Catching a spooky spectre for a measly quarter. This deal sounds so good, it's almost "scary".
After learning about Miss Chalice's ghostly abilities, the boys are interested in seeing what she can really do with them. Wanting ice cream but lacking funds, Cuphead hatches a scheme to scam people out of their money with a fake ghost-catching business, with Chalice in tow. However, our trio is in for a real scare when they meet a quartet of much more devious spooks…Tropes:
- All for Nothing: After all the trouble getting money for ice cream, the Cups accidentally leave all the money they collected with the Birnbaums.
- And I Must Scream: The Birnbaum quadruplets want to trap Cuphead, Mugman, and Miss Chalice in paintings. By the end they’re the ones trapped.
- Arbitrary Skepticism: Chalice brushes off the warning about the Birnbaums as a hoax the moment she reads it... despite being a half-ghost herself.
- The Bet: It is revealed before the start of the episode that the boys made a dollar bet about Ms. Chalice's... situation. Cuphead believes she's a real ghost, while Mugman believes she's a living person. Chalice confirms that, technically, they are both right, each earning half a dollar (as in torn halves of the same bill).
- Broke Episode: Because the Cups tore the only dollar they had in half, they are left with no money for ice-cream, so they and Chalice set up a scam to get money.
- Did Not Think This Through: Cuphead is told he was half-right in believing Chalice is a [half-]ghost, so he takes half the bet he and Mugman made earlier. He never considered finding change to split their only dollar, which he torn up, so they can't use it for ice cream later that day.
- Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: Chalice reads the names of each Birnbaum portrait before reading the warning above, which states that saying their names will release their spirits. She brushes it off, but it takes her a few seconds to find how the curse is real.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: The blank canvases used by the Birnbaums on their victims work the same when used on them as it does anybody.
- Mistaken for an Imposter: When the Cups are attacked by haunted furniture at the Birnbaum house, they assume it's Miss Chalice taking her ghost act too far, until they notice her trapped in a painting.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Or breaking it, in this case. The Birnbaums accidentally break three of their four portrait frames. They believe they can make do with trapping at least two victims in the only frame left. Unfortunately for them, Chalice has the same idea for all four of the sisters.
- Nightmare Face: Chalice takes her "job" as an apparition quite seriously and makes some pretty deranged faces, complete with blank eyes and pointy teeth. Earlier in the episode, she also scares the cups with an unseen one (which is also a reference to Beetlejuice).
- Non-Answer: Chalice won't explain her ghostly nature in detail. When asked if she's a ghost, she tells Cuphead he's half right. She also tells them to keep it a secret.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: The usually jolly Ice Cream Man bitterly takes the treats away from Cuphead and the others when they don't have any [undamaged] money (the only dollar they had was torn up by Cuphead). He may bring joy and delicious treats, but he still runs a business.
- Rhetorical Question Blunder: When explaining their imprisonment, the Birnbaums ask if the boys know what it's like to be stuck in a house with their sibling for eternity... but since they're asking this to Cuphead and Mugman, they get a Blunt "Yes" in response.
- Something We Forgot: After defeating the Birnbaum quadruplets, Cuphead asks what happened to their piggy bank. A close-up of the painting where the Birnbaums are trapped reveals the piggy bank inside.
- Spooky Painting: The portraits of the Birnbaums actually contain their ghosts, which are released when their names are spoken aloud. They then trap whatever hapless victim released them in a painting for hundred years so they can roam free.
- Unexplained Recovery: Telephone had his soul taken from him in "Roll the Dice". He appears no worse for wear here in this episode.
- When the Clock Strikes Twelve: The kids have until midnight to avoid being trapped by the Birnbaums or else they'll be stuck in paintings for one hundred years. By the time they learn this, they only have four minutes left and Ms. Chalice has already been captured.
- Who You Gonna Call?: Cuphead and Mugman pretend to be ghost hunters who get rid of ghosts (actually Miss Chalice) for money.
