A white rat runs through a maze. It finds the exit, only to find a hand puppet demanding that it "FEAR ME!". The rat is not impressed. It turns out that the critter's would-be tormentor was Dr. Brainstorm. He wants to make a fear-inducing machine, but first he needs a fear sample from something. The only problem is, as Jack puts it: "The truth is, Frank, that you couldn't scare a flea on a grandpa's knee."
Having failed miserably at scaring animals, Dr. Brainstorm turns to plan B. He'll lure Calvin to his lab by kidnapping his parents, and then use Calvin as the fear subject. Jack is still not very impressed.
Later on, Calvin is testing a targeting feature he just installed in the MTM. It works and Calvin celebrates his victory. The MTM complains that it's not getting respect despite doing all the work, and Calvin ponders getting rid of its insult chip. He decides to install Direct TV first. Unknown to Calvin, Dr. Brainstorm is spying on him from an airship.
Night falls and Calvin is brought in for bed (although not without much screaming on his part). Brainstorm waits until Mom and Dad go to bed, but he's too impatient to wait for them to fall asleep. He uses a screwdriver to take the door off its hinges, and tiptoes in. Well, Brainstorm tiptoes in. Jack doesn't bother. Dr. Brainstorm ties and gags them, which they sleep through. When Jack comments, Brainstorm explains that he used one of his inventions to make sure they were asleep. Brainstorm loads them onto his jet and blasts off.
The next day, Calvin wakes up late, and skips school. He orders pizza and a zombie movie. He and Hobbes enjoy their time with the house to themselves, and when Hobbes wonders how long it'll last, Calvin answers "Until Mom and Dad come home". He doesn't know when that might be. Hobbes asks him if his mom even has a job, and Calvin speculates that she's out shopping.
Calvin and Hobbes horse around for the rest of the day. And when it comes time for Dad to come home, they clean up their mess and wait for Dad to walk in. And they wait. And then they wait some more. After two hours, Calvin wonders where they are. He then gets a call from Dr. Brainstorm, who says he's holding the parents hostage at his lab. Calvin races off to Yellowstone to save them.
Inside the lab, they meet Jack, who directs them to where their parents are held (well, directs Calvin- Hobbes ran off). Dr. Brainstorm is there, and he sticks his fear-collecting tube in Calvin's ear. Only he can take it out. He then scares Calvin by showing him videos of Moe demanding money, a Zokian called Alfred here to destroy the Earth Potentate, Ms. Wormwood asking about an overdue assignment, an angry Roslyn, Dora the Explorer, and an eggplant casserole.
Calvin is saved from experiencing more scary things when Hobbes rope swings through the screen, knocks out Dr. Brainstorm, and frees Calvin and his parents. Jack uses Brainstorm's hand to remove the fear tube, which returns all the collected fear to Calvin. He then helps them get their parents back in the box, and they fly off.
Back home, the pair stuff their parents in bed, get into their pajamas, and fake sleep. Mom and Dad are a bit confused, but in the end they just shrug and accept it. Calvin and Hobbes then fall asleep for real.
Tropes
- Artistic License – Biology: The rodent Dr. Brainstorm attempts to scare starts out as a white rat, but afterwards is referred to as a mouse.
- Big Damn Heroes: Hobbes.
- Bound and Gagged: Happens to Calvin's Parents.
- Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick: Calvin speculates that his mom's going shopping for "lady stuff":Calvin: You know, makeup, lipstick, whips; that sort of thing.
- Buffy Speak: The names of Brainstorm's inventions.
- Deadpan Snarker: Jack is in fine form.
- Didn't Think This Through: Brainstorm, on a bet with Jack, smashing the invention he needed to make it night.
- Energy Weapon: Now with a targeting system!
- I Have Your Parents: Brainstorm to Calvin.
- It Runs on Nonsensoleum: The fear-collecting device.Dr. Brainstorm: The fear will go out your ear and into the tube! DON'T ASK HOW! It just does.
- Lampshade Hanging: The narrator wonders how it's possible that Calvin's parents slept through being Bound and Gagged. Jack also notices. Turns out, Brainstorm sprayed them with something that kept them asleep.
- Mundane Solution: Brainstorm breaks into Calvin's house using an ordinary screwdriver. The narrator comments on it.
- Nightmare Retardant: Dr. Brainstorm's not very good at scaring people.
- Noodle Incident: Jack and Brainstorm discuss Brainstorm's previous attempts at scaring things, as well as the time Brainstorm made a robot to replace Jack.
- Take That!: Dora the Explorer is one of the things Calvin's scared of.
