Mind Freakers

## Media

  Rooster Teeth YouTube

Ending theme"Freedom (Or Die Trying)"

"**Mind Freakers**" is the 10th episode of the first season of Camp Camp and is the 10th episode overall. It aired August 26th, 2016 on the RT FIRST site, August 27th, 2016 on the Rooster Teeth Website, and September 2nd, 2016 on YouTube.

## Plot

The episode starts with Nikki being impressed by Harrison's magic tricks. Max and Neil walk into the cheering crowd as Max starts to question what they were gathered around for. Neil expresses his disdain, grabbing the attention of the crowd, and gets into an argument with Harrison and tries to prove that science can explain each and every trick that he had ever done. Harrison casts a spell that causes Max to vomit a chain of tied up scarves, including other magical items, in an effort to convince Neil that magic is more than fiction. Max is traumatized by this, and Neil ends up getting little to no sleep trying to figure out how the trick worked.

After the intro, the scene pans to Max waking up to a sleep-deprived Neil, wired on caffeine, and is bombarded with the insistence that Harrison's tricks can be explained by science, with notes scribbled on a big blackboard. Neil then inquires as to how Harrison managed to plant the handkerchief chain in his stomach, Max says he doesn't want to talk about it and retreats to the Mess Hall for breakfast instead. Neil overhears Nikki's enthusiastic remarks on Harrison's magic tricks from outside their tent and witnesses Harrison doing more magic simple tricks that easily impress her. Harrison states that his last trick was more physics than actual magic, which enrages Neil. Harrison informs him that only true magic believers can witness the power of magic. Neil promptly drags Nikki to the side, heatedly asking if Harrison ever taught her his tricks, and ends up asking Nikki to become Harrison's apprentice so he can finally learn the truth.

Max sits in the Mess Hall, glumly poking his food. Neil enters and strikes up a conversation on Harrison's selfishness, oblivious to the fact that he behaves just as selfishly. Max vomits up a bouquet of flowers, pushes his tray to the side, and leaves, heading for the showers. Nikki walks in and happily greets Neil, but admits that she still hasn't learned how the trick works. Neil takes Nikki under his wing and "christens" her to a "level four" magician, vowing to disprove Harrison's beliefs.

Nikki and Neil stand before the crowd of campers on Harrison's Magic Camp platform, attempting to replicate the infamous trick with the help of science and his new apprentice, Nikki. The crowd seems disinterested, but Harrison is surprised. Neil gets more enraged by the minute and rambles on about how science can explain any phenomenon. He whips out the same chain of handkerchiefs tied together that Max had previously vomited up, complete with a rabbit and Quartermaster's hook. Harrison's plea for him to stop falls on deaf ears, and the crowd grows more excited and eager to bear witness.

Nikki starts to have second thoughts, but Neil reassures her that everything will be fine, before shoving the chain down her throat. The crowd is completely mortified at the sight. Preston questions where the counselors were. David and Gwen are then seen watching an episode of "Rob Boss" in the Counselor's Cabin, completely unaware of the world around them as they sink deeper into the soothing voice and calming art.

Once the chain is gone, Nikki seems surprisingly chipper, and even talks briefly with Neil before collapsing to the ground, turning blue. After writhing and heaving for a moment, she falls completely still, as Neil begins to panic. Harrison offers to help with the power of magic which only enrages Neil. Harrison insists that magic is the fastest and only way to save Nikki, but only if Neil starts to believe in magic. The crowd turns serious and threatens Neil to believe in magic. He spots Max and asks what he should do, but a live pigeon flies out of Max's mouth when he attempts to answer. Becoming ill, he leaves.

As Harrison pleads with him to believe, Neil finally gives in. Harrison flashes him a malicious grin, before standing up and bowing to the crowd. "And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the greatest trick of all: getting a cynical, closed-minded asshole to believe in magic!"

The crowd cheers, even as Neil realizes that Nikki hadn't recovered. When he asks Harrison, Nikki jumps to her feet, reveling in the crowd's praise. Neil is baffled beyond words. Harrison explains for the final time how it's all thanks to magic, "boops" Neil's nose, and bows once more at the crowd, earning a bitter "Fuck you, Harrison" from Neil.

## Features

### **Main Characters**

* Harrison
* Neil

### **Supporting Characters**

* Nikki
* Max

### **Minor Characters**

* David
* Gwen
* Ered
* Dolph
* Nerris
* Dolph
* Preston Goodplay
* Space Kid
* "Rob Boss" (voice)

### **Locations**

* Camp Campbell
	+ Magic Camp
	+ Counselor's Cabin

### **Music**

* "Camp Camp Song Song" (Opening Theme)
* "Freedom (Or Die Trying)" (Ending Theme)

## Trivia

* When Harrison makes Max throw up a long chain of scarves tied together, the chain also seems to include a white stuffed rabbit, the Quartermaster's hook, and Ered's purple skateboard.
* Max is only ever shown to take off his hoodie when he's asleep, then proceeds to put in on for the rest of the day to conceal his Camp Camp shirt.
* While David and Gwen are seen watching "Rob Boss", David's drawers that are visible in the background are labeled "David" and "Knee High Socks", respectively.
	+ In contrast to David who only has one gadget, his phone, Gwen is shown to own a phone, a laptop and an iPad, as seen in the background charging on top of her drawer.

### **Cultural References**

* The title of the episode (as well as the multiple mentions of Neil having his "mind freaked") is presumably a reference to the TV series "Criss Angel Mindfreak" hosted by magician Criss Angel.
* Neil writes many numbers and equations on a chalkboard in an attempt to understand how Harrison did the trick. Among these, the quadratic formula is visible.
* When Neil asks Nikki if Harrison is teaching her his tricks, she mentions that she wanted to learn "Avada Kedavra", but that Harrison told her it was forbidden. This is the Killing Curse from the "Harry Potter" series. Later, when Neil tells her that she is now his apprentice, she mentions that she has so much to learn and hasn't even been sorted into a House yet.
* Neil later asks Nikki, "Did he reveal his secret? Masked Magician-style?" This is a reference to Val Valentino, an illusionist performing under the stage name "the Masked Magician". who hosted a series of specials titled "Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed" in which he explained the methods behind various magic tricks and illusions.
* When Neil chugs the rest of his mug in anger. the underside is labeled "IKEYA", likely a reference to the furniture retailer IKEA.
* When Neil "christens" Nikki as a "level four" magician,, he performs the sign of the cross on her.
* While the events of the episode are going on, David and Gwen are shown to be watching a show that is clearly meant to resemble Bob Ross's hugely popular series "The Joy of Painting".
	+ Miles Luna is credited as playing the character, Rob Boss. This could be a reference to Miles' own parody of Bob Ross.
* Harrison tells Neil that the spell to save Nikki is powered by belief, like a Spirit Bomb (an attack from the "Dragon Ball" franchise that works by absorbing energy from the surrounding people).
* Nikki refers to Neil as fam, a slang term for the word "family".

### **Continuity**

* The Nurf-centric nature of the previous episode, as well as the overall low screentime of the main cast, is lampshaded by Neil and Nikki. They also suggest that they will probably do something crazy next week anyway, a reference to the fact that they have much more prominent roles in this episode.
* While Nikki is enthralled by Harrison's magic in this episode and studies as his apprentice to learn more, she ends up growing out of this excitement in a future episode, "The Quarter-Moon Convergence" and says she's moved on to more "mature things" like doing taxes for her stuffed animals.
* The use of the term "freak my mind" (and subsequent variations) began in this episode. Harrison makes uses of the term again in "Camp Corp." when he freaks his own mind, and is later used by Nurf to beg for Harrison's help in "The Butterfinger Effect".
* In "Reigny Day", Max hints that he and Neil share the same tent by stating "Well, more tent for me" after everyone assumed that Neil was dead. This is later confirmed in this episode.
* Also shown in this episode, is that he and Neil share a coffee maker, propped up on a log in their tent. The coffee maker is shown again in "Anti-Social Network".

## Errors

* The red shading on David's left elbow appears to be missing during the scene where he and Gwen are shown to watch "Rob Boss" during their spare time.

## Transcript

*The transcript for "Mind Freakers" may be edited here.*