| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 5 | ||||||
| Written by | Andy Reaser | ||||||
| Directed by | Allan Kroeker | ||||||
| Original airdate | July 14, 2008 | ||||||
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| List of Episodes | |||||||
Plot[]
Wendy is talking with her mother over the phone as Lacey paints. Lacey notes that her mother Dr. Barbara Thornfield only calls once a year if she's lucky. Wendy suggests Lacey might invite her mother to their upcoming art show, "Art Crawl". Lacey agrees and tries to call and get past her mother's receptionist.
At work, Wendy prepares for her first training session with Sensei Ping, learning that The Middleman cried during his session. Wendy goes in on her own, and 59 and a half minutes later, emerges saying it was the most incredible experience ever.
Wendy returns home to find that Lacey's mother said yes despite her mother's assistant Francis initially saying she wasn't available. Lacey's worried that her mother actually rescheduled for her. They're interrupted when Wendy gets a call from Ida about a wife who threw an RV at her husband during their camping honeymoon and tried to eat his flesh. Lacey isn't thrilled at Wendy leaving but Wendy promises she'll be at Art Crawl.
The duo goes to the hospital and visit the victim, Rod Argent. He talks about how he was covered in trout gore and his wife Bonnie Blue came back from the pond and tackled him, then tried to chew his face off. The Middleman determines that Bonnie bit him after she went nuts and prepares to destroy Rod's brain. He says it loudly enough for Rod to overhear and panic, proving he's not a zombie. As they leave, The Middleman notes one of Sensei Ping's favorite sayings, but Wendy trumps him with another one. Ida calls them with a report of another zombie outbreak.
Lacey and Noser discover that neighbor Pip is taking down Wendy's paintings to make rooms for his own. However, Lacey quickly calms down once Noser points out that Pip's father owns the building, and Pip tries to make sure he's performing at Art Crawl.
Wendy and The Middleman arrive at a fish market and run inside to find a female zombie screaming for trout. The Middleman doses her with tranquilizers, and doses her again when she starts to revive. They take her to Middleman HQ and determine she still has a heartbeat, but if they don't find an antidote her heart will explode. Wendy is less than thrilled that she might miss Art Crawl. As they prepare to go out, Wendy suggests she might drive, as Sensei Ping thinks she's pretty good. The Middleman is reluctant and wants to do all the driving. Wendy responds with another of Ping's sayings and The Middleman is forced to concede the issue.
As the sublet residents prepare for Art Crawl, Pip tries to look dangerous. Lacey's mom calls to say she has to meet with Henry Kissinger and can't make it.
As Wendy drives, she wonders if The Middleman is jealous but he denies it. They're interrupted when Lacey calls her to give her the news about her mother. Wendy tries to reassure her and promises she'll be there to watch Lacey perform. They get to the campground and The Middleman notices that Wendy has covered her scanner with skulls, since Sensei Ping likes skulls. Ida calls The Middleman to reveal Bonnie was bitten by a Peruvian Flying Pike. The Pike bites anything that moves and its venom turns its victims into zombies. They need the pineal fluid from a Flying Pike to synthesize a cure, and the Pike must be alive. Meanwhile, Wendy battles the Flying Pike... and kills it.
The Middleman gives her the bad news but Wendy notices a tag for the Odyssey Fishery. They check out the business and finds tanks filled with Peruvian Flying Fish. Several workers attack them and the duo dispose of the workers in 47 seconds flat using Ping's techniques. The foreman reveals that a Mr. White pays cash and sends a truck once a month to pike up the Pike. Wendy is eager to clear up the case and get to Art Crawl, but The Middleman informs her they've still got work to do.
Noser does his performance piece, "Stump the Band," and calls Lacey on stage. There's still no sign of Wendy, and Lacey calls Wendy. The duo is almost time and Wendy asks Lacey to buy her some time. Lacey warns that she's going to have to put the audience through hell. The Middleman finishes loading up the Pike, while Lacey has no choice but to have Pip perform his piece.
Ida comes up with the cure and Bonnie recovers. However, The Middleman warns they need to check out every Mr. White within 200 miles. Wendy wonders if The Middleman is dumping on her because her training went so well. He insists that it's all part of the job, but Wendy leaves for Art Crawl.
The Art Crawl audience is going through hell and Wendy arrives just in time. She and Lacey don their costumes and take the stage. At Middleman HQ, The Middleman wonders if Wendy is right: Ida doesn't care. The women prepare to take the stage but Wendy gets a call and turns off her watch rather than respond. However, The Middleman arrives and Wendy tells him to wait ten minutes. He warns that there's a zombie attack in progress and Wendy has to leave as Lacey looks on.
The duo returns to Middleman HQ where they have found a new zombie victim, Heidi. Lacey arrives and Wendy tries to explain. The Middleman tries to smooth things over but Lacey refuses to be taken in by another work-related emergency. They then ask Heidi more fish-related questions, and she reveals that she drank an energy drink, !!!!, that tasted like Peruvian Flying Pike and trout. Heidi explains that she went to a casting call for the drink, and stole a few cans on the way out. It turns out she was compelled to drink the energy drink, even though she doesn't like fish. They get Heidi direct them to the warehouse where they make the energy drink and head out.
They find contaminated !!!! and the foreman shows up, revealing he's Mr. White. He explains that he was a poacher attacked by Peruvian Flying Pike. One of them bit him, leaving him impervious to pain. A friendly native gave him a cure and he used the venom to make !!!! and hook the world on his product. He plans to distribute it tonight, has turned the deputy commissioner of the FDA into a zombie, and has a backup plan: he drops dead fish on them. Dead trout! Mr. White then unleashes three zombified models, and the duo run, locking themselves in a room. Wendy admits that she screwed up, but The Middleman wants to know if Sensei Ping taught her the Devil's Dance. When Wendy admits he didn't, The Middleman figures she'll learn it quickly and they dispose of the models. They call Ida in to administer the antidotes and The Middleman directs Wendy to use the spare key in the Middlemobile... which unleashes a turbojet. They get to the regional test center and quickly knock out Mr. White as he prepares the first shipment of !!!!.
Later at the sublet, Wendy apologizes for getting Lacey's hopes up and Lacey accepts. Wendy is working on a painting of a fish-zombie woman and notes that she's just working out her issues, and assures Lacey that art will always come first for her. They start planning for the next Art Crawl with a supernatural theme.
Pop Culture References[]
Trivia[]
- This episode is the only one to feature the show's theme song in the actual body of the episode (as opposed to the title credits). The song is played as the Middleman and Wendy battle the three trout zombies with the Devil's Dance.
- During Stump the Band, Joe 90 challenges Noser's knowledge of "Scream Your Love for Me", and Noser comments with distaste, "By that cheesy boyband?" In the following episode, "The Boyband Superfan Interrogation", it is revealed that the "cheesy boyband" in question is Varsity Fanclub, which actually performs the song at the episode's climax.
Music[]
During the battle with the zombified models, the theme song is played.
Quotes[]
- Mr. Argent: So...you're not gonna shoot me?
- The Middleman: Completely unnecessary. Get well soon!
- Wendy: You are certifiable! You just threatened to kill that innocent, defenseless man!
- The Middleman: I had to be certain he wasn't a zombie, Dubbie, and time is of the essence!
Characters and Locations[]
Characters introduced in this episode: