In a mountain research facility in the Rockies, Drakken and company attempt to steal the Pan-Dimensional Vortex Inducer, only to find it has already been stolen by his rival supervillain, Professor Dementor. Back at Middleton High, Barkin is replacing yet another teacher and listens to the personal history reports of the class. Ron's report involves him becoming a man at his bar mitzvah, but Barkin points out his certificate was never signed, and that, combined with being told "the ideal man is big and/or strong," makes Ron feel inadequate.
Soon, he and Kim are recruited by Jack Hench, owner of HenchCo, which produces henchmen and weapons for villains, to recover some molecular muscle enhancers that Shego stole for Drakken. Taking the last ring for himself, Ron uses it to gain muscles and revels in his newfound masculinity. Meanwhile, Drakken tracks Dementor to Las Vegas and heads there to recover the device, with Kim & Ron soon tracking him there as well, using the signal put out by the enhancers. The three parties engage in battle for the device, with Ron crashing a rabbinical conference attended by Rabbi Katz, who oversaw his bar mitzvah.
Eventually, the battle ends with Kim accidentally activating the Inducer by kicking it out of Shego's hands, and Drakken tossing it into a vent, but the machine is still powerful enough to destroy the entire state. Ron attempts to retrieve it, but his muscles won't allow him to fit in the vent. Kim & Rabbi Katz convince him he doesn't need the muscles to be a man, and he deactivates the ring, shutting off the inducer and saving the day. Back in Middleton, Rabbi Katz signs the certificate, to Ron and his parents' happiness.
This episode contains examples of:
- Amplifier Artifact: The Molecular Muscle Enhancer sold by Jack Hench is a device in the form of a ring that greatly increases the muscle mass of whoever wears it. Dr. Dementor bought a bunch, Drakken had Shego steal some more, and Jack Hench loaned Ron the remaining sample to help Kim retrieve them.
- An Aesop: While it's all but said, Ron comes to learn that the measure of a man isn't how big or strong he is.
- Animation Bump: This episode is much better animated than any of the other episodes of season 1, looking identical to those of the following season.
- Arms Dealer: Jack Hench is a kid-friendly version of the concept; he provides supervillains with the technology and the like for their schemes. Heck, it's where the term henchmen came from!
- Bait-and-Switch Comment: When Ron introduces his personal history project in the form of a collage, Barkin comments that word is 'French', sounding like he's impressed...before saying he's deducting points for use of the word.
- Comically Missing the Point: Ron in the climax.Rabbi Katz: Ronald, the measure of a man is not about biceps or pecs.
Ron: What about rock-hard abs? - Doom It Yourself/You Get What You Pay For: After Drakken rants about his inept henchmen, Shego suggests that he ought to try hiring better ones from Jack Hench. Drakken insists that he prefers to do it himself; Shego scoffs that he's just too cheap.
- The Elevator from Ipanema: While Kim and Ron are in the waiting room at HenchCo, a Ipanema version of the show's Theme Song is heard.
- Embarrassing Rescue: Mr. Barkin brings up the fact Ron gets "rescued by a girl".Ron: Sometimes.
Barkin: Frequently. - Face Palm: Kim & Shego both give one after Drakken reveals he has no idea if activating the Pan-Dimensional Vortex Inducer is bad.
- Germanic Efficiency: Professor Dementor's well-drilled henchmen make Drakken's henchmen look totally pathetic (well, more so than usual).
- Growing Muscles Sequence: Ron has one when he puts on the Molecular Muscle Enhancer.
- Heroic Build: Ron gains one, thanks to the Molecular Muscle Enhancer.
- Insistent Terminology: It's always referred to as the Pan-Dimensional Vortex Inducer, no shortened version or abbreviation.
- Irony: Drakken says this when he finds out that the inducer creates a vortex the size of Nevada, which is where they are.
- I Want to Be a Real Man: Ron suddenly gets this when he learns that his bar mitzvah certificate wasn't signed. His father tells him that the question isn't is he a man, but what kind of man is he? Mr. Barkin says that Ron is small and weak, and the ideal man is big and strong. This encourages Ron to use the muscle enhancer ring until he gets a pep talk from Kim and Rabbi Katz.
- Jive Turkey: The receptionist at the Las Vegas Las Vegas Resort, Jilly from Jersey, talks in 50s swinger lingo.
- Locked Out of the Loop: Kim gets pretty annoyed when she finds out about Dementor's theft of the Pan-Dimensional Vortex Inducer only after she and Ron had tracked down Drakken who was after it as well. Apparently, the local, federal, and international law enforcement thought they could do the job without her.
- Magic Pants: Ron's normal clothes stretch to fit his muscled form, and unstretch to fit him normally when the ring comes off.
- Muscles Are Meaningless:
- Ron becomes a mass of muscle after putting on one of Jack Hench's rings, but Kim and Shego still do most of the actual fighting (though Ron does keep plenty of the beefy henchman distracted in a massive dogpile)... and Ron saves the day by taking off the ring to restore his normal skinny build so he can reach far enough into the ductwork.
- This even applies to Dementor’s henchmen. Despite them being enhanced by the rings and outnumbering Shego 6-to-1, it’s still a Curb-Stomp Battle for her (which she apparently wins without even using her powers).
- Ron also inverts this by constantly shattering his lockers and random doors by lightly touching them and breaking up a fight between Kim and Shego effortlessly.
- Also inverted in the end when Rufus gains a Heroic Build and defeats Drakken effortlessly.
- Mystery Meat: Barkin had to sub for a poor teacher who made the mistake of eating the meatloaf from the school cafeteria.
- Palette Swap: The HenchCo goons that Kim fights use the same design as Drakken's muscularly enhanced henchmen, just with purple jumpsuits instead of red.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: Kim and Ron spy on Drakken and Dementor in the Las Vegas resort by hiding behind a newspaper and a potted plant, respectively. Except Ron is wearing the muscle enhancing ring, so it doesn’t work for him and he looks like a huge bodybuilder half-heartedly holding a tiny potted plant in front of his abs. The plant doesn’t even reach his chin, let alone cover his face.
- Percussive Maintenance: Ron shuts down the Pan-Dimensional Vortex Inducer by hitting it against the side of the ducts.
- Reused Character Design: The towel boy who informs Drakken that he needs to have a hotel room to access the pool looks like Señor Senior, Junior if he was a beanpole.
- Right for the Wrong Reasons: Ron takes Jack Hench's last MME ring for an easy solution to his manly problem, under the guise that it'll help with the investigation. Turns out that tips off Wade that anyone who wears the ring gives off an energy signature, which he can use to locate Drakken and his goons.
- Save the Villain: More like Help The Villain. Kim rather reluctantly agrees to recover the muscle-enhancing rings stolen from Jack Hench, if only to keep said tech out of Drakken's hands.
- They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!: Kim makes her opinion of Jack Hench perfectly clear:Hench: Miss Possible... Kim....
Kim: (coldly) "Miss Possible". - Unusual Euphemism: After Drakken complains about Jack Hench's prices, Shego suggests an alternative approach:Shego: All right, I'll infiltrate his research facility and, you know, maybe I can find some "free samples".
Drakken: Please, Hench never gives free anything. He... (understanding dawns) ...oh, you mean stealing, don't you?
Shego: Doy! - Viva Las Vegas!: After stealing the Pan-Dimensional Vortex Inducer, Dementor takes his henchmen on a vacation to Las Vegas, where they stay at the "Las Vegas Las Vegas Resort". Although they took time to relax at the pool and planned on either checking out the buffet or taking in a show, their vacation is cut short by the intervention of Drakken, Shego, Kim and Ron who convene at the hotel for various reasons (Drakken wants to steal the Vortex Inducer from Dementor, Kim is after the molecular muscle enhancer rings Shego stole from Jack Hench).
