Out with the Old, In with the Ed

"Out with the Old, In with the Ed" is the 1st episode of Season 5, the 103rd episode of Ed, Edd n Eddy and the third half-hour episode. In this episode, the kids of the Cul-de-Sac reluctantly go back to school (except for Edd, who is enthusiastic about the new school year).

Part One
Today, Edd is getting ready for school, which starts tomorrow. For this reason, he has a clipboard and a checklist, and he is making sure to time his simulation of his getting ready. Initially, all goes well, with him using various contraptions and shortcuts placed around the house, but he gets into trouble during the actual stage of packing his briefcase, as it seems he has forgotten the paper clips for this year.

Edd stops his stopwatch and slumps to the ground. When he looks up, though, he notices his calendar, and something exceedingly strange about it. Although it should be the start of fall, his calendar says that it's July. Edd is confused by this, and walks outside, where he finds the kids happily playing in the summer sun. He is exceedingly confused by this, as just yesterday the air was cool, but has little time to ponder it as Eddy grabs him, stuffs him into a burger costume, and sets him to advertising Eddy's Summer BBQ.

While Ed makes the beef from truck tires and Eddy gets to work cooking the rubber, Edd is still confused as to what seems to be a whiplash–or perhaps a reset button–from the end of summer to the midst of it. He is soon confronted by Jonny, who mocks Edd over his costume and says that Halloween is a long way away. Of course, Edd can't resist pointing out that Plank can't be sure of this, which strangely sets Eddy to sweating. Eddy grabs Jonny and asks him what he'd like to eat, but this only makes Edd more interested in finding out what's going on.

This interest is furthered when he finds an electrical cord. When Edd follows it to the fence, he finds a heating system. Looking more closely, he finds vents from it leading throughout the cul-de-sac, one of which is up a tree. When a gust blows off a leaf, Edd picks it up, and the green wipes off, revealing orange. Looking into the tree, he sees a statue of a bird next to a tape recorder that's playing back birdcalls, and soon realizes what must have happened.

Upon figuring out the scheme, he goes back to the barbecue scam and confronts Eddy over it, interrupting his rapport with Rolf. Of course, Eddy can't let this fly, and he clamps his hand over Edds mouth before Edd can give the secret away. Eddy quickly grabs his friend and pushes him into the hidden burger-making area, where he explains that if summer never ends, school never starts, and that being the case, they can scam forever.

While it would seem that Edd wouldn't stand for this, soon it goes out of his or Eddy's control, as a storm blows in. This storm destroys most of Eddy's scheme, and it is completely wrecked when a gust of wind blows over a garbage can–the same can that Eddy had stuffed with the fall pages from everyone's calendar. Kevin picks up a page and realizes what happened, and soon everyone, from laid-back Nazz to high-strung Jimmy is panicking over the realization that school starts tomorrow and none of them are prepared.

Soon, though, an idea strikes Rolf as he realizes that Edd is of course over-prepared for the coming school year, and he leads a stampede towards Edd's house. Ignoring the protestations of it being private property, Rolf uses an axe to hack open the door, and the kids rush in and steal all of Edd's precious school supplies. When Edd comes back in after they've all left, not only does he find that they've left muddy footprints all over the floor, but his cabinet of school supplies is completely trashed and emptied out. When he falls to the ground in shock, however, he falls on a highlighter pen. Although this may be something, it's not much, and his fragile mental state is not helped by Eddy's complaints that he can't compete with Edd giving away stuff. Soon, though, he remembers that Ed has a back-to-school sale half-off coupon, and begs him for it. Typically oblivious, Ed says that he hasn't a clue what Edd's talking about, as all he has is a back-to-school sale coupon from his parents, and Edd drags Ed out so they can shop.

A while later, Ed has entered Lih's Supply Co. While Edd eagerly waits for him to come out again, Eddy once again takes this opportunity to suggest to Edd that he just sit back, relax, and let summer roll on. Edd refuses Eddy's suggestion, but it soon seems that this has been in vain, as when Ed comes out of the store again, he's gotten Edd a giant bag of pancake mix, a urinal, a step-stool, and a teeth-mark-ridden pencil. Edd isn't happy with any of these supplies, but of course, one must do with what one has.

Part Two
Eddy hasn't given up, either, as that night he sets up a giant waterslide. Despite what transpired earlier that day, he is still shocked when none of the kids come out to play. Of course, Edd isn't surprised, and he kindly suggests that his friends get some sleep as he heads to bed early so he can get a fresh start on the new day. Naturally, Eddy doesn't take this advice, choosing instead to go for a slide, but a collision with Ed in the middle causes problems, and the slide collapses in the middle of the darkened suburb, a giant wreck that was once the Eds' last summer scheme.

When Ed and Eddy awaken the next day, they find themselves being pulled along with the rest of the wreckage in a cart driven by Rolf and pulled by Victor. Edd is sitting up front with the son of a shepherd as they head to school. The other kids are going to school as well, but they're doing their best to buck up and bear it, with Kevin carrying Nazz on his handlebars and Jonny riding along on his scooter. When they get there, though, Rolf is swift to impress upon the three Ed-boys that this will not be a pleasant experience, as here they shall be mercilessly judged. In the spirit of yesterday, Eddy doesn't want to go in, but Edd is enthusiastic, and some of his spirit has rubbed off on Ed, as Ed gladly follows Edd into the school.

Once inside, Edd leads his friends to the board on which the homeroom postings stand. It seems that this year, Kevin, Nazz, and Rolf have been put in the same homeroom again, and Edd congratulates them on it. He goes to look for his homeroom, but soon finds a scary fact: the Eds have been placed in three separate homerooms. When he tells their friends, they are naturally upset, and Eddy demands to know what Edd is going to do to fix it. According to Edd, the proper route is to go through school officials, as with signed notes from all of their parents and proper notarization on the right forms, they could be together in a mere three to four weeks. Eddy isn't happy with this, but the Eds soon have to duck into a locker, as the Kankers come down the hall, talking about how they'll be skipping class all year. Of course, May still wants to see if they're all in the same homeroom, and when they check the board, she learns they'll be together. Even Lee's statement that nobody cares doesn't deter her. Once the Kankers leave, the Eds come out of their hiding place, and Edd points out that they could trade places with the Kankers if they were able to get the girls to sign a certain form. Eddy isn't willing to go this far–until Edd points out that if the Kankers ever did attend class, Eddy would be in the same room as them.

Soon enough, the Eds are crouched at the boiler room door, watching the Kankers decorate their home away from home. Worried, Eddy asks what happened to the janitor, prompting a dark response from Ed. Annoyed, Edd tells him not to make up stories, but he can't really be certain of what the Kankers will do. He was the one to propose that they make an arrangement with the Kankers, however, so soon enough Eddy tosses his friend down the steps. Just as the May and Marie are about to attack him with smooches, Edd offers them tater tots, and as they scarf them down, Edd crawls away to the feet of Lee. Edd starts to explain their dilemma, but Lee is distracted by a movement at the door, and she hauls Edd's friends in. With all three Eds in the basement, she summarizes what Edd wants to do, and he agrees. Lee demands collateral, however, and May's suggestion that the boys publicly declare their love seems about right to her.

Later that day, Eddy walks up to Rolf, Jonny, Nazz, and Kevin. Pulling out a picture of Lee in the bathtub, he says that he really loves his girlfriend. Things only get odder when Ed arrives, wearing May's clothes, and reads off of several index cards, all of which declare his love for May. Just as Kevin, Jonny, Nazz, and Rolf are laughing at what seems to be their hardest, Edd comes up with Marie on his back and announces through a bullhorn that he loves piggybacking his girlfriend around school until he collapses. Only then does Marie get off of him, and after a few more laughs, the bell for class rings, and the four kids disperse. Angry, Eddy goes up to Lee and demands satisfaction, which she and her sisters readily provide by signing the provided form and sending the Eds off to room 212.

Edd is somewhat confused as Ed heads off to their new homeroom, as he has never heard of room #212. At the top of the stairs, though, they find it, and the three enter. Soon, though, they notice something off about the classroom, and Edd swiftly realizes that they're in a girls' bathroom. All of them just want to get out of there, but this is not to be, as the Kankers enter dressed as teachers and ready to start a lesson on Touchy-Feely 101. The Eds try to protest, but it is to no avail, as the trio of vixens shove them into bathroom stalls and prove their reign as the Matrons of Makeout.

Memorable Quotes

 * Edd: [stricken by a purchasing oversight] "The paperclips! I've forgotten the paperclips! Oh, curse those months of unregimented summer irrationality! Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy."


 * Jimmy: [panicked about starting school] "I still have last year's clothes!"


 * Jonny: [whizz-wazzing] "Whizz-wazz, it's time to wazz!"

Edd: [sarcastic] "Oh sure, why not! Why would I need a hat when school is totally out of the question!"
 * Ed: [jolly after Edd's house is ransacked] "Double D, can I have your hat?"

Edd: [recoiling] "Thank you for sharing that, Rolf."
 * Rolf: "Rolf had to use a trowel to break away his eye crustacean this morning."


 * Rolf: [depressed and about to enter the school] "The time of reckoning has come, half-naked Ed boys. For it is here that we shall be mercilessly judged."

Eddy: [not so delighted] "Yeah, call a nurse 'cuz I'm chokin' on it!"
 * Edd: [delighted to be at school] "Isn't this exhilarating? You can feel the knowledge in the air!"

Ed: [in full overactive imagination mode] "Another cleaning man has fallen prey to their hunger that is evil."
 * Eddy: [staring into the Kankers' lair] "What'd they do with the janitor?"

Edd: "Ed, that pencil is riddled with teeth marks." Ed: "Why thank you!"
 * Ed: [finished with school supply shopping] For you..." [giving Edd a bag of pancake mix] "One bag of pancake mix..." [giving Edd a urinal] "...one blender..." [handing him a stepladder] "...one steppity step..." [holding out a chewed-up pencil] "...and a pencil."


 * Jonny: "Plank's freaking out!"


 * Ed: [ready for school] "Stinky books, stinky books, stinky books, stinky books!"

Trivia

 * Goofs:
 * When Edd discovers the heating furnace, it was hidden behind the bushes. However, when the heating furnace blows out due to the rain, the bushes disappeared.
 * Before Edd goes to the supplies store, it is dark out because of the storm clouds. When the Eds are at the supplies store, it is suddenly light out. When the Eds leave the shop, the dark clouds reappear.
 * There is an error on the board with the lists of classrooms. When Jonny looks on the list for classroom 201 there is "Patrick, Peter, Philip, Plank". But when Edd shows that Eddy would be in the same class as the Kankers in 201, the last name on the list is May.
 * When Marie says, "It's her gum", her lips don't match up to her line.
 * When Edd offers the Kankers tater tots, they are heard fighting about them before their lips started moving.
 * There is a continuity error when Ed enters Room 212. Outside of the room, he is wearing May Kanker's clothes due to him switching clothes with May herself. Once inside the room, he is wearing his usual pants, short-sleeved shirt and jacket even though he and May were not shown switching back in their clothes.
 * On the board with the homeroom postings 212 was listed there.
 * This is the third half-hour long non-special episode. The first was "If It Smells Like an Ed," the second was "Take This Ed and Shove It," and the fourth (and final) would be "A Fistful of Ed."
 * The whizz-whazz hat fad reappeared in this episode (even the catchphrase used for it returns as well). The first time it appeared was back in "It's Way Ed" where it was one of the many fads the kids were going through. Also the stylish shades fad that Nazz presented in that same episode were shown while she was reading the magazine near the beginning of this episode.
 * Edd's clipboard during his "back-to-school simulation" reads: Clean Clipboard, Practice Checkmarks, Review Topographic Map for Accuracy, Lung Oxidation, and Engage Stopwatch.
 * Edd's hidden closet of school supplies contains: four binders, HB pencils, a first-aid kit, a box of fine-grit erasers, six bottles of glue, four boxes of 0.5 pencil leads, four boxes of 0.7 pencil leads, a box of staples, a large stack of plain paper, a box of sticky notes, two adding machines, a book (most likely a dictionary or thesaurus), five rulers of different lengths, five paintbrushes, a sharpener, two desk lamps, two packs of graph paper, two packs of note paper, and his messenger bag.
 * In this episode, school starts for the main characters. However, "Mission Ed-Possible" and a few other Season 5 episodes aired before this episode. It is possible that Cartoon Network erroneously aired this episode out of order.
 * Lih's Supply Co store is named after Lih Liau, storyboard artist at A.K.A. Cartoon.
 * In the first half of the show, Eddy's apron changes phrases depending on periods of excitement or disturbance.
 * The different phrases that were on the apron read "Smooch the cook", "Now I'm Mad", "I ♥ Summer", and "School Stinks".
 * Check out the board at the front of the school reading "Back to school. Go Cobblers!" Peach Creek Jr. High's football team seems to be named after the dessert "Peach Cobbler."
 * Near the end of the episode, Edd declares that he had never heard of homeroom 212, and afterward it was shown to be a girls' bathroom. But if you backtrack to the point where Edd finds out that he, Ed and Eddy have been assigned separate home rooms, room 212 is right at the top of the board.
 * On the board that lists the students in each classroom there are some important names on it.
 * In Ed's homeroom there's Simon, Sherann and Betty.
 * Simon = Simon Piniel / Sherann = Sherann Johnson, both storyboard artists at A.K.A. Cartoon.
 * In Edd's homeroom there's Angus, Big Jim, Danny & Jilly D.
 * Angus = Angus Bungay, A.K.A. Cartoon's inker (and Ed's rotten fish necklace) / Big Jim is of course "Big" Jim Miller, senior storyboard artist and director / Danny = Danny Antonucci who I'm sure needs no introduction.
 * In Eddy's homeroom, there's Andrew, Diggs, Lee, Marie and May
 * Sharing with Eddy and the Kankers, we have those lucky little dickenses Andrew = Andrew Park, A.K.A. Cartoon storyboard artist / Diggs = Scott Diggs Underwood, senior storyboard artist and director at AKA.