Original air date: 10/1/2021
Production code: 101b
Molly is determined to make a good first impression on her first day of school.
Tropes:
- Ahem: Andrea does this during the song number while Molly's making friends at the cafeteria. Not only do the kids next to her back away, but so does the other kids from several tables away.
- Alpha Bitch: Andrea is this to the point nobody dares to anger her.
- …And That Little Girl Was Me: Libby introduces herself to Molly this way after the latter's awkward encounter with Andrea. She states that the last person who mispronounced Andrea's name was forever shunned by the student body, and that person... was her. She hopes that everyone will eventually move on from the incident, though there is no telling how long she was ignored.
- Bait-and-Switch Comment: While possessing Andrea, Scratch asks the students to treat a special girl with more respect. And that girl is... Libby; he only dismissively adds Molly out of pity.
- Brick Joke:
- Everyone gasps when Molly mispronounces Andrea's name, even the class hamster. When Molly is on stage holding an unconscious Andrea everyone once again gasps, including the hamster someone for some reason brought to the auditorium.
- Libby reveals she was the last person to face the consequences of mispronouncing Andrea's name before Molly arrived. Near the end, Scratch uses Andrea and "decrees" that Libby (and by extension, Molly) are no longer social outcasts.
- Cassandra Truth: Discussed. Molly quickly realizes that if she explained that Andrea fainted after seeing Scratch everyone would think she is crazy.
- Death Glare: Andrea enforced this on everyone at school to ensure that Molly doesn't befriend anyone there for mispronouncing her name.
- Demonic Possession: Scratch takes over an unconscious Andrea's body to save Molly, adding that she doesn't mind how her name is pronounced and unshunning Libby while she's at it. When Andrea wakes up, she is confused and angry at the student body pronouncing her name differently.
- Digging Yourself Deeper: Although getting her name pronounced the "wrong" way is a Berserk Button for Andrea, she was willing to let it pass the first time Molly did it, since she's new. The sad thing is that Molly did get it right the second time, but then she got nervous and uncertain and began rambling on (mispronouncing it again in the process), and that's what provoked Andrea into declaring her a pariah.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Andrea's response for Molly mispronouncing her name? Forcing everyone to never talk to her. That is, until Scratch scared her out cold and possessed her body to fix things up.
- The Dreaded: Andrea is feared by everyone at school, including the teacher.
- Easily Forgiven: Andrea is willing to forgive Molly for mispronouncing her name, since it's her first day in school. Then Molly does it again in confusion, which Andrea takes very personally.
- Faint in Shock: Andrea faints when Scratch accidentally scares her in the bathroom.
- First Day of School Episode: Exactly what it says on the title.
- Inconvenient Summons: At the beginning of the episode, Scratch is enjoying a nice bath when Molly invokes the summoning aspect of the curse by saying his name.
- Meaningful Echo: Averted in the finished cartoon. Originally, a ghost with bangs asks the question "Seriously, Who does he think he is?" about Scratch, in a scene
which got cut. Later in the episode, a kid that also has bangs asks the exact same question about Molly, which is one of the things that results in Scratch switching gears to help Molly. - Naked People Are Funny: After Molly interrupts Scratch's bath with an Inconvenient Summons, he demands she avert her eyes while he puts on a Modesty Towel, only for Molly to point out that he never wears clothes anyway.
- New Kid Stigma: Double Subverted. Molly, despite Scratch's efforts, is very likeable by her new peers before Andrea gave her voice. Unfortunately, Molly accidentally hit Andrea's Berserk Button by mispronouncing her name and, despite Andrea's willingness to forget it the first time, Molly does it again because she was worried and Andrea makes Molly a pariah. Only Scratch taking pity on her and possessing Andrea dissolves this conflict.
- Pet the Dog: Molly being called "worst of the worst" as he has makes Scratch feel sorry for her, so he possesses Andrea and makes her forgive Molly. He even throws in Libby too.
- Pronouncing My Name for You: Andrea insists on her name being pronounced AHN-drea, and anyone who pronounces it differently is a major Berserk Button for her. She decides to make Molly suffer for it, as happened to poor Libby.
- Pushed in Front of the Audience: Molly ends up with the unconscious Andrea on the school stage just as the first day assembly is about to begin, and Scratch opens the curtains to reveal them to the whole school.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Twice in the episode. First the teacher sees Molly bullied by Andrea and goes away in opposite direction. Then the very same teacher sees Molly with the unconscious Andrea and simply turns around and closes the door behind her.
- Second Episode Introduction: This episode marks the debut of Molly's future best friend Libby, as well as her archrival-turned-friend Andrea.
- What Is This Feeling?: When Scratch witnesses Molly be humiliated by everyone in the crowd at the assembly, he suddenly has a feeling of empathy and regret, something he totally hates feeling in the first place, prompting him to help her save face by possessing Andrea.
