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"Debbie Meddle" is the twenty-seventh episode of the second season (and seventy-ninth episode overall) of Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja. It premiered on April 6, 2015.[1]
Synopsis[]
Journalist Debbie Kang scores the scoop of the century when she discovers Randy Cunningham is the Ninja![2]
Plot[]
During a snowy day, Randy shows off his winter clothes to Howard, which includes a red scarf and the Ninja Mask worn inside out as a hood. Howard warns Randy against flaunting his identity carelessly, but Randy claims that nobody is around to recognize him. However, from a distance away Debbie Kang captures footage of Randy and smiles to herself.
Shortly after, Howard and Randy enter the school when Debbie invites Randy into the Norrisville High Gazette Times Tribune Weekly Daily Press Chronicle editor's office, where she confronts Randy about his secret identity. Randy tries to brush it off until Debbie her original suspect: Stevens with his photo and she shows him her captured footage, featuring him putting on his hood earlier while saying "I'm the Ninja." Randy is unable to come up with an excuse; Debbie, triumphant, declares that she's going to broadcast the news via Heidi Wienerman's afternoon show. In a moment of panic Randy opens the NinjaNomicon in Debbie's face, sending her into the book.
Randy gets Howard out of class and explains the situation. Howard criticizes Randy for inadvertently shoving Debbie into the book, since it's incontrovertible proof that he is the Ninja. Randy quickly destroys Debbie's collection of evidence before asking Howard to guard their unconscious bodies while he goes into the NinjaNomicon himself to get Debbie out. Howard complies, but soon decides to pose Debbie's and Randy's bodies in embarrassing positions and leaves.
Inside the book, Debbie correctly guesses that the NinjaNomicon is an 800-year-old compendium of ninja secrets. Randy tries pleading with Debbie to not divulge his secret, but all at once images of armored swordsmen begin surrounding Randy, accusing him of behaving in a way "unbecoming of the ninja" for carelessly revealing his identity. The images chase a fleeing Randy; Debbie casually wonders how to leave the book, which warps her out at her request. As she wakes up, Debbie realizes that Randy has destroyed all her evidence, but decides to bring along the NinjaNomicon as her evidence instead while Randy is unconscious.
Despite Howard's attempts, Debbie declares on Heidi's show that the Ninja is Randy Cunningham; the latter pronouncing Randy's name correctly for the first time. Having been watching the show, McFist sends a robot to the school to hunt Randy down. Randy prepares to go ninja, but realizes that Debbie has taken the NinjaNomicon and his mask along with it, and decides to hide away "until graduation." However, he has a change of heart after hearing the screaming students outside and appears in front of the robot, luring it away and onto the frozen lake. After some effort, Randy manages to sink the robot beneath the thin ice, destroying it.
Randy reappears at school, attempting to deflect Debbie's accusations of him being the Ninja to no success, until Howard appears on the roof of the school with a dummy of the Ninja. Debbie is flabbergasted to see Randy and "the Ninja" standing separately; Heidi angrily tells Debbie off for giving her a mistaken scoop, and the other students leave, disappointed. The Nomicon uses The Ultimate Lesson to mind-wipe Debbie permanently. Admitting his mistake to the NinjaNomicon and prepared to be mind-wiped himself, but the NinjaNomicon praises him for his earlier act of bravery. Randy resolves to treat the secrecy of his identity more seriously as he and Howard get into another brief disagreement.
Debbie wakes up shortly after, unsure of what she's doing until she picks up the note she wrote to herself: "Randy Cunningham is the Ninja." Without any memory of investigating the Ninja's identity, she dismissively tears up the note.
Characters[]
Main characters[]
Secondary characters[]
Background characters[]
- Jed Elinoff (real-life cameo)
- Scott Thomas (real-life cameo)
- Cass Simonson
- Cynthia
- Jed Elinoff
- Mike Moe
- S. Renisewn
- Scott Thomas
- Theresa Fowler
- Tiny Timmy Scratch-It
- Nameless Boy with Blue-Green Shirt
- Nameless Boy with Glasses and Blue Shirt
- Nameless Boy with Red Shirt
- Nameless Cowbell Player
- Nameless Girl with Big Eyelashes
- Nameless Girl with Big Eyes and Green Shirt
- Nameless Girl with Dark Red Hair
- Nameless Girl with Green Shirt
- Nameless Girl with Lavender Hair
- Nameless Girl with Mauve Dress
- Nameless Girl with Purple Sweater
- Nameless Girl with Red Shirt
Storyboards[]
Series continuity[]
- The episode pays off Debbie's arc that was hinted at in the episode, "All the Juice That's Fish to Swim."
- When the Nomicon declares that Randy is "unbecoming of the ninja", it is similar to "Ninja Camp", where the Nomicon recounted how Mac Antfee was expelled from being the Ninja for abusing his powers and being a jerk.
Trivia[]
- The title is a pun on the phrase "Heavy Metal."
- According to the calendar in Debbie Kang's office, this episode takes place in February, though it actually first aired in April.
- Debbie learns that Randy is the Ninja, though she ends up forgetting it due to the Nomicon's mind-wiping her.
- Debbie and Randy break the fourth wall by referring to how ridiculous the idea of "Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja" is, and then looking at the camera to the accompaniment of a musical sting.
- Debbie is also the third character to break the fourth wall in the series.
- Randy also breaks the fourth wall when he opens a door in the Nomicon to reveal a photograph of the real Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas, to which Randy responds with a puzzled gesture.
- The pin board when Debbie tries to find the Ninja's identity is a reference to Disney cartoon "Gravity Falls".
- This is subtly emphasized by Randy's breaking through the wall of the Nomicon directly afterward.
- Randy is referred to by various names by nearly everyone who speaks in this episode, "Cunningham" by Debbie and Howard; "Randy" by Debbie, Howard (!), and Randy himself; "Randall," also by Randy himself; "Randy Cunningham" by Debbie Kang, Heidi, Howard, Randy, and McFist; "Landy Bunningham" by Heidi; and "That Guy" by most of the students.
- Randy's name is said well over fifteen times, which is the most times Randy’s name has ever been said in one episode.
- For the first and only time, Heidi Weinerman says Randy's name properly.
- This is the first time that McFist learns and says Randy Cunningham's name.
- Though McFist learns that Randy is the Ninja in this episode, he appears to have no knowledge of this in the following episodes, despite not having witnessed Howard's false demonstration that Randy was not the Ninja. It may be presumed that he watched Heidi retracting the story on a subsequent broadcast, or he subsequently thinks Randy is too clumsy and ordinary to be the Ninja.
- This episode showcases that Howard is a skillful ventriloquist.
- One of Debbie's goals, as revealed in this episode, is to be accepted into Flackville's community journalism school.
- In the storyboards of this episode, it reveals Randy originally let Debbie hit the ground instead of grabbing her head and gently laying her on the floor. He was also more arrogant when she finds out than he is in the final version.
- This is the second episode to not feature Randy in the Ninja Suit. The first was "Enter the Nomicon".
- This is also the second time that Randy defeats a robot without actually using the Ninja Suit. The first was "Shoot First, Ask Questions Laser".
Goofs[]
- In the scene where Doug is carried off by the robot, we can see Theresa running from it. However, in a shot immediately after when Debbie and Heidi are watching the laptop, we can see a calm Theresa behind Howard.
Gallery
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