Learning that a crashed Meekrob ship has been discovered in the mountains, Dib and Steve, Zim and Skoodge, and Tak all go to investigate it. Not only do they have to deal with each other, but also the cult of UFO nuts who have come to worship it.
- Abhorrent Admirer: As in canon, Zim finds the Children of the Bright and Shining Saucer disgusting, to the point of it eclipsing any benefit from their worship of him.
- Alien Geometries: The inside of the crashed Meekrob ship is noted as being very confusing, with the passages twisting and turning in logic-defying ways.
- All of the Other Reindeer: Bitterly lampshaded, when Dib comments on the upside of being able to go wherever he wants because no one cares if he's not present at skool.
- Blunt "Yes": Zim's reaction when Desmond Flapp angrily asks if he thinks the Children are stupid.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Zim finds the Children of the Bright and Shining Saucer disgusting enough to counter any benefits that come from them being dedicated to him.
- Failed a Spot Check:
- When Dib and Steve are hiking through the woods to reach the unburied Meekrob ship, they completely miss a dirt road leading right there. Though Dib comments it wasn't on the map, so it's not their fault.
- Zim fails to notice Dib and Steve's presence in the Children of the Bright and Shining Saucer camp, until they speak up.
- Mythology Gag: Steve and Dib try to placate the Children of the Bright and Shining Saucer by saying they love aliens like Zim, only for Dib to give up on it because he hates Zim too much. This is similar to Issue 3 of the Zim comics, where Dib tries to get out of the "Art Hater's Closet" by claiming to actually love Zim's artwork, only to likewise admit he hates Zim too much to lie about it.
- My Hovercraft Is Full of Eels: Skoodge apparently has this problem with other languages. For example, he once somehow turned a simple greeting in Vortian into "I would like to fill your pants with shrimp".Zim: ...Huh, I always wondered why that waitress slapped you.
- Named by the Adaptation: The host of Mysterious Mysteries was never named in canon. Here, he's christened John Mysterioso.
- Noodle Implements: Dib and Steve are "initiated" into the Children of the Bright and Shining Saucer after being carried into a tent filled with torture tools, gym equipment, old fashioned medical tools... and livestock. We then cut to them being welcomed into the group.
- Pass the Popcorn: GIR does this while Zim's fighting Tak in the Meekrob ship's control room.
- The Password Is Always "Swordfish": The code for opening the door to the Meekrob ship is simply "open the door". Tak tries to give the ship's makers some benefit of the doubt by figuring they were going for something too obvious for someone to try. She's less forgiving for the fact that the code for the Self-Destruct Mechanism is "blow up".
- Ray Gun: This is the chapter that introduces the first version of the blasters that will become Steve's weapon for the rest of the series.
- Self-Destruct Mechanism: The Meekrob ship has one, which ends up accidentally triggered during the fighting. Fortunately, it's also equipped with an emergency teleport system that gets everyone clear in time.
- Shout-Out:
- The GEICO catchphrase briefly pops up while GIR is channel surfing.
- When Zim and Skoodge are exposed to the Children of the Bright and Shining Saucer, a panicked Skoodge randomly blurts out "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!".
- Story Arc: The season's arc gets its proper start here.
- Synchronous Episodes: This chapter and the next one take place at the same time, but focusing on different sets of characters.
- The Internet Is for Porn: A throwaway joke early on has Tak reflecting on how she's installed a filter on her computer's scans of the internet, in order to avoid the Brain Bleach-worthy content.
- Torches and Pitchforks: The Children of the Bright and Shining Saucer whip these out from Hammerspace when they realize that Dib and Steve are anti-alien, and proceed to chase them.Steve: Where did those come from?!Dib: Question logic later, run now!
- The Unintelligible: The Blotch, which is kept as a prophet by the Children of the Bright and Shining Saucer and can only speak in squeals and moans. Subverted, though, in that even its spokesperson, Yoa, admits she can't really understand it and is just guessing.
- Unknown Rival: This is the chapter that introduces the Running Gag of Zim being completely unable to remember Steve or Viera, and therefore referring to them as "Not-Dib" instead.
- Wham Episode: A more subtle example, as while nothing seemingly major happens, it lays the groundwork for the season's main Story Arc.
