Debbie Meddle

"Debbie Meddle" is the twenty-seventh episode of the second season (and seventy-ninth episode overall) of Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja. It premiered on April 6, 2015.
==Synopsis==
Journalist Debbie Kang scores the scoop of the century when she discovers Randy Cunningham is the Ninja!
==Plot==
During a snowy day, Randy shows off his winter clothes to Howard, which includes the Ninja Mask worn inside out as a hood and a red scarf. Howard warns Randy against flaunting his identity carelessly, but Randy claims it doesn't count since he's not actually being the Ninja. However, from a distance away Debbie Kang captures footage of Randy and smiles to herself.
Shortly after, Howard and Randy enter the school when Debbie invites Randy into the Norrisville High Gazette Times Tribune Weekly Daily Press Chronicle Room, where she confronts Randy about his secret identity. Randy tries to brush it off until Debbie shows him her captured footage, featuring him putting on his hood earlier while saying "I'm the Ninja". Randy is unable to come up with an excuse; Debbie, triumphant, declares that she's going to broadcast the news via Heidi's afternoon show. In a moment of panic Randy opens the NinjaNomicon in Debbie's face, sending her into the book.
Randy gets Howard out of class and explains the situation. Howard criticizes Randy for inadvertently shoving Debbie into the book, since it's incontrovertible proof that he is the Ninja. Randy quickly destroys Debbie's collection of evidence before asking Howard to guard the unconscious bodies while he goes into the NinjaNomicon himself to get Debbie out. Howard complies, but soon decides to pose Debbie and Randy's bodies in embarrassing positions and leaves.
Inside the book, Debbie correctly guesses that the NinjaNomicon is an 800-year-old compendium of ninja secrets. Randy tries pleading with Debbie to not divulge his secret, but all at once images of armored swordsmen begin surrounding Randy, accusing him of behaving in a way "unbecoming of the ninja" for carelessly revealing his identity. The images chase a fleeing Randy; Debbie casually wonders how to leave the book, which warps her out at her request. As she wakes up, Debbie realizes that Randy has destroyed all her evidence, but decides to bring along the NinjaNomicon as her evidence instead while Randy is unconscious.
Despite Howard's attempts, Debbie declares on Heidi's show that the Ninja is Randy Cunningham; the latter pronouncing Randy's name correctly for the first time. Having been watching the show, McFist sends a robot to the school to hunt Randy down. Randy prepares to go ninja, but realizes that Debbie has taken the NinjaNomicon and his mask along with it, and decides to hide away "until graduation". However, he has a change of heart after hearing the screaming students outside and appears in front of the robot, luring it away and onto the frozen lake. After some effort, Randy manages to sink the robot beneath the thin ice, destroying it.
Randy reappears at school, attempting to deflect Debbie's accusations of him being the Ninja to no success, until Howard appears on the roof of the school with a dummy of the Ninja. Debbie is flabbergasted to see Randy and "the Ninja" standing separately; Heidi angrily tells Debbie off for giving her a mistaken scoop, and the other students leave, disappointed. Randy uses the Ultimate Lesson to mindwipe Debbie permanently, admitting his mistake to the NinjaNomicon and preparing to be mindwiped himself, but the NinjaNomicon praises him for his earlier act of bravery. Randy resolves to treat the secrecy of his identity more seriously as he and Howard get into another brief disagreement.
Debbie wakes up shortly after, unsure of what she's doing until she picks up the note she wrote to herself: "Randy Cunningham is the Ninja". Without any memory of investigating the Ninja, she dismissively tears up the note and forget it.
==Gallery==
==Trivia==
*The title is a pun on the phrase "Heavy Metal."
*According to the calendar in Debbie Kang's office, this episode takes place in February, though it actually first aired in April.
*The episode payoff Debbie's arch that was hinted at in the episode, "All the Juice That's Fish to Swim".
*There is an error in this episode, in part where Doug was carried by the robot, we can see Theresa running. In the shot where Debbie and Heidi watched the laptop, we can see a calm Theresa behind Howard.
*Debbie learns that Randy is the Ninja, though she ends up forgetting it due to the Nomicon mindwiping her.
*This is the second episode to not feature Randy in the Ninja Suit. The first was "Enter the Nomicon".
*This is the second time that Randy defeats a robot without actually using the Ninja Suit. The first was "Shoot First, Ask Questions Laser".
*Debbie and Randy break the fourth wall by referring to how ridiculous the idea of "Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja" is, and then looking at the camera to the accompaniment of a musical sting.
*Randy is referred to by various names by nearly everyone who speaks in this episode, "Cunningham" by Debbie and Howard; "Randy" by Debbie, Howard (!), and Randy himself; "Randall," also by Randy himself; "Randy Cunningham" by Debbie Kang, Heidi, Howard, Randy, and McFist; "Landy Bunningham" by Heidi; and "That Guy" by most of the students.
*The pin board when Debbie tries to find the Ninja's identity is a reference to Disney XD show Gravity Falls.
*Randy also breaks the fourth wall when he opens a door in the Nomicon to reveal a photograph of the real Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas, to which Randy responds with a puzzled gesture.
**This is subtly emphasized by Randy's breaking through the wall of the Nomicon directly afterward.
*For the first time, Heidi Weinerman says Randy's name properly.
*Randy's name is said well over fifteen times, which is the most times Randy’s name has ever been said in one episode.
*This is the first time that McFist learns and says Randy Cunningham's name.
**Though McFist learns that Randy is the Ninja in this episode, he appears to have no knowledge of this in the following episodes, despite not having witnessed Howard's false demonstration that Randy was not the Ninja. (It may be presumed that he watched Heidi retract the story on a subsequent broadcast.)
**In the storyboards of this episode it reveals Randy originally let Debbie hit the ground instead of grabbing her head and gently laying her on the floor. He was also more arrogant when she finds out then he is in the final version.
*On the bulletin board all the photos of "Viva El Nomicon", "Bring Me the Head of Ranginald Bagel!", "Weinerman Tested, Cunningham Approved" and "McOne Armed and Dangerous".
*This is the second time where Randy is slipping on the ice rink. The first was "The Ninja Identity" and the second was "Snow-Klahoma!".
==External links==
Category:Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja episodes