To find its mother, clearly. But also to kill stuff.
Why Did the Chicken Cross the Dimension?Airdate: November 5, 2021 note , July 6, 2022 note
The Mobile Unit is called upon when a lost baby laser chicken is found in the Austrian countryside.
Tropes:
- An Aesop: This episode introduces topography, and topography maps, as its main lesson, which is quite a curveball compared to other, more simple math and science lessons seen before.
- Anthropomorphic Food: The yodeling pretzels seen in the Valley of Yodeling Pretzels move around and float in midair.
- Artistic License – Biology: Osmerelda firmly believes that chickens are able to fly, despite the fact that chickens can indeed fly, just not for long distances (and it varies on the chicken — some resort to hopping and flapping their wings instead of actual flying). May be justified by the fact that this is a World of Weirdness where chickens can't fly, and/or only laser chickens are unable to fly.
- Babysitting Episode: Omar and Osmerelda are forced to keep tabs on the baby laser chicken and make sure it doesn't destroy their van, or themselves.
- Bizarre Taste in Food: Orla doesn't slice her bread and instead eats the loaf straight, which might make one wonder exactly how strong her teeth and jaw are for her to eat bread that way.Oswald: Basically the best thing since sliced bread.Orla: You slice your bread?Oswald: Yeah.
- Black Comedy Burst: The scene of the Mobile Unit driving through the Valley of Yodeling Pretzels also has them murdering said yodeling pretzels by putting the baby laser chicken in their possession through Sensory Abuse and having it blast the pretzels with its Eye Beams, and it's merely played for entertainment. This is a show on PBS Kids, right?
- The Bus Came Back: Logan the Ogre, who hasn't been seen since the Season 2 episode "Friends of Odd Squad", appears in this episode with no explanation as to why he's in Austria and not in Toronto, or in Sector 21.
- Call-Back: This isn't the first episode to feature a baby laser chicken — the end of "Life of O'Brian" has Otto managing to take home a baby laser chicken egg, which Olive takes in order to bribe O'Brian so he'll stop tube-blocking everyone in the precinct.
- Catapult to Glory: Logan decides to have Orla and Oswald get over the mountain by using a slingshot to catapult themselves to the portal. Oswald wastes no time in telling him that doing that would be asking for their premature deaths, but Orla is on board with the idea and gives a reaction of disgust when Oswald states that being slung over the mountain is too dangerous.
- Chicken Joke: The title of the episode is a pun on the joke.
- Continuity Nod: Orla mentions Bouldy for the first time since "Box Trot".
- Logan the Ogre brings up the events of "The Odd Antidote" when explaining how he's allied with Odd Squad.
- Oswald describes Logan as a "friend of Odd Squad". Logan even lays an egg just like in that episode.
- Cuteness Proximity: The Mobile Unit agents all fawn over the baby laser chicken that's in a cage that Orpita takes out of her Hammerspace spine. And then she tells them exactly what the chicken is, and they immediately change their tune.
- Dancing Is Serious Business: After the lullaby fails to work on the baby laser chicken, Osmerelda comes up with the idea of dancing to funky jazz music instead. Omar turns out to have had the same idea, and what follows is the two of them dancing to a funky jazz piece, which ends up working in luring the chick to the Creature Containment Room.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: There's something to be said about the Mobile Unit willingly using a baby (albeit not a human one) as a weapon to kill other living beings just to fulfill a goal of their desire, and putting the baby through Sensory Abuse to boot — especially since said living beings are shown to be completely harmless.
- Orla remarks that she and the other Mobile Unit agents should raise the laser chicken baby as if it's their own child, which might draw parallels to child custody, polygamy, and group marriage considering that some people wait until marriage to have children.
- Eye Beams: In contrast to adult laser chickens shooting laser beams from the combs on the tops of their heads, the baby laser chicken can apparently shoot these, although they look more like face beams than eye beams.
- Feathered Fiend: The baby laser chicken, which can shoot laser beams that are just as dangerous and just as lethal as its adult-stage counterparts.
- Flat "What": Oswald gives one when Logan tells him that he can get him and Orla around the mountain in 10-15 days.
- Gratuitous German: The Little O greets the Mobile Unit by saying "da seid ihr vier", which translates to "there you four are".
- The Greys: The two aliens that Oswald attends alien aerobics classes with are gray and look like your typical average alien, only with the knowledge of topographic maps that some aliens may not possess.
- Harp of Femininity: Osmerelda plays a harp in order to calm the baby laser chicken down.
- Hidden Depths: When Oswald isn't working, he's attending a "Map Club", an alien aerobics class, and a "Yelling Club". He states that he does these activities because "there's more to life than just work".
- True to her status as a Renaissance Agent, Osmerelda is revealed to know how to play the harp in addition to playing her flute.
- Instantly Proven Wrong: This exchange from when Omar and Osmerelda are attempting to find a way to calm the baby laser chicken down.Omar: We need to calm it down.Osmerelda: I have an idea.Omar: Now what idea could you poss-[Osmerelda begins playing her harp]
- At the end of the episode, Oswald states that he feels bad for Orla, Omar and Osmerelda, who never got to eat a piece of his strudel. Logan then does a Stealth Hi/Bye and holds up another pan of strudel, and everyone cheers.
- Killer Rabbit: Cute they may be, but baby laser chickens can seriously harm or even kill living beings just as easily as adult ones can, and with the same amount of power too.
- Locked Out of the Loop: Oswald is aware of who Logan the Ogre is, but Orla, Osmerelda and Omar are not, and as such, he introduces them to him when they meet him.
- Medium Awareness: Oswald is well aware of "The Odd Antidote" and what happened with Olive and Otto needing to cure Oprah. Considering that episodes are referred to as "cases" in-universe, it's possible that Oswald has viewed the episode before, and thus, knows about Logan the Ogre's existence as well as the existences of Olive and Otto.
- Musicalis Interruptus: Osmerelda is playing the harp and beginning to talk about why she loves the instrument, but is interrupted by Omar telling her that the baby laser chicken has escaped, causing her to pluck a string out of tune.
- Never Give the Captain a Straight Answer: The Van Computer tells Orla and Oswald that it has stopped the van because there's a problem. When Orla asks the AI to elaborate, it just tells her that "you might wanna step outside for this one". Then the scene transitions to them eyeing a large mountain peak settling behind a forest.
- Oh, Crap!: The reactions of Orla and Oswald when they see the mountain that the van is unable to drive over.
- Our Ogres Are Different: Logan apparently has Unbreakable Bones, and has even tried to break his bones to no avail.
- Parental Substitute: Orla poses the idea that she, Omar, Oswald and Osmerelda serve as parents to the baby laser chicken and raise it as their own child, stating that they'll be legends for doing so.
- Race Against the Clock: Invoked. Oswald states that the Mobile Unit has to get the baby laser chicken to the portal leading to the laser chickens' dimension before the end of the day, even though the Little O never stated when the portal would close, just that the agents had to get the chick there before it closes — he's actively placing a time limit on the mission in order to further the plot and the episode along, and to provide extra stakes in addition to Omar and Osmerelda trying and failing to prevent the chick from destroying everything.
- Rousing Lullaby: Omar and Osmerelda attempt to try and give the baby laser chicken an improvised lullaby to lure it closer to them, but it lacks a melody and is just them listing off random foods, and it comes off more creepy than it does soothing.
- Sensory Overload: The baby laser chicken that Omar and Osmerelda take care of absolutely despises loud noises and fires a beam at the source of the noise in order to make it stop. This is what ultimately leaves the Mobile Unit van unable to fly, as when the thrusters activate with a loud roaring sound, the baby laser chicken shoots a beam at one of them, disabling it.
- It's also implied that the chick has sensory issues relating to hearing, given how it begins blasting everything in the Creature Containment Room when Omar's phone begins ringing (which is muffled and relatively quiet).
- Skip of Innocence: This is how Orpita leaves the Mobile Unit after giving them the baby laser chicken to take care of.
- Social Media Before Reason: When Orla sees Oswald taking a picture of the strudel they made, she tells him that it's wise to take a picture of it, since if he eats it and falls ill, he has something to show the doctor. Oswald then tells her that he's taking a picture of it to put online, which leads her to remark that "modern times are confusing".
- Speaks Fluent Animal: Averted. Oswald found it very hard to understand the canine member of the Map Club that explains what topographic maps are, which makes sense considering that he's not in the Creature Care department and thus wouldn't have such an ability.
- Stealth Hi/Bye: Naturally, this is how Orpita makes her appearance known to the Mobile Unit as they look out upon the Austrian countryside.
- Logan the Ogre also does this at the end of the episode, holding another pan of freshly-baked strudel for the Mobile Unit to eat.
- Stumbled Into the Plot: More like Dragged Into the Plot — the Mobile Unit agents are forced to deal with a baby laser chicken, and when Omar asks the (often-stated) question of why the local Odd Squad precinct can't handle the case, the Little O responds by saying that every agent at the precinct is taking a strudel class.
- Supreme Chef: When not trying to find a way to the portal, Orla and Oswald are busy making strudel, a popular dish in Austria. The finished product looks quite tasty, enough for Oswald to deem it worthy of taking a picture and posting it online. The fact that Oswald also knows how to make strudel falls in line with his Big Eater tendencies.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Even though this is a world where oddities exist and there's hardly any semblance of realism to be found, the Mobile Unit van can't drive up and over mountains because it's a vehicle just like any average van.
- Unbreakable Bones: It's revealed that Logan the Ogre has unbreakable bones, and because of it, he decides to send Orla and Oswald, and the rest of the Mobile Unit as well, over the mountain with the baby laser chicken by using a slingshot. However, he fails to realize that Orla, Oswald, Osmerelda and Omar are human beings that would likely die on impact with the ground if they were slung over the mountain, and have all their bones broken as well — something that Orla and Oswald remind him of.
- World Tour: This episode takes place in Austria.
She may be off the clock, but she's on the path to being a great child magician.
Off the ClockAirdate: November 8, 2021 note , July 6, 2022 note
The Odd Squad Timekeeper keeps time for all of the clocks around the world. When she’s suddenly struck with oddness, the clocks stop working.
Tropes:
- All There in the Script: Inverted. The apprentice gives the name "Oliyah" to the Mobile Unit, but the credits only list her as "Apprentice".
- Played straight with the wizard that Omar and Oswald meet, who is given the name of "Wanda the Wizardess" in the credits but is not named in the episode proper.
- An Aesop: This episode takes the often-seen mathematical moral of time and puts a twist on it, with the lesson being how to tell time without the use of a clock.
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: When describing the disastrous effects the Timekeeper being out of commission has brought to the world, Orpita states that people are eating breakfast for dinner, planes don't know when to take off, and she slept in because her alarm didn't go off.
- Artistic License: Oliyah states that the magician's hat was something that the Timekeeper bought online, and since she lost the receipt, the item is non-refundable. Anyone familiar with shopping will know that many stores, even online retailers, don't require a receipt to return an item — usually, the credit or debit card you bought the item with, or the packing slip that came with the item, will work fine. Of course, it's possible that the retailer the Timekeeper bought the hat from doesn't allow item returns solely without a receipt and that alone, but it's never specified.
- Oliyah later explains that counting time out loud without using a clock isn't possible — although it's trickier, it's certainly not impossible.
- Beleaguered Assistant: The Timekeeper's apprentice, Oliyah, has to keep her boss in line, even more so now that she's succumbed to oddness.
- Bewitched Amphibians: The wizard that Omar and Oswald meet turns someone into a frog at a certain time each day. However, she doesn't know the time itself and must use a clock to keep track.
- Bound and Gagged: Orla and Osmerelda capture the Timekeeper by using colored handkerchiefs rather than rope to tie her up.
- The Bus Came Back: Octavius, who hasn't been seen since "Overdue!", returns in this episode.
- Call-Back: Orla and Osmerelda being paired together to stop the Timekeeper may seem like nothing out of the ordinary at first...until one realizes that they previously had to pose as magicians in order to catch a villain.
- Like in "Odd in 60 Seconds", a timer is shown onscreen to measure how much time it takes the agents to do each activity.
- Chekhov's Skill: Omar is forced to juggle to entertain the evil scarecrow despite having never juggled before. He ends up getting the hang of it after only a few seconds, to the point where he's able to juggle a large amount of items at once.
- Clingy Costume: The top hat that the Timekeeper wears is unable to be taken off, by either her or by her apprentice. It's even able to reflect attacks from gadgets.
- Clock Tower: Played with. It's not a traditional clock tower, but Odd Squad has a Timekeeper's Headquarters where the one clock that controls every clock in the world is located, and where the Timekeeper and her apprentice works.
- Continuity Nod: The episode "In Your Dreams" had Orpita sleeping with a teddy bear that came with the bed O'Becca rolled in for seemingly no reason at all. This episode reveals that she sleeps with an actual teddy bear at night.
- Omar performs a sign-language version of the alphabet when helping Oswald and Oliyah with the antidote. His introduction video, posted before the start of Season 3, had him performing sign-language, which his actor Jayce Alexander can also do.
- The full oath of the Library Department is revealed after a shortened version was introduced in "Overdue!".
- Contrived Coincidence: Despite the fact that the Timekeeper has an apprentice to help her out, only the Timekeeper herself can fix the main clock.
- Cursed Item: The top hat that the Timekeeper wears has placed a curse on her.
- Didn't Think This Through: Poor Orla and Osmerelda really can't grasp that the Timekeeper can escape from them by using the classic disappearing trick. They even try and use gadgets on her despite the fact that Oliyah stated she tried using gadgets against her cursed boss and failed.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Logan's eggs are beginning to sound like a stand-in for poop — when he suggests that he lays a few eggs for Omar to juggle, he gets a creepy look on his face and a "Please don't" from Omar.
- Drum Roll, Please: Oswald asks for a drumroll to accompany what the presents he's making are for, and Osmerelda obliges by providing a drumroll that appears to be her playing an actual invisible drum.
- "Eureka!" Moment: Osmerelda and Orla meet up with Oswald and Omar and explain how they caught the Timekeeper by using tied colored handkerchiefs as a makeshift rope, which gives Oswald the idea to combine activities that will total 21 seconds.
- Evil Laugh: Octavius manages to give a whispered one when he tells Oswald that he'll never be able to top his "Annual Gathering of the Past and Present Library Museum People".
- Find the Cure!: The second episode in Season 3 to have this trope as a plot, following "Into the Odd Woods". This time around, Omar and Oswald work together to find a cure for the Timekeeper's curse.
- Fountain of Youth: A variant — the world of Odd Squad has a Mystical Fountain Pen of Youth, and its ink can be used in antidotes for odd illnesses and curses.
- Hoist by Their Own Petard: Invoked by Osmerelda, who suggests that she and Orla use magic to defeat the Timekeeper.
- Instantly Proven Wrong: Oliyah states that she needs two agents from the Mobile Unit to keep an eye on her boss. Oswald asks her what's hard about keeping an eye on a magician, and in a second, the Timekeeper disappears in a puff of smoke.Oswald: Now I understand.
- It's a Long Story: Orla's reaction to stating that she knows it takes her one second to say "haaaaam" when she receives weird looks from everyone.
- Limited Wardrobe: The exercise outfits that Oswald and Omar wear are the track suits that Olympia and Otis wore in "Where There's a Wolf, There's a Way".
- Odango Hair: Oliyah has two braided buns on the sides of her head.
- Prim and Proper Bun: The Timekeeper sports one on her head.
- Purple Is Powerful: The Timekeeper and her apprentice both wear purple, and both deal with all time around the world.
- Scary Scarecrows: An evil scarecrow who can shoot hay at enemies guards one of the Loganberry trees, and can only be satisfied by watching juggling. Logan states that he hired her, presumably to guard the tree.
- Series Continuity Error: Oswald states that he's rivals with Octavius, when the episode "Overdue!" had them on mostly friendly terms up until the climax, where Oswald was chewed out by Octavius for breaking library rules. However, by the end of the episode, Octavius appeared to be on good, if not neutral, terms with Oswald and the rest of the Mobile Unit for them giving him a "shushing stick" so he wouldn't strain his throat from shushing other library patrons so much.
- The writers can't decide whether the Timekeeper has a curse placed on her, or is struck by an odd disease. The two are implied to be separate things.
- There is apparently another Loganberry tree separate from the one that Olive and Otto visited in "The Odd Antidote". However, it's never elaborated on how far each tree is from each other, or why there are two trees when "The Odd Antidote" implied that there was only one Loganberry tree in existence.
- Skewed Priorities: Hilariously lampshaded by Orla, who asks Oswald how he can worry about his party when clocks have stopped working worldwide. He explains that with the clocks broken, guests won't know when his party is being held, which causes Omar to shoot him a deadpan look. He then states that "or the world might fall into chaos" and he's not sure which one is worse.
- Sleep Walking: Orpita managed to somehow take a selfie while she was fast asleep. Of course, this is the girl who engages in lucid-dreaming, so her taking a picture while asleep wouldn't be too out of place for her.
- Somethingitis: Magician-itis, which is described as being like a curse placed on someone. It turns them into a Stage Magician.
- Spinning Clock Hands: This is the state of the main clock, and one of the Mobile Unit's clocks, as a result of the Timekeeper being out of commission and unable to control time. For machines such as the Mobile Unit van's microwave, digital numbers are shown rapidly changing.
- Stage Magician: The Timekeeper becomes this as a result of her developing Magician-itis.
- Stopped Clock: All of the clocks in the world stop working as a result of the Odd Squad Timekeeper falling victim to oddness.
- Time Master: Odd Squad has its own Timekeeper, who is in charge of all clocks worldwide. Presumably, there's also a Time Department as well.
- The Voiceless: Despite having a prominent role in the episode, the Timekeeper only has a sparse few lines.
- We Need a Distraction: Omar juggles to distract the evil scarecrow while Oswald sneaks around to grab a Loganberry.
- What Have We Ear?: The Timekeeper pulls the Queen of Hearts card that Orla picked from behind her ear.
