Recap / Odd Squad S 3 E 25 Double O Trouble

They don't want to die. And they'll attack their creators to ensure they won't.

Double O Trouble

Airdate: September 29, 2021 ^note Early release in Canada on TVO Kids' YouTube channel, October 21, 2021 ^note CBBC premiere of Part 1, October 22, 2021 ^note CBBC premiere of Part 2, December 31, 2021 ^note PBS Kids premiere; airing as part of PBS Kids Family Night

An arts and crafts villain named Aarti Craft has turned all the agents in Chicago into paper dolls! Fortunately, two brand-new agents, Oxford and Osalind, avoided her powers. Now, the Mobile Unit must team up with them to stop Aarti for good.

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Tropes:

• An Aesop: Don't ever believe that you're not capable of doing something no matter how inexperienced you are. Always believe in yourself and be confident of your abilities.
  • Don't cut corners to get things done, and don't do things half-fast.
• Art Attacker: Aarti Craft's odd powers consist of her having the ability to turn people, buildings and vehicles into arts and crafts projects, such as projecting pom-poms onto a woman.
• Attack Backfire: Aarti attacks a woman named Susan and covers her in colorful pom-poms. However, instead of being upset, Susan finds that the pom-poms work in favor of her wardrobe and leaves them on her.
• Big "NO!": Aarti gives a rather anguished one that's arguably one of the best ones in the entire franchise.
• Call-Back: The Multiply-inator was previously used by Oprah in the OddTube episode "Know a Big O" to create a clone of her that would be used to do the real Oprah's work while she was being interviewed by Orla, although the gadget wasn't referred to by name. And like Omar's and Osmerelda's first clones, the clone of Oprah turns out to be just as intelligent as the real deal (although she doesn't create further clones of herself).
  • The Mobile Unit goes to Chicago once again. This time around, however, Orla and Osmerelda get to come along.
  • The Odd Squad tube map, which shows every tube entrance worldwide, is re-introduced, having been stolen by Aarti while raiding the Chicago agents' picnic.
  • Similarly, it's stated that Aarti wants to shut down the tube system for good — something that The Shadow did as part of her Evil Plan in the mid-season finale.
  • This isn't the first time Orla and Oswald have attempted to help inexperienced agents with a lack of confidence in themselves solve a case. The only thing separating Oxford and Osalind from the Arctic agents is that they're far more intelligent and have some semblance of what they're dealing with.
• Chekhov's Gun: The cantaloupe balls that Oxford offers Osalind end up giving her an idea on how she can beat Aarti.
• Chroma Key: The end of the episode, when the Mobile Unit visits various locations in Chicago and takes selfies with Susan, is entirely (and quite obviously) green-screened, despite the fact that the rest of the episode was shot directly on location.
• Clone Degeneration: Omar decides to use the Multiply-inator to clone himself in order to help the massive amount of people with odd problems. Osmerelda tries to talk him out of it, stating what she learned from her gadget training at the Odd Squad Academy: in this world, cloning oneself using the Multiply-inator functions like using a stamp — it gradually wears out the more times one uses it. However, Omar doesn't listen, and quite a few of his sixteen clones end up becoming more ditzier and more idiotic than him. The same applies to Osmerelda's clones, once she grasps the Idiot Ball and decides to give cloning a shot for herself.
• The Coats Are Off: Oswald removes the winter coats of him, Oxford, Osalind and Orla to give them speed boosts just before they go to City Hall to confront Aarti.
• Continuity Nod: To help the Mobile Unit find them, Oxford and Osalind activate the location trackers on their suits.
  • "Olympia's Day" had everyone draw straws to see who would get Olympia's new room. This episode has everyone (literally) drawing straws in order to determine who gets to help people with their odd problems and who gets to stop Aarti.
  • Oxford explains to Orla and Oswald that the clock tower at Wrigley Building runs on cantaloupe power and that new Odd Squad agents are responsible for replacing the cantaloupe when needed, a responsibility given to them for nearly a century.
  • Osmerelda compliments Oswald's drawing of a metal straw on how well it looks and on how metal straws "save the planet". This makes the second time that a controversial and environmental issue has been touched upon for nothing more than a throwaway gag. ^note There has been some debate over the past few years as to whether metal straws actually contribute to saving the environment or not and whether they are safer than plastic straws. Furthermore, there has been controversy over metal straws being hard to use and overall unsafe for those who are disabled that can only drink foods and drinks through straws, with many saying that straw bans in general are discriminatory.
  • Considering how essential it is to the Story Arc, the sundial is becoming a very prominent Arc Symbol in regards to Orla — at the end of the episode, she is shown having a sundial watch for seemingly no reason whatsoever despite the fact that she already has a high-tech smartwatch.
• Contrived Coincidence: It just so happens that the agents of the Chicago precinct were all holding hands and standing side by side, allowing Aarti Craft to zap them.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Orla and Oswald don't even get a chance to dodge before Aarti zaps them and turns them into paper dolls. As for Osalind and Oxford, they don't try to fight back and quickly run away.
  • Omar and Osmerelda handily defeat their good-turned-bad clones before they even have a chance to attack by zapping them all with the Multiply-inator.
  Osmerelda: I gotta say, I'm kinda proud of them for trying.
  • At the climactic battle, Osalind and Oxford defeat Aarti first by dodging her attacks with ease as they did before, then using cantaloupe balls to cover her nails so she can't attack with them anymore.
• Determinator: Inverted hard for Osalind and Oxford, who immediately decide to give up when Aarti contacts Oswald and describes her latest odd deeds. Of course, the trope's played straight for them at the climax.
• Does This Remind You of Anything?: One of the clients Osmerelda helps tells her that she's been feeling unhappy lately. Osmerelda asks if her sadness is like a dark cloud hanging over her head. While this is taken literally (the client actually does have a Personal Raincloud over her head), the exchange is reminiscent of someone talking to their doctor or therapist about depression, which is often described as feeling like a dark cloud that hangs over one's head.
  • While whether the clones are Expendable Clones or are actual living and thinking beings is zig-zagged throughout the episode in terms of how Omar and Osmerelda view them, the two "leader" clones still look outright terrified when the real deals prepare to zap them with the Multiply-inator, almost as though they're aware they're about to be killed. For this reason, the scene can be portrayed as Omar and Osmerelda committing an act of mass murder — and they can likely claim self-defense, considering that they kill the clones before the clones are able to lay a finger on them when they decide to attack to Take Over the World.
• Drawing Straws: The Mobile Unit does a literal version of this in order to decide who gets to explore Chicago and who gets to stay behind in the van, with Orpita as the judge. She chooses Orla's curly straw and Oswald's metal straw.
• Evil Doppelgänger: The lead Omar and Osmerelda clones end up becoming this out of fear of dying at the hands of their creators.
• Evil Laugh: Aarti Craft has one, natch. The first time she does it, she delves into a brief coughing fit that lasts for a second before she starts back up again.
• Expendable Clone: Zig-zagged. Omar and Osmerelda seem to treat their clones as actual people, even the ones that are idiotic, but at the same time, they don't hesitate to kill them when they turn bad.
• The Gadfly: One of the Omar clones teases the real Omar and Osmerelda while they're on the phone with Osalind and Oxford.
  Omar clone: Hey! I didn't double anyone! I've just been here reading the paper. [teasingly] But I could double myself if that's what everyone else is doing.
  Omar and Osmerelda: No!
  Omar clone: Okay. [teasingly] But I'll probably do it anyway! [laughs and stumbles backwards]
• Group Picture Ending: The episode ends with the Mobile Unit taking a picture with Susan while at the Chicago Theatre as part of a Good-Times Montage.
• Hand Blast: Aarti Craft can fire multicolored beams from her long painted fingernails that change buildings, people and vehicles into arts-and-crafts projects.
• Idiot Ball: Osmerelda gets her IQ points reduced so quickly in the span of the same episode that it could give one whiplash. Whereas the first part of the episode has her being against Omar's idea of cloning himself and explaining to him about Clone Degeneration, the second part has her eagerly going along with the idea and facing the consequences along with her partner, who realizes that she was right to try and convince him not to go through with it.
• I Have Many Names: Lampshaded by Orla in regards to Chicago having numerous names.
  Orla: Ugh, cities should decide on one name.
• Instantly Proven Wrong: Omar gives a side comment to Osmerelda on how solving the odd problems of the few clients in the van shouldn't take too long. Osmerelda tells him there's fifty more clients waiting outside, and then reveals that she lied and there's actually double that amount of clients.
• It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time: Omar, and later Osmerelda, cloning themselves so they can help more clients in a faster amount of time and they can get to see the sights of Chicago.
• Ironic Echo Cut: This exchange ensues when Omar hangs up on Oxford and Osalind.
  Omar: I believe in you. Now it's time for you to start believing in yourselves.
  [he hangs up his phone and has a moment of realization]
  Omar: Wow. That was really good.
  [cut to Osalind and Oxford]
  Osalind: [hangs up her phone] Wow, that was really not good.
• The Lightfooted: Oxford and Osalind manage to escape Aarti's attacks, and at the climax of the episode, we see exactly how they do it — they're incredibly agile and even manage to aid each other in battle. Even Aarti herself has to comment on how she's impressed by their speed.
• Like Reality, Unless Noted: Despite the fact that the episode takes place in Chicago and has the same landmarks, there are some aspects seen in the episode that imply the world of the show is set in a Fictional Earth. For example, the logo on some mailboxes seen in the city is not the USPS logo, and is instead replaced with a similar logo. "Odd Beginnings: Part 1" had something similar, with the logo on a mailbox in New York City being different from the current USPS logo, but still being marked as property of theirs. However, the two logos differ and it's never explained why the logo isn't the same as it is in the real world (couldn't secure the rights, perhaps?).
• Locked in a Room: Oxford and Osalind are trapped inside of the Wrigley Building, and require Orla and Oswald to rescue them. According to Osalind, they became trapped while on "cantaloupe duty".
• Locked Out of the Loop: Aarti Craft has no idea who the Mobile Unit is and believes that since she defeated every Chicago agent, she can create as much oddness as she wants. Unfortunately, even though she meets Orla and Oswald later on, she still manages to defeat them regardless.
  • Oxford and Osalind are also unaware that their co-workers have been turned into paper dolls by Aarti, since they weren't at the picnic to celebrate the new tube entrance opening. However, they're well-aware of who the Mobile Unit is.
• Multi-Part Episode: The ninth one of Season 3.
• New Meat: Oxford and Osalind are two days fresh out of the Odd Squad Academy and have a severe lack of confidence in their abilities to be good agents, even with the more experienced Orla and Oswald coaching them. To make matters worse, the gadgets they carry on their persons aren't good for offense or defense — they're cantaloupe-related gadgets.
• Never Say "Die": Zig-zagged. As usual for the show, there's no direct verbal mention of the real Omar and the real Osmerelda killing their clones, just one allusion in the form of the lead Omar clone saying that he and the other clones will "disappear for good". However, it's been shown in "Total Zeroes" that using magical means to multiply living things by zero is akin to killing them off, because they are removed from the real world and (presumably) sent to a place of nonexistence. Furthermore, the two lead clones of Omar and Osmerelda are shown looking terrified when they and the other clones are rounded up, and even try to fight back against their creators by trying to attack them directly after giving their Last Words.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Osmerelda and Omar openly and loudly discussing the plan to get rid of their clones causes the first Osmerelda clone to make a break for it, which then causes the other clones of Osmerelda and Omar to scatter all around the van.
  Osmerelda: Next time, we should whisper our plan.
  Omar: Good call.
• No, You: Both Osmerelda and her first clone each keep insisting that the other is great. Even when Omar asks the real Osmerelda if he can talk to her in private, the clone still responds with "No, you're great!"
• Odango Hair: Osalind sports this as her hairstyle.
• Offscreen Teleportation: Osmerelda's first clone engages in this, appearing next to Omar and scaring him when he rushes up to the real Osmerelda and tells her that she was right and that cloning himself really was a bad idea.
• One-Steve Limit: Averted. "Oxford" was the name of another agent featured in the Odd Squadcast, who was in the Creature Care department and worked in the Big Office. This Oxford works in the Chicago precinct as an Investigation agent.
• Paper People: The agents of the Chicago precinct, minus Oxford and Osalind, have been turned into paper dolls by Aarti Craft. Orla and Oswald also later get turned into paper dolls. It's heavily implied that all the agents are fully conscious while in that form and are able to hear everything around them.
• Parking Problems: The Mobile Unit van ends up being ticketed by a police officer for parking illegally at Millennium Park, who is apparently unaware that Omar and Osmerelda are inside. The Van Computer honks the horn at him and remarks, "Aw, come on, you've gotta be kidding me!"
• Picnic Episode: Downplayed. The Chicago agents were having a picnic to celebrate the opening of the city's 25th tube entrance prior to being turned into paper dolls by Aarti Craft.
• Recycled Title: Downplayed as it's not named exactly the same, but Season 1 also has an episode called "Double Trouble", minus the "O". Even the B-plots share identical themes in its premises (clones running loose and people needing to stop them before they wreak further havoc, the clones refusing to "die", a Be Careful What You Wish For message).
• Series Continuity Error: It's already been established that police are virtually nonexistent, with Odd Squad agents serving as the police (and Odd Squad as an organization being akin to the CIA in nature). However, this episode has a Chicago police officer ticketing the Mobile Unit van for illegal parking for nothing more than a simple gag, which brings Otto's comment from "The Confalones" about Sabatino letting the police handle his report instead of Odd Squad in an entirely new light.
  • The writers can't seem to settle on what Orla thinks of brains — either she knows little enough about them to call them "memory balls", or she knows enough about them to know what gray matter is. This episode has her exemplifying the latter, although "Box Trot" had her referring to her brain as the former.
• Shout-Out: One of the musicals seen playing at a theater in the Theater District is a Brand X version of Hamilton, called Shmumbilton. Oddly enough, Hamilton is actually shown to be a canon musical in the world of the show.
• Skewed Priorities: Omar seems to prioritize getting to explore Chicago over helping out oddness-stricken clients without doing things half-fast. What's strange is that he's been to Chicago at least once before, in "Orla's Birthday".
• Sole Survivor: Oxford and Osalind are the only agents who managed to avoid being attacked by Aarti Craft, and thus, are the only ones who can stop her in the end, despite being new and inexperienced.
• Sympathy for the Devil: Osalind ends up pitying Aarti and says that she can get the cantaloupe balls off of the villainess's nails in exchange for her turning Osalind and Oxford's coworkers, as well as Orla and Oswald, back to normal. She's not happy about the deal, but agrees to it anyway and ends up keeping her word.
• Tempting Fate: Omar remarks that there can't be that many people in Chicago that have been afflicted with oddness. He doesn't even get to properly finish his sentence before Orla opens the door and he, along with the others, see exactly what they're dealing with.
  • Orla explains that she and Oswald need the help of Oxford and Osalind to stop Aarti Craft before she causes more oddness. Oswald's smartwatch then sounds an alarm and he worriedly says that she's caused more oddness.
  • When the real Omar sees his clone helping a man who has a deep-dish pizza for a head, he remarks that the idea to clone himself wasn't bad after all. And then comes the second clone, while the first clone gets a shifty and guilty look on his face.
• Terrible Artist: Averted for all four agents in the Mobile Unit — their drawings of straws aren't horrible at all and look pretty good for only having been drawn in a few seconds.
• This Is Gonna Suck: The unisonant reaction of Osmerelda and Omar when they see how many clients they have.
  Osmerelda: Do you wanna say it — [groans] — or should we say it together?
  Omar: [in shock] Together.
  Osmerelda and Omar: [groans]
• Two Lines, No Waiting: There are two defined plots in this episode. The A-plot surrounds Orla and Oswald helping two new agents find Aarti Craft. The B-plot surrounds Omar and Osmerelda attempting to help all the people who have odd problems. Like with most episodes, the two plots intertwine, and Omar and Osmerelda hunting down their clones becomes a Chekhov's Gun for Oxford and Osalind figuring out where Aarti is hiding.
• Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Odd Squad agents are so ingrained in their line of work that their days mostly consist of just helping people with their normal day-to-day oddness if nothing truly fantastical is going on, and that's what's treated as normalcy.
• Vertebrate with Extra Limbs: One human client is shown having been afflicted with oddness in the form of having two more arms.
• Voice of the Legion: The leaders of the Omar and Osmerelda clones speak like this just before they prepare to attack the real Omar and Osmerelda and try to Take Over the World for themselves.
• Worldbuilding: Downplayed. It's implied in this episode that the Mobile Unit agents don't reside in the van, and instead have a home that they go to. What that home is, though, is unknown.
• World Tour: The Mobile Unit visits Chicago in this episode.

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