T.D. and Martha, as news reporters, explain that the vocab is about temperature. Then, Martha, Helen, and Helen's friends are all watching ice hockey on TV, but Carolina is rooting for Canada since she finds their uniforms pretty. However, Skits is afraid, and Martha explains that he's afraid of hockey pucks. Carolina asks why, and Martha explains:
When Skits was a puppy, there was a huge snowstorm. The kids (except Carolina, who wasn't there) hoped for school to be cancelled, and it is, so they ran (or, in Truman's case, walked, since he was afraid to slip on ice) into the Lorraines' yard to play. However, Skits was scared to leave the house. Helen decides not to play in the snow lest Skits feel left out, annoying her friends. Martha then decided to lure him out with a toy called "Mr. Chewie".
It worked, then Ronald and two other teen boys approached with hockey gear. Ronald challenged Helen and her friends to a game of hockey and they accepted, so Ronald showed the kids the rink, but pointed to a place where no one may retrieve the puck from, since the ice was never solid there because of a stream.
They began playing, but then Skits ran on the ice and interrupted, accidentally scoring a goal for Ronald's team. Helen tethered Skits to a tree, then the humans kept playing (except Truman, who was too busy trying to thaw out his hands). Soon, they were about to do the tiebreaker round, and Helen and her friends won, but the puck landed just before the forbidden place.
Then, Skits got loose and ran to catch it, accidentally ending up on the thin ice. Nobody knew how to rescue him without risking drowning themselves, so Martha ran and told Daniel and Mariella. Daniel went over there with an inflatable raft, but Skits didn't get in until Martha got the idea to have Danny tie Mr. Chewie to the raft. It worked, but he's been afraid of hockey pucks since then, since it was a hockey puck that led to him going onto the thin ice.
This episode provides examples of
- Absurd Phobia:
- The episode is dedicated to explaining why Skits is afraid of hockey pucks.
- As a puppy, Skits used to be afraid of snow.
- Argument of Contradictions: The Boxwood siblings yell, "Does not!" and "Does so!" at each other when arguing over whether Skits's "goal" he scored for the teen boys counts.
- Bait-and-Switch Sentiment: When Martha sees Truman clapping his hands, she thinks he's rooting for someone, but he's
- Big "YES!": At one point, Alice shouts, "YES!" after scoring a goal.
- Call-Back: "Martha and Skits" had some scenes when Skits was a puppy in the snow. This episode more deeply explores the snowstorm that happened when he was a puppy.
- Chekhov's Gun: First, Skits's friends use Mr. Chewie to lure him outside. At the crucial moment, they use him to lure him into the raft.
- Conforming OOC Moment: Downplayed when Truman, despite being a nerd, wants school to be cancelled alongside his friends, in that his reason for wanting it to be cancelled is so he can play in the snow.
- Danger — Thin Ice: Downplayed — Skits does end up falling through the ice, but by then, he's
- Determined Expression: Alice looks determined when about to play the round that determines if she wins or loses.
- Distressed Dude: Skits ends up on some thin ice and at risk of drowning if it breaks.
- Forbidden Zone: Nobody's allowed to go onto the area where the ice is always thin, but Skits ends up going there anyway by accident when trying to save the puck.
- Happy Dance:
- At the beginning of the flashback, Martha and Skits dance happily on Helen's bed, then they do it again on the floor along with Helen when they see that it's snowing.
- The kids dance when Skits is saved.
- Heroic Dog: Downplayed — Martha alerts Daniel and Mariella to Skits's situation and comes up with the idea to lure him with Mr. Chewie, but it's Danny who does most of the saving.
- Insane Troll Logic: As Carolina points out, it's odd that Skits is afraid of hockey pucks instead of ice.
- In-Series Nickname: Helen calls Skits "Skitsy".
- Instantly Proven Wrong: Martha wonders if the ice can bear Skits, only for it to immediately start breaking.
- Lame Pun Reaction: Downplayed at the end of the intro, where Martha at first groans at T.D.'s puns, but then smiles.
- Mocking Sing-Song: Just before the tiebreaking round, Ronald chants, "Na na na na na, you're gonna miss it!".
- Not a Morning Person: Downplayed for Helen, who hates the start of the morning, but only in the winter, and it's because it's cold, not because she's sluggish.
- Oh, Crap!: Skits whines when the ice starts breaking.
- The Pratfall: At one point, Skits bumps into T.D., who lands on his butt.
- Pun: T.D., at the end of the intro, says, "Now that we've gotten you warmed up, just chill out and enjoy the show."
- Running Gag: Truman keeps trying to thaw out his hands.
- Say My Name: The humans yell Skits's name when he's headed for the danger zone.
- Slapstick:
- At one point, Martha accidentally knocks little Skits over.
- Skits has trouble standing on the ice and knocks some humans over.
- Ronald falls over when Alice scores the winning goal.
- Speak in Unison: When Helen and the dogs see the snow, she and Martha say, "Snow! Yay!" in unison.
- Split-Screen Phone Call: Helen and T.D., then Alice, are seen talking on the phone on a split screen.
- Stock Animal Diet: "Mr. Chewie" is a toy bone for dogs.
- Whole Episode Flashback: The episode takes place when Skits was a puppy.
