Episode Title:
Vaudevillains/The Manchurian Guardian.
Episode Description:
Vaudevillains: While on a field trip to a local television station, the bus carrying Betty and Sparky is hijacked and taken to an intergalactic 3-V station. As Betty and Sparky realizes what had happened, they discover the cause: the troll Mulock had kidnapped the bus so that Sparky could teach him a new comedy act, which would allow him to pass the audition phase of a Pop Idol-like competition. As Regeena takes the last open audition slot for the show (intending to give it to Betty so her band could audition), Penelope is roped in by a recruiter, who wants her to be part of a game show called Gorblack or No Gorblack (a parody of Deal or No Deal) as a suitcase model. At the same time, Sparky's efforts to teach Mulock is a failure, and is only exasperated when X-5 (having arrived from Earth at Betty's request) criticizes Mulock of having poor comedic timing and poor delivery skills. An angry Mulock chases Betty and her crew through the 3-V station, which ends up with Betty taking the audition ticket that Regeena saved for her. Appearing on stage with Muloch, they manage to belt out a musical number (Muloch singing the odd phrase in Betty's place), which allows Muloch to pass the audition phase. The class is returned to Earth, but not before Penelope discovers that Gorblack or No Gorblack is really about whether the suitcase she was holding contained an alien; when it did, the alien proceeded to attempt to eat her; Penelope manages to escape, but is scarred by the ordeal.
The Manchurian Guardian: While battling a group of bloodmonks on Morbidia, Sparky ingests a bowl of Buhdonkian pig snouts (his favorite snack), unaware that it contains a microchip that allows Maximus to remotely mind control Sparky; Maximus intends to use the mind-controlled Sparky to kill Betty. Meanwhile, Betty is nervous over a skateboarding stunt she has to do in order to kick off a town festival. X-5 assures her that her stunt, where she must do a series of hard tricks before setting off a series of fireworks in the air with a torch in her hand, will succeed; to ensure its success X-5 provides her with a magnetic glove (intended to keep the torch on her hand). That night, Maximus' plan is put into action, as he takes control of Sparky and has him take a restricted weapon. X-5, enjoying the festival from a distance, notices Sparky, and alerts Betty to the attempt on her life; Betty subsequently, while in the middle of the stunt, throws the glove at Sparky, knocking him out and destroying the microchips. Betty would complete her stunt without the assistance of the magnetic glove, while Sparky, recovering from a stomachache caused by the glove hitting him, accidentally discharges the weapon, sending rounds into the air which knock out Maximus' citadel, and adding to the fireworks show. (Villain: Maximus IQ)
