MSB S5E11: Ralphie Strikes a Nerve

Let's strike a nerve with this review on the episode involving cheerleading. Something to help beat Janet's team! Blog, do your stuff!

63. Ralphie Strikes a Nerve.
Topic: Nervous System.
Written by: Bernice Vanderlaan.
Guest Star: Sandra Oh as Sarah Bellum.
Released: 29 September 2017.

The class constructs a giant cheerleading robot with help from brainy scientist Dr. Sarah Bellum, then takes a look inside Ralphie's nervous system.

Here we are. Walkerville Warthogs are preparing for a volleyball game.

"We got tusks! Can barely see! Haven't won since 93!"

Funny since they hadn't won in 24 years. 

Hep Dude! Ralphie's acting awesome as always.

Turns out they're playing against Janet. Anyone but her team!

But it's a tripping contest.

Since the Walkerville Warthogs don't have a cheerleading squad, Janet's is better.

 

Ralphie has a bright idea! A cheerleading robot!  Er.... I think Ralphie forgot about the time he built a robot to make him a sandwich, but it didn't work out.

Jyoti loves Ralphie's idea. Robots are her thing too.

Arnold wants a hot dog, but it's not his lucky day.

Way cool robots!

This is the robo lab. So many robots built here!

This is a robo table tennis game. Ping! Pong! Ping! Pong! And Fiona Frizzle's taking them to meet Sarah Bellum.

No! Not that Sara Bellum!

Yeah. This Sarah Bellum. Her name being a pun on cerebellum.

A Robo Oboe.

A Robo Dodo.

And a Robo Froyo. Seriously smooth stuff.

This is Ra-Ra Robot 1.0!

It's Ra-Ra time!

But it's a Ra-Ra Klutz here!

Exploring Jyoti's brain signals.

This shows the brain has lots of sections that tell us to do something.

Who would've thought Jyoti could somersault?

"According to my reesearch, it takes a lot of different parts of the brain to do a move like that."

That's a lot for the brain to do. 

"Like my cousin Nasal Hazel used to say, Take no rest! Take no cause! We're on our way to Jyoti's Schnoz!"

Go to Jyoti's nose! 

Funny Arnold should tickle that brain signal.

It's a relay race through Jyoti's brain!

And Jyoti can feel it. She's scratching her nose.

Janet's a powerful volleyball player here. And Tim missed.

Here's the rest Ralphie's getting. But there's more to the brain than just what we know.

They're inside Ralphie again!

Here, the brain's doing things we don't even know we're doing. Especially when we sleep.

"We'll never make it in time! Wait! That's not the kind of thing I usually say."

"We'll never make it in time!"
"That's better."

Funny considering it's something Arnold would say. But Carlos would say it? 

First of all, let's clean up the mess the robot made.

The Cheerleading Ra-Ra Robot is going to cheerlead! Go, Warthogs!

But Janet didn't get the ball.

Robot using pom poms! That's the way!

Janet even bumped into her teammate! She's mad.

Hogs won! Hogs won!

Janet's angry at her teammate for cheering their opponents.

Valerie and Goldie are at the movies. Foreshadowing next episode.

This episode is kind of like a combo of Inside Ralphie and Flexes its Muscles. Only the former, they just went into Ralphie's immune system while the latter had Ralphie building a robot to make him a sandwich. This one's about the nervous system. They did go into Ralphie's nervous system and stomach in this one, and built a cheerleading robot and succeeded.

I have to say, it was funny of Janet to get angry at her teammate for cheering for their opponents' victory.

I wonder if Sarah Bellum's name is also a reference to Sara Bellum from The Powerpuff Girls? Since they have the same sounding name.

Also speaking of references, the way the kids went into Ra-Ra Robot might remind some of Power Rangers. Considering the protective outfits these kids have in this series when required, they wouldn't look out of place as Power Rangers. 

Oh yeah. One thing I really want to address here. This episode has given me one of several reasons to want Phoebe to appear at least once in this series. Janet's still making recurring appearances. If Janet can still appear in this series, why not Phoebe?

Oh well, this was still an edutaining episode. Learning about how the nervous system works, even while we sleep like Ralphie was. And it was awesome to see him and Keesha working the brain of Ra-Ra Robot together. Janet's team managed to score far far ahead, but Walkerville Warthogs still beat them only just.

My rating: 9.5/10.

Season 5 scorecard:

1. Frizzle of the Future: 8/10.

2. Pigs in the Wind: 9/10.

3. In the Swim: 9.5/10.

4. The Battle for Rock Mountain: 10/10.

5. The Magnetic Mambo: 9/10.

6. Carlos Gets the Sneezes: 9/10.

7. Hides and Seeks: 9.5/10.

8. Three in One: 9/10.

9. Space Mission: Selfie: 8.5/10.

10. The Tales Glaciers Tell: 10/10.

11. Ralphie Strikes a Nerve: 9.5/10.

Season 5 so far: 9.1/10.