With family members this annoying, you're better
off letting them be eaten by sharkpeople.
off letting them be eaten by sharkpeople.
Production Code: 213
At a family reunion, Jake competes with his annoying younger cousin for a seat at the grown-up table left vacant by a hospitalized relative. In the meantime, Jake gradually learns of a plot by a group of shark terrorists to steal Neptune's Trident so they can flood half the coast.
Tropes
- All There in the Manual: While a the only named members of the family in the episode are Aunt Cathy, Uncle Lee* , Cousin Greggy and his younger brother Andrew, according to Jeff Goode’s website
, the elder members of the family’s names are Aunt Mai, Great Aunt Chiu and Great Uncle Wing, while Greggy’s younger sisters are named Carrie and Montana. - Bilingual Backfire: Jonathan attempts to get back at Lao Shi constantly insulting him in Chinese by insulting his mother in Norwegian. However, it turns out Lao Shi also happened to take Noreweign in high school.
- Calling the Relatives Out: Towards the end, Jonathan and Lao Shi go on a spiel about how family reunions aren't about squabbling and competing, but about family togetherness and bonding.
- The Cameo: Trixie and Spud appear in The Stinger, having been swallowed by the Shark Lady. Fu comments he wondered they had been all episode.
- Cannot Keep a Secret: It’s revealed that Lao-Shi’s generation of the family is like this regarding their magical nature. Susan even says that she spent almost the entirety of her and Jonathan’s own wedding reception on edge because of it, and has since had to miss several family reunions keeping Jonathan away from her family’s magical secret.
- Dark Is Evil: Tiberon and his minions. They are humanoid sharks who are as vicious as they look.
- Dark Is Not Evil: The shark lady. In contrast to Tiberon and his goons, she's a sweet individual despite her voracious shark appetite.
- Dirty Coward: Cousin Greggy has shades of this, fighting the shark lady when she doesn't wish to fight, and cowering when she goes into a feeding frenzy and starts ravenously eating the buffet table.
- Dreaded Kids' Table: Jake is trying to avoid having to sit with all the "snot-wipers" of his family throughout much of the episode. In the end, he and everyone else willingly sits at the kid's table once they all realize how childish they've all been acting. The only ones sitting at the adult table are Lao-Shi and Jonathan, representing how they matured during their trip together.
- Easily Forgiven: All it takes is a quick speech about family togetherness from Jonathan and Lao-Shi for everyone to put aside the classism and infighting, and agree to sit at the kid's table.
- Even Evil Has Standards: While Jake, Greggy and all their relatives argue, one of Tiberon's minions grumbles that shark prison sounds preferable to hanging around and putting up with the bickering Long family.
- Hate Sink: Practically all the members of Susan's family, but especially Greggy. While the episode does contain the typical outside threat of the shark gang, the gang itself is at least composed of unique and intimidating characters. Susan's family, meanwhile, is composed of nothing but archetypal Upper-Class Twits who spoil their immediate children and treat everyone outside their bubble as lower-class citizens.
- Horrible Judge of Character: Aunt Cathy views her son Greggy as a golden child and a brave dragon rather than the obnoxious, immature kid he is. Though considering what a Rich Bitch she is, she may actually view his Jerkass tendencies as a point of pride.
- Loophole Abuse: During a competition to see who's better, Jake and Greggy have a race to see who can fly around the island first. Naturally, Jake is able to go around the island multiple times (just to show off) while Greggy can barely fly faster than a tricycle can ride. But Greggy points out the competition was to see who could fly around the island once, and Jake flew around it multiple times.
- Mama Bear: When her cousin Cathy orders her to call off Jake for (understandably) fighting with his annoying cousin, Susan finally puts her foot down and tells off Cathy for her blindly taking Greggy's side, even after Jake just saved their lives.Cathy: Susan, control your child!
Susan: Oh, put a sock in it, Cathy! - Meaningful Name: Tiberon the shark man. His name means, surprise surprise, "shark".
- My Instincts Are Showing: The shark lady may be nice, but occasionally, she has bouts of trying to gnaw, bite, and/or devour non-food items. It doesn't help when she lays her eyes on, oh say, a buffet table of piping hot food.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Lao-Shi and Jonathan get into one as a result of Jonathan's Bilingual Backfire. The fight is only heard, but the next scene featuring them shows them both slightly bandaged.
- Not So Above It All: Haley tries to pretend her cousins aren't annoying or mischievous. Alas, she loses her cool towards the end.
- Oh, Crap!: During the drive to the family reunion, Lao-Shi gets into an argument with Jonathan, and rants at him in Chinese. Jonathan decides that "two can play at that game", since he took Norwegian in high school, and proceeds to talk trash about his father-in-law’s mother in the language. That’s when Lao-Shi reveals that he took high school Norwegian as well. The look on Jonathan’s face says it all.
- Rage Breaking Point: Played for Laughs. After putting up with her less-than-civil cousins for the entire episode, Haley finally snaps after Andrew puts a crab down her shirt.
- Rock–Paper–Scissors: At the beginning of the episode, Lao-Shi and Susan play a variation of this to see who has to keep Jonathan away from the reunion. Susan wins.Susan: Lotus flower beats Swan. You’re stuck with Jonathan this year.
- Shadow Archetype: Cousin Greggy more or less measures how immature Jake used to be before his Character Development the past series.
- Shark Man: The villains of the episode.
- The Stinger: With Fu Dog hosting, Jake and Haley play "What's That Shark Going to Hurl Up Next?"
- Stomach of Holding: The Shark Lady is revealed to have hidden Neptune's Trident in her stomach for safekeeping.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Subverted with Greggy. He does thank Jake after he's rescued from nearly drowning, but as soon as Jake gives him the tiniest bit of credit for helping save the day, his ego comes back full force and he then claims that he saved Jake.
