It's Jim's 16th birthday, which he spends hunted by an enemy.
Tropes for this episode include:
- Birthday Episode: It's Jim's sixteenth birthday.
- A Birthday, Not a Break: Jim gets targeted by a Stalkling, hit by lightning, and nearly suffers Death By Falling. He already doesn't like birthdays in general, but this clinches it.
- Birthday Hater:
- Played straight: Jim's father gave him the parts for a bike so they could build it together, then promptly vanished. Jim's mother tries to make them fun, but Jim is not into it. Her gift giving skills do not help.
- Played with: Blinky, having heard the story, acquires the parts for a classic era Vespa to assemble with Jim. Jim is overjoyed and no longer hates his birthday.
- Dangerous 16th Birthday: Jim gets targeted by a Stalking, a murderous, sunlight immune troll that stalks its prey until death.
- Gift-Giving Gaffe: Played with. Jim's mother tells him his birthday surprise is waiting in the garage, that she hopes he'll get a lot of mileage out of it... And instead of presenting him with the Vespa he's been dreaming of, gives him a food processor she saw on one of his cooking shows. She then unintentionally guilt trips him by giving him Puppy-Dog Eyes and saying "you hate it..." when she sees his disappointment. Then she realizes that she led him to expect the Vespa with her own choice of words. For the coup de grace, Dr. Lake tells Jim she hates the idea of him on a Vespa.
- Hero with Bad Publicity: The babysitting incident last episode means that Jim's name is basically mud with the Nuñez's.
- I Don't Want to Die: Jim is freaked out about a troll that can stalk him in broad daylight and will murder him when he is alone.
- Kick the Dog: The Nuñez's leave Jim behind in the rain when he begs for a ride home. Even if they're mad at him, that is cold.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Steve sees Jim test-driving the Vespa, and starts mocking him. Jim, driving away from the Stalkling, tells Steve he doesn't have time for the Jerk Jock tendencies. Steve then challenges him to a race, ends up crashing, and loses his place as Romeo in the play.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Toby while playing videogames with Aargh misses Jim's desperate phone call as the Stalkling goes for him.
- Pet the Dog: Toby as a birthday present to Jim bribes the Vespa dealer to let him take a scooter for a spin.
- Spot the Thread: Claire is suspicious about Jim "hosting a party at her house". She asked around, and no one they know attended. Jim doesn't have time to answer, though, because they're called in to rehearsal.
- Shock and Awe: Jim applies Blinky's lesson about using the environment to his advantage by using his sword as a lightning rod and electrocuting the Stalkling.
- That Came Out Wrong: When Steve accuses Jim of challenging him to a race, Jim retorts "No, what I want is to have nothing to do with you!".
- Throw the Dog a Bone: Blinky after hearing how Jim's dad left him, and seeing that he wants a Vespa, assembles the parts for Jim. He then suggests they can build it together. So Jim gets his Vespa, and a new father figure.
