A Twist of Ed

"A Twist of Ed" is the 12th episode of Season 4 and the 89th episode of Ed, Edd n Eddy. In this episode, the Eds have become fed up with the Kankers pouncing on them with their love, so they wish to find a way to get them out of their hair for good. After seeing Rolf breaks a large rock with a smaller one, Edd gets inspiration and tells his friends that they should try and use reverse psychology to beat the Kankers at their own game.

Plot
The Eds have a big problem with the Kankers. Edd is attacked in his yard by Marie while he was polishing furniture, Ed is caught in his kitchen by May while trying to find a spoon for his cereal, and Eddy is jumped in his own shower by Lee–while he was showering! Edd retreats to The Retro Van, only to discover that Ed and Eddy have run into the same problem, The Kankers! In a sudden quarrel of words about Eddy's stench (his shower was never finished due to him finding Lee and getting ambushed by her) Eddy snaps on Edd, telling him to think of something.

After Ed and Eddy interrupt his train of thought, he leaves The Retro Van. The Eds then encounter Rolf, Who is smashing bigger rocks into smaller ones. Edd examines one of the small rocks, leading Eddy to think they will hit the Kankers with a rock. Edd looks on as Rolf explains to Ed that only a rock can break a rock, but Ed keeps being stupid. Rolf is about to smash the sense into Ed's head, but Edd thanks Rolf for the answer, then goes to tell Eddy the answer, Only a rock will break a rock! The answer is reverse psychology as stated by Edd.

The Eds quickly set to trying out their answer in a simple (yet effective) experiment. They find the Kankers without getting caught and while they are not looking, Edd releases Ed down to where they are. Ed then approaches them and they act like they normally do when they see one of the Eds. Ed simply compliments May, and dances with Lee and Marie, but in a much more exaggerated manner. They slowly get freaked out by this and they soon flee to the "safety" of their trailer. Edd and Eddy come out of their hiding spot and are impressed with what just happened. Eddy believes that is that, but Edd states to assure themselves of a Kanker free future they will need to hit them while the getting is good. Eddy refuses, but Ed drags him in and they all head to the Trailer Park.

The Kankers are still creeped out by Ed's weird behavior even noting that their mom was right about guys when the doorbell rings. They are greeted by Edd who gives them freshly laundered socks and had already labeled their entire room, and Ed who made pancakes for them and putting ketchup on them while writing a message with said ketchup in a rebus form. The Kankers run to their room, which has just been labeled by Edd. Lee decides to call the cops, but she really picks up Ed who is looking to kiss them and says "Dial me for love!". They run to the door and are met once again by Edd, debating with a daisy, "She loves me, she loves me also." Running away, they turn to face Eddy, and everybody screams in fear. They make a last resort effort and run into the wall closet, a wall closet Ed has already entered. The couch is the next spot they encounter Edd, waiting with a blanket to snuggle, and back into the corner. Edd decided that it's now Eddy's turn to scare the Kankers, who are now nervous and terrified out of their wits. With a bouquet of flowers in hand he attempts to scare the Kankers. However Lee notices a small drop of sweat coming down Eddy's face and they quickly figure out what the Eds are doing (since the sweat drop is a sign of fear).

The Kankers, followed by the Eds, retreat to their room. Suddenly, Lee appears and locks the door and she hides the key in her shirt. Meanwhile, May drags Ed into the closet. Edd flips through the book and Marie suddenly is in the pages! Edd states that the Kankers have turned the tables on them by using reverse reverse psychology. The Kankers kiss the Eds much to the Eds' dismay.

Memorable Quotes

 * Ed: [Ed sitting home alone in front of a bowl of Chunky Puffs] "Spoon, please!" [gets up to get a spoon and pulls out a spatula, an egg beater, May, and soon a spoon out of his kitchen drawer] "Thank you, spoon!"

Ed: "Not I, Double D!" [pointing at Eddy] "Talk to mister stink wad!" Eddy: "Hey! I had a Kanker hairball stuck in my shower!" Edd: "Calm down, Eddy! I'm sure if we put our two and a half heads together we–" [get's interrupted by Eddy] Eddy: "YOU THINK OF SOMETHING, SMART GUY!" [Edd shushes Eddy and heads to the waterbed in the back to think]
 * Edd: [pinches his own nose smelling a stench] "Good golly almighty! What is that horrible odor?" [looking at Ed] "Ed?"


 * Eddy: [thinking Edd has a plan to stop the Kankers] "You're onto something, aren'tcha? Oh wait! I know! Don't tell me! We hit 'em with a rock! And-" [pause] "That's stupid! I could have thought of that!"

Rolf: [to Ed] "Hello, bundt-cake for brain Ed-Boy. Rolf is using this small rock to crush this bigger rock." Ed: [confused] "Bundt-cake crushes rock?" Rolf: "No. Only rock will break rock." Edd: "By George, that's the answer!" Ed: [while holding a slice of pizza in his hand] "Pizza slice breaks rock?" Rolf: "Ed-Boy! No pizza; ROCK!" [Ed pulls out a half-eaten pretzel from his jacket] Ed: "Half-eaten pretzel bagel breaks rock?" Rolf: [exceedingly frustrated and about to hit Ed in the head with the rock] "MUST ROLF BEAT SOME SENSE INTO THAT OVERCOOKED NOODLE THAT YOU CALL A HEAD?!" Edd: [stopping Rolf and shaking his hand] "ROLF! Thank you for being an unlikely source of inspiration." Ed: [grabs rock and throws it] "I'm a noodlehead and you're not!" [rock crushes Rolf] Rolf: "Rolf too yearns the simple life as a noodlehead."
 * Ed: [gets in front of Rolf about to smash the rock] "What is with the rock, Rolf?"

Eddy: "You spent all this time thinking and that's what you came up with?!" Edd: "It's just an analogy, Eddy. Rock breaks rock, fight fire with fire." [sighs and pulls out his Reverse Psychology book from the inside of his shirt] "We use reverse psychology!" Eddy: "Oh! I get ya! We hit 'em with a book!" [Eddy laughs at his own joke] "Oh, that's a good one." Edd: "Perhaps a demonstration would help clarify things." [using reverse psychology] "Ed, listen carefully now." [while pointing at the pile of dirt and using reverse psychology] "Do not eat that dirt." [he eats the dirt shortly after] Eddy: "What an idiot. I thought you said NOT to eat the dirt." Edd: "That's reverse psychology, Eddy! In order to defeat our enemy, we must become our enemy."
 * Edd: "Eddy! I've formulated a remedy to our Kanker dilemma! Because only a rock can break a rock!"

Lee: "Slow down, Casanova, we ain't cook the dinner yet!"
 * Ed: "Let's Mambo" [Ed tapes Lee and Marie's hand to his back and holds the other two hands.]

Eddy: "No way! I'll wait for the movie!" Edd: [using reverse psychology] "Ed, please don't get Eddy." [Ed starts moving his legs and chases Eddy around the creek while laughing at the same time] Eddy: "Leave me alone! I don't wanna! Go away!"
 * Edd: "In order to ensure ourselves a Kanker-free future the three of us must strike while the iron is hot."

May: "What just happened there?" Lee: "Mom was right. Throw a man a bone and he'll mess up the carpet."
 * [the Kankers arrive at their trailer and lock the door]

Ed: [with phone receiver on head] "Dial ME for love!" [Ed puckers his lips on the freaked out Kankers; Lee puts the phone receiver with Ed on it back and all three Kankers run in a different direction]
 * Lee: "That's it, I'm calling the cops!"

Eddy: [sweating] Edd: "Go on Eddy. Show no mercy. Make them never bother us again!" Eddy: [sweating uncontrollably] "So... Yeah... Um..." [sweat drops on floor, with Lee seeing that they're using reverse psychology on them] Lee: [pushes May and Marie to pull themselves together, causing them to use reverse psychology] "Oh, you scare us." May: "You're so gross." Marie: "Eeek." Eddy: [thinking they have won] "Ha! They can't take the old Eddy charm. Can't blame 'em, though. I'm too much for even myself." Ed: "You're Eddy! Babe magnet to the, um…babes!"
 * Edd: "I haven't had this much fun since father let me disassemble his shaver!" [gives Eddy a bouquet of flowers] "Here, Eddy, it's your turn."

Ed and Eddy: "WE'RE TOO YOUNG! AAAAAAH!"
 * Edd: "This can't be! They turned the tables on us, Eddy! It's a reverse reverse psychology!" [the Kankers start to kiss the Eds]

Trivia/Goofs

 * This is the last episode to be aired in 2003.
 * Pop culture reference:
 * After Eddy pulls Lee out of the shower drain, the screen immediately focuses on the outside of the steamy shower. Eddy's hand can be seen rubbing down the glass door, an obvious reference to the movie Titanic.
 * Rolf calls Ed "buntcake-for-brain Ed boy," keeping up with his tradition of giving the Eds clever nicknames.
 * Edd's Reverse Psychology Manual is by Kent Webb, a storyboard artist at AKA Cartoon.
 * When Ed shouts "Let's mambo!", notice the animation mistake on Marie.
 * Running Gags:
 * Ed and Edd scaring the Kankers through reverse psychology.
 * Eddy deciphering Edd's plans wrong (figuring they should hit the Kankers with something more likely).
 * This episode contains the first time in an actual episode that Edd has given socks to show his "love." Until now, that had only been stated on the Cartoon Network Site, a quiz book (mostly made of info from the site), and one comic ("Secret Ed-mirer"). Edd gives another sock to show his love to May in Ed, Edd n Eddy's Hanky Panky Hullabaloo.
 * This episodes features the third and final appearance of the Retro Van.
 * This is Ed's third attempt at standing up to the Kankers. The first time was the episode "Dawn of the Eds" and the second time was in the episode "Momma's Little Ed". What is different here is that Ed won against the Kankers in the latter two episodes, but he lost to them in this episode.
 * 15th time Kevin doesn't appear.
 * 9th time Jonny doesn't appear.
 * 21st time Nazz doesn't appear.
 * 6th time Jimmy is absent
 * 12th time Sarah is absent.
 * Rolf only appears for a small bit of time in this episode.
 * Just after Ed threw the rock on Rolf's head, the Eds are still in the current location and somehow, Rolf disappears from the scene.
 * Before Ed is "dancing" with Marie and Lee he shouts "Let's mambo!" he is actually doing a tango.
 * When Lee jumped out of Eddy's shower drain, she was wearing the same bathing suit she wore in "Home Cooked Eds."
 * The plot of this episode is similar to the Shakespeare play "Much Ado About Nothing." In this play, two of the main characters, Benedick and Beatrice constantly argue with witty insults, but in the end fall in love with each other. The reverse ending happens here: The Eds use reverse psychology on the Kankers, saying they love them, then the plan backfires and they are slaves to whatever fate the Kankers have in store for them.
 * When Edd heads over to the lipstick dispenser to investigate, his goggles disappeared from the last scene.
 * When the Kankers head up into their rooms to hide, May's mouth did not move when she said "let's hide in our room."
 * This episode is mainly dominated by the Eds and the Kankers.
 * No scams are created in this episode.
 * Edd's Reverse Psychology Manual reappears in Ed, Edd n Eddy's Hanky Panky Hullabaloo.
 * In "Dawn of the Eds," the horn of the Retro Van plays La Cucaracha. In this episode, it is just regular honking. The same unspecialized honk appears in "Dueling Eds."
 * When Ed has pancakes and squirts ketchup on them, Marie's hair is reversed so that it's covering her left eye instead of her right.
 * When Ed and Eddy are chanting "THINK! THINK! THINK! THINK!" while Edd is still thinking, it is similar to "My Fair Ed" when Ed and Eddy chanted "FOOD! FOOD! FOOD! FOOD!" when Edd is bringing soup to them.

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