Airdate: September 10, 1999
Max is all thumbs when it comes to tying knots. When a carousel pony goes missing, Max has to figure out once and for all if he can get it right.
"Knot a Problem" contains examples of:
- All Up to You: Whinny's knot comes loose when Ord is trying to lift her out of a pit. Emmy attempts to tighten it but she cannot hold onto the rope and tie it at the same time, and if she lets go, Whinny will fall, leaving it up to Max (who at this point still is convinced he can't tie a knot) to save the day.
- Big Eater: When the gang sings a take on "Yankee Doodle", Ord of course thinks of macaroni pasta when they get to that line.
- Face Palm: Zak does this when Wheezie asks who she can be with when they go to search for the missing pony, Winny, and Zak indicates himself, then Wheezie acts like she got a brainwave and says she can be with him.
- Hidden Depths: Just when Max starts "accepting" his idea that he'll never learn how to tie a knot, he ends up being needed at a critical moment to tighten up a loose knot, lest Whinny falls.
- "I Can't Look!" Gesture: Zak covers his eyes in fear as Ord's rope begins to loosen, and Whinny begins to fall.
- Race Against the Clock: The gang has to find Whinny and bring her back to the merry-go-round before it's too late to ride it.
- Rhymes on a Dime: The special limerick Quetzal teaches Max, which in turn leads him to learning how to tie a knot.Over and under, it's easy to do. Reach through the hole, and pull it through.
- You Can Talk?: Emmy and Max are surprised to learn that the carousel horses can talk.
It's Ord's birthday, but nobody seems to be paying much attention to it. Behind the scenes, though, his friends are all planning a Surprise Party for him. Will it be a happy birthday for him?
"Ord's Unhappy Birthday" contains examples of:
- Birthday Episode: The first in the series, which revolves around Ord's.
- By "No", I Mean "Yes": Almost doubly so in this exchange:Ord: Wanna play with [my present]?Max: Yeah!Emmy: No! (Beat) I mean...no...kidding! Today's your birthday!
- Comically Missing the Point: After Max and Emmy return home, Max says Emmy should throw a Surprise Party for him on his next birthday. Emmy understandably points out that if he knows about it, it's not a surprise...so Max resolves it by saying that he'll ask their parents to get her to throw a surprise party. Emmy just shakes her head in response while smiling.
- Forgotten Birthday: Poor Ord believes himself to be a victim of one of these.
- Jaw Drop: When Ord walks into his surprise party the first time.
- Overly Long Gag: Max's finger getting stuck in his present's bow at the beginning goes on for almost a minute until he finally frees it in time to hide it from Ord.
- Surprise Party: What the kids and dragons were preparing for Ord at the treehouse.
- Wild Card Excuse: Since everyone is rushing to get Ord's party set up, the others are forced to pull some of these off.Max: We can't, we have to go help Cassie to set up for the par-Emmy: PICNIC! (Beat) Uh, Max and I are having a picnic with Cassie, so, uh...happy birthday Ord! Bye!
