"The Big Gathering": The community of Qyah prepares for the annual gathering of Alaska Natives from all over the state, hosted in Anchorage, in a series of two to three minute shorts that aired in two blocks in November of 2022.
General tropes:
- Story Arc: The shorts all focus on preparing for a big trip to Anchorage for the annual Big Gathering.
Getting Ready to Gather
Molly makes a banner for her village's booth.- Accidental Art: When Suki and Walter track mud and paint across Molly's banner, she realizes it's suddenly perfect and complete.
Oscar's Pamyua Song
Oscar needs to pick a song to play at the Big Gathering, but can't settle on just one.Dentalium Delivery
Nadia needs dentalium shells to finish her headdress, but they may not arrive in time.- Race Against the Clock: Molly sends Nadia a shipment of dentalium shells, but Nadia leaves in three days and the shells will take at least two to arrive.
Shchada'a's Strength
Grandpa Nat has been asked to give the opening blessing, but he needs to make sure to pack his "strength" first. Molly wonders what he means.- Call-Back: Nat packs the chief's necklace he received at the end of "Molly and the Great One."
Fridge Feast
Walter decides to clean out the fridge before leaving for the Big Gathering, and he and Molly make a feast out of the leftovers.- Bizarre Taste in Food: Walter and Molly come up with some strange combinations, and Walter justifies it by saying some of his favorite dishes have been random combos out of the fridge.
Tea Time
Just when Molly and Vera have finished helping Auntie Midge sort through her tea leaves, her pet goat knocks everything over and scatters the leaves all over again.- Tea Is Classy: The girls and Auntie Midge effect posh English accents while sipping their tea.
New Moves
Molly, Tooey and Vera need to create a dance to represent Qyah, but they accidentally delete their playlist.- Continuity Cavalcade: Tooey's playlist contains all the songs used during the series, including the Dino Dance and Whip, Shake, Slide.
- Everything Is an Instrument: Molly realizes Suki is thumping her tail on the floor in time with the beat the kids are looking for.
Tooey's Drum
The skin on Tooey's drum rips, and Mr. Patak isn't around to fix it.Mahsi' Merna
Molly practices her speech for the Big Gathering for her Aunt Merna, but her nervousness causes her to forget some words.- Performance Anxiety: Molly is nervous about speaking in front of Aunt Merna and a big crowd. Merna gives her some cue cards to write down the points of her speech, and it helps Molly overcome her nerves.
Canoes, Qayaqs & Currents
Tooey is trying to perfect his model qayaq design before the Big Gathering.- 2D Visuals, 3D Effects: The boats are CG animated.
- Informed Ability: Nanmuk, the friend the kids made during "Wild Moose Chase," is apparently an expert on Native boats.
