Recap / Wander Over Yonder S 2 E 19 The Search For Captain Tim The Heebie Jeebies

The Search for Captain Tim

Lord Hater accidentally recruits a bloodthirsty alien hunter to help find his missing pet.

Tropes that appear in The Search for Captain Tim:

• Actor Allusion: Ripov's backstory of being the only member of her team to survive an Arachnomorph attack is shockingly similar to Commander Shepard's Sole Survivor background in Mass Effect. Ripov happens to be voiced by Jennifer Hale, who always provides the voice for Female Shepard in the series.
• Affectionate Nickname: "Tim-Tim".
• Androcles' Lion: Hater is convinced at the climax that after caring for him for so long, Captain Tim will overcome his instincts and save him from the Arachnomorph Queen. Much to the surprise of everyone, especially Ripov, he turns out to be right.
• And There Was Much Rejoicing: The Watchdogs react to the disappearance of Captain Tim by throwing a party.
• Call-Back: Hater getting stuck on the Arachnomorph Queen's web was seen back on "The Waste of Time". Time-traveling Wander wanted to rescue him then and there, but Sylvia overruled him and promised they'd rescue him at the right point in the timeline.
• Chekhov's Gun: The Lost & Found posters that Hater makes allows Wander and Sylvia to find him.
• Continuity Nod:
  • Tim the Watchdog reappears here after first appearing as Patient Zero in The Gift.
  • The episode opens with a string of flashbacks to Hater going back to his room and getting cheered up by Captain Tim which references the events of "The Rider", "The Greater Hater", and "The Show Stopper".
  • The mechanical arm Hater got in "The Hole...Lotta Nuthin'" is brought up again.
• Dartboard of Hate: Ripov throws a whole bunch of knives at a poster of Captain Tim.
• Expy: Emily Ripov is one for Ellen Ripley.
• Failed a Spot Check: Hater didn't realize that Ripov had a hatred of Arachnomorphs, only that she could help him find "Tim Tim."
• Fluffy Tamer: Lord Hater is the only alien in existence who had tamed an Arachnomorph.
• The Fourth Wall Will Not Protect You: Tim attacks the audience at the very end of the episode.
• Honey Trap: Gender inversion; Tim after defeating the other males pretends to seduce the Arachnomorph Queen. He then blinds her with his acid, ties her up, and frees Lord Hater.
• Hope Spot: Taken to ridiculous lengths. Commander Peepers, Wander, Sylvia, and Tim the Watchdog show up to save Lord Hater and Ripov, but each in turn gets captured by the Arachnomorph Queen.
• Idiot Ball: Ripov going after Tim and fighting Hater instead of going after the other species that lack a collar.
• Licked by the Dog: Parodied when after Ripov praises Tim for beating the Arachnomorph Queen he starts to cuddle with her. Then he tries to stick his tongue down her throat and Hater has to pull Tim away.
• Morality Pet: A literal one, where Hater treats Tim with love and vows to find him.
• One-Steve Limit: There's some confusion on the part of a Watchdog named Tim who thinks Lord Hater is looking for him.
• Punny Name: Ripov, as she is a "ripoff" of Ripley, as mentioned below.
• Revenge Before Reason: Ripov would rather kill all the Arachnomorphs, Tim included, than let one live. This means attacking Tim in front of Hater, knowing how he feels about "Tim-Tim."
• Scar Survey: Ripov and Hater show each other the injuries they got from arachnomorphs, although Hater considers them "love bites" from Captain Tim.
• Shout-Out:
  • Ripov is basically an Ax-Crazy version of Ellen Ripley.
  • While scanning Hater for Captain Tim's DNA, Ripov discovers that his right arm is mechanical, which references Luke Skywalker's mechanical arm on the Star Wars films...and the fact that his real arm is clogging the black hole from The Hole...Lotta Nothin'.
• Talking Is a Free Action: Subverted four times in a row. The Arachnomorph Queen catches Peepers, Wander, Sylvia and Tim the Watchdog when they stop to explain why they're on the planet.
• Villain Episode: This episode focuses largely on Hater as he looks for Captain Tim.

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The Heebie Jeebies

Wander and Sylvia search a creepy forest planet for a mystical power, but find something far more terrifying.

Tropes that appear in The Heebie Jeebies

• Added Alliterative Appeal: Wander's last line.
  Wander: And without anybody to scare, those Phantomimes are powerless to petrify any more people! ...Right?
• An Aesop: Face Your Fears.
• Astonishingly Appropriate Interruption: We have this little gem between Sylvia and Wander.
  Sylvia: Wander, I don't know what has gotten into you, but you are seeing stuff that's just not—-
  Wander: —there!
  (Points to the Phantom Mime, but when Sylvia turns around, the ghoul is gone, she glares at Wander)
  Sylvia: Okay look—
  Wander: —behind you!
• Blank White Eyes: The Phantom Mimes have these, including various other characters in Wander's dream and dream versions of Wander and Sylvia.
• By the Eyes of the Blind: Phantom Mimes can only be seen by someone who becomes scared enough; only Wander was able to see them while Sylvia saw nothing due to her disbelief and annoyance with him. She began to see them when she started to get scared after Wander leaves her alone. Wander soon realizes why Sylvia didn't see the mimes earlier when they disappear after becoming brave for each other's sake.
• Cassandra Truth: When Wander first encounters the Phantom Mimes, he tries to show them to Sylvia, but when Sylvia takes a peek, the mimes have vanished and she assumes he's just seeing things. It's not until Wander has ran off does Sylvia encounter a Phantom Mime herself, causing her to realize Wander was right.
• Color-Coded for Your Convenience: The outside of the dark forest planet is a very dull green to show how spooky it is, complete with a foggy sky. When Wander and Sylvia exit the forest at the end when they face their fears, it becomes a bright yellow without a cloud in the sky, and the sun is out.
• Continuity Nod:
  • Sylvia refers to her fists as "Lady" and "Duchess" again.
  • Characters from previous episodes appear in Wander's dream such as King Bingleborp, Prince Cashmere, Stella Starbella, Beeza, King Draykor and Huckleberry Knucklehead.
  • Wander sings something to keep him busy again. Sylvia also tosses his banjo at him and tells him to get his mind off of the problem.
• Creepy Circus Music: Ominous-sounding calliope music accompanies the Phantom Mimes whenever they appear.
• The Cuckoolander Was Right: It turns out Wander was right about the scary things in the forest, though Sylvia doesn't realize until Wander disappears and by the time she does, she's in for it.
• Descent into Darkness Song: When trying to help Wander calm down, Sylvia suggests he sing to get his mind off the forest, to which he obliges. His song starts out nice and soothing at first, but it gradually becomes more anxious and worrying as his fear gets the better of him, ending with him screaming the final lines as he can't take it anymore.
• Don't Go in the Woods: Wander and Sylvia enter a forest hoping to find something that will help them defeat Dominator. They find Phantom Mimes instead.
• Dream Within a Dream: Wander has a long string of these when he and Sylvia try to get some sleep.
• Emotion Eater: The Phantom Mimes are implied to feed on fear; more of them show up as Wander becomes more terrified, and they disappear when Wander and Sylvia are willing to face their fears for the sake of their friend.
• Enemy Mime: A horde of spectral "Phantom Mimes" terrorize Wander and Sylvia.
• "Eureka!" Moment: Wander has a moment of clarity after realizing the Phantom Mimes can only be seen when they're scared and disappear once they're brave:
  Wander: Sylvia! They only show up when you're scared!
• Horrifying the Horror: Wander is afraid that there might be a Frankenstein's Monster in the forest. Sylvia assures him there's not, and then one such monster comes running out of the woods screaming "Forest bad!".
• Hyperventilation Bag: Wander uses his hat in this manner.
• It Was with You All Along: After all these disasters, Sylvia reveals to Wander they had the power mentioned in the scroll's riddle all along: facing their fears.
• Jump Scare: Although not very effective because of the art style, at the end of the episode we get one of these, with creepy music after the heroes leave the forest, and a sudden flash of a glowing face against a dark background.
• Minimalist Cast: Only Wander and Sylvia appear in this episode.
• Mood Lighting: When Wander and Sylvia first come to the forest, it is dull and darkly colored to symbolize how scary it is. When they leave the forest at the end, it is bright and sunny to show they're brave again.
• Non-Malicious Monster: The Phantom Mimes. While they are creepy, they don't actually harm Wander and Sylvia and actually serve as a Stealth Mentor species.
• Oh, Crap!: Sylvia's reaction upon seeing the Phantom Mimes were real and Wander was right all along.
• Overly Long Gag: When Wander and Sylvia were facing their fears against the Phantom Mimes, Wander repeatedly runs away and back nonstop; the mimes reappear when Sylvia is alone and calls to him, and they disappear once he comes back. It stops when she gives him a hug.
• Painful Rhyme: An in-universe example with the last line of the scroll's riddle.
  Only once you master me,
  Will you defeat your enemy.
• Punny Name: Phantom Mimes (Pantomime).
• Say My Name: "Sweet jumpin' flabbdraserry in a handbasket, he was right! AAAAGH! WAAANDERRRRR!!!"
• Scare Chord: Plays every time a Slasher Smile appears.
• Shout-Out:
  • The song Wander sings to try and calm himself down is a parody of "My Favorite Things".
  • The Phantom Mimes' dance was partially inspired by the Skeleton Dance from Disney's Silly Symphonies.
• Slasher Smile: The Phantom Mimes' only facial expression.
• Stealth Mentor: The Phantom Mimes, who help Wander and Sylvia face their fears.
• Stock Scream: Parodied when Wander is startled by a "Wilhelm warbler", a bird whose cry just happens to sound like a Wilhelm Scream.
• Sudden Eye Color: Wander's eyes turn blue at a few points, such as while he is clinging to a tree branch when the Wilhelm warbler is revealed, and when Sylvia hurries to find him after witnessing a Phantom Mime.
• Title Drop: Parodied. After entering the forest, Wander starts to say, "This place gives me..." then we cut to the title.
• This Is the Part Where...: "Isn't this is where you usually leave me hanging and charge headlong into some horrible danger you're somehow oblivious to?"
• Unexpectedly Dark Episode: One of few "dark" episodes of the season, given the scary creatures and Wander getting lost with the Phantom Mimes.
• When Trees Attack: The branches of the trees move in and block their escape.
• Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Wander is uncharacteristically afraid of the forest because his senses make him highly attuned to the scares inside.
• Wild Take: Wander makes a long string of these throughout the episode.