S05E01 - Summer Abroad
Oh, for fuck's SAKES!!!
"Eh, fuck you guys, I get to be in this season too."
—Than
Bored during an eventless summer, Mackenzie gets a call from Jeannie, whom they had met during the Cheer Nationals, who is desperately looking for models to compete on a world-wide modeling competition. After she saves Trisha from drowning in the pool, the cheer squad takes a plane to France where the competition is being hosted.
On the plane, they find several of the other students of Overland Park also going to France. The Van Burens are in a family vacation; Ashley Katchadourian is interning as a stewardess; the French Club, composed of Deandra, Saison, Rachel, Judith and Belinda are going in a school-sponsored trip; the Football team is going to play an exhibition game in France; and Than decided to tag along so he can also appear in that season.
Tropes:
- Art Evolution: The animation is considerably more fluid.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: Than appears after everyone else on the plane, his only excuse to go to France is that he also wants to be on that season.
- Call-Back:
- Once again, Jeannie blows up at an assistant for getting her coffee wrong.
- Trisha asks Ashley if she wants her to watch the door.
- Change the Uncomfortable Subject: After lamenting the confiscation of her vibrator, Belinda inquires to Deandra about motion settings for her robotic arm, to which Deandra suddenly becomes interested in the cheer squad and their motivations for going to France.
- Contrived Coincidence: Played for laughs. Several students of Overland Park are going to France from motives that vary from mundane to fourth wall breaking excuses. The entire episode just presents the motives in descent order of sense.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus:
- Jeannie Halverstad's phone number is +33 1 23 45 67 898.
- During moments where we can see Brittnay's plane ticket; it says "French Air", (Seat) 28B, "[N]om du passenger: Matthews, Brittnay", and has a QR code.
- HA HA HA—No:
- Mrs. Van Buren does this when Stewardess Ashley asks her if she needs mixers to go with her duty-free drinks.
- Trisha subverts this near the end with a "(Laughing Mad)—Yeah, of course." instead when Ashley—drumroll, please—asks her to watch the emergency exit door.
- Later-Installment Weirdness: From this episode on, Deandra's robotic arm no longer makes its trademark whirring sound.
- Laughing Mad: Played with. Trisha almost loses it when Ashley Katchadourian asks her to watch the door to the emergency exit. But then Trisha immediately stops laughing and pleasantly agrees to do so.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall:
- Mackenzie mentions that it feels like they've been on that summer for 2 years, a nod to the fact that it has been 2 years since season 4.
- When the football team enters the plane, they say that they were invited to have an exhibition match of American Football on France. Matthews mentions that this is "thin, but they're going with it", which is a nod to how unlikely that excuse is.
- Not Even Bothering with an Excuse: Than can't come up with even a loose excuse for traveling to France at the same time as the cheer squad.
- Patriotic Fervor: Saison attends the French Club and the trip to France due to sheer love for her "homeland" and intention to show her baby her country.
- Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: Jeannie states that she is attempting to make a team with simply whoever are able to get to France.
- Speak in Unison: While at Brittnay's pool:Trisha: Well, I’m gonna go take a dip in the pool.Brittnay and Mackenzie: Stay in the shallow end!Trisha: (frustrated) I know!
- Super Drowning Skills: Trisha nearly drowns in the shallow end of Brittnay's pool, despite wearing floaties. Ends up being a case of Stop Drowning and Stand Up.
- Took a Level in Kindness: Trisha and Ashley seem to be in considerable better terms. Trisha even describes her as "the best" when talking with Trisha 2.
