was a pretty painful experience for her -- painful enough to fire Oscar for his incompetence.
18	--> '''Ms. O:''' ''Owwww.''
19	--> '''Oscar:''' I'm fired, aren't I?
20	--> '''Ms. O:''' ''[[TranquilFury Oh]]'' [[TranquilFury yeah.]]
21	* BadLiar: Ah boy, Oscar...
22	--> '''Olive:''' ''[after Oscar's Security agent job]'' And ''then'' you became a Scientist.
23	--> '''Oscar:''' And ''then'' I became a ''Scientist!'' Heh heh... ''[[ActingUnnatural [clears throat unnaturally]]]''
24	--> '''Olive:''' Are you sure you didn't have any other jobs?
25	--> '''Oscar:''' Okay, I had a lot more jobs.
26	* {{Battlecry}}: Owen lets out one before chasing after the runaway villains.
27	* BenevolentBoss: Ms. O may be a TinyTyrannicalGirl who isn't afraid to push her agents to their limits when it comes to solving oddness, but this episode shows that she has a soft heart as well, as she creates a rank just for Oscar so he can keep doing what he loves while still working at Odd Squad.
28	* BigRedButton: More like Small Red Button, but nonetheless, Oscar pushes one on the tube operators' computer, which causes him to be sprung through the roof.
29	* BigShutUp: Ms. O shouts "Everyone, stop!" when Owen, Oren and Octavia begin piling gadgets onto Oscar for him to fix.
30	* CallForward: [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Ms. O, who shows Oscar the ship that carries her empty juice boxes away for recycling and remarks, [[Recap/OddSquadS1E28CaptainFunSwitchYourPartnerRoundAndRound "I have a feeling we're going to talk about this a lot more in the future."]]
31	** Ms. O can only remember Oscar's name clearly if she yells it. [[Recap/OddSquadS1E1ZeroEffectBadLuckBears The very first episode of the show]] sees this being put into action, as she yells for Oscar.
32	* TheCameo: O'Malley makes a cameo appearance at the beginning of the episode, having a basket of yarn as a head. Oscar manages to fix him.
33	* ChekhovsHobby: While working as a Security agent, Oscar is shown fixing up a gadget and neglecting his duties. Sure enough, it's later revealed in the episode that he has been fixing up gadgets for Investigation agents (who have been making and fixing their own gadgets up to that point), and when Ms. O notices this, she creates a position just for Oscar.
34	* TheCobblersChildrenHaveNoShoes: At one point, Oscar was an Odd Squad lifeguard. This would be fine...if it weren't for the fact that Oscar can't swim.
35	* ComicallyMissingThePoint: When Olive asks Oscar if he has any Toothbrush-inators, he answers that he has about 20, then shows her a picture of him as a tube operator. Olive reacts in surprise, and Oscar believes that she's shocked about how he was able to count the gadgets quickly. Olive then clarifies that she was surprised about him being a tube operator.
36	* ComicalOverreacting: Oscar manages to do this when asking Owen about estimation at one point.
37	* ConsolationPrize: Every time Oscar got fired from a job, he earned a participation ribbon. With this, he's able to deduce that he got fired from about ''60 jobs.''
38	* ContinuityCavalcade: The music video for "Is There a Doctor in the House?" shows various clips and stills from past episodes that Dr. O has appeared in, such as [[Recap/OddSquadS1E23SoundcheckPartDeuxJinx "Jinx"]] and [[Recap/OddSquadS1E15TheOddAntidoteTheOneThatGotAway "The Odd Antidote"]], among a few others.
39	* ContinuityNod: Estimation is the mathematical {{Aesop}} for [[Recap/OddSquadS1E13LifeOfOBrianWhateverHappenedToAgentOz yet another episode,]] only this time around, it's not the town that's at stake, but Oscar's careers.
40	** Flying goldfish also make a recurrence.
41	** [[Recap/OddSquadS1E33OVsTheBallcanoAssistantsCreed Evil Teddy]], [[Recap/OddSquadS1E31UndercoverOlive Leprechaun Lenny, and Kooky Clown (the real one)]] are among the villains whom Oscar lets into Headquarters.
42	* CoveredInMud: Oscar ends up covered in dirt and mud from having to fetch worms to feed and reign in the flying goldfish.
43	--> '''Oscar:''' I don't think I like this job...
44	* CripplingOverspecialization: Oscar manages to get fired from around 60 jobs. Of the jobs he is seen performing in the episode, he either isn't good at any of them, botches them up in some way, or a combination of the two. However, he manages to find a pursuit with building gadgets, which spurs Ms. O to create the Scientist position just for him.
45	** This also applies to agents in other departments, like Oren, Olaf, Owen and Octavia. They can solve cases effectively, but most, if not all of them, are ''horrible'' at building gadgets, which are often needed to solve oddness. And ''inventing'' new gadgets? Forget about it -- Olaf is shown working on a Potato-inator he hasn't completed in ''3 years.'' This detriment is what gives Ms. O the idea to designate Oscar as the go-to agent for repairing and building new gadgets, making a new department just for him: the Science department.
46	* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Oscar is consistently referred to as "new guy" by Owen.
47	** Ms. O also refers to Oscar as "assistant" instead of his actual name, similar to what she called [[Recap/OddSquadS1E33OVsTheBallcanoAssistantsCreed Olympia and Ozric.]]
48	* ExactWords: Owen tells Oscar that he didn't want to know how many flying fish there are; he wanted to know ''about'' how many. Oscar later uses this against Ms. O when she asks him how he counted her juice boxes quickly.
49	* FieryRedhead: Inverted; Oscar is revealed to have had red hair similar to other tube operators, but he wasn't HotBlooded.
50	* FlashbackStares: Parodied; Oscar looks to his right when beginning his first flashback, and Olive looks in the same direction. She then looks to her left and tells Oscar that his story is in the other direction.
51	* {{Foreshadowing}}: Oscar is revealed to have started the first Odd Squad lab, which has since spurred other agents to start their own labs in other precincts. Come "Oscar Strikes Back", he is shown to be viewed as an idol by a majority of other Lab Directors, and gets promoted to President of the Scientists by the end of the episode.
52	* GratuitousRap: "Is There a Doctor in the House?" is a BoastfulRap song centering on Dr. O that pops up at the end of the episode.
53	* HumiliationConga: Pretty much a majority of the episode is this. Oscar goes through a series of humiliating job failures -- as a tube operator he manages to activate the escape pod on the tube operators' panel and break the tubes, as an A/C repairman he gets stuck in an air-conditioner vent when trying to clean it, and as a greeter he manages to let a bunch of villains sneak into Headquarters (and lets them get away, to boot!). As the cherry on top, while working as Ms. O's assistant, he manages to accidentally injure the Director by pulling out a chair for her, only to pull the chair out too far and send her toppling onto the floor, which leads her to fire him.
54	* ImprobableHairstyleSequence: Oscar goes through a range of different hairstyles throughout the episode.
55	* IRememberItLikeItWasYesterday: Oscar says this when beginning to launch into a {{Flashback}} of him as a tube operator.
56	* IsThereADoctorInTheHouse: The aptly-named song "Is There a Doctor in the House?"
57	* LetsGetDangerous: "It's go-Owen time! [[{{Pun}} Guh-gain!]]"
58	* LongHairedPrettyBoy: Oscar is seen with long hair for a few of the jobs he worked in, such as a tube operator and Security agent.
59	* LongSongShortScene: Surprisingly averted; "Is There a Doctor in the House?" is played in full at the end of the episode.
60	* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: Downplayed; Oscar stretches his suspender straps out, and they hit him right in the chest. His only response is a small, whispered ''"Ow."''
61	* MasterOfAll: "Is There a Doctor in the House?" claims that Dr. O is "an expert in everything that you don't know", but whether this is actually true or not is left ambiguous.
62	* MediumShiftGag: The music video for "Is There a Doctor in the House?" interchanges between clips and stills from the show, and animated shots.
63	* OriginsEpisode: Serves as one for Oscar, who tells Olive what life was like for him when he first joined the Squad. It also shows how the Science department was created and how other Lab Directors seen in previous episodes, like Odelia and Odie, came to be.
64	** The episode is also one for Dr. O to an extent, as it's revealed that she used to work in the Odd Squad gift shop, and as a result of Oscar moving in there and creating the lab in its place, she is relieved of her position and is promoted to the Medical position instead.
65	* ProductPlacement: Oscar both name-drops and rides a Segway around HQ as one of his jobs. It's notable for being one of the two times the name of an actual product/brand is mentioned rather than covered up with the [[BrandX Shmumbers brand,]] the first one being the Olympics (done twice by Olive).
66	* SeriesContinuityError: This episode reveals that Oscar started the first Odd Squad lab when he was around 11 years old. However, [[Recap/OddSquadS1E17RiseOfTheHydraclopsOIsNotForOld "Rise of the Hydraclops"]] shows a {{Flashback}} of Oscar when he was 5 years old, where he is dressed in Scientist attire. Considering later episodes, though, that was probably just a bad case of EarlyInstallmentWeirdness.
67	* SuperDrowningSkills: Oscar can't swim -- well, in a ball pit anyway. In a normal pool, he tends to fare a little better (he's buoyant, but he can't do a backstroke to save his life).
68	* TakeThat: Oscar's Odd Squad greeter attire looks strikingly similar to that of UsefulNotes/{{Walmart}} greeters. He does greet agents effectively as they come into the bullpen, but he also manages to let villains in -- which may be a jab at actual Walmart greeters who let criminals enter their stores and wreak havoc (or just fail at their job in general).
69	* TemptingFate: A good variant -- Oscar is making a Basket-of-Yarn-inator at the beginning of the episode. When Olive asks him about it, he explains that he builds whatever comes to mind and hopes it works. Sure enough, O'Malley then enters the lab with a basket of yarn for a head.
70	--> '''Oscar:''' [[LampshadeHanging That was fast. Usually there's about a one or two-day lag.]]
71	* VictoryThroughIntimidation: Oksana manages to scare Oscar away simply by staring at him with her usual deadpan expression and telling the kitchen assistant that if he can't take the heat, he can get out of the kitchen.
72	--> '''Oscar:''' I...can't take the heat. ''[he walks away]''
73	--> '''Oksana:''' ''[whispering]'' ''I can.''
74	* WholeEpisodeFlashback: The episode primarily features flashbacks to Oscar's life before he became a scientist.
75	----
76	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2020_06_30_12109146_961066460652360_6783705559572771818_n_1_webp_webp_image_912_513_pixels.png]]
77	[[caption-width-right:350:Creator/MiltonBradley as a company really went downhill after releasing [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_chess living board games with living pieces.]]]]
78	'''''Swamps N' Gators'''''
79
80	'''Airdates:''' January 18, 2016 [[note]] PBS Kids premiere[[/note]], September 13, 2015 [[note]] ICI Radio-Canada premiere[[/note]]
81
82	Olive and Otto get trapped inside a board game called Swamps N' Gators.
83
84	----
85	!!Tropes:
86
87	* ActuallyAGoodIdea: A variant. Olive -- who had been unhappy with Bradley and the game to that point -- finds dancing with Gary the Gator to be cool, and immediately starts dancing with him. By the end of the episode, Otto joins in.
88	* BasementDweller: Bradley still lives with his mother, and never plays outside. His mother is a nervous wreck who still dotes over her son and doesn't approve of the board game he's made.
89	* BerateAndSwitch: Otto does this when Bradley explains the rules of the game and hands them dice to move.
90	--> '''Otto:''' Are you saying we have to play this ''entire game'' to get out? ''[exchanges a WhatTheHellHero-worthy look with Olive]'' That's ''awesome!''
91	* BigWhat: Olive and Otto say one in unison when Bradley points out the hourglass. Bradley responds in kind by repeating what he just said.
92	* CaptainOblivious: Bradley, being a BasementDweller, is ''completely'' oblivious to the danger his game poses, especially when it concerns the lives of kids like Olive and Otto, who are at risk of being trapped in the game forever if they don't make it out in time. Olive and Otto rightfully calls him out on his obliviousness more than once.
93	--> '''Olive:''' Are you saying Otto has to play the entire game ''again'' to get out?!
94	--> '''Bradley:''' You say that like it's not the most ''amazing'' thing ever! Did you see the Mosquito Alleys?
95	--> '''Olive and Otto:''' It's ''not!'' Look at the ''timer!''
96	--> ''[shows the hourglass, with time almost up]''
97	--> '''Bradley:''' Oh. Oh boy. Okay. I- now I feel bad about going out and getting my hair cut.
98	--> ''[Olive sighs in exasperation]''
99	* CatharticChores: Bradley states that Mrs. Kansas cooks when she's nervous, and when Olive and Otto get sucked into the game, she immediately leaves to make dinner.
100	--> '''Olive:''' ''Dinner?!'' At a time like this?!
101	--> '''Bradley:''' I know, it's kinda weird, eh? Mom likes to cook when she gets nervous. This one time I zapped our ''dog'' into the board game, we had Thanksgiving dinner for a ''week!''
102	* ChokeHolds: Gary the Gator puts Otto in one as an in-game event.
103	* ColorCodedMultiplayer: Olive and Otto both wear different colors of their suits to signify what player they are in ''Swamps N' Gators'', with Otto being Player 1 (red) while Olive is Player 2 (blue).
104	* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Bradley describes ''Swamps N' Gators'' to Olive and Otto. Mrs. Kansas thinks it's dangerous. Otto, on the other hand, thinks it's awesome, which Bradley thanks him for. Olive's reaction is snark in the form of an [[DisapprovingLook eyeroll]].
105	--> '''Bradley:''' Thank you, Otto! At least ''somebody'' appreciates that I never play outside.
106	* ContinuityNod: When playing badminton against Gary the Gator, Olive performs the same celebratory disco move she performed in [[Recap/OddSquadS1E5ReindeerGames "Reindeer Games"]].
107	** Possibly coincidental, but Otto recites the same "by the power of x" line that Odenbacker did in [[Recap/OddSquadS1E30NoIfsAndsOrRobotsWorstFirstDayEver "No Ifs, Ands, or Robots"]].
108	* DelayedReaction: Ms. O calls for Olive and Otto to go into ''their'' office. Olive begins to get out of her chair, then stops as she realizes what her boss just said. As it turns out, Ms. O meets them in the bullpen.
109	* DancePartyEnding: The episode ends with Olive, Otto, Bradley and Mrs. Kansas all dancing with Gary the Gator.
110	* DidYouGetANewHaircut: Olive and Otto look up at Bradley when the latter gets a "plus one" card, and the former asks him if he got a haircut. As it turns out, Bradley didn't just get a haircut -- he also changed his clothes.
111	* DoesThatSoundLikeFunToYou: Olive has shades of this when she calls out Bradley on what he's done.
112	--> '''Olive:''' Brad, what did you ''do?!''
113	--> '''Bradley:''' You said it looked like fun!
114	--> '''Olive:''' No, ''you'' said that.
115	--> '''Bradley:''' Well, ''somebody'' said it. [[note]] He said it right before he zapped them into the game.[[/note]]
116	* {{Foreshadowing}}: At the beginning of the episode, Ms. O calls Olive and Otto and tells them to meet up in not her office, but ''their'' office. Sure enough, Olive and Otto both get their own Odd Squad precinct to run in the Season 1 finale (with Otto hopping onboard late, as the finale surrounds his reaction towards his partner being promoted).
117	* TheGamePlaysYou: [[JustifiedTrope Justified,]] as Bradley presses the activation button and sucks Olive and Otto into the game before they can protest. They are unable to move of their own accord inside the game when it comes to moving forward and backward; the game does that for them. In addition, it also creates various in-game events on its own, such as a swarm of mosquitoes or a tropical storm.
118	* {{Hammerspace}}: While most, if not all Odd Squad employees have this ability, Otto takes the trope up to eleven by demonstrating that he can fit a card that's ''nearly bigger than he is'' in his back.
119	** The dice Olive and Otto have are also stored in their Hammerspace spines throughout the game.
120	* InherentlyFunnyWords: At one point, Bradley muses over how he should have called the game ''Vines N' Gators'' after Otto gets trapped in vines, and begins repeating "vines" over and over, much to the two players' annoyances. Eventually Otto asks Olive to take her turn so he can be free.
121	* IronButtMonkey: Otto very rarely has good luck when playing the game, managing to land on all of the event spaces, which leads him to be tormented with various things (a swarm of butterflies, being put in a chokehold by Gary the Gator, etc.). He does eventually end up getting out of the game, however, despite his overall loss.
122	* ItMayHelpYouOnYourQuest: Otto lands on the same "pick a card" space that Olive landed on, and takes a card. The card turns out to contain an option to move one space ahead. Otto decides to save it for later, since using the card while on the "pick a card" space would send him to another Mosquito Alley. No guesses as to what he later uses to get out of the game.
123	* ItsAllAboutMe: Bradley believes this of Olive and Otto, thinking that because Olive snarkily asked him if he got a haircut, that means that everyone's life has to be put on hold because they're trapped in a board game. Of course, anyone well aware of Olive and Otto as characters know that they're far from selfish.
124	* MadScientist: Bradley definitely has shades of this, as he's made what can essentially be called a virtually interactive board game. (And that's being generous.)
125	* MidBattleTeaBreak: During a high-stakes board game in which players must rush around the board to get out in time, Olive stops to have tea with Gary the Gator -- which happens to be an in-game event.
126	* {{Montage}}: One is shown as Olive and Otto make their way around the board. For Otto, however, it's more of a FailureMontage, as he continuously lands on event spaces while Olive lands on spaces that involve having a good time with Gary the Gator.
127	** Otto also gets another FailureMontage as he makes his way around the board again.
128	* MyLittlePanzer: Played with; it's not made clear if Bradley is willing to put ''Swamps N' Gators'' on the market for children to play (although [[Creator/MiltonBradley considering who he's named after,]] most likely), but the game is an original creation of his that sucks anyone that presses the activation button into it, making them living board game pieces who are at the mercy of an hourglass -- if they can't get out in time, they will be stuck in the game forever.
129	* NervousWreck: Mrs. Kansas is a very doting mother to her son, Bradley (and by extension, Milton), but she is ''very'' neurotic, and tends to run away from her problems rather than face them head-on, even with Odd Squad's help.
130	* NewRulesAsThePlotDemands: Played with; while some rules of ''Swamps N' Gators'' are laid out, others are not -- for example, Olive having to take a card that Gary the Gator gives her, while Otto (on the same space as her) gets to take a card on his own.
131	* OhNoNotAgain: Otto manages to roll a 4 while on the "vines" event space. Since the finish space has to be reached by exact count, the game sends Otto ''past'' the space -- meaning he has to go around the board once again since he cannot go backwards.
132	* OnlyOneFindsItFun: Played with. Olive is first shown dancing with Gary the Gator and having a good time doing it, which is in contrast to her partner, who immediately reminds her that they have to get out of the game. However, at the end of the episode, Olive and Otto are shown dancing with Gary the Gator after having gotten out of the game.
133	* OutOfCharacterMoment: It says quite a lot when [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Olive]] is shown enjoying ''Swamps N' Gators'' while [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Otto]] (who has been kicked left and right with numerous awful in-game events) takes a dislike to it.
134	--> '''Olive:''' This game is awesome.
135	--> '''Otto:''' ''[spitting]'' You're not the one that had to drink ''swamp water!''
136	* PreMortemOneLiner: Otto shouts "by the power of one" in order to activate his "plus one" card. When it doesn't work, Bradley states that he just needs to say "plus one" for it to work. Once Otto says that, he moves a space and gets out of the game.
137	* RaceAgainstTheClock: The episode is essentially this, as Olive and Otto must race across the board of ''Swamps N' Gators'' to get out of the board game before time runs out.
138	* RunningGag: Otto consistently agreeing with Bradley on various points, followed by Bradley thanking him, is one throughout the episode.
139	* SecondPlaceIsForWinners: Despite [[GracefulLoser Otto]] losing to Olive in the game, he's just happy to be ''out'' of the game itself, and doesn't make any comment about him losing to his partner.
140	* ShoutOut: The episode's title, and by extension the name of the eponymous game, is a pun on the name of the game ''Chutes & Ladders'' (otherwise known as ''Snakes & Ladders'').
141	** Mrs. Kansas has two sons named [[Creator/MiltonBradley Milton and Bradley.]]
142	** When she and Otto are sucked into ''Swamps N' Gators,'' Olive remarks that [[Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz "I have a feeling we're not in the Kansas' living room anymore."]]
143	* StealthHiBye: Mrs. Kansas does this when meeting up with Olive and Otto in the bullpen, as she wasn't there in the previous shot. Similarly, so does Ms. O.
144	* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: Bradley [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this at one point when he's introduced to Olive and Otto.
145	--> '''Mrs. Kansas:''' Bradley? This is Olive and Otto, from Odd Squad!
146	--> '''Bradley:''' Odd Squad? There is ''nothing'' odd going on here, okay? I just built this machine to zap me in and out of this board game I put in here! Okay, now that I say that out loud, I can see how ''somebody'' might interpret that as odd.
147	* TalkingIsAFreeAction: Bradley engages in chitchat with Olive and Otto quite a bit throughout the episode, despite an hourglass currently running.
148	** Olive also engages in this with Bradley after she wins the game, by talking about how the game is strategy but also luck. She attempts to give him improvement tips before Otto interrupts them.
149	* TimeSkip: Three weeks pass in between Mrs. Kansas informing Olive and Otto of the situation, and them coming to her house. It's possibly [[InvokedTrope invoked]] by Mrs. Kansas, who, after the partner pair arrive, asks them if she can have another day and a half.
150	* WeAreNotGoingThroughThatAgain: Olive and Otto refuse to play another game that Bradley shows to them once they both get out of ''Swamps N' Gators.'' Instead, they have snacks and dance with Gary the Gator.
151	* WhatWereYouThinking: Olive and Bradley have this exchange after he points out that the game is essentially a RaceAgainstTheClock.
152	--> '''Olive:''' Brad, ''why'' on Earth would you make a game that does ''that?!''
153	--> '''Bradley:''' I had to make it challenging. Maybe next time, get stuck in a game called ''Easy Peasy'' where you just roll the dice, and- and- and- and then you win! "Oh that sounds fun, let's all go over to Brad's house to play ''Easy Peasy'', come on!"
154	* WinToExit: ''Swamps N' Gators'' runs on this structure, as the only way to get out of the game when one enters it is to reach the finish space, which can only be reached by exact count.

Context Recap / OddSquadS1E36OscarOfAllTradesSwampsNGators