Family Bonding

**"Family Bonding"** is the third episode (fourth in production order) of the fifth series, and the two-hundred-second episode of *The Loud House*.

## Plot

Secret agents Lincoln and Clyde investigate the Louds' suspicious new neighbors.

## Synopsis

Lincoln and Clyde are playing secret agents, having been inspired by a new series of comics they've been reading called David Steele. After a failed attempt at stealing a color-changing spoon from Lola, Lynn barges in the house to announce that they have new next door neighbors. The family quickly go over to greet their new neighbors, Jeff, Carly and Ryan Miller, where they suspiciously decline a cherry pie Lynn Sr. made for them.

Later that night, while Lincoln brushes his teeth, he notices some bright lights shining through the window. Pulling out some binoculars, he discovers the Millers working a giant machine in their attic and Ryan suspiciously closing the blinds.
Lincoln quickly tells his family that the Millers are actually spies, but the family refuses to believe him, as he has a habit of being suspicious about new neighbors. Lincoln leaves and calls up Clyde, who is revealed to already be at the Loud House and correctly predicts what's on Lincoln's mind. Now that they're together, the two proceed to gather any suspicious evidence.

The next day, Lincoln and Clyde proceed to go around town, spying on the Millers. During their investigations, they spot Jeff going to the library, where he meets up with a woman in a trench coat and obtains a book on how to grow Georgia peaches. While spying on Carly at Flip's Food and Fuel, the boys discover her purchasing a peach flavored Flippee, and when Flip asks if she wants the highly preferred cherry flavor instead, she audibly voices her disgust for cherries. At the middle school, Lincoln and Clyde drop a secret microphone on Ryan's slice of pizza and eavesdrop on a conversation between him and Lynn, where he says he'll be busy doing other things, where his statement of taking out the trash causes Lincoln to remark that it's not garbage day today. With their first pieces of information obtained, Lincoln and Clyde proceed to get to work on what they could be planning. Reading more David Steele comics and gathering more evidence, Lincoln comes up a conclusion: he suspects that the Millers are part of a secret organization called S.U.S.P.E.N.S.E. (**S**ecret **U**nderground **S**ociety of **P**each **E**ntrepreneurs **N**ixing **S**our **E**xports), and their plot is to destroy all the cherries in Royal Woods, which, according to Clyde, would cause their economy to collapse as cherries are the main export of Royal Woods. When Clyde questions how they can stop them, Lincoln says that he knows the perfect distraction.

Later, a barbecue is held at the Loud House, as Lincoln wants the Millers to feel welcome. With the two families distracted, Lincoln has Charles open the door of the Miller's house and enters. After Lincoln affirms that he's inside, Clyde, on lookout duty, is discovered by Lola, who tattles to everyone via megaphone that Lincoln is sneaking in the Miller's house. With everyone warned, the two families quickly rush over the Miller's house, and just as Lincoln spots the machine and attempts to shut it down, he is caught by the two families. Lincoln tries to explain that the Millers are actually spies and the machine he found is a device that's going to destroy all the cherries in Royal Woods. The Millers laugh, saying that the machine is actually a console that predicts the weather, since they work for the weather service. Realizing he was wrong, Lincoln apologizes, and the Louds leave, ready to punish Lincoln for causing trouble. When Clyde calls up Lincoln to ask if the mission was a success, Lincoln declines and declares the mission a failure. When Lincoln tosses his walkie-talkie, he unknowingly hits a button on the weather console that reveals a secret room with a machine ready to destroy all the cherries in 20 seconds. As the Louds react in horror that the Millers are actually spies working for S.U.S.P.E.N.S.E. (meaning that Lincoln and Clyde were correct this whole time), Lincoln manages to get past them and successfully aborts the total cherry annihilation. When the Millers proclaim that they won't stop until they make Georgia peaches the top fruit in the world, the Louds are about to report them to the FBI, but the Millers use a peach-shaped smoke bomb to disappear and evade capture.

That night, the Louds watch the news, where Katherine Mulligan states that authorities are on the lookout for the Millers and congratulates Lincoln and Clyde for foiling their plans on destroying all the cherries. Rita apologizes for not believing in him and Lincoln admits that he did get carried away. At that moment, Lynn enters and says that some new neighbors have arrived. Just as the family is about to leave to greet them, Rita stops them, saying that they made a deal: Lincoln has to spy on them first before they go meet them. Donning his spy suit, Lincoln calls up Clyde and leaves, ready to investigate their new neighbors.

## Cast

* Asher Bishop as Lincoln
* Catherine Taber as Katherine Mulligan
* Nika Futterman as Luna / Countdown Voice
* Cristina Pucelli as Luan / Mr. Coconuts
* Jessica DiCicco as Lynn
* Grey Griffin as Lana / Lola / Trench Coat Woman
* Lara Jill Miller as Lisa / Liam
* Andre Robinson as Clyde
* Jill Talley as Rita
* Brian Stepanek as Lynn Sr.
* John DiMaggio as Flip / Mr. Grouse / Jeff
* Pierce Gagnon as Ryan
* Annie Sertich as Carly

Leni, Lucy, Lily, and Librarian Wetta have no lines in the episode. Despite being listed in the credits, Lana and Lisa have no lines in this episode.

## Trivia

* This episode reveals that whenever a new neighbor comes, Lincoln and Clyde are quick to suspect them of being something suspicious, which usually comes out false. This time, Lincoln and Clyde's suspicions of the Millers being spies were correct.
	+ However, Lincoln did not suspect the Yates family in "Future Tense".
* This episode reveals that one of Royal Woods' biggest exports is cherries.
* According to Lincoln, garbage day in Royal Woods is on Tuesday.
* This is the first episode to show the entire Loud family without Lori, due to her attending Fairway University now.
* According to Liam, his Mee-Maw makes homemade yogurt.
* This is the final episode to retain Lana and Lola's ages from Series 1.
* In the flashback of Lincoln and Clyde thinking their neighbors are aliens, the spacesuits they wear are the same ones they wore when using they rode the flight simulator from "Rocket Men".

## International edits

* In the Hebrew dub, Clyde activates an Agent Steele sausage listening device rather than an "Agent Steele pepperoni listening device."

## References

* ***James Bond*** - The title of this episode is likely a reference to this secret agent created by Ian Fleming.
* ***The X's*** - The Millers being a family of spies is likely a reference to this Nickelodeon cartoon about a family of spies masquerading as a normal family.
* ***The 'Burbs*** - The plot of an evil family moving next door is likely a reference to this 1989 black comedy film.
* ***Nintendo Entertainment System*** - In the Millers' attic, there is a device that resembles this Nintendo console's "Top Loader" model (also known by its code name NES-101).

## Errors

* **Plot hole**: The total cherry annihilation was set to 20 seconds, but it took Lincoln more than 20 seconds to stop the annihilation.
* When Rita says "Sweetie, you do this to the new neighbors every time you and Clyde are on one of your kicks.", Lincoln steps onto the floor and his cord comes down. Then after the flashback, the cord is back on the ceiling and Lincoln brings it down.
* When Jeff gets joy buzzed by Mr. Coconuts, he drops the cherry pie. In the wide shot, as the Louds are laughing, the pie is no where to be found.
* When the Loud family catches Lincoln in the Millers' attic, Rita's legs overlap Lola's hair.