Flying Solo

**Flying Solo** is the twentieth episode (twenty-first in production order) of the fifth series, and the two-hundred-nineteenth episode of *The Loud House*.

## Plot

Clyde thinks he's a shoe-in for the Glee Club solo, until Lincoln accidentally auditions and lands the part.

## Synopsis

At the middle school, the Glee Club, consisting of Lincoln, Clyde, Liam, Paula and Byron, is practicing vocal warmups. As they practice, their teacher, Mr. Budden, arrives and tells his students that they need to practice a number for an upcoming district championship, where if they should succeed, they move onto regionals, and states that he's currently holding auditions for the solo. As Mr. Budden excuses himself to deal with a brain freeze after drinking his Flippee too fast, Clyde expresses his excitement to audition for the solo, as he has taken on numerous exercises to get his voice right and wants to impress his aunts, Hap and Hoda, who are flying in from the Canary Islands to see him sing. He sings a bit of the solo, but when he asks if he got the tone right, Lincoln provides his input by singing the same verse. His vocals cause Liam and Paula to be driven to tears at how graceful he sounded, and Mr. Budden, having overheard him, declares to Lincoln that he'll be given the solo number. Lincoln tries to tells Mr. Budden that auditioning for the solo wasn't his intention and suggests to listen to Clyde, but Mr. Budden has already made his mind. Lincoln apologizes to Clyde for stealing his goal, and Clyde takes it lightly.

At the McBride house, Clyde is revealed to be incredibly bitter at having lost his chance to play the solo, saying he went through countless amounts of training to perfect his voice. As he bakes his sadness away with his cats, he theorizes that if Lincoln were to lose his voice, then he could step in and take over the role.

The next day, Clyde spends his whole day at school trying to get Lincoln to lose his voice, such having Lincoln sing the opening greeting to the news program, singing all the lyrics to an incredibly long song, and using a floor buffer to force Lincoln to talk about his day at the top of his lungs. At the Glee Club, Lincoln enters with a chalkboard and tells his fellow club members that he can't do the solo because he lost his voice. When Mr. Budden asks what to do now, Clyde says that he can step in, and Lincoln gives the thumbs up. With no other choice, Mr. Budden gives Clyde the solo, much to his glee.

On the theater stage, as the home ec club (consisting of Zach, Rusty and Stella) takes measurements of the singers so they can make their costumes, Mr. Budden tells his students that it's time to practice. The song starts off with Liam and Byron singing the opening, and Clyde, being hoisted by a rope being held by Paula, attempts to sing his part, but Paula accidentally flings him onto the walls (which she doesn't claim responsibility for). After being let down, attempts to sing his part, but it becomes apparent that he can't do it, as he either forgets his lines, sings the wrong tempo, or sings the wrong key. As Mr. Budden decides to call it a day, Clyde realizes that his inability to sing the solo, as well as his selfishness of taking Lincoln out, cost the club their chances of winning the championship, and realizes that he needs to make things up.

At the Loud House, as Lincoln rests in his room, Clyde enters and admits to Lincoln that he deliberately made him lose his voice because of his jealousy of not getting the solo, and apologizes for being jealous. Although shocked at first, Lincoln understands what Clyde means and decides to forgive him. After doing so, Clyde reveals that he has a CD that can help Lincoln get his voice back. Listening to the CD, Lincoln is instructed to jump on a trampoline, gargle gallons of saltwater, and inhale steam for a prolonged period of time.

At night, the championship is being held. As the entire Loud and McBride families sit down, Clyde arrives with Lincoln and tells Mr. Budden that he got his voice back. At the same time, the home ec class arrives with their costumes, which are army themed. Just before they start singing, Lincoln reveals that his voice isn't entirely back, and says that he needs a backup singer for help. Realizing he's referring to him, Clyde eagerly accepts the role. At that moment, the show starts and after Liam and Byron sing their part, Lincoln and Clyde, being hoisted by ropes, sing as a duet, much to everyone's entertainment. However, their performance is cut short after they collapse to the ground, as Paula was controlling the ropes (where she once again doesn't claim responsibility for).

## Cast

* Asher Bishop as Lincoln
* Jessica DiCicco as Zach
* Lara Jill Miller as Liam
* Andre Robinson as Clyde
* Trevor Devall as Mr. Budden
* Maile Flanagan as Byron
* Jonathan Hylander as Leon Cavaratti
* Owen Rivera-Babbey as Rusty
* Cree Summer as Paula
* James Arnold Taylor as Mr. Bolhofner
* Haley Tju as Stella (uncredited)

Lori, Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn, Lucy, Lana, Lola, Rita, Lynn Sr., Harold, Howard, Hap and Hoda have no lines in this episode.

## Trivia

* The plot of the episode is similar to the Season 4 episodes "Kings of the Con" and "A Star is Scorned", because in both episodes, the main character (Lincoln and Clyde/Lola/Clyde) loses their spotlight to a friend (Lincoln's sisters/Lily/Lincoln) who outperformed them by pure accident, resulting in them becoming jealous and trying to sabotage them in an effort to get their spotlight back.
* This, its sister episode, "Season's Cheatings"/"A Flipmas Carol", "Camped!", "How the Best Was Won", and "Appetite for Destruction"/"Frame on You" are thus far the only Series 5 episodes to not premiere on a Friday.
* Lisa and Lily are the only Loud family members who do not appear in this episode.
* This and its partner episode were aired as a lead-in to the series premiere of the game show *Tooned In*.
* **Cartoon physics**: After drinking a Flippee, Mr. Budden gets a brain freeze so strong that his whole head turns blue.
* **Irony**: Despite his countless efforts of training and determination, Clyde was still a terrible singer, when Lincoln was a perfect singer despite not having any training and wasn't even trying.

## References

* ***Flying Solo*** - The title of this episode is an expression meaning to do something alone.
* ***99 Bottles of Beer*** - One of the tactics Clyde has to make Lincoln lose his voice is by singing the entirety of a song similar to this sea shanty known for its repetitious lyrics.
* ***Luciano Pavarotti*** - The name "Leon Cavaratti" is likely a pun on this late Italian opera tenor.

## Errors

* **Plot holes**:
	+ When Clyde was talking to voiceless Lincoln, Lincoln wrote on his table "Gasp!", then "It's OK.", but he wasn't shown clearing the table after writing the former to write the latter. He cleared the table from "It's OK." by his forearm to write "Bring it in!".
	+ Stella and Rusty put play costumes on Lincoln and Clyde, but the boys' original clothes are gone.
* When Paula gives Mr. Budden a Flippee during rehearsals without Lincoln, Paula was walking like her leg has already healed, but it's still injured.
* When Rita and Harold started filming the The Glee Club performance, Leni is seen non-shaded compared to everyone else, as if light is shining on her.

## Videos

Lincoln Gets The Lead In The Play! 'Flying Solo' - The Loud HouseThe Loud House - Together In Harmony - Nickelodeon UK