Original release date: 12/24/2023
While searching for one of the Sacred Stars in Freaky Forest, Bowser encounters a strange figure and returns to the castle feeling unwell. Unable to locate the source of the problem, Iggy and Kamek send Morton and Lemmy on a mission inside Bowser to hopefully cure him. However, things go awry when they run into two familiar characters.
Tropes:
- Ambiguously Related: As seen in his flashback, Bowser's economics teacher when he was eight years old looks like a Gender Flip of Sydney Staffordshire, the principal of Toad Town High in Carl, likely indicating the two might be related.
- Affectionate Parody: The episode is one to Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, and it is filled with a lot of references to the game (Fawful poisoning Bowser in a forest, the "Fantastic Voyage" Plot itself, fights against bugs that grow huge while inside Bowser's body, etc.)
- Bait-and-Switch: When Lemmy confesses to Bowser that he is gay the end of the episode, Bowser is seemingly furious at first, but quickly lets Lemmy know that he was just joking and that he has no problem with it.
- The Bus Came Back: Three characters that last appeared in the "Ludwig's Dilemma" duology and one that first and lastly appeared in "The Heist" return after quite the absence.
- Fawful shows up at the beginning of the episode, giving Bowser the sandwich laced with a virus that kickstarts the episode's plot.
- Popple and Birdo are back, having come across the Red Star in Freaky Forest before being inhaled by Bowser. Popple claims he and Birdo escaped after setting up a prison brawl, but as revealed by Birdo, Popple simply testified against another prisoner to get their sentence shortened.
- Wart appears in one of Bowser's Flashback, complaining to Bowser I about Bowser and K. Rool breaking into Mushroom City Tower and attempting to steal the Purple Star.
- Call-Back: The events of "Morton & Lemmy: Stupidstar Saga" and "Morton & Lemmy: Space Odyssey" are referenced, which is fitting due to this being the third installment in the "Morton & Lemmy" sub-series. The "Ludwig's Dilemma" duology is also referenced with both Fawful and one of the Seven Stars making an appearance. Finally, part of the events of "Time Travel Trouble" are acknowledged in Bowser's flashbacks, most specifically Ludwig and Larry retrieving the Yellow Star from the Undergrunts when they time travelled back to the year 1969.
- Call-Forward: In the same way, the events of "The Heist" and "Return of the Koopa King" are alluded to in Bowser's flashbacks. The former being represented with Wart's presence and him being in possession of the Purple Star, and the latter being represented with Bowser I stating that he could never trust Tyson with leading the Koopa Kingdom.
- Coming-Out Story: This episode marks the culmination of Lemmy's Character Arc, as he finally tells Bowser that he is gay. Bowser has no problems with it (though not without passing the opportunity to pull Lemmy's leg first), telling Lemmy that even though he might not be his biological father, he will always see Lemmy as his son and nothing will ever change that.
- Contrived Coincidence: While Bowser was searching for the Red Star in Freaky Forest, Fawful's plan only involved feeding him a sandwich laced with a virus to make him fall ill and eventually kill him. Bowser inhaling Popple and Birdo in the process and them having the Red Star with them was completely coincidental.
- Cutaway Gag: As revealed by Bowser, he left Boom Boom in charge while he went on an expedition to find the Red Star. The scene then cuts to Boom Boom's first decrete as temporary leader: declare all sandwiches to be free.King Boo: Uh, you never called a council meeting, dude...
- A Day in the Limelight: By virtue of being the third installment in the "Morton & Lemmy" sub-series, this is one for Morton and Lemmy. Iggy also gets a decent amount of screentime, especially given that the other Koopalings tend to not show up in the "Morton & Lemmy" episodes.
- Delirious Misidentification: Before injecting Morton and Lemmy into Bowser's bloodstream through a needle, Iggy is misidentified by a sick and delirious Bowser as Larry, and when clarifying that he is Iggy, Bowser confuses him for Iggy Azalea.
- Does Not Like Spam: As revealed in this episode, Bowser hates mushroooms.
- Extreme Omnivore: In the stomach, Morton tries eating chunks of food that Bowser has already digested. Turns out he loves the way they taste.Lemmy: Sometimes I question how you're even still alive.
- Face Your Fears: King Boo giving Bowser a bottle of beer to drink causes a flooding within his body. Morton is initially paralyzed by this, but soon overcomes his fear of water when a Deep Cheep attacks Lemmy, saving his brother and taking him to safety.
- "Fantastic Voyage" Plot: After all, it's an episode that takes heavy inspiration from Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.
- Fire Is Red: The Red Star possesses fire-based powers. It also ties in with the Yellow Star having electricity-based powers. Fittingly, Popple and Birdo found it on Lakeside Volcano near Freaky Forest.
- The Food Poisoning Incident: Fawful tricks Bowser into eating a Sandwich laced with a virus, causing him to inhale many things in Freaky Forest and fall extremely ill. As such, it's up to Lemmy and Morton to save locate the source of the problem inside Bowser's body and exterminate it.
- Halloween Costume Characterization: Birdo wanted Popple to dress up as Ken for Halloween, likely intending to dress up as Barbie herself, representing her lovestruck personality. Doubles as a Shout-Out to the viral trend of people dressing up as Barbie and Ken for the premiere of Barbie (2023).
- Impeded Communication: The walkie talkie Morton and Lemmy were using to communicate with Iggy gets destroyed after they are attacked by a giant Scuttlebug.
- Incredible Shrinking Man:
- In order for them to enter Bowser's body, Morton and Lemmy are shrunk with Iggy's shrink ray, put inside a capsule and injected into Bowser's body through a needle.
- Popple and Birdo shrunk in size after consuming Mini Mushrooms right before being inhaled by Bowser in Freaky Forest. The Red Star shrunk with them too.
- Zig-Zagged for the Deep Cheep and the Scuttlebug Bowser inhaled. While they did shrink upon being inhaled, they are considerably bigger than Morton and Lemmy while inside Bowser's body.
- Locked in a Freezer: One of Bowser's flashbacks to the year 1982 shows him locking Tyson inside a freezer as a prank.
- Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: Birdo leaves Popple after he uses her as a tool one too many times.
- Near-Villain Victory: Popple almost manages to flee the Koopa Castle with the Red Star, but he is quickly stopped by Iggy, Morton, Lemmy and Kamek, with Birdo refusing to help him after constantly mistreating her and even abandoning her to die.
- New Powers as the Plot Demands: Birdo shoots fire from her mouth to scare the Scuttlebug away and save Popple. When Popple berates Birdo for not telling him she could spit fire, Birdo responds by saying that she didn't even know that she was able to.
- Noodle Incident:
- Iggy brings up the time he created a hovercycle that Morton and Lemmy stole to go jet skiing.
- Judging from the Red Goombule's dialogue, Bowser has been sick with Coronavirus at least once.
- One of the Koopalings has set the bathroom on fire in the past.
- The Radio Dies First: Iggy's walkie talkie is destroyed after Morton and Lemmy's encounter with the Scuttlebug, causing them to lose communication with him.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Birdo gives this to Popple after he ran away from her.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Popple skedaddles after he runs away from the Scuttlebug and the Fawful Virus.
- Series Continuity Error:
- In Part 1 of "Ludwig's Dilemma", Johann XVIII stated that Birdo and Popple would be getting a life sentence for stealing the Green Star. However, Birdo says in this episode that they were able to get out of jail after Popple testified against another prisoner. Granted, it's possible that criminal law changed in the Bohnenkraut Kingdom after Johann XVIII's death and Klaus X's ascension to the throne, allowing Popple and Birdo's sentence to be reduced.
- Bowser's third and last flashback has Bowser I asking Wart to move the Purple Star to a more secure part of the Mushroom City Tower after Bowser and K. Rool attempted to steal it. However, in "The Heist" Bowser seems to be completely unaware that the Star was even in the Mushroom City Tower to begin with.
- Seeker White Blood Cells: While making their way to Bowser's stomach, Morton and Lemmy are pursued by White Goombules, which are obvious stand-ins for white blood cells.
- Shout-Out: The title of the episode is obviously one to the 1966 film Fantastic Voyage.
- Stable Time Loop: Bowser's Flashback to the year 1988 has his father reveal that the only reason the Yellow Star is still at the hands of the Koopa Troop is because of two brave troopas retrieving it from the Undergrunts during the Undergrunt War in the year 1969. Those two troopas in question are Ludwig and Larry accidentally travelling back in time.
- Star-Shaped Coupon: The episode opens with Bowser and his troops searching for the Red Star in Freaky Forest. Later it's revealed that Popple and Birdo found the Red Star and were holding on to it when Bowser inhaled them after consuming Fawful's poisoned Sandwich. By the end of the episode Morton and Lemmy retrieve the Star, and Bowser puts it to safety before Popple can flee with it, as he was intending on selling it to The Shadows.
- Stupid Crooks: Popple, as per usual, which gets lampshaded by Lemmy.Lemmy: Y'know, if you're famous for burglary you must be pretty bad at your job.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: As Lemmy tells Morton, he is afraid of Bowser thinking of him as a disappointment, especially in regards to his sexuality. By the end of the episode, he and Morton prove themselves as useful to Bowser and Iggy by saving Bowser's life and retrieving the Red Star, and Bowser is supportive of Lemmy being gay.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: It's unknown what became of the Scuttlebug after its run with Morton, Lemmy, Popple and Birdo.
