Pirates, sea monsters, and a whole lot of love; such are the makings of a swell high seas adventure.
Cuphead and Mugman decide it’s high time for a high seas adventure! So they hop aboard Captain Brineybeard’s ship to hunt down the infamous sea beast haunting Inkwell Isle’s waters. But there’s more to the story than a simple sea monster.Provides examples of:
- Actor Allusion: Cala Maria is not the first time Natasia Demetriou has played a sultry monster with a mouth full of fangs.
- Admiring the Abomination: Even after Cala Maria admits she was going to eat Brineybeard on their first "date", and planned to eat him and his crew during this episode, Briney is still smitten over her.
- Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: Attack of the 50 foot gorgon/mermaid!
- Be Careful What You Wish For: As the episode continues, Cuphead starts regretting the idea of a High-Seas Adventure.
- Card-Carrying Villain: In her song, Cala Maria admits she is lonely being the most feared monster in the sea, but she is no less proud of it.
- Chocolate of Romance: Or at least that's what Mugman thought. The box actually contains assorted fish guts, but Cala Maria loves it all the same.
- Chekhov's Boomerang: Brineybeard's gift for Cala Maria proved helpful in not only unpetrifying Brineybeard, it's also used as a distraction when Cala Maria decides to eat them.
- Comedic Underwear Exposure: Mugman's impressive stand-off against the Giant Enemy Crab gets a bit spoiled when he plunges his saber sword through his pants in lieu of a sheath, causing them to fall down and reveal his heart-patterned underpants.
- Extra-Long Episode: The show's first double-length episode.
- Foreshadowing:
- At the beginning of the episode, Brineybeard orders Cuphead and Mugman to smell the air. Cuphead smells fear, but Mugman smells fish-guts. The "sweets" Brineybeard brought for Cala Maria later turn out to be various fish-guts.
- The true nature of Brineybeard's girlfriend is hinted at when his song lyrics compare her to "all the creatures in the deep blue sea".
- When Brineybeard offers the box of treats to Cala Maria, she doesn't react at all as if she recognizes him and complains he talks too much before turning him to stone, hinting that she's not actually his girlfriend or really into him.
- Giant Enemy Crab: While the brothers are arguing, a large shadow loams up behind them. Cuphead wonders if it is Cala, but it was actually a Crabby Clawster. They shrug it off at first until they realize they are still in danger.
- Hopeless Suitor: Captain Brineybeard really cannot take the hint that Cala Maria’s not interested in him despite trying to petrify him.
- Hourglass Plot: Cuphead wants to go on a high seas adventure while Mugman just wants to go home. After Cala Maria turns Brineybeard to stone and they're stuck in her territory, Cuphead wants to go home while Mugman is determined to fulfill his promise to help Briney win Cala's heart.
- Love Makes You Dumb: Brineybeard is determined on winning Cala Maria's affection, even if he risks getting eaten or turned to stoned by her.
- Magic Kiss: A variation. As a sign of respect for the gift, Cala Maria plants a kiss on the face of the petrified Captain, which shortly after causes him to break free from being stoned, but it's more his own Power of Love being ignited by Cala's affectionate smooch than the kiss itself being able to un-stone her victims.
- Pet the Dog: After a series of shutting him down hard, Cala Maria finally opts to simply let Brineybeard down gently and even gives him a ten-seconds-headstart before she'll eat him and his crew. She also returns his blown kiss, which causes a storm that dislodges his ship and helps him, Cuphead and Mugman get away.
- Pirate Parrot: Of course Captain Brineybeard has one!
- The Power of Love: Brineybeard escapes his stone prison after Cala Maria finally returns his advances. Even after being turned to stone again, his love breaks him back out.
- Red Live Lobster: The Giant Enemy Crab that menaces Cuphead and Mugman is of the stereotypical bright red color.
- Seadog Peg Leg: While carrying the petrified Brineybeard, Mugman drops him and breaks his legs, so Cuphead replaces them with two legs from a nearby table. When Brineybeard revives, he's thrilled to have two peg legs, since most pirates have only one.
- Taken for Granite: Cala Maria’s preferred method of dispatching annoying sailors.
- Too Dumb to Live: Brineybeard is well aware of Cala Maria being a giant sea beast that destroys ships and turn hapless people to stone, unless she eats them first. Even so, he tries to woo her before being turned to stone. Twice.
- Took a Level in Badass: Mugman is sure he and Cuphead are likely to die, but he presses on to hook up Brineybeard with Cala Maria. He even fights off a giant crab and wins. On their way from Cala Maria's island, Brineybeard calls Mugsy a "real pirate", commending him for helping the captain's pursuit of love.
- You Talk Too Much!: Cala says this before turning Brineybeard to stone.
