The Case of the Missing Pastry (episode)

Vox Pop

*The Case of the Missing Pastry* is the seventeenth 11 minute episode of the animated series, *Twipsy*.

## Synopsis

*Twipsy is just crazy about food. But enough is enough, and he stuffs himself until he falls sick and has a temperature. He has to get back to cyberspace fast, because after a certain time in the real world he would turn into another form of energy. Making one last raid on the refrigerator, he falls into a mousetrap and can't get out. Nick, Lissie and Albert find him at the last moment...*

## Plot

**Spoiler Alert!**

This is a detailed explanation of the episode as it follows. *If you have not seen the episode as of yet, we advise you to tread carefully.*

Through the middle of the night at the Walkers' household, Twipsy stumbles through the dark as he sneaks from Nick's bedroom towards the kitchen downstairs, while trying not to wake anyone up. As soon as he arrives, he raids the refrigerator and excitedly eating everything in sight, even the plates. He raids the pantry and even eats out of the fruit bowl.

The next morning, Stan Walker interrogates his family over who has eaten all of the food in the kitchen, in which both Nick and Lissie proclaim they did not do it. Ruling out the family, Stan Walker suspects that someone else - perhaps a pest - could be stealing food from the Walkers' kitchen.

Some time later, as Twipsy snacks on an ice cream and popcorn, Nick and Lissie try to break the news towards the cybermessenger, and even tell him off for raiding the refrigerator. However, Twipsy still remains optimistic and comments on the joys of real world food, even going on a tangent on how real world food is appealing to him.

Dr Walker decides to carry out grocery shopping, in which she greets Albert along the way - Albert is carrying a box of parts and cables to mend the Imprescanner. Later, Dr Walker is at the supermarket, and has gathered plenty of food to fill a supermarket trolley, in which she explains to another shopper, that her family "have big appetites". Unexpectedly, both of them hear munching noises in which - surprise, Twipsy is seen snacking on potato chips, presumably inside the trolley.

inevitably, Twipsy has eaten so much he falls ill from a bellyache, both to the worry of Nick and Lissie. Unbearably, Twipsy begins to develop a fever, a warning sign that Twipsy has spent too much time outside of cyberspace, and is at risk of fading into a different energy form. Nick and Lissie try to console him, even checking his temperature with a thermometer, but Twipsy still insists he has to return to cyberspace quickly. Downstairs, Stan Walker has installed cameras in the kitchen, and traps along the floor to presumably catch the intruder in the act, although Dr Walker dismisses this as overreacting.

As soon as Lissie and Nick leave to meet Albert, Twipsy decides to make one last raid on the refrigerator, even as the cameras (installed by Stan Walker to catch any signs of the refrigerator thief) are rolling. As soon as he finds something in the fridge, Twipsy gets his foot caught in the mousetrap, and he reacts in pain. The noise wakes both Stan and Dr Walker up, but Twipsy finds difficulty in getting away, due to his stomachache, and impending weakness.

As soon as Albert arrives at the Walkers household, and Nick's bedroom, they find Twipsy missing, and they try to find him, even if he is downstairs in the kitchen, weak and paralysed, changing colours. As the trio search Nick's bedroom for him, Champ the dog requests to leave the house - Nick carries her downstairs and towards the kitchen. From there, Nick finally finds Twipsy.

Nick, Albert and Lissie finally carry him back upstairs to Nick's bedroom, even as Twipsy's symptoms of energy form changes become visible - popped kernels start leaping from his belly, indicating he might become heat energy unless he returns soon. As Albert activates the Print-o-Scan, Nick and Lissie give their goodbyes, and remind him to email the pair, and Twipsy returns to cyberspace safely.

At the end point, Stan Walker has finally called in a pest exterminator, who agrees with him and proceeds to mist the interior of the kitchen with a chemical spray.

## Observations

* A running gag present in the episode is that Twipsy tends to swallow anything whole, even the crockery and packaging, such as the tubs of yoghurt and cereal. However, a deviation from this gag is when he is seen eating potato chips from actually opening the packet.
* One interesting observation when Twipsy reaches a critical point towards fading (fortunately averted), popcorn kernels are seen leaving his belly - a visual half-gag that heat energy cooks food.
* It is not even mentioned about what happened to Twipsy after successfully entering cyberspace in a critical condition.
* Continuity: Twipsy is in a critical condition upon eating too much real world food, yet when he does this in other episodes, he is still in perfect health.

## Quotes

Twipsy: \*after a brief moment of imagining all the food he wishes to have\* ...and do you mind, I was having a beautiful dream!

## References

1. ↑ Amazon. 2015. Amazon.com: Twipsy - Season 1, Episode 17 "The Case of the Missing Pastry" [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LJD3FIG/ref=dv\_dp\_ep17. [Accessed 10 April 2015].