Bad News Bergens

Episode Info
**Gallery**
**Transcript**

Season 1, Episode 4a

**"Bad News Bergens"** is the first segment of the 4th episode of the first season of *Trolls: The Beat Goes On!*, and the 7th overall episode in the series. It premiered on January 19, 2018.

## Synopsis

To build ties with the Bergens, Poppy signs up her friends to play Bergen Ball.

## Plot

At Bergen Town, Poppy and some of The Snack Pack are having a hard time receiving any high-five from the Bergens. Gristle explains that they won't receive any from ordinary Bergens, but Poppy finds that Bergen Ball players do. They decide to sign up to the sport, expecting they would receive high-fives from a Bergen Ball team. But Groth, the leader of said team, rudely refuses, saying that his team would rather offer their camaraderie if the Trolls give them a good game in Bergen Ball. The Trolls gladly accept the challenge, but are easily outmatched by their counterparts. Branch tries to convince Poppy that it's not worth to get high-fives from the rude players, but Poppy is determined to gain a relationship with the other team, so she decides to train themselves in Bergen ball.

Back in Troll Village, Poppy is overseeing their training on Bergen Ball with only one thing left to teach: to become fierce. She goes through a difficult process, but eventually has Smidge, Biggie, and Branch to loosen their soft side and become fierce enough to take on the Bergens. On the day of the match, the Trolls catch the Bergen team off-guard as they dominate the match with a score of 20-0 with fierce competitive determination on the sport. During the half-time, Poppy, seeing how things have turned out well for them, expects to finally receive a high-five from Groth and his team, but only produced the opposite as their counterparts are more hostile toward them, facing defeat in their own game. Gristle explains to Poppy that they should try a different approach, so Poppy calls her team and orders them to lose the match on purpose, much to their reluctance.

When the game resumes, the Trolls let the match go one-sided to the Bergens' favor, allowing them to reach the same score as the Trolls. Poppy watches as her team tries to resist the Bergens' arrogance and boasting just so they can give Poppy what she wanted. Groth then approaches Poppy, and seemingly appears to offer her the high-five she wanted, but to her shock, he slips his hand right back, humiliating her. Having enough, Poppy gathers her team and realizes that it is not worth gaining friendship with Groth's team, deciding to quit, but Smidge and the others instead resume the match and put up a fight.

With only moments until the match finishes, the Trolls quickly gain the upper hand as Groth's team is unable to match up. Poppy delivers the final blow and scores, defeating the Bergens. As they celebrate, Groth and his team confront them angrily, but Poppy responds politely and humbly acknowledging a fair match between the two teams. They're taken back by their kindness, so Poppy asks if they've finally given them a good game. Realizing they mean well, Groth finally decides to offer the trolls the high-five they've wanted for so long. Due to size difference, when Groth pushes his hand forward against Poppy and the Trolls, it throws them off, but Poppy finally feels the success of receiving the camaraderie.

## Cast

Trolls
* Amanda Leighton as Queen Poppy
* Skylar Astin as Branch
* Kevin Michael Richardson as Smidge
* David Fynn as Biggie

Bergens
* Sam Lerner as King Gristle Jr.
* Kevin Michael Richardson as Groth
* Patrick Pinney as Nangus Skullcrusher
* David Koechner as Buzby
* Kari Wahlgren as Bernice
* Chad (non-speaking)
* Todd (non-speaking)

Other
* David Fynn as Mr. Dinkles

## Physical distribution

This episode is available on the "Trolls: The Beat Goes On! - Complete Seasons 1-4" DVD.

## Trivia

* The title is a reference to the movie The Bad News Bears.
* Branch yelling is a nod to *Trolls*, where he yells while the other Trolls are celebrating the date's success and gets the tone of the yell wrong.
* Gristle sits in a throne during the Bergen Ball match, whose back is decorated with rackets. This is a nod to *Game of Thrones*.
* Groth says that he would like to see Poppy beat 1,200 lbs of Bergen, giving an approximate weight for a Bergen.
* "Boom Da Party", a song from *All Hail King Julien* is heard in this episode. It plays when the Bergens and Trolls are playing Bergen Ball.
	+ This song would be played again in "Musical Thrones", "Ear Worm", "Blank Day" and "Giggleyum" and in the *Trolls: TrollsTopia* episodes "The Fabyrinth", "Trollection", "The Cloudback Whale" and "Funder Construction".
* Poppy and Branch have an easy time trash-talking each other unlike the other Trolls, which is a reference to the fact that they like to argue with each other and do it frequently. Also, this episode shows that Poppy has two very different sides; she can be very fierce, determined, and not easily intimidated, but can also be very kind, sweet, and loving as she doesn't want to make the Bergens feel bad when they lost.
	+ During one of the trash-talks in the episode, Poppy references the plot of *Trolls* when she tells Branch "I eat Trolls like you for breakfast."
* When Groth humiliates the Trolls and laughs with his team, Biggie doesn't get the thing and laughs along until Poppy points it out. This would be later nodded in "Dinkles Dinkles Little Star", when Groth says that the Trolls are laughing at him rather than with him, immediately after mocking Mr. Dinkles.

## Videos

Bergen Ball Trolls The Beat Goes On! Netflix Jr