Recap / Carl S 1 E 9 Playing Hookie

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Carl and his friends decide to skip school while trying not to get in trouble.

Both versions

• Breaking the Fourth Wall: Carl asks his friends if they remember him saying that this year won't be so bad in the last episode.
• Oh, Crap!: In the end of the classic version, Carl, Blooper, Dry Bones and Boo become shocked as they end up getting sent to the principal's office by Coach Ronson when he realises they played hooky. The remaster features only Dry Bones having this reaction when Miss. Bishop, Principal Steelix and Coach Ronson find out about him playing hooky as the three take him to Steelix's office, hence the one liner from both of them.
  Carl (Classic): Aw, f*ck!
  Dry Bones (Remaster): Aw, f*ck!

• Out of Focus: Grace doesn't appear in the classic version of the episode, and in the remaster she only shows up in one scene.
• Skipping School: The entire episode's plot revolves around Carl and his friends skipping school.

Classic version ("Forget it, I shall not abandon all my tropes! I’m putting my tentacle down this time!")

• Early-Installment Weirdness: Carl and his friends try Logan’s fire flowers and they hallucinate.

Remastered version ("Good call! I hate those carrot-nosed tropes!")

• Adaptation Title Change: Downplayed. For the remaster the word "hookie" in the title is now spelt as "hooky".
• All for Nothing: Carl's main motivation for skipping school was to impress Grace. In the end, all the misfortune he went through and the trouble he got into was in vain since Grace just so happened to become sick and ended up staying at home for the day.
• And This Is for...:
  Bob: ...pushin' me into that shelf!
• "Both Sides Have a Point" Remark:
  • Carl is justifiably furious at Dry Bones for taking them to the mall while it was closed, including all of the other shenanigans he got themselves and Boo into, the blatant lies he keeps telling them and how he is willing to be there for Grace. However, Dry Bones makes a somewhat valid argument that it was him who helped them get out of taking tests all day long.
  • While Carl is getting told off by Calvin and Linda for playing hooky, he tells them that Dry Bones talked him into doing it, which is partly correct (despite the fact he chose to do so himself in order to impress Grace). However, Linda asks him about Dry Bones jumping of a bridge if he talked him into that as well, while Calvin has every right to be furious at him for skipping school.
• Call-Back: Some references from previous episodes have been made here.
  • Gooper is still salty towards Carl when he blasted him in his power suit costume eight days ago.
  • Bob and Liam throwing Carl into the water atop the tallest bridge in Toad Town as Revenge for all the times he one-upped Gooper and them on Talia's birthday, the epic Toad Town Race, and on Halloween night.
• Contrived Coincidence: Many:
  • The mother of a friend of Carrie and Sally who is mentioned early in the episode happens to be the clerk of the Mini-Mart Carl enters. Carl tells her that the school is closed, and as revealed later by Linda, she stopped by the Mini-Mart later in the day and the clerk told her about Carl. Likewise, another friend of Linda happened to spot Calvin at Goomburger and told her about it.
  • Impressing Grace and showing her that he was not a "good boy" was Carl's main reason for skipping school. When the day comes, Grace just so happened to catch a cold, causing her to stay at home.
  • For some reason, a lot of people at Toad Town, namely Calvin and the staff of the Toad Town Mall, decided to play hooky the same day as Carl and his friends did.
  • For the students that did show up to school when they were supposed to be taking many hours of classes and exams, Mr. Morris did not hand out the assignments they were supposed to be having that day, Mr. Moore just so happened to become sick, leading his test to be cancelled and for Ms. Bishop to show the students the entire Home Alone trilogy instead. The school day also culminates in a Snowball Fight, being much more entertaining that Carl's day is.
• "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: Thrice.
  • Downplayed for Carl, since he simply should have listened to Marvin about his warnings of skipping school, as he not only would have avoided getting thrown into the frozen water by Liam and Bob, but he would have also avoided his grounding by Linda and Calvin (who also gets grounded by her). He even lampshades his mistake while he regrets it towards the end of the episode.
  Carl: *groan* I knew I should've listened to Marvin... could this day get any worse?
  • The entire episode could have easily been avoided for Dry Bones, Carl and Boo if Roxanne or Kylie had told them that Grace had stayed at home due to being sick and that the mall was closed before the three even set off, or any of them had even bothered to check the opening times for the mall and any possible updates as to why it closed that day.
  • Also downplayed for Calvin, as he could have avoided the same punishment Carl got if he simply went to work and not played hooky with his friends to go to Goomburger or even made some noise while he was there.
• Didn't Think This Through:
  • When Carl becomes determined to skip school for Grace, it all starts off well and nice at first when he, Dry Bones and Boo all proceed to do so the following day. However, things take a turn for the worst when the three spot Calvin in Goomburger, the former gets ambushed by Gooper's gang ending with him thrown atop a high bridge in Toad Town, and finally getting caught by Calvin, who takes him home to get grounded by him and Linda (the former of which also gets grounded for skipping work).
  • Apparently, Dry Bones did not think to bring his ID to The Feeble Trout when he, Carl and Boo attempt to purchase drinks. Bonus points go to him for attempting to bribe the bartender $4.
• Disappointed in You: When Carl is caught playing hooky by his parents, Linda essentially lets him know that not only is she angry at the fact that he skipped school, but very disappointed that he would lie to her about it. Likewise, Linda also reprimands Calvin for skipping work to go to Goomburger, citing that he is setting a bad example for their children.
• The Dog Bites Back:
  • Dry Bones throws a snowball at Coach Ronson. When Dry Bones shows up to school the next day, Ronson is shown to have told the rest of the faculty about it, leading to Ronson, Ms. Bishop and Principal Steelix giving Dry Bones detention for it.
  • Additionally, towards the end of the episode, Linda gives Calvin an earful for not only playing hooky to go to Goomburger, but for stressing Carl out while he was wrapped up in too many tests before he left the house and ignoring her while he was reading the newspaper during breakfast.
• Dumbass Has a Point: While Jim is far from intelligent, he does show a bit of care for Carl after he witnesses Carl getting thrown into the frozen river by Liam and Bob while the two, alongside Gooper, laugh at him. However, Gooper averts his point and threatens to do the same to him if he tries to stand up to him again.
• Enmity with an Object: Before Gooper and his gang set off to kick down the snowmen, Liam makes a rather funny yet meaningless comment about them.
  Liam: Good call! I hate those carrot-nosed pricks!
• Epic Fail: If Carl jumping over a set of bins to get across the brick wall and avoid being assaulted by Gooper and his gang was of any indication.
• Foreshadowing: When Carl, Boo and Dry Bones arrive at the Toad Town Mall (only to find it was closed that day), it is implied the next episode is to take place during Black Friday or December, as it is Christmas soon.
• Get Out!: Since Carl, Dry Bones and Boo did not bring their ID, the bartender at The Feeble Trout kicks all three of them out after Dry Bones attempts to bribe him $4 for Boo Beer.
• Gone Horribly Wrong: Carl decides to play hooky after being pressured into doing so, and everything that could go wrong goes wrong; He has to spend money on Dry Bones and Boo at Goomburger, which they then have to abruptly leave after Calvin and his colleagues make a stop there, having decided to skip work. He then has to spend more money at the Mini-Mart, whose clerk just so happens to know his mother and later tells her about him being there. He then heads to a bar on the suggestion of Dry Bones, who gets them kicked out with no service, and when they finally arrive at the mall, they not only find that its closed, but that Roxanne and Kylie ended up staying at the former's home and that Grace had not been able to come because she caught a cold. Then the group comes across Gooper's Gang, who proceed to physically assault Carl and throw him into a frozen river after Dry Bones and Boo ditch him, and the final nail in the coffin is Calvin coming across Carl, who takes him home where he is grounded for the rest of November for skipping school and lying about it (even though Calvin ends up getting grounded by Linda for playing hooky as well). Needless to say, Carl won't be playing hooky ever again in his life.
• "Jump Off a Bridge" Rebuttal: When confronted by Calvin and Linda on skipping school Carl tries to defend himself by saying that Dry Bones convinced him to do it, to which Linda asks Carl if he would walk off a cliff just because Dry Bones asked him to.
• Karma Houdini:
  • Gooper's gang, especially Liam and Bob, get no comeuppance for throwing snowballs at Carl, minimally injuring him in the process and later throwing him into the frozen water atop the tallest bridge in Toad Town.
  • Downplayed for Coach Ronson, because while he did get a snowball thrown at him by Dry Bones (in case he did not do it as a joke, mind you), he still manages to avoid getting fired or told off by Steelix in doing so.
  • Funnily enough, Franklin surprisingly manages to evade getting reprimanded by the Toad Town Commissioner, even though he was the one who suggested playing hooky with Calvin and Tommy.
• Laser-Guided Karma:
  • After Linda and Calvin give Carl an earful for skipping school, karma bites Calvin in the ass when Linda finds out that he has been skipping work to go to Goomburger.
  • Dry Bones persuading Carl, Boo, and almost Blooper into playing hooky, leading to all of Carl's misfortune in the episode, and throwing a snowball at Coach Ronson eventually lead to him getting detention from Ronson, Ms. Bishop and Principal Steelix when he attends school the next day.
• My God, What Have I Done?:
  • Carl gets this the second after he gets thrown into the frozen river by Bob and Liam while he regrets not listening to Marvin's warning about skipping school.
  • When Calvin gets told off by Linda for playing hooky, the look on his face is obvious while Calvin attempts to give an explanation before he tells her that he is going to his room in defeat.
• Never My Fault: After being caught skipping school, Carl tells Calvin and Linda that he only played hooky because Dry Bones convinced him to. Linda, however, rightfully points out via her "Jump Off a Bridge" Rebuttal that it was Carl himself who made the choice of skipping school.
• Not Helping Your Case: Calvin tries to justify his reason for playing Angry Birds at Goomburger by telling Linda how the pigs annoy him before he immediately changes the subject and takes himself to his room.
• Poor Communication Kills: A lot of Carl's suffering could have been avoided if Roxanne and Kylie told the boys that the mall was closed before the three had even arrived there, and that Grace was sick and thus stayed at home.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Dry Bones gives this to Carl when he is obsessed with Grace and acting like a creep around her. Carl defends this when he realizes that he cares about the girl he likes.
• Shout-Out:
  • After failing to hit Carl with a snowball, Flaig yells "Doh, I missed!"
  • The Toad Town Mall is Rainbow Galleria from Super Mario Party Jamboree in all but name.
• Subverted Catchphrase: Liam would normally say "Shut up, Flaig" whenever the latter attempts to speak, saving Gooper having to say it, but instead, he tells Dry Bones to shut up.
  Liam: Shut up, bonehead!
• Teeny Weenie: Kylie, who is completely drunk, asks Roxanne to tell this to Dry Bones over the phone.
• Trauma Conga Line: Carl ends up spending a considerable amount of money on Dry Bones and Boo at both Goomburger and the Mini-Mart, having had to avoid Calvin at Goomburger and the clerk of the Mini-Mart just happening to know his mother, arriving at the mall only to find out its closed and that Grace became sick and stayed at home, running into Gooper's gang who proceed to physically assault him and throw him into a cold river after Boo and Dry Bones ditch him, and then coming across into Calvin, who alongside Linda grounds him for the rest of the month of November for skipping school. Needless to say, Carl won't be playing hooky again any time soon.
• You Are Grounded!:
  • Carl ends up getting grounded for the rest of November once Linda and Calvin catch him playing hooky.
  • Played for Laughs for Calvin, as Linda grounds him for the same length of time as Carl for further stressing Carl out at home, skipping police work to eat out at Goomburger with his friends and yelling at his phone while playing Angry Birds.