Launchpad gets a swelled head. Literally.
Dr. Sara Bellum's lab comes up with the Norma-Ray, a new invention capable of giving people Psychic Powers. The first test occurs on Launchpad, but soon other less scrupulous individuals get their hands on the machine.
This episode includes examples of the following tropes:
- Accidental Misnaming: J. Gander calls Launchpad first "Lawnchair" and then "Stamp Pad."
- Anything but That!: Hotshot and Flygirl will do anything, including allowing someone to zap them with a ray that could potentially blow their heads up, rather than end up with latrine duty.
- Big Guy Rodeo: Dr. Bellum grabs Major Synapse around the neck as she tries to stop him from getting his hands on the Norma Ray and using it on F.O.W.L. subjects. She achieves absolutely nothing.
- Blowing a Raspberry: Darkwing razzes F.O.W.L. High Command when Synapse shows off that he's captured him.
- Brain Monster: At the episode's climax, Major Synapse cranks the machine up to eleven and turns himself into a truck-sized, floating brain.
- Brick Joke: In the opening, Darkwing rants at Launchpad for volunteering to deliver a package for S.H.U.S.H. When Launchpad protests that it was on the way, Darkwing points out they're in Switzerland. At the end of the episode, Darkwing proposes getting Launchpad a replacement pilot's cap on the way home. Launchpad objects that the pilot's store is not on their way home. Darkwing answers that it is for him.
- Deadpan Snarker: A F.O.W.L. commander refers to Darkwing blowing a raspberry at them as a typical witticism.
- Deranged Animation: The animation for the episode is very inconsistent, with character designs going Off-Model more than a couple times.
- Disability Immunity: The Norma-Ray can give people Psychic Powers, but it will blow up your head if you think at all while being zapped with it. This means that the only ones who can safely use it are ditzes like Hotshot, Flygirl and Launchpad. Major Synapse barely squeaks under the wire due to his short-sighted megalomania, and even he goes ka-pop when Darkwing turns the ray on him again and everyone starts asking him annoying questions.
- The Dreaded Toilet Duty: Major Synapse uses the threat of latrine duty to keep his "psychic squad", two ditzy hippies, in line. He never specifies just exactly what that entails, only that he'd hate to have the job. They never press it, even when the alternative involves being exposed to a potentially dangerous invention.
- Face Palm: Partway through the episode, it's snowing in the living room due to Launchpad's new powers:Herb: Gee, Drake, maybe you oughta have you air conditioner checked.
(Drake facepalms) - Failed a Spot Check: Dr. Bellum, J. Gander, and Darkwing are so busy watching Launchpad try to perform the psychic tests (pick up a balloon and light a match with his mind) that they completely fail to notice the trees outside first being yanked out of the ground and levitated and then being lit on fire.
- Freakiness Shame: Launchpad gets embarrassed when his head begins growing due to his psychic powers, and it's one of the reasons he wants to return to being normal.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Hotshot and Flygirl end up getting crushed by the giant anvil they tried to smash Darkwing with. They come out looking as flat as pancakes.
- How Do I Shot Web?: Launchpad has difficulty controlling his abilities; sometimes the power gets misdirected, something happens that he didn't want based on a thought, or his powers overdo what he's telling them. However, he seems to have fairly good control over them when he's not straining and his mind isn't wandering.
- Hypercompetent Sidekick: Darkwing is thrilled when he realizes that the Norma Ray did in fact give Launchpad superpowers, planning to use them to curb stomp his opponents. He becomes irritated and wants to get rid of them again after Launchpad's awkward early uses of them. By the end, he's interested in keeping them again, but Launchpad now wants them gone, and he gets his wish when they apparently wear off after the final battle.
- Insult of Endearment: Darkwing fondly calls Launchpad "knucklehead" in the last line of the episode.
- It's All My Fault: Launchpad blames himself when Major Synapse and F.O.W.L.'s psychic division kidnap Darkwing.
- Killed Off for Real: Major Synapse's head explodes when he actually thinks during his fight with Darkwing and the others and he has not appeared again after the episode.
- Morally Ambiguous Doctorate: Dr. Sarah Bellum has no problem with the Norma-Ray being used on Launchpad, despite knowing that it could kill him (in front of Darkwing, no less) if anything goes wrong. Then she jokes about cutting his head open to see what the ray did. Later, she accidentally almost calls Hotshot and Flygirl (who she doesn't realize are with F.O.W.L.) "victims" rather than "volunteers."
- My Brain Is Big: Towards the end of the episode Major Synapse overloads himself with psychic abilities and turns into a giant floating head with a bulging brain.
- New-Age Retro Hippie: Before being exposed to the Norma Ray, Hotshot and Flygirl were just two hippies. While they're still not incredibly terrifying, they escalate to violence under Synapse's command.
- Noodle Incident:
- Major Synapse is in F.O.W.L.'s bad books after an incident involving him marching troops into an erupting volcano. Synapse is clearly embarrassed by the memory of the incident, but stands by his decision nonetheless.
- When Flygirl brings out the "duck-smasher"note to use on Darkwing, he responds that it's the second biggest duck-smasher he's ever seen.
- Power Incontinence: Launchpad's psychic abilities are technically stronger than both Hotshot and Flygirl, but he has trouble controlling them as effectively, thus keeping him from having as much of an advantage over the two. Though he does seem to get better control over them as the episode goes on.
- Pre-emptive Declaration:
- The first sign Launchpad notices that the Norma Ray worked occurs when he picks up a lamp and tells Darkwing it's to prevent it from getting broken. A few seconds later, Gosalyn launches herself into her father and bowls him over. Darkwing tumbles onto the very table where the lamp had been sitting.
- When Darkwing decides to take him back to Switzerland to have the powers removed, Launchpad says they'd better hurry because someone will swipe the Norma Ray shortly.
- Psychic Powers: The point of the episode. Hotshot can control fire and ice, Flygirl gets Mind over Matter and Flight. Both have precognition. Launchpad wins the Superpower Lottery and gets all of their powers combined, but he can't control them as smoothly as Hotshot and Flygirl can.
- Pun-Based Title: The title is a pun based on the heavy metal genre.
- Reassigned to Antarctica: Major Synapse hates being in charge of the Psychic division. Apparently, he got the post because of some incident in which he ordered F.O.W.L. troops to secure a volcano.
- Running Gag: Launchpad's powers constantly cause refrigerators to float throughout the episode.
- Shout-Out:
- Naming the invention a "Norma Ray", even though it's namesake has absolutely zilch in connection with psychic powers.
- The first question lobbed at psychic Major Synapse is, "What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?"
- Stating the Simple Solution: When Gosalyn finds that Launchpad accidentally brought Major Synapse's wallet home with him, Launchpad decides to try to use his powers on the wallet to find Synapse. Gosalyn points out that the wallet has Synapse's driver's license and they could just check the address on it.
- Stealing the Credit: Implied; realizing that the Norma Ray did work as intended, Darkwing excitedly goes on about how this will make him a better crime fighter than ever, before telling Launchpad not to mention his powers to anyone else.
- Superpowers For A Day: The episode gives Launchpad superpowers, but by the ending, they're gone again.
- The Worf Effect: After Major Synapse blasts himself with the Norma Ray and turns into pure mental energy, he throws Launchpad, who had previously been the strongest psychic in the episode.
- Thought-Aversion Failure: The Norma-Ray gives normal people assorted Psychic Powers. However, the targeted person isn't supposed to be thinking at all while the invention is used on them, or else their head will explode. Guess how Major Synapse is defeated.
- The Triple: Dr. Bellum has to remind Launchpad thrice that he's supposed to perform the tests with his mind.
- Unexplained Recovery: A lizard that Dr. Bellum tested the Norma-Ray on ended up going pop because it couldn't keep from thinking. Later on, when Launchpad is blaming himself for Darkwing getting captured by Synapse and his squad, that same lizard is shown floating over his head, having somehow been restored by his powers.
- Your Head Asplode: Major Synapse, after Darkwing and company overload him with questions while he's being zapped with the ray.
