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"30 Seconds to Math" is the thirteenth episode in the first season of Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja. It premiered on October 18, 2012.
Not to be confused with the band of the same name that appears this episode.
Synopsis[]
Randy must find a way to juggle his life as a ninja and his friendship with Howard during the Battle of the Bands, while McFist tries to use a truth device that will reveal the ninja's identity during the show.
Plot[]
In the janitor's closet the "power synth duo" 30 Seconds to Math, made up of Randy and Howard, practice their song "Detention Deficit Disorder" for the Battle of the Bands, a musical contest that has always been won by Howard's sister Heidi, until Sundown comes in to pour old stinky fish (code orange) into the sink and tells Randy and Howard to leave the closet for a while.
Howard gets mad at Randy because he keeps doing an "NNS" ("Ninja No Show") when they are doing something anything together like gym, canoeing, or even a trapeze act at the circus. Randy promises he won't do a NNS for the Battle of the Bands, but when Howard leaves to go to the Stall of Fame, Randy spots some Robo-Apes and suspects that McFist is setting up some nefarious ninja-destroying scheme. The Ninja shows up and defeats the Robo-Apes, but it seems they were only catering the Battle of the Bands.
When Randy returns, Howard chides him for breaking his promise, especially when Randy admits that the Robo-Apes in this case seemed harmless, rendering Randy’s act a UNNS — an "Unnecessary Ninja No Show." Randy asks the NinjaNomicon for advice, and it informs him that
| “ | Friendship is a weight that the Ninja cannot Carry. | ” |
advice which Randy refuses to accept.
McFist is upset that his catering Robo-Apes were destroyed, meaning there is no way that they can sneak in Viceroy's hypnotic Truth Tone gadget that can attach itself onto any musical instrument and hypnotize the music's listeners into telling the truth, thus causing the Ninja to reveal himself during the contest. Bash come in and asking money from his step father to buy a turn table, McFist immediately says no, but Viceroy uses the Truth Tone to force McFist to give Bash the code to his safe, so that he can sneak the Truth Tone into the concert on Bash's new turntable.
Bash, however, smashes his new turntable without actually playing it, forcing McFist to order his Robo-Apes to steal Heidi Weinerman's guitar in order to plant the device on it. Randy ninjas out when he sees the Robo-Apes, causing Howard to break up the band and to seek comfort at the backstage snackbar, where he overhears McFist and Viceroy's plan. Stuffing his ears with cupcakes to render himself immune to the device, he finds Randy and attempts, too late, to get him out of its reach.
Heidi uses the Truth Toned guitar to belt out a power ballad dedicated to the Ninja, reminding the audience that "There's a Ninja inside us all," and entrancing everyone except McFist, Viceroy, and Howard. McFist triumphantly seizes a microphone and asks, "Who is the Ninja?” — to which Randy immediately responds, "I'm the Ninja!"
All seems lost, until Howard, thinking quickly and inspired by Heidi's song, shouts out that he's the ninja as well, and "You're the Ninja, and you're the Ninja!" until the entire audience, convinced by Heidi's song that the Ninja truly lives inside each of them, is shouting "I'm the Ninja!" while Howard leaps onto the stage and smashes his sister's guitar and the device, utterly foiling McFist's scheme.
Randy tells Howard that the NinjaNomicon was wrong because the Ninja never had a friend like him; they then proceed to perform "Detention Deficit Disorder," until a Robo-Ape, which had been dangling above the stage since battling the Ninja earlier, finally falls and explodes into fireworks.
Characters[]
Main characters[]
Secondary characters[]
Background characters[]
- Bucky Hensletter
- Debbie Kang
- Flute Girl
- Glenn
- Maraca Boy
- Theresa Fowler
- Nameless Boy with Red Hoodie
- Nameless Boy with Red Shirt
- Nameless Girl with Blue Sweater
- Nameless Girl with Green Shirt
- Nameless Girl with Mauve Dress
- Nameless Girl with Purple Sweater
- Cat-Poop-Powered Robot
Series Continuity[]
- The Cat-Poop-Powered Robot from "Attack of the Killer Potatoes" made a brief appearance during Howard's "Randy's N-N-S" flashback.
Trivia[]
- This episode reveals that Howard and Randy have a band called 30 Seconds to Math.
- Their band name is an allusion to the band 30 Seconds to Mars.
- This episode features three of the series' songs, "Detention Deficit Disorder," "Bros, Yo!" (which had appeared in a previous episode, "So U Think U Can Stank"), and "A Ninja Inside Us All."
- The code to McFist's safe was revealed to be 46234414.
- One of Heidi's signatures in the Stall of Fame resembles a Walt Disney font.
- The scene in which the entire crowd starts shouting "I'm the Ninja!" was likely inspired by the 1960 film Spartacus, in which an entire crowd of rebellious slaves prevents the Roman commander Crassus from finding and punishing the rebel leader Spartacus by all shouting, "I'm Spartacus!"
- When Howard tells Slimovitz the band has broken up, he claims Randy "Yoko-Ono'd," a reference to the wife of English rock musician John Lennon; Ono was often blamed by fans for the break-up of The Beatles, from whom Lennon was the first to depart.
- One of Randy's implied ADHD symptoms is showcased in this episode, which is going on motor involuntarily. This is, in fact, demonstrated via Howard's account on how Randy always goes on motor upon spotting a robot or monster at sight even during his interpersonal activities with Howard, which interrupts and sometimes threaten their friendship. (See more symptoms in his trivia)
Gallery
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