Tropes in this episode:
- Cliffhanger: Jean, Nadia, and King are knocked overboard in the middle of the ocean and nobody on the Abraham saw them go over (and even if they did, Melville and his crew have got problems of their own thanks to the 'Sea Monster' attack and damage).
- Curb-Stomp Battle: The Gratan vs. the American Naval Battleship Abraham. Of course, then the Abraham winds up getting its own clocks cleaned by the 'Sea Monster' in the episode's second half.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: Even Gradis knows when they've been beaten and surrenders to the Abraham (doesn't hurt that the Gratan is sinking and they need rescuing).
- Let's Get Dangerous!: Subverted. The Grandis Gang tries to do this when the Abraham opens fire and they counter attack...and it doesn't work.
- The Load: Even without the despised Island episodes, it's clear even this early that Ayerton's this.
- Meaningful Name: A Captain named Melville hunting a giant sea monster. Where have we heard that one before?
- Meat Versus Veggies: Nadia tell Ayerton she's vegetarian because of ethical concerns about animal life.My happiness should not depend on the sacrifice of a living creature
- Named After Somebody Famous:
- The Abraham is clearly named after the 16th American President (Lincoln's legacy was still in recent memory at this point in the 19th Century).
- Captain Melville is also, unsurprisingly, named after Herman Melville.
- Number Two: First Mate Holland.
- Oh, Crap!: The Grandis Gang when they realize the Abraham has spotted them, is pointing its batteries at the tank...and they just opened fire.
- Shout-Out:
- Again, Captain Melville's name is a nod to Moby-Dick.
- Likewise, this ship's name is a nod to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, where Pierre Aronnax, his butler Conseil and Ned Land are hunting down the Nautilus while boarding the USS Abraham Lincoln.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Again, the Gratan vs. the American Naval Battleship Abraham. It's a funny little steampunk tank vs. a fully outfitted floating war machine. You do the math.
- Surrounded by Idiots: Hanson, exasperated by his colleagues early on in the episode, starts to express this opinion aloud...until Grandis kicks him in the face.
- Wham Line: A variant; a Wham Sound would be more accurate. One of the American shells hits the 'Sea Monster'...and it produces a metallic echo, proving it's a submarine.
