In Czarist Russia, the Time Squad have just completed a mission that involved getting Karl Marx stop trying to build the world's biggest igloo and get to writing the Communist Manifesto. Larry and Tuddrussel discuss how easy it was to convince Marx to do all this once Tuddrussel had kicked him in the belly. Otto interrupts the conversation by sneezing and then asks if they could go home now because he's freezing in the Russian winter. Larry scolds him, "Didn't I tell you to bring a jacket?" Otto tells him that he forgot to before leaving.
The next morning, the alarm goes off early before Tuddrussel and Otto are awake yet. Larry, in an unusually cheerful mood, is ready to go to work. Tuddrussel hops out of bed and joins Larry in the control room, and they greet each other with a high-five. This mood of cooperation and mutual friendship goes downhill when Otto comes into the room; looking sick, sounding stuffed up, and barely dressed for the day, Otto is totally not okay to work the mission. Tuddrussel and Larry have their doubts about Otto, but the boy insists that he's fine to go on.
The mission is to help Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States of America and one of the writers of the Declaration of Independence. Otto is thrilled to finally get to meet one of his favorite historical figures and proceeds to expel every fact about Franklin that he knows of. This causes a coughing fit, and eventually, he faints from exhaustion, scaring Tuddrussel and Larry.
With Otto back in bed, Larry takes his temperature and sees that Otto has a cold with a 106-degree temp. Otto desperately wants to go with them, but both adults refuse to let him. Otto asks how are they supposed to solve the mission without him, and Tuddrussel states that he and Larry have been doing the job way longer than he has, and they can handle it on their own.
Cut to Larry and Tuddrussel looking for Ben Franklin in the middle of the Sahara desert. When they realize their mistake, Larry types in the correct coordinates and zaps them to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1776. They start looking for Franklin in the congressional hall where the Declaration of Independence was drafted. Without Otto to act as the buffer for Tuddrussel's acts of violence towards historical figures, the man decides to barge in on Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and the rest of the men in the building who are having a difficult time writing the Declaration. He can't tell who Ben Franklin is, so he goes off and beats up all the men and tells them to get right with history.
As they leave the building, Larry finds out that according to his computer nothing has changed, except that Benjamin Rush now has a broken jaw. Tuddrussel accidentally runs into Franklin on their way out, never noticing that it was him as he insulted him for getting in his way. Feeling that they could use the hint, Larry and Tuddrussel zap back home to talk to Otto.
In Otto's bedroom, Larry shows the boy the footage he has of Tuddrussel beating up the founding fathers and becomes distraught at the sight. Otto draws a picture of what Franklin looks like, which stirs up Tuddrussel's memory that he actually met the guy before Otto came along. Otto pleads with Tuddrussel to not beat him up this time, and Larry assures him that he's on the case this time.
Back in 1776, Tuddrussel and Larry find Franklin's print shop right away. After telling Tuddrussel that he can't do things his way anymore, Larry tells him to follow his lead this time, and they make their way into the shop where Franklin is working. Franklin greets them pleasantly and talks about how everything is wonderful now that his studying with electricity is finally making a breakthrough. Tuddrussel asks why he isn't with his "wig wearing buddies" down at the congressional hall, with Franklin to say that he's all done with politics and that that place is far too violent for him anyway. Larry remembers that during Otto's rambling about Franklin, he mentioned that Franklin experimented with electricity and comes to the conclusion that Franklin is "obviously trying to invent the lightbulb". Larry offers his and Tuddrussel's help with his experiments, and they successfully help him invent the light bulb.
But the computer says the mission is still not complete. So back home they go to tell Otto, who becomes outraged when they explain what happened. He yells at them, telling them that it was Thomas Edison who invented the lightbulb. He asks if he was working on the Declaration of Independence, and Larry explains that Franklin was all done with politics. Otto tells them that the mission is about getting Franklin to help write the Declaration, and make sure that the lightbulb is never seen by anyone.
Larry and Tuddrussel go back to Franklin's print shop and destroy Franklin's lightbulb. Then they kidnap him, and take him to the congressional hall to force him to help the rest of the writers, who still haven't written past the opening line, "We hold these truths to be self- " Franklin gets them on the right track by suggesting "Self-evident", but Tuddrussel intervenes, making the whole process into a joke when everyone starts arguing on what to write down. Exasperated, Larry gives up entirely on keeping a mission together without Otto present.
Larry takes the sickly Otto from the satellite and has Otto recite the full opening stanza of the Declaration.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.
That they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights,
That among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
When he's done he passes out once again from exhaustion. After the founders' cheer for him, Tuddrussel orders them to write it all down. Larry looks at his computer and on a relieved note says that everything's fixed now and then the guys quickly leave in order to put Otto back into bed.
Tropes present in this episode include:
- Adults Are Useless: Otto has little faith in Tuddrussel and Larry's ability to handle a mission without him. To be fair, they are so terrible at their jobs that they're constantly zapping back home to ask him why history hasn't been fixed yet.
- All Deserts Have Cacti: Despite that the sign in the desert says that they are in the Sahara, it looks way more closer to the Mojave.
- Anachronism Stew: In universe example: Larry comes to the incorrect conclusion that the mission is supposed to be about helping Benjamin Franklin invent the lightbulb- which would not be invented for another century.
- Bumbling Dad: Larry and Tuddrussel are forced to try to be more parental to Otto while he's sick, all the while trying to not let him, or history down as they fumble through the mission without him.
- Catch Your Death of Cold: Otto forgets his jacket before going out with the guys to visit Karl Marx in Russia during winter, he catches a cold the following morning.
- Collapsed Mid-Speech: Otto can't even do his usual exposition without collapsing from coughing fit.
- Cool Old Guy: Benjamin Franklin is portrayed as an old man who's kindhearted and enjoys experimenting with his inventions.
- Family of Choice: This is the first episode that makes it very clear that the main characters see themselves as a family, with Otto being the adopted child in the center and Tuddrussel and Larry taking the steps to take care of him when he needs it most.
- Have We Met Yet?: Benjamin Franklin asks, "Wait a second, don't I know you?" to Tuddrussel. He may have been referring to the fact that earlier they had accidentally knocked into each other on the street, but Tuddrussel makes a Sarcastic Confession that he was definitely NOT that guy who stole his kite that one time.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Tuddrussel goes into the congressional building to deliver a violent beating to the founding fathers without even telling them why. He tops this off by ordering them to "get right with history!"
- Raised by Robots: Larry is portrayed as being the more responsible care giver, in this instance we see that Larry nags Otto for his mistakes after he didn't listen to him about bringing his jacket before setting off for Siberia, and decides to make him stay home in bed instead of letting him go on the mission to see Ben Franklin because Otto was much too sick to go.
- Rousing Speech: Otto's reciting of the Declaration of Independence. It's met with applause and cheering, and it even makes Tuddrussel tear up.
- Sick Episode
- Sickness Equals Redness: Otto's eyes and nose look pretty red while sick with a cold.
- Speech Impediment: Benjamin Franklin is given the voice of Ed Wynn, complete with the actor's trademark lisp.
- Working Through the Cold: Otto is forced to stay at home, but that doesn't mean he gets the break he needs because Tuddrussel and Larry keep coming back to bother him about the mission. Eventually, Larry gives up trying to solve Benjamin Franklin's problem and drags Otto out to recite the Declaration of Independence to just finish the mission for them.
- Stealth Pun: The name of this episode. The word "Floundering" means to struggle or fumble around with great difficulty. The obvious is that the Founding Fathers of the United States are struggling deeply here, but who else is? Tuddrussel and Larry, who are struggling to act extra parental than previously seen.
