| “ | You look like a cow dancing. | ” |
–Herr Doofentanzer (in German) | ||
"German Squirmin'" is the sixteenth episode of the first season of The Replacements.
Synopsis[]
Agent K promises to bring Todd to the The Fun O' Sphere if he gets good grades. However, Todd is failing German class. He replaces his German teacher with someone who speaks only German in time for parent-teacher night.
Plot[]
Todd and Shelton are playing video games when Jacobo bursts in, excited to tell them all about the International Fun-O-Sphere. The Fun-O-Sphere is a new restaurant and arcade with food and video games from around the world. Todd asks his parents to take him to the Fun-O-Sphere. Dick wants to go as well. Agent K promises to bring the family if Todd gets good reports at the upcoming parent-teacher conference.
The next day, Todd is bored in German class. The lazy teacher reads a magazine while playing a German-to-English translation tape for the class. While the rest of the class repeats phrases like, "please remove your rabbit from my tugboat," in German, Todd counts the days before he goes to the Fun-O-Sphere. Then Todd discovers that he failed last week's test. The teacher says that he will discuss tutoring options at the parent-teacher conference. Todd wonders to himself why he's in German class. He remembers that the only electives left were garbage collecting and German. Riley and Buzz took the last two garbage collecting spots.
That afternoon, Todd asks Conrad Fleem to replace the German teacher with someone who only speaks German, thus becoming incomprehensible to his parents. Fleemco ships the German teacher off to Germany. At the parent-teacher conference, Todd and his father meet Herr Doofentanzer, a German lederhosen-wearing dancer. Since Dick does not understand German at all, Todd easily fools him into thinking Herr Doofentanzer is praising Todd's good grades. Dick, Todd, and Doofentanzer break into a happy dance, and Doofentanzer insults Mr. Daring's dancing in German. Todd runs back to Agent K and Riley, ecstatic about going to the Fun-O-Sphere. Riley peers into the German class and sees Herr Doofentanzer playing the accordion.
Inside the Fun-o-Sphere.
Upon entering the International Fun-O-Sphere, the family receives complimentary cotton candy in the shape of countries. Dick wastes money trying to win a stuffed elephant from a claw machine, while Agent K racks up a high score in a virtual reality game. Todd declares this to be the greatest moment of his life. Suddenly, Riley grabs him and announces that she knows what happened to the German teacher. Riley decides not to tell their parents, however, as she thinks Todd's guilt is enough punishment. She also wants to pick up trash for extra credit.
The family dines in the German area. Dick repeats Herr Doofentanzer's insult to the hostess, causing her to slap Mr. Daring and run away crying. Riley challenges Todd to order in German. Todd comes up with German-sounding gibberish. The waiter surprisingly understands Todd, much to Riley's disdain.
After dinner, the Darings walk towards the exit. Just a few feet away from the doors, Todd bumps into a hippo mascot, triggering a chain of mishaps that ends with someone's drink splashing into an electrical panel. The Fun-O-Sphere starts spinning out of control. The waiter has the instructions to stop it in English, Swahili, and German, but the English instructions accidentally get torn off. The German waiter announces that he speaks Swahili—then he says that he can't read Swahili. Still believing that Todd knows German, Dick makes Todd fix it. Todd pulls a lever too hard, breaking it, and the restaurant starts spinning even faster. While hanging on, Todd admits that he lied to his parents about passing German.
The restaurant comes to a complete stop. Agent K was able to stop it because she knows German. Todd had learned that it is never okay to lie. Later, while the rest of the Darings are enjoying pizza, Todd picks up trash off the ground.
Gallery[]
View the gallery here.