Recap / The Backyardigans S 1 E 18 Monster Detectives

Original airdate: October 31, 2005

Music genre: Garage rock

Character(s) absent: Tasha and Austin

Writer: Adam Peltzman

We open with Pablo being introduced as the Soccer Monster, complete with a song and dance number ("I'm a Soccer Monster). He spies a pink soccer ball and takes it to his soccer monster castle, lamenting that he wishes he had a friend to play with.

Along comes Uniqua, whose soccer ball is missing. She hires Detective Tyrone to help her find it. They go off into the spooky woods to find the Soccer Monster's castle (cue the backyard transformation).

After a song about the rules of sneaking into the castle (appropriately titled "The Rules") and then doing just that, Uniqua and Detective Tyrone begin their search, though they are slightly delayed by a sneeze fakeout.

Inside a trophy room, Uniqua accidentally knocks a trophy over. The noise alerts Soccer Monster Pablo to the intruders. He goes off in search of them. They sing a song called "Hide and Seek" about 'hide-n-seek', a.k.a hiding from the monster and seeking the soccer ball.

Eventually, they end up in the Soccer Monster's gym, where they find Uniqua's soccer ball and get ambushed by the Soccer Monster. However, Uniqua decides that she wants to play with Soccer Monster Pablo rather than run away from him. But this selflessness came with a heavy price; Uniqua was turned into a Soccer Monster! The two monsters sing a reprise of the first song as Detective Tyrone flees.

Detective Tyrone plans to leave the castle, but decides to complete his job and get Uniqua her ball back; but first he sings a song about it. ("Gotta Get The Job Done".)

Detective Tyrone reenters the gym and orders Soccer Monster Pablo to return Uniqua's ball. He does...and then they keep playing like nothing happened. Detective Tyrone asks to play too, which of course causes him to become a monster. The three monsters sing a reprise of the first song. (Again.)

Soccer Monster Tyrone's tummy rumbles, which Soccer Monster Pablo initially mistakes for another monster. He invites the monsters over for celery and hummus. The castle fades back into the backyard, the trio sing the outro, and go inside for snack.

"I gotta list the tropes now!"

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• Air Guitar: Tyrone in "Gotta Get the Job Done".
• The Assimilator: A nasty side-effect of being a soccer monster is that whoever plays with one will become a monster themselves. This is why Pablo is without friends, and why Tyrone wants to capture him.
• Big "NO!": By Tyrone as Uniqua plays with Pablo, causing her to transform.
• Deadpan Snarker: Detective Tyrone. Granted, he has to deal with Uniqua being clueless about the rules of being a Monster detective.
• Face–Heel Turn: Uniqua, and eventually Tyrone.
• Large Ham: The Soccer Monster. Yelling, being over-dramatic, and just generally hamming up every scene.
  "SOCCERR!"
• Minimalist Cast: One of the two Season One episodes to feature just three characters.
• Misunderstood Loner with a Heart of Gold: A thief he may be, but all Pablo wants is friends.
• NO INDOOR VOICE: The Soccer Monster yells almost every single one of his lines.
• The Power of Rock: This episode's music genre is 60's rock.
• Sadistic Choice: For Uniqua when she notices Pablo to be lonely; she has a choice between keeping her free will but leaving him friendless, or playing with him and becoming The Virus. She chooses to play with him, resulting in her being cursed.
• Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Tyrone and Uniqua.
• Suddenly Shouting:
  Soccer Monster friends come BAAAAAACK! TIME TO PLAY SOCCER!!
• You No Take Candle: The Soccer Monster(s) sometimes slip into this.
  Me seek and hide; me hide and seek! Me find you if it takes all week!
  SNACK!!!

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