Our heroes are exhausted and overwhelmed. Their lives have been taken over by their work keeping XANA at bay… wreaking a disastrous toll on their academics. Bad marks, summons to meet with the Headmaster, probation… Jeremy, Odd, Ulrich and Aelita need help and suggest once again to add William to the gang, but Yumi categorically refuses: he’s too much of a hothead! He would only put them all at risk!… Meanwhile, XANA goes on a particularly vicious attack. Our heroes are about to undergo a most trying adventure with a dramatic end. Will Yumi’s negative take on William finally change?…
This episode contains examples of:
- The Bad Guy Wins: XANA is able to destroy the last remaining surface sector, and is now free to destroy the core of Lyoko without interference. Subverted however, because Jérémie finds out how to virtualize the rest of the group directly into sector 5.
- Big "NO!": Jérémie yells it when he is attacked by the unknown entity in the factory. Later, Yumi yells one when she sees XANA-Aelita dodge her attack and successfully enter the Mountain sector Way Tower in order to delete the sector.
- Boss Banter: The clone Jérémie is fairly unique among the polymorphic spectres as it mocks the real Jérémie (and Odd) as it attacks, while most spectres and humans possessed by XANA usually remain silent while attacking the heroes. This almost gives the impression that the clone's words are coming straight from XANA himself, a manifestation of his special hatred of Jérémie.
- Forced to Watch: Yumi and Odd are unable to do anything but watch as Aelita is attacked by the Scyphozoa, with Yumi remarking how painful it is.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: When Jérémie is woken up by the superscan's alert and attacked by an unknown entity, somebody can be seen in the reflection of his glasses for a split-second - which later turns out to be the clone Jérémie.
- Inconvenient Darkroom Illumination: Jim ruins William and Yumi's pictures by opening the darkroom door.
- Kill and Replace: Alluded to by the clone Jérémie when he attacks the real Jérémie for the third time:Clone!Jérémie: Sorry, one but one of us is going to have to go.
- Made of Iron: A particularly egregious example: the polymorphic spectre throws Jérémie down the elevator shaft from the computer lab. Jérémie falls far enough that he's later shown exiting into the scanner room, which is below the lab. Naturally, Jérémie appears unharmed from his fall, the exact details of his survival not shown.
- Running Gag: Jim doesn't want to talk about his time as a war photographer.
- Recurring Dreams: William tells Yumi he has had recurrent dreams about the events of episode 59. In the end of the episode, Yumi reveals to William that the events he has been dreaming about really happened.
- Ripple-Effect-Proof Memory: We learn that William is able to remember things that were reversed through the return to the past, but in the form of dreams.
- Right Behind Me: A variant: Jérémie calls Odd to warn him about the polymorphic spectre that attacked him while Odd is walking with the spectre.Jérémie: (on phone) Odd, listen to me. XANA has created a clone of me from a polymorphic spectre. We fought at the factory and he tried to drown me, but I survived. I don't know what he's planning, but-
Clone!Jérémie: (to Odd) Who's that?
Odd: (to clone) You wouldn't believe me if I told you.
Jérémie: (on phone) He's right next to you, isn't he? - Slasher Smile: The polymorphic specter exhibits one when XANA-Aelita is about to destroy the Mountain sector, complete with Offhand Backhand to Ulrich (who was running toward him).
- Shouldn't We Be in School Right Now?: The fight against XANA is taking its toll on the Lyoko Warriors' academic lives, particularly Ulrich and Yumi's. Ulrich is getting more bad grades due to having so little time to study, and Yumi receives a warning from the Principal Delmas that she will be expelled from school if she is late or absent one more time. All are exhausted from the routine of putting up with it all. This has fatal consequences as Ulrich stays behind during XANA's attack to take his time on an exam, if not for which the destruction of the Mountain sector may have been prevented. This is Lampshaded by the French title of the episode, Surmenage, which translates to "Overwork".
- This Cannot Be!: Uttered by Yumi when she sees the possessed Aelita running towards the Mountain sector Way Tower while she's powerless to do anything about it.
