Riley and Todd call Fleemco to replace their neighbors the Kelpmans with some very "spirited" people: the Zupecks, so their side of the street can beat Buzz and his dad's top-notch decorations and score tons of Halloween candy.
Tropes:
- All Just a Prank: In the end, it’s revealed that the monster Zupecks, the haunted house, and the zombie apocalypse were all just one big practical joke put on by all of Todd & Riley’s friends, family, and neighbors to give them a fun Halloween.
- Anti-Climactic Unmasking: When Mr. Fleem takes off his mummy mask, the only thing it reveals is his mustache. The rest of his face is still covered with mummy bandages in order to keep his role as The Faceless.
- Bait-and-Switch: Tasumi makes it seem like she’s going to impart some bilingual wisdom on the group when talking about their neighbors who never decorate for Halloween.Tasumi: We have a word for people like them in Japan...lame!
- Be Careful What You Wish For: As is usually the case with Todd and Riley’s replacements, they end up getting more than they bargained for with the Zupecks. They try to replace the Kelpmans to make their side of the street scarier, and end up having their most terrifying Halloween ever.
- Brick Joke:
- Earlier in the episode, Riley drools over candy so much that Tasumi ends up standing in a puddle of it and worries that her outfit will rust. Later, as the rest of the group tiptoes through the Zupecks’ house, Tasumi squeaks noisily with each step behind them. She sarcastically apologizes and says maybe she wouldn’t be so rusty if someone hadn’t drooled all over her.
- Mrs. Zupeck tells her husband multiple times throughout the episode to stop calling the basement a dungeon. It seems like he finally got it in the end, because when Buzz calls their dungeon cool, Mr. Zupeck corrects him that it’s a basement.
- Comically Missing the Point: This exchange between C.A.R. and Dick after Todd says that the Zupecks “are vampires or witches or something even worse”:C.A.R.: Like idiot stuntmen?Dick: Oh, yeah! I hate those guys!
- Christmas Light Chaos: Dick is trying to cover the house with jack-o-lantern shaped string lights and has all the stereotypical problems including getting them tangled up, causing the power to go out in the whole neighborhood, and trying to find the one broken bulb.
- Dénouement: When Todd and Riley find out that everything was just a Halloween prank, everyone reveals that they were just wearing costumes and Mr. Fleem tells them about hiring Hollywood actors to play the Zupecks. Even the Kelpmans were in on it!
- Drool Deluge: Riley gets so excited while talking about Halloween candy, she ends up flooding her bedroom with drool.Tasumi: Riley! My feet are gonna rust!
- Exact Words: In order to prove that Todd and Riley are just imagining things, Dick asks Mr. Zupeck if he’s a witch, not knowing that it’s actually his wife who's the witch. Zupeck, of course, says no and Dick considers the case closed.
- Fake-Out Fade-Out: The episode is getting ready to end with a "Pan Up to the Sky" Ending when Shelton, who’s still a monkey, interrupts the Iris Out.Shelton: Hey what about me with the not changing back? And the tail? And the no thumbs? And the slightly better smell?
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: On the giant sign above their house, Dick has misspelled Halloween as “Hollowene”.
- Giant Spider: Riley is commenting on how unrealistic the webs on the Zupecks’ house are because the spider who made them would’ve had to have been huge, when a real giant spider swings down at her. With it being Halloween, of course both she and Todd think it’s just a decoration.
- Halloween Episode: Determined to have the scariest side of the street in the neighborhood for Halloween, Todd and Riley replace their boring neighbors with a real witch and vampire.
- Henpecked Husband: Mr. Zupeck certainly appears to be this, seeing as how he’s constantly being yelled at and bossed around by his wife.
- Idiosyncratic Wipes: Scenes transition with images of pieces of candy, ghosts, and a jack-o-lantern that eats the camera.
- I Got a Rock: The thing that convinces Riley that they need to replace the Kelpmans is the fact that they give out pennies on Halloween.
- I'm a Doctor, Not a Placeholder: C.A.R.’s reply when Todd tells it to dress up as a pumpkin and go sit in the yard.C.A.R.: Excuse me! I’m a spy car, not a decorative holiday ornament!
- "Join Us" Drone: Done by Dick and Agent K after they’ve been turned into zombies.
- Everyone does this at the end as well, after it’s been revealed that the events of the episode were all a Halloween prank and they’re trying to get C.A.R. to come out and join them for the party.
- Lampshaded Double Entendre:Mr. Zupeck: ...return after sundown and you will surely get what’s coming to you, every child will!” [[[Evil Laugh]]] “If you take my meaning!
- Let's Split Up, Gang!: Subverted. Riley specifically says to stay together and not split up when they're in the Zupecks’ house. Unfortunately, right after she says this all her and Todd’s friends disappear behind various secret passageways.
- Losing Your Head: Dick, as a zombie, takes off his head while he tells Todd and Riley to leave the Zupecks alone.
- Magic Cauldron: The kids walk in on Mrs. Zupeck creating a magic potion in one. They later find out that they have to tip over her cauldron and spill the potion in order break her spell that’s zombified their parents.
- Monster Mash: Todd and Riley encounter a variety of monsters throughout the episode including a vampire, a witch, mummies, zombies, and more.
- Mummy: Dick’s idea of scary Halloween decorations is turning normal lawn ornaments into mummies with toilet paper.
- Oh God, with the Verbing!: Shelton, as usual.
- When he’s explaining his costume: “I’m a hippie! With the beads! And the protesting! And the oh, yes! Free love! Whatever that means.”
- He also does this when Todd and Riley find him after he’s had his brain switched with a monkey’s by the Zupecks. “Oh, I’m crazy! With the probing! And the hurting! And, oh, I want a banana!”
- Operation: [Blank]: True to her Agent K costume, Riley says it’s time to commence “Operation: Rainbow Jumper”, complete with Brief Accent Imitation. Todd thinks it’s a terrible name though and changes it to “Operation: De-Zombify Mom & Dad”.
- Overly Long Gag: Dick and Mr. Zupeck laughing hysterically and spraying spit all over each other.
- Plot Twist: Mr. Fleem tells Todd and Riley that the Kelpmans never actually willingly moved out of their house and the supernatural Zupecks were not sent by Fleemco.
- Reverse Psychology: Riley uses this method to get Buzz to help them stop the Zupecks. Due to how dimwitted Buzz is, it works flawlessly.Riley: Buzz, I know what you’re thinking. Don’t you knock over that cauldron and ruin this haunted house just so you can keep your trophy!
- Running Gag:
- Buzz and his dad coming up with Lame Comebacks for Todd and Dick and then complimenting each other, and themselves, on them.
- Everyone calling the golden ghost trophy for the scariest side of the street a “golden snot rag”.
- Sarcastic Confession: When Dick asks Mr. Zupeck if he’s a vampire, he says yes and then bursts out laughing, making Dick think he’s just joking.
- Shout-Out:
- When their replacements arrive, Todd says “They’re he-re.”
- Jacobo dresses as Scooby-Doo for Halloween, although he claims he’s a Chupacabra.
- Shrunk in the Wash: Riley is able to wear one of her mom’s actual spy outfits for Halloween because Agent K accidentally left it in the dryer too long.
- Spoof Aesop: It turns out that the Kelpmans are actually really cool people with fun jobs that keep them too busy to decorate for Halloween. Mr. & Mrs. Kelpman are a videogame designer and an ice cream taste tester respectively, and tried to share the perks of their jobs with the neighborhood kids but kept getting ignored because they all thought they were boring. Upon learning this, Todd says he’s learned a valuable lesson. Riley asks if it’s “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover”, but Todd has a more specific lesson in mind.Todd: Always find out if your neighbors have cool jobs!
- Tickle Torture: The Zupecks torture Jacobo in a pendulum-type contraption with a feather attached to it.
- Time for Plan B: Todd says this verbatim after all their friends disappear in the Zupecks’ house. His plan B? “RUN!!!!”
- Town Contest Episode: Every Halloween, Todd and Riley’s neighborhood has a competition for which side of the street has the scariest Halloween decorations.
- Wham Line: After Todd says “This is it!” when the monsters are closing in on them.Mr. Zupeck: This is it...the best Halloween of your lives!
- X-Ray Sparks: Happens to Buzz’s dad while he’s installing some of their Halloween decorations.
- You Meddling Kids: Riley’s response to Jacobo, dressed as Scooby, wanting to join their investigation:Riley: We don’t need a meddling kid and his dumb dog to solve this mystery.
- Vampire Vords: The Zupecks both speak like this, even though only one of them is a vampire.
