Extra: Codename: Kids Next Door, "Operation G.R.A.D.U.A.T.E.S."
by SpiderBraids The computer thing also announces that Tommy has been assigned to "Sector V", and Numbuh 4 is glad that the organization has dumped him there ("What kind of a lame-o post is that?")... until Numbuh 5 reminds him that they're Sector V, as most faithful viewers would already know. Did we mention that Numbuh 4 is an idiot? (Sings "You are an idiot! Ha ha-ha-ha ha ha ha ha ha-ha ha-ha haaa.") Okay, while T's making a yada yada speech about how he's waited all his life to join the squad, we cut over to Father and the show's major recurring villains, The Delightful Children from Down the Lane (really!), at their mansion. He decides to bring on the KNDs' utter destruction by turning on a crystal ball thingy. Some dog unplugs the thingy and runs down the hall. As Father chases down and chides "Fang", he discovers that Fang is in fact a KND op in costume. Fang is completely screwed. Back at the moonbase, it's a post-graduation party! There's 362 talking to some recent grad, and there's 65.3 carrying tons of food (fat kid, buck teeth, glasses). And here comes T boasting about moving in next to Numbuh 1 blah blah. Numbuh 2: "What?? It's not my fault he's my brother..." Coming on the speakers is Fang, reporting himself as "Numbuh 88", making a distress call about Father, and somehow turning into a chicken. Seriously. A clucking chicken. Okay, so party's over, oops, outta time! 362 orders battle stations (this is usually Numbuh 1's line), and everyone, and that includes the grads, are all getting on various vehicles in a montage. "Numbuh 60", last seen at the Arctic base, orders 17 kids on each plane thing. 60 goes into this speech which I can imagine being used as an epigram for this show: "It's another glorious day in the Kids Next Door! A day in the KND is a day out of school! Every meal is ice cream, every show's a cartoon, every formation's a dodgeball game. I looooove the Kids Next Door!" So, KND wipe to everyone landing at Father's mansion. Over the battle cry of "Victory, or adulthood!" everyone fights a bunch of mechanical knights who look like Sir Toasty, and other obstacles. After getting off a call with 86, 362 explains to Nigel (that's Numbuh 1's regular name) that they sent an undercover op into Father's mansion to check out what he was developing. Nigel deduces that he must be making an aging ray. Nigel's been the victim of one, but the ep in question, "Op G.R.O.W.-U.P." (BTW, also Father's first appearance), hasn't been recapped by "Lord Seths" yet. Anyways. 362 tells Nigel and crew to dress up in "birthday suits" to protect themselves from such rays, and, well, T strips naked (while holding his pants over his privates). Hoagie explains that 362 was referring to the umbrella hats they're wearing right now. T gives a "Well, how was I supposed to know that? I'm new here" excuse, and it turns out that they don't have a suit for him yet. The ops leave, as 362 turns around to see naked Tommy (hey, wasn't that a Rugrats ep?). BUTT SHOT! 362 is startled, and she makes up an excuse to leave, and tend the troops. T: "Serves them right if I went off and saved the day all by myself. Ah!..." We KND wipe to Nigel and crew running past the defense and blowing up a hole in Father's mansion door. Father sees the crew running in the halls through surveillance. While Father is ordering the DCFDTL (hey, the show's credits use that abbreviation!) to supervise the battle, T (following them at a distance) passes by unnoticed. It's dark. The aging ray should be somewhere around here. Numbuh 3: "I can't see anything!" The room lights up. 3: "Oh, thanks a lot, uh, AAAHHH!" It's Father, with his fire power and all that, lighting up the room. Father melts their weapons and locks them in (locking T out in the process). Then he turns on his crystal ball. Crew turns on their birthday suits by pressing a button they're wearing on their chests, and Nigel plays all their cards by telling Father: "Our 'two by four' technology makes us immune to any ray-based aging effect!" Hey, your "two by four" technology weaponry was not at all immune to Father's fire stuff. Father appears to be impressed, before saying "I would be [impressed] if I had wanted to change your ages!" While Numbuh 5 is wondering what the heck the device does then, the ray spreading out from the crystal ball hits her left hand, and her birthday suit protection shatters like glass (with the sound of glass shattering!) as she screams ("Wha' in the heck does it DAAAAAA!!") and turns into a gazelle with Numbuh 5's hat and earrings. Seriously. Father says: "Why would I want you brats to join me in glorious adulthood?... You've annoyed me enough as little children!" Warburton drags this out over a whole minute, but let me cut the crap and just say that T watches in horror as Father's ray shatters their protection like glass (with the appropriate sound FX) and turns them all into animals. Playing by their nationalities, 4 becomes a koala and 3 (who's too busy singing "Horrible adorable") turns into a crane, and going with their distinct physical features, Hoagie (who is fat, but you'd never tell from the dialog alone) becomes a hippo wearing his aviator helmet and goggles and Nigel (who is bald) becomes a seal wearing his sunglasses. Gotta love the way T screams "No-o-o-o-o!!!" as that happens. Cue "transmission interrupted" caption, and an ad break. Since we're taking a break, here's a "did you know?": All of the ops have voice actors with some Nicktoon experience behind them. I already mentioned Ben Diskin as 1 and 2. Lauren Tom (3) voiced Reggie Rocket's best friends Trish and Sherry, Dee Bradley Baker (4, T) voiced Brandon Higsby [As Told By Ginger], and Cree Summer (5) has had several Nicktoon roles: Susie Carmichael, Tiff Krust [MLaaTR] and Miranda Killgallen [ATBG]. And did we also mention that KND eps are usually 11 minutes long? This is one of those double-length ones. And in case you're wondering what's the deal with not showing Sector V's Codemodule retrieval, this "plotline" is featured as an online game at CN's website.
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