A Cousin Kyle Christmas
It’s Secret Santa time at the Buttowskis! Kick is disappointed to get Kyle, but when he has a change of heart he goes to great lengths to get Kyle the perfect gift.
Tropes:
- Abnormal Allergy: Cousin Kyle is allergic to “salamanders, moss, and PE class”.
- Bait-and-Switch:
- After Kick overhears that Kyle’s mom has to work on Christmas and that this year the Buttowskis will have to make the holiday extra special for him, it looks at first like he feels guilty about his lame gift. Instead, he shoves the sock puppet deeper into the bag and happily says that Kyle will love it.
- Kick thinks he’s about to be rescued from the blizzard by Santa Claus, but it ends up being Gunther riding a very muscular reindeer shirtless.
- Braving the Blizzard: Kick becomes so determined to get Kyle his perfect present, he literally walks through a blizzard to bring the gift home.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: When it’s revealed that it was Gordon’s father who bought Stringzeez’s entire stock of puppets for his son, Gordon turns to the camera and tells the audience not to judge him.
- Brick Joke: Kyle tells Kick that he made the sled for him using the supports from Brad’s bed. The episode then ends with Brad being crushed as his bed collapses in on him.
- Christmas Episode: The Buttowskis are doing their annual Christmas gift exchange and Kick has to try to figure out a gift for his annoying cousin Kyle.
- Conscience Makes You Go Back: Kick is about to go sledding after putting zero effort or thought into his gift for Kyle, when he notices his cousin staring up at the Christmas tree in childlike wonder and it inspires Kick to make Christmas special for him.Kick: He’s like...a little angel.
- Consulting Mister Puppet: The owner of Stringzeez Puppets, Tug (Get it? Because he tugs the strings?), uses a puppet to answer the door and talk to Kick. Tug himself never speaks above an unintelligible whisper.
- Crappy Homemade Gift:
- Brianna makes her dad a homemade card that reeks of her perfume.
- Brad makes his mom “Brad Bucks” for Christmas, which are “good for Brad-related services”.
Brad: Such as dusting one piece of furniture, picking up one pair of dirty underpants off the floor (must be my underpants)...- Also, Kick’s initial gift for Kyle which is just a dirty sock with two eyes drawn on it and shoved into a paper bag.
- Cue the Rain: Well, technically hail. Kick, after giving up all his money and his sled for Kyle’s present, is walking home and remarks that at least the storm let up. He’s then immediately pelted with hail.
- The Dreaded: Kick has the displeasure of pulling Cousin Kyle’s name for the gift exchange and then he and the rest of his family look on in horror as Kyle bursts through the door.
- Flashback: Kick has one to last Christmas when Brad had him for the gift exchange. Kick opens his gift, only to be met with Brad’s fist coming through the bottom and punching him in the face.
- Human Snowman: Kyle arrives covered in so much snow that it makes him look like a monstrous snowman. The snow melts seconds after he gets inside though.
- Reveal Shot: When Kick asks to purchase Stringzeez’s best puppet, the camera zooms out to reveal that all the racks in the store are empty.
- Secret Santa: Each year, the Buttowskis draw names out of a bowl to see who they will secretly be buying a Christmas gift for. Unfortunately, Kick was unlucky enough to get Cousin Kyle, both as a giver and receiver.
- Senseless Sacrifice: Kick sacrifices his beloved sled (plus a wad of cash) to get Kyle the best puppet he can find. Then, right as he’s about to go home, he slips on a patch of ice and drops the puppet into the sewer. He’s able to grab it just in time...but then it gets eaten by a Sewer Gator.
- Shout-Out: One of the posters in Brad’s room appears to be of Betty Rubble.
- Skyward Scream: Kick does this after his Jerkass Realization makes him see how terrible his Christmas gift for Kyle is.
- And then again later in the episode when his much better present for Kyle gets destroyed.
- Squashed Flat: Happens to Kick when he gets rolled over by a giant coffee cup filled with hail.
- Squee: Kyle does this when he pulls Kick’s name for the gift exchange.
- There Was a Door: Played for laughs. As Kick gets ready to go sledding, he opens his bedroom window only to go crashing through the wall next to it on his sled.
- True Meaning of Christmas: Kyle doesn’t care that Kick doesn’t have a gift for him, he’s just happy to spend time with him.
- Visible Odor: The dirty sock Kick picks up off the floor to turn into a puppet for Kyle has green tendrils of stench coming off it.
Snow Problem
When Kick causes an avalanche, it traps the Buttowski family and he has to find a way to get them out before they get cabin fever and go crazy.
Tropes:
- Asinine Alternate Activity: The Buttowskis drive past an amazing lodge that has something each of them would love, but instead Harold has scheduled them a stay in a remote cabin without modern amenities.
- Bag of Holding: Kick pulls a toboggan, skis, two snowboards, and a sled out of his jumpsuit.
- Bat Scare: A horde of bats comes flying out of the cabin at the Buttowskis when they open the front door. And then again when Brad opens the door to the outhouse.
- Bookends: The same things that the Buttowskis see that they want at the lodge in the beginning of the episode, come back into play at then end: a hot chocolate tea party for Brianna, a hot tub full of babes for Brad, a spa for Honey, and a row of snowmobiles for Kick.
- Cabin Fever: The rest of the Buttowskis start freaking out only seconds after being trapped in the cabin.
- Delayed Reaction: When Honey asks Harold what the loud noise they’re hearing is, he answers her but it takes him a few seconds to realize what exactly he said.Harold: It's just Kick barreling down a mountain pursued by an avalanche.
- Hair-Trigger Avalanche: Kick sledding down the Cornice of Death causes an avalanche and buries the cabin in snow.
- Never My Fault: When Harold tries to tell Kick to call for help using his cell phone, Kick reminds him that he took it from him and locked it in the car. The rest of the family gives Harold a Collective Death Glare as he tries to avoid being blamed for what’s clearly his fault.Harold: Let’s not play the blame game! No sense arguing over who confiscated the phones and locked them in the car!
- Not Hyperbole: When Kick causes an avalanche that traps the family in their cabin, Brad says Kick does this every vacation. Turns out he wasn’t exaggerating, as a montage plays of Kick causing them to be buried in snow at various locations, from Mount Rushmore to the beach.
- Sanity Slippage: In the few minutes they’re trapped inside their cabin, the Buttowskis all start losing their minds in their own ways: Harold talks to a photo of a pile of mail, Brianna sits in a corner mumbling to herself, Brad hits on a snow-woman, and Honey keeps cooking as if nothing is wrong.
- Snowed-In: The Buttowskis get trapped in the cabin they’re staying in when the avalanche Kick caused buries it in snow.
- Vacation Episode: The Buttowskis take a winter trip to a cabin in the mountains.
