After discovering Aelita's link to the supercomputer and the inability to shut off the supercomputer that stems from it, Jeremie works hard to find new and better ways to fight XANA. To that end, he develops new vehicles for the group. He also develops a new tower-scanning program that instantly detects activated towers, allowing Aelita to live on Earth. While adjusting to her new life, the class takes a trip to the nearby woods for a scientific field trip. Ulrich wants to partner up with Yumi, but she's already partnered up with someone. His name is William. He comes from another school, having been expelled from it. During the field trip, Aelita and Jeremie partner up. Jeremie is forced to retrieve his laptop, leaving Aelita in the woods. With him gone, Aelita is frightened by visions of wolves, which lead her to a house known as the Hermitage. There, she has even more visions and is attacked by XANA. Once the others arrive to find her, they learn that XANA has possessed the house and uses everything in it to attack them. They find Aelita in a sauna in the basement. XANA tries to trap them all inside and boil them, but only succeeds in catching Ulrich and Yumi. Aelita and Odd head to the factory to shut down the tower before they are boiled alive. Back in time, Suzanne gives Sissi a zero for drawing a flower from the florist shop in the city, and Aelita gets a new cell phone.
This episode contains examples of:
- Aborted Declaration of Love: In the beginning, Ulrich is rehearsing his planned Love Confession to Yumi. When she comes up to him, he says he "has something to tell her". And then he sees her with William and backs out. She asks what Ulrich had wanted to tell her, but he waves it off.
- Art Evolution: Aelita's wearing different clothes in reality, as well as her face being more proportioned than it was in Season 1, looking a lot more human, rather than solely an approximation of what she looks like in 3D. Her hair is as pink as ever, though (arguably moreso).
- Art Shift: The animation on Lyoko is noticeably sharper and clearer in Season 2 than it is in Season 1. The colors are more vibrant than dull, and rocky outcroppings replace some of the trees in the Desert Area. The Lyoko Warriors have sharper colors and more fluid motion. They are also a lot more agile too, such as Yumi doing backflips now to evade laser fire from the Tarantulas.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: The tarantula in the desert sector has no problem taking out Ultich, Yumi and Odd during their first fight against it.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Aelita, poor Aelita. In her visions, she keeps seeing a bearded man playing the piano in glasses, as well as a passageway toward the tunnels, the latter of which Odd expresses surprise about Aelita knowing, considering she's never seen the hermitage before now.
- Epic Fail: Odd tries to ramp up a rock in the beginning of the episode, but ends up wiping out. He was warned by Jeremie to not go crazy as he hadn't perfected the board yet.
- Everything Is Trying to Kill You: XANA has full control over everything in the Hermitage (furniture, cooking utensils, lamps) and ruthlessly attacks the crew with everything he's got.
- Getting Hot in Here: Yumi and Ulrich get trapped in what appears to be a boiler room. Also provides the trope page picture.
- Green-Eyed Monster: William arrives to Kadic and Ulrich becomes instantly jealous of the clear friendship between him and Yumi. Odd lampshades it, commenting on how Ulrich's jealousy is ruining their school project because he's so focused on spying on the two. After the Return to the Past, Odd says they were only able to complete the assignment after "dragging Ulrich as far away from the two as possible".
- Haunted House: One controlled by XANA. Knives get thrown, furniture gets thrown, even tries suffocating Ulrich and Yumi in heat.
- Mood Whiplash: The moment Jeremie leaves Aelita alone in the forest, she starts getting plagued with visions of wolves, which scare her into finding the Hermitage.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Odd jumps out of the way of some furniture meant to crush him, which breaks down the door Odd was trying to open, which lets Aelita and Odd get to the factory.
- No Kill like Overkill: Jeremie gives Odd ten thousands laser arrows after he runs out, which is way more firepower than he needs to kill one Tarantula. However, it is justified so he doesn't have to reload him every ten minutes.
- No-Sell: Jeremie is not affected by horror movies due to finding them scientifically inaccurate.
- Nothing Is the Same Anymore: Despite saying that she should stay on Lyoko for until Jeremie finds the antivirus, Jeremie finds a way for her to stay on Earth 24/7 instead, letting her live as a schoolgirl as she wanted to. And there is a new monster Aelita has never seen on Lyoko, which Odd calls "Tarantula" afterward.
- Old, Dark House: The Hermitage gives off these vibes even in the daytime.
- Pair the Smart Ones: Jeremie and Aelita talk about the growth of branches in really specific detail, and Sissi, who is right behind them, says the following:"Just who do they think they are, Mr and Mrs Einstein?"
- Pink Means Feminine: Aelita wears pink and reds, and also gets a mobile phone as a present from Jeremie at the end of episode that is also rose-coloured.
- Rose-Haired Sweetie: Aelita fits this to a tee.
- Sauna of Death: Yumi and Ulrich end up trapped in a room with a rising temperature threatening to cook them alive.
- Survival Mantra: Aelita repeating "Monsters only exist in fairytales" in response to the creepy forest sounds around her. It only works to some extent.
- Shirtless Scene: Yumi and Ulrich have one as they cope with the rising heat in the boiler room, but Yumi keeps her modest sports bra on (and Ulrich promises not to look at her). Doesn't stop the two from blushing as they sit back-to-back, though.
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: Since William arrived, Ulrich wonders if there is anything between her and William. She tells him no, but he faints before the answer is given.
- Waxing Lyrical: When talking with Yumi, William says, "Being sensible is just not sensible." Yumi calls him out on quoting a Subsonics lyric. Incidentally, the instrumental for "Break Away", the quoted song, becomes the end credits theme from this episode onward.
