Written & storyboarded by Katie Aldworth & Ashley Tahilan
Tragedy strikes the Creek when the Elders get trapped under Elder Rock, and it's up to Craig, Kelsey and JP to rescue them.
Tropes:
- Adults Are Useless: Played with. Even when the Elders are stuck under their rock, Craig refuses to call his mother for help. Kids at the creek do all kinds of things their parents wouldn't allow, so bringing an adult is considered an absolute last priority, because it would get everyone banned from playing at the creek.
- Both Sides Have a Point: With the Elders trapped under a rock for five days, Kelsey wants to call Craig's mom for help because of how serious the situation is. Craig points out that if his mom or any other adults see this, they would realize how dangerous the creek is and would forbid their kids to be at the creek anymore. Craig's point is proven right as some of the creek kids arrive to help the Elders because they don't want their parents to know what they do at the creek.
- Bystander Syndrome: As the Creek kids discover the Elders are stuck and running out of food, they watch their livestream, cracking jokes and betting on who will die first in the chat. They only come once Craig gives a Rousing Speech about coming together—and points out they'll all get in trouble if they leave it to the adults.
- Cabin Fever: The Elders' sanities significantly deteriorate when they get stuck under the rock for five days.
- Chekhov's Gun: The episode opens with Craig using a system of tied-together jump ropes to hang off a cliff. The ropes end up being used as rigging for the Creek kids to pull Elder Rock back up.
- Contrived Coincidence: Mark sends J.P. to cover his shift at an electronic store. When Kelsey calls Nicole to tell her about the Elders being stuck under a rock, Nicole is shopping at an electronic store which turns out to be the same store that J.P. is working at.
- Dig Your Own Grave: After running out of food, the Elders dig and lay down in very undersized graves.
- For Want Of A Nail:
- The Elders were trapped under a rock for five days, and they would have never been found had Craig and his friends not come by to ask them a question about the balls they found.
- After Mark sends J.P. to cover his work shift, J.P. passes by the Trading Tree and tells Kit about the Elders being trapped under the rock, causing her and the other creek kids to watch the Elders' live stream, and Craig is able to convince the viewers to help rescue them.
- Mourning an Object: Mark breaks a piece of anime memorabilia and creates a funerary shrine for it.
- Noodle Incident: Somehow, fighting with plastic swords caused an enormous rock cavern to collapse.
- Oh, Crap!: The response when the kids realize if they don't get the Elders out of the rock, they're going to need help from the adults.
- Shout-Out:
- When the kids arrive at Elder Rock, Mark calls them George, Elaine and Kramer. Possibly a joke about how Jerry is the only one child Mark has called by name.
- The thing that made them bicker and cause the rock to shift was a series called My Hoagie Academia.
- In the same scene, Barry holds up a figurine resembling Utsuho Reiuji.
- Social Media Before Reason: Rather than call for help, the Elders livestream their dilemma. Mark didn't even call in work stating he'll be late or for a day off.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
- Mark tries to dig out from under the rock using a replica of a shovel from an anime he watched. However, because it's just a plastic prop, it breaks immediately.
- Craig and Kelsey try to dislodge the boulder by lodging a log under it and jumping over the log to send it flying. Because the log is hollow and half rotted, it shatters immediately.
- Because the Elders were stuck under a rock for five days, they absolutely reek when they finally get out.
- Mark is fired from his electronics store job because he hadn't been to work in five days due to being stuck.
- J.P. takes Mark's uniform and tries to cover his shift at work, reasoning that his height lets him pretend he's old enough. Nicole immediately complains to the manager for allowing a child to work there.
- The kids acknowledge they do many things at the creek that their parents wouldn't allow (the Sewer Queen and the Sewer Kids hanging out in the sewers all day, the dangerous tricks and jumps the Ten Speeds perform, and Kit running a business without a license).
- Tempting Fate: When Kelsey claims Craig's phone to call Nicole, Craig tells her she doesn't have the authorization and even reaches his hand out, and this results in them engaging in a tug-o-war with Craig's arm which ends with Kelsey unlocking the phone.
