Nano a Nano

**"Nano a Nano"** is the first segment of the twenty-fourth episode of the first season of *Hamster & Gretel*, and the forty-sixth episode overall. It is paired with "The Unnatural History of Dr. MedusaSaurus Ph.D." and premiered on Disney Channel on October 14, 2023.

During a school trip at a robot factory, Gretel's classmate Kelly accidentally spills some nanobots, one of which attaching itself to her and gradually overtaking her body through multiplication.

## Plot

During a school field trip to a robot factory, an accident-prone girl named Kelly is met with relentless bullying from other students, with Gretel assuring her that bullies merely feel small on the inside. When Kelly knocks over a container of nanobots, one makes its way into the cast on her arm and makes her increasingly strong and powerful, much to the awe of the other students. Meanwhile, Fred calls Kevin and Hamster over to her house to help her vacate items secured from previous battles, but the three have trouble parting with any of them.

Gretel becomes concerned about Kelly's behavior when she begins attacking other students and destroying property, culminating in Kelly becoming a cyborg. Unable to fend her off, Gretel calls Kevin for help, and through Fred's analysis, they discover that Simon, the head nanobot, has taken control of Kelly's body. She then uses Tchotchke Jones' shrink ray to shrink Gretel, allowing her to fight the nanobots while Hamster takes on Kelly. Eventually, Gretel realizes that the nanobots are bullies and believes that they are experiencing the same pain as Kelly's bullies. Kelly is reverted back to normal and Simon leads a new career path as a painter.

## Cast and characters

* Meli Povenmire as Gretel Grant-Gomez
* Michael Cimino as Kevin Grant-Gomez
* Beck Bennett as Hamster
* Joey King as Fred Grant
* Kate Micucci as Kelly
* Lauren Tom as Ms. Jamanpour
* Phil LaMarr as Coach Mendez
* Eric Bauza as Tucker
* Brock Powell as Simon

### Additional voices

* Brock Powell as Doctor Ben, Marcus
* Isaac Robinson-Smith as Vocabulary Instructor, Hazmat Guy

## Running gags

### Image scene transitions

Dr. Ben, being attacked by NG97
(used to transition to the Eastside Elementary School gym class)Kevin, Fred and Hamster, with several gadgets from previous antagonists
(used to transition to the streets being attacked by Simon controlling Kelly at sundown)

## Transcript

*Click here to read the full transcript of **"Nano a Nano"**.*

## Background information

### Trivia

* This episode marks the return of Kevin and Hamster since their brief absence in the previous episode.
* This episode reveals that Hamster, Gretel, Kevin and Fred are keeping leftover gadgets from the villains and antagonists they have faced before.
* Bailey doesn't appear in this episode despite it being school related.

### Allusions

* The episode title is a pun on the phrase "*mano a mano*"; it's Spanish for "hand to hand" and typically refers to a conflict between two people.
* **Simon Says** - The main nanobot taking control over Kelly is named Simon and commandeers an army of duplicated nanobots while using the phrase "Simon says" a lot. The accompanying song is also called Simon Says.
* ***Charlie's Angels*** - Hamster, Kevin, and Fred's pose during the second scene transition resembles the iconic pose featuring the main characters of this 1976 crime drama series.
* ***Mission: Impossible*** - The second scene transition also uses a different, more dramatic action sting, reminiscent of the title theme of this 1966 action spy-fiction series, as opposed to the usual action sting inspired by the 1966 *Batman* television series.
* **Bob Ross / *The Joy of Painting*** - The resolution for Simon at the end of the episode has him teach painting to a class in the same style as *The Joy of Painting* and its host, Bob Ross. The program's title also parodies the full title of *The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross*, being called *Enjoy Your Painting with Simon*.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.dgepress.com/disneybrandedtelevision/pressrelease/october-2023-programming-highlights/
2. ↑ https://twitter.com/disneybeat101/status/1700201279534829781