Original subtitles

Let's talk about plans.

Everything you've ever loved,

every cool thing that's ever existed,

it started with a plan.

What you're looking at right now, that's my plan.

My entire life mapped out in exacting detail,

year by year, goal by goal.

This is what I do.

I plan.

And my plans always work.

Until they don't.

Ted! Ted, Ted!

Get up, we're out of time. Hurry!

Where are my pants?

Ted, there's no time, you have to get up now!

- My pants. - Freeman!

Come on, Ted! Move!

My pants!

I know what you're thinking.

"How did I, Ted Freeman, Dean's list member,

Honor Roll recipient,

and straight A student end up like this?"

Well, I guess it all started with the SPLAT.

The Specialized Placement Achievement Test,

the mother of all standardized testing,

the decider of your future.

Typical.

Everyone here actually tries.

And you two just breeze on through.

Oh, hi, Penny.

Nice to see you too.

Let your intellect be your sword, logic your armor.

It's not like you're gonna pass the SPLAT anyway,

but Ted ought to know better.

Ted doesn't need to worry

because Ted has the highest scores in the entire school.

And what rank are you again?

Hmm, let me think.

Oh, I remember number two. As always.

Guys, we're gonna miss something.

Springdale Magnet, put your hands together

for Sammie Steambear.

Feeling trapped? Feeling stressed?

Feeling helpless?

Why, it's nothing a little magic can't fix!

With a little preparation and a simple wave of the hand,

you too can watch in wonderment as your stress disappears!

Garbage in, garbage out.

Chad, everyone!

The Amazing Chad!

Oh, the Amazing Chad!

All right, and how about those sound and lighting effects?

All computer controlled

by my brilliant daughter, Gertrude Neely!

If anyone's interested and looking for a bestie,

she's available.

She's super.

Gertz!

Okay, so as you guys know, I am Principal Neely.

Neely!

Thank you. Thank you.

And welcome to Springdale Magnet School Prep Rally!

As you know, Springdale Magnet School

for the Arts and Sciences, it's a really special place

where we value unconventional gifts here.

But to do that, there's a trade off,

and that's the SPLAT test.

It's the most important test of your middle school careers,

and tomorrow you're going to sit there and take it.

I trust you've used these past few weeks to study up,

because you know that this magnet program

depends on the outcome of these tests.

If the magnet test fails, then many of you

will have to go back to your zoned schools.

Can you imagine going to different schools?

It would suck, we'd never even get to hang out.

I mean, take me, for example.

I didn't get to go to a magnet school, and look at me.

Knowing my dad, he'd probably just ship me off to the army or something.

No, he wouldn't.

Would he?

You really never make those bonds with people.

And then you try and you get married,

and then that doesn't work out.

He cheats, so you know...

Anyway, nevermind, so now to teach you

some totally sick stress relieving techniques

is Mr. Gary Garrie, our guidance counselor.

Hey, everybody. Hey, everybody.

That was a lot, huh?

Well, that goes to show us

how much Principal Neely loves this magnet program.

Okay?

She beat out a lot of qualified candidates to get this job.

And it's our job to make sure that we don't let her down!

Now, let's talk about stress.

- Stress ain't groovy. - No.

- It's not groovy at all. - No.

- It's a bummer. - Yeah.

Okay? A straight up bummer.

But we have to find healthy ways to deal with stress.

You know what it is?

- I'm listening. - Jazz flute.

- No! No! - Oh, come on! Every time.

No, no, no. Gary, we talked about this.

No jazz flute?

- I was working on it. - Nobody likes jazz flute but you.

Okay, thank you, Mr. Gary Garrie.

Moving on now, why don't we get some words

from our campus security, Mr. Terry Grimes.

A positive word, Terry.

Okay, listen up, punks.

I know some of you are gonna use this as an excuse to act out,

but I'm here to lay down the law.

Starting now, there will be zero tolerance for any malfeasance.

- Dude, check it. Check it! - That includes antics,

hijinks, shenanigans.

Here where it comes.

And especially pranks.

Freeman!

The splatter horn.

Your best plan yet.

Freeman!

Malfeasance, malfeasance, malfeasance.

So?

Well, the person in the video didn't lie.

The end is shocking.

Expel them, especially Freeman.

I know he posted this,

and I know he pulled that little stunt on the stage today.

Excuse me, but whatever happened

to innocent until proven guilty?

Something you wanna say, Cliff?

Why, yes, Hannah, I do have something to say.

This is a classic example

of why I don't want my boy hanging out with your boy.

Your kid masterminds these crazy schemes and drags Josh down with him.

Our boys are best friends.

How could you even think of tearing them apart?

Oh, don't be so dramatic.

Your boy needs discipline.

Oh, okay. Sir, yes sir, Lieutenant Dad!

Don't call me that. You know I hate when people call me that!

- A little touchy about it. - I'm not touchy at all.

In fact... When's the last time you pooped?

Bowel movements, that's the term we use in our household.

- A BM? - Yes, BM.

My bowel movements are very regular.

Grimes has nothing on us.

We're clean, dude. The perfect crime.

Yeah, but I think we better cool it with the pranks for a while.

I need to ace this SPLAT.

You know I have a plan.

I keep telling you, life is messy, Ted.

You can't plan for everything.

I disagree.

Besides, pranking is what we do.

You plan 'em, I build 'em, remember?

You're the brains, I'm the hands?

Yeah, but you could totally plan a prank if you wanted to.

What about the red door?

Ah, the red door.

Josh did have one idea.

He wanted it to be the gnarliest,

most epic prank ever conceived.

And it was right there, waiting for the perfect victim.

You ever gonna tell me what's in there?

You don't wanna know.

What are you guys looking at?

- Ah! - Holy crap!

Geez, Gertz, lurk much?

I could ask you the same thing.

We're just waiting for Josh's dad to finish yelling at your mom.

It's almost over. Cover your ears.

Cover your ears?

She's a weirdo, don't listen to anything she...

Mr. Barker, Terry, listen.

I agree that this kind of behavior

is not something we value here at Springdale.

- Good. - Finally.

But this is a magnet school.

We need students like Ted and Josh to keep us alive,

keep us competitive.

So what's the bottom line here?

The bottom line, Mr. Grimes,

is that as long as Ted and Josh keep their grades up,

they are safe.

Namaste.

Hey.

It's a big day tomorrow.

Yeah.

Big day every day.

You know, I hope that you know

you do not have to be perfect at absolutely everything

because you are already perfect to me.

Do not stay up too late.

Okay.

Mom was sweet, but she didn't know what I knew.

The only difference between a life of rules

and a life of ruin is following the plan.

One slip today can mean catastrophe tomorrow.

Okay, guys, I know you're tense,

but remember, you're the gifted class in a gifted school.

You're the top scores on campus.

You are the Scorcerers.

You got this, okay, guys?

SPLAT time.

And remember, every student has one

Testron answer sheet assigned to them,

so please do not damage or deface them.

I can't believe I need to say this,

but please don't chew on them,

don't fold them into planes,

don't make them into ninja throwing stars,

don't get them wet.

Okay. Deep breath.

Ready?

Set.

SPLAT!

Congratulations, Springdale!

You finished the splat.

Now, of course, we won't have the results

until all of the answer sheets are processed

by our own Mr. Sneederman.

Right, Mr. Sneederman?

I am so pleased to announce Friday be a total LOSS,

Let Off Some Steam dance!

Whoo! We're gonna finally have some fun.

It's a formal event with its own dress code,

social expectations, and rules of conduct.

But don't worry, I made a 36-page handbook

on dance party etiquette,

and you can pick it up after second lunch.

So exciting.

Finally, something cool!

Not the dance, of course, no one cared about that.

We were excited about something else.

Second lunch.

You see, for the last two years, every day at second lunch,

there had been an event.

When I first heard about it,

I thought it was a myth, like the Boogeyman or Bigfoot

or TikTok video that says "wait till the end"

that's actually worth it.

But it was no myth. It was real.

He was real.

Robbie Belcher.

No one knew where he came from.

Some say he was a transfer.

Others say he's always been here.

All we know for sure is every day at second lunch,

he appears for the ritual.

Adults like to call it a condition,

like an illness for allergy, but us?

We knew the truth.

We knew it was a gift.

They say it's a stink so rancid, so astoundingly epic,

nothing can survive it.

Man, he's still got it.

He really does.

Ted, we need to talk.

Now.

Say that again.

F Plus.

F Plus, what do you mean F Plus?

Shouldn't you be watching the door?

You're telling me this man who's never gotten

anything worse than an A in his entire life

did so bad on SPLAT that he got an F?

Plus.

Plus makes it so much worse.

Leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Wow.

Josh, watch the door.

Not till we figure this out.

Grades don't come out till next week. How do we even know?

Because as teacher's aid, I have access to things.

Like what?

Oh, I don't know, maybe the teacher's lounge?

Good point. Go on.

I was helping Mr. Sneederman

run the Testron answer sheet to the reader

and I saw the grades as they came through.

And?

And I wanted to see if I did better than Ted.

So when his answer sheet went through, I peeked.

I knew it. I knew the Goody-Two-Shoes thing was just an act!

That's private information.

You're not allowed to just...

Hide!

Oh, hey, Penny.

What are you doing in here?

I'm really sorry, Mr. Kade.

I just needed some space.

I'm feeling really nervous about the test scores.

Oh, well, that's completely understandable.

Hey, I'm sure you knocked it outta the park.

You're a phenomenal student.

Lemme tell you why.

Number one...

Ugh, what a scammer.

She's got every teacher totally fooled.

Can you believe this?

I remember watching you sit at recess once

with a trigonometry book, correcting spelling errors.

I slipped. I blew it, I ruined everything.

Dude, it's no big deal.

You'll come up with something.

You always have a plan, right? Right?

That's why we watch the door.

Is he okay?

We need to figure out our next move.

Our next move? What do you care that Ted got an F Plus.

Because I got one too.

I've never gotten a grade that bad before.

I don't know what happened.

Wait, you're telling me both you brainiacs

failed this thing?

I'm not buying it.

Yeah, Josh is right. Statistically, it's impossible.

There must have been a mistake with the grading.

I bet Mr. Sneederman screwed it up with his ancient computer.

Have you seen that thing? It's even older than he is.

Maybe, but even so, what are we supposed to do?

There's gotta be someone we can talk to.

Someone on the staff who's on our side no matter what.

Now, Gertz, you know I'm always on your side

no matter what.

Your mother said you've been in this school for two years

and haven't made one friend?

Garbage in, garbage out.

You see, all she does is code, code, code.

I mean, she's getting to an age

where things are getting confusing.

And if she doesn't wanna talk to me,

she should at least have friends to talk to.

Well, maybe she needs a healthy outlet.

Don't say jazz flute. Don't say it.

No.

No.

I don't know what to do anymore.

Maybe I have to send her to one of those camps

for antisocial teens.

Mr. Gary, we need to talk to you.

It's urgent.

So why do you guys wanna retake this SPLAT?

You don't even know how you did yet!

We're worried.

It's always good to have a plan B, right, Ted?

Right, right. A plan B.

Well, the only way you guys could retake the SPLAT

is if your old records were lost

before they were uploaded into your permanent record.

Got it, and where are the scores right now?

Why do you guys need to know all this?

We're students. We love to learn?

No way he was gonna buy that.

Okay, I'll tell you everything.

I can't believe he bought it.

Our scores were being stored in the records room

on the oldest computer in the world,

which belonged to Mr. Sneederman,

the oldest file clerk in the world.

There was only one door, which was always locked.

And Sneederman had the only key.

The computer was so old

it couldn't even connect to the internet.

It was safe from viruses, hacking, everything.

The only way those scores were gonna disappear...

Is if someone went in and did it by hand,

which we know ain't happening.

So I'm afraid whatever scores you guys got,

that's the scores you guys got.

What if I failed the test?

That's not part of the plan.

Sorry, Ted. You can't plan for everything.

Well, guys, we better start packing our lockers.

Looks like we're headed back to our old school.

Or the army.

I hear they won't take you if you got flat feet.

Do either of you have a foot guy?

Penny, I need you to get me a list

of everyone who failed to SPLAT.

Okay...

Josh, there are designs on pages 27, 28, and 29.

Copy them down and start building.

Are you saying what I think you're saying?

Yep, I have a plan.

We're going to Canada!

No, we're not moving to Canada.

Why do you always think we're going to Canada?

It just seems nice.

Guys, we need to make these scores disappear

and we can't do it alone.

We need a crew.

It started out pretty rough.

- Probably not Nelly. - How about Thomas?

Eh, Thomas? The kid needs help.

- How about Bailey? - No.

- Maybe. - I heard she got a C once.

- No. - Who is that guy?

- I don't even know. - I don't know.

We'll get back to you!

- No. - Not a chance.

Nope.

Antonio. No.

- No, no, no, no, no. - Get Antonio!

- Get that monkey outta here! - No, no, no.

- No, cross Antonio out, no. - No.

But the crew didn't have to be great at everything.

Everyone just had to be great at one thing.

- Oh, yeah! Chad. - What about Chad?

- How about Gertz? - Gertz! Gertz!

- But she's kind of weird. - She is kind of weird.

Yeah, but she knows the way around computers, and we need that.

- That's true. - I guess so. Yeah.

Before too long we had our crew.

It was me, the mastermind.

Josh, an expert prankster who could build anything.

Penny, the insider who had every teacher

wrapped around her finger.

The Amazing Chad, master of misdirection,

who may have filled out his test sheet

with disappearing ink.

- Hey! - Hey!

And Gertz Neely, a computer whiz

who intentionally flunked the SPLAT to annoy her mom.

What are you doing in the staff restroom, young lady?

You know that's off limits to students.

Who just happens to be...

Oh, hi, baby.

Hi, Terry. Great new look.

Principal Neely.

You're a genius with computers,

but don't have an outlet for it.

I propose we can help you, but we need something in return.

Here it is.

Ted, did you get the stuff?

You don't need a red jacket for this.

It's not red, it's razzmatazz.

I always wear razzmatazz when I'm performing.

It's $92.

Yeah, $92 is the price of being price

of being part of something amazing.

What is this place anyway?

Layers of dust, canned food, suspicious bucket.

My guess, Josh's room.

Hey, this is my dad's old doomsday shelter, for your information.

Interesting. Your dad sounds hardcore, and you're soft.

Analysis: You've tried winning his approval.

But that got old, so now you rebel.

Pulling pranks and cutting class

because negative attention is better than no attention.

Is that correct?

And she wonders why she has no friends.

You have got to teach me that.

So did you figure out when the scores

are getting picked up?

Monday morning.

Great, then we can pull the heist on for Friday.

You're not worried about Grimes?

Nope, Grimes should be at a total LOSS.

The Let Off Some Steam dance!

All the teachers will be chaperoning

and the halls will be completely open.

That's actually kind of brilliant.

Answer sheets.

What about them?

Mr. Gary said that in order to retake the SPLAT,

we have to make all of our scores disappear.

We have to leave no trace of our original answers.

In order for that to happen,

those answer sheets need to disappear too.

Sneederman's clipboard says they're scheduled

to be picked up for storage next week.

But what if they're picked up to be shredded instead?

That can be arranged.

What is this?

Oh, that's my dad's.

He used to play golf.

Now he says golf is for babies.

Like all games.

Or anything fun.

I just bummed myself out.

Well, he's crazy!

This beauty is amazing!

It would make a perfect Magic Mobile.

Totally.

A what now?

I always had this dream of taking my act on the road.

A magic show on the go!

Picture it, a Magic Mobile all decked out

with every magic trick in the book!

Tricks, like pranks?

Well, some of them, sure.

But alas, when it comes to magic, I got the goods.

When it comes to making stuff,

I just don't have the hands.

Hands you say.

Amazing Chad, let's talk.

The crew was coming together.

We had a big job to do and not much time to do it.

Luckily, everyone was in.

I'm out.

Gertz, wait.

I told you she's a weirdo. Just let her go.

The plan doesn't work without her.

Gertz, wait.

Wait, we need you. What happened?

What went wrong?

Coding makes sense to me.

People don't.

I rub people the wrong way.

Yeah, but you realize that your mom's

only sending you to that camp

because she wants you to have friends, right?

Accurate. So?

What if we're your friends.

But we're not friends.

Right, but what if we're friendzies for pretendzies?

First, that was so cringe.

Second, are you crazy?

Hanging out with Gertz in public? It's social suicide.

I'll do it.

On two conditions.

One, you get my mom off my back.

And two, in coding you put in bad code, you get bad results.

Garbage in, garbage out.

I don't want that.

I want good results.

That makes two of us.

So cringe.

Can I do it too?

We spent hours going over the plan.

It was pretty simple, really.

Okay, guys, so while Sneederman's at the table,

Chad, you distract the crowd, pulling them away.

You snag the key.

You will work lights, locks, and camera.

And you'll be on lookout.

I'll slip out the back, grab the key,

and erase the scores before anyone knows what's happening.

Got it?

Totally.

- What? - How could it be any simpler?

Guys, it's so easy.

Yeah, for the geniuses in the room.

Look, it's a lot like studying for a test.

To solve the bigger problem,

you have to break it into smaller pieces.

Yes, great! So let's do this in phases.

Ooh! With cool nicknames!

Nicknames?

Okay, with cool nicknames.

Let's start at the top.

Sneederman and the staff have a secret card game

in the maintenance room during every school dance.

Sneederman always keeps his office key with him.

We need that key.

We can't do anything until Principal Neely

sees that Gertz is having fun at the dance,

so that's gonna be phase one, which we're calling...

Smotherboard.

- Yeah! That's cool. - That's a good one.

Perfect. Now, even with Neely off our case,

we'll still need a distraction.

Chad, that's where you come in.

Phase two, Chad-straction!

- Cool. - Okay.

Sure. So while Chad creates a diversion, we can swipe the key.

That's all you, Josh.

What's the name for phase three?

Joshination!

No.

Let's call that a placeholder.

Phase four. Our secret little buddy will transport the key

all the way from the gym to Mr. Sneederman's office,

which we're calling...

Obviously Little Buddy.

And phase five.

This is basically an emergency phase

in case everything goes wrong.

- We'll need a miracle. - I've got this one.

Phase five. Abracadabra!

- Yeah. - Yeah.

- Okay. - All right, everybody, let's get to work.

And we did.

Everyone did their part.

It was a little weird because I'd never broken a single rule before,

but I kept telling myself this was a desperate situation.

There had to be something wrong with those scores

and we needed to find out what.

So we kept going.

And before long, Friday came.

And the heist was on.

Malfeasance.

It's happening.

Even as a boy, I knew one simple truth.

There's a line between living a life of rules

and living a life of ruin.

I am that line.

Malfeasance thrives in secrecy.

Secrets are no match for a Tattletale.

Why do they all look like wealthy robots?

Steam punk!

You know, Let Off Some Steam.

Clever kids, they're clever kids!

- Smart little devils. - Look at them.

All right, everybody.

Smotherboard's in effect.

Neely's on the move!

- Hey, Gertz! - So nice to see you.

Hello, friends at dance.

Gertz, you're the life of the party.

All right, guys, Smotherboard is complete.

You guys wanna keep being idiots

or should we start phase two at some point?

Good point.

Hands, you're going the wrong way.

Back up and take a left.

Aw, man!

Brains, this is the Magic.

I got a bad feeling about this.

It's bad luck to break routine on the night of a show.

Is this about that red jacket again?

It's razzmatazz!

It's it's $92.

Yes, Ted. $92 is the price of being part of something amazing.

We don't need the jacket. We don't need razzmatazz!

Just follow the plan and everything...

In a hurry, Freeman?

Just grabbing some punch.

Punch is that way.

I know you're up to something.

I've got eyes everywhere

and they're all watching you like a hawk.

Ted, you promised me a dance.

Bye, Mr. Grimes.

What did you do to that man?

Nothing he can prove.

Hands, you in position?

Affirmative. Just waiting for phase two.

Roger that, Hands.

Magic, you're on.

Yes! Time for a Chad-straction!

Yeah, baby!

Springdale!

You guys ready for another a magic, wonder,

and pure entertainment!

Then join me on the dance floor

and let get this party started!

Is it working? Is the party started?

No, it's not working.

What's going on?

The party's not started?

No, the party is not started.

I repeat, the party is not started.

Chad, you're dying out there.

Signature move!

I told you he couldn't get the party started.

Does anyone know how to get this party started?

Analysis: A crippling fear of mockery and rejection

will prevent tweens from doing anything sincerely.

Instead, every activity must be done

under a guise of irony and sarcasm

In English, please.

If you want tweens to dance, play something stupid.

Hey, kids!

Yeah?

What can you do when you're feeling down or drab?

Do the Hungry Alligator!

That's right!

It's the hungry alligator

Snap, snap, snap

Put your hands together

Clap, clap, clap

Nice, Gertz. Good thinking.

Nice job, Gertz.

Good thinking, Gertz.

- What? - Nothing.

Do the funky, hungry alligator

Brains. Brains!

- Hey, Brains! - Go for Brains.

Are we a go for phase three or what?

Good call, Hands.

Initiate...

Joshination.

In three, two, one.

What is this?

Do the hungry alligator

They fixed it.

You had the key to the castle.

You had the keys.

You leave Sammie the Steambear out of this, Freeman.

Fart!

Guys, looks like there's a backup system.

30 seconds to lights on.

30 seconds?

That's it, I'm tired of waiting.

We'll finish this game up at prom.

- Oh, no. - Sit down.

Oh, the old' switcheroo, eh, Freeman?

20 seconds.

Not this time.

Forget it! No lights, no game.

- Not with you cheats. - No, no, no, no.

- Come on. - Come on.

Got you, Freeman!

There a problem, officer?

- Chad? - The Amazing Chad!

10 seconds.

Nine, eight, seven, six,

- five, four, three. - Almost. Dang it!

- Two, one. - Yes!

- Oh, there we go! - See! There you go!

Okay. Let's keep it going.

Hands to Brains, package received.

Looks like I'm in the clear.

What in Sam Hill?

Say, I hear you fine folks like to play some cards.

Oh, yes we do!

Hello, come on in!

Tech, I'm at the hallway.

The door's unlocked and the cameras are down.

- The package is in place. - Copy that.

Little Buddy is a go.

Repeat, Little Buddy is a go.

Two can play at that game.

Go, Tattlers.

Come on. Come on, where is he?

Grimes has a drone?

When did Grime get a drone?

That's a Tattler surveillance drone.

Grimes is not messing around.

Come on! I have to get away from this thing.

How is it so fast?

Paintballs? Are you kidding me?

Who made this?

This is so annoying!

Come on!

Come on.

Guys, why'd the car stop?

What's going on?

Really, Mr. Barker?

Video games?

I have a problem.

Yes you do. You should be out here socializing!

Come on, you'll get this back after the dance. Geez

Guys? What's going on?

Hands is down for the count.

You're gonna have to get the package yourself.

Charm is right.

Don't let the drone camera see you.

Don't let it see your face.

Come on, Freeman. Give me the proof I need.

I can't outrun it! It's too fast!

Guys, I need a place to hide!

Don't open that door.

What is in there?

You don't wanna know.

Guys, Neely's headed to her office.

Why isn't she at the dance?

That doesn't make sense, I triple checked her schedule.

She should be done for the day.

Tech, get eyes on Neely.

I need to know if she gets back my way.

I'm in.

We did it.

Nice!

Yes!

Guys, we have a problem.

Where's Neely?

At her desk, starting her computer.

What's the problem?

I'm looking at Sneederman's clipboard.

It says he already delivered the grades to Neely.

What? I thought that was happening Monday.

Can you see what she's doing? Does she have a floppy disc?

Maybe? What's a floppy disc?

Nevermind. Can you see her screen?

What's she looking at?

She's on the school district testing page.

I think she's about to upload the scores.

Can you shut down the wifi?

It's on the mesh system.

I can buy you maybe five minutes.

Do it. Get your mom outta that office.

How am I supposed to do that?

That's weird.

Mother.

Hi!

Are you okay? Why aren't you at the dance?

I'm in emotional turmoil

and would like to speak to you about my feelings

for the next two minutes and 37 seconds.

Okay, well, I'm just in the middle of something.

Take it or leave it.

I'll be in the lobby.

Oh, no, I'll take it.

Okay, I'll take it.

Okay. Wait, wait, wait.

I'm here. I'm here. I'm here, I'm here. Okay.

Okay.

No.

I shall avenge you.

- Come on! - Ted!

Penny, what are you doing here?

Helping you. You obviously need it.

GERTRUDE55.

What?

Neely's password. GERTRUDE55.

There, we got the test scores.

Freeman.

What? That's weird.

What's wrong?

F pluses! Tons of them!

How could there be so many?

What do you wanna talk about? This is a safe space, honey.

- Safe. - Well, I'm just very worried about time.

Worried about time?

Time in general in life, or just time to speak?

No, honey, I have all the time in the world.

Well, I feel like we only have about 30 seconds.

Ted! 30 seconds!

Ted! Fine, you're right.

Come out, come out wherever you are!

- What? - The mouse stopped working.

Use the keyboard!

I'm sorry. I know, mom, a principal.

Too much time. Too much time at work.

It's not working either!

What? It was literally working two seconds ago.

I know!

You have my undivided attention, okay?

Let's talk.

Time's up.

Well, that was a good talk.

It's a start, huh?

Well, did this help?

I hope so.

What happened?

We lost.

Freeman!

Terry? Hi.

- What the heck is this? - Girl talk.

- Girl talk. - Torture.

Phase five! I need phase five now!

Say the magic word!

Abracadabra!

All aboard the Magic Mobile!

Next stop, wonderment!

Freeman!

Well?

I told you we needed that jacket.

This was not amazing, Ted.

Not amazing at all.

Garbage in, garbage out.

Well, we can't win 'em all, I guess.

I'm sorry, dude.

Okay.

Bye.

Ms. Neely, I need to talk to you about the SPLAT scores.

Yeah, I need to talk to you too, Ted.

Come in. Sit down. I was just about to get you.

These were on my desk this morning.

Tampering with test scores, Ted.

I mean, I knew you are stressed

and nervous about the test, but this?

I never expected this behavior!

I'm sorry, but this is a black mark on your record, Ted.

No good school will take you now.

Which is why I'm not reporting it.

I can't protect you anymore though, Ted.

This is the last time.

Think of it as a goodbye gift.

Goodbye?

Yeah, the SPLAT scores weren't as good as we expected,

so I've been asked to step down as principal.

And my replacement.

Well, they don't have the same ideas for the magnet program.

Who could they possibly find to replace you?

Well...

It's me, Mr. Gary.

That's right. And the rumors are true.

As of Wednesday, I'm taking over as principle of Springdale.

And I got a big surprise for you.

We are changing the magnet from science and arts

to, you guessed it, jazz flute!

So if you've been practicing like I told you to,

you still have a place here in Springdale.

But if you haven't, good luck at your new school.

How was that?

Jazz flute.

Jazz flute. Nobody wants to play jazz flute!

Anyways, did you get your new school assignment?

I heard Gertz might be going to Thornewick,

That weird private school.

I don't know where Chad is going.

Magic school? Clown school?

I could actually see him doing good there.

Not that you asked, but my dad's trying to get me

into Remington Boy's Academy, "where boys become men."

Whoop-de-doop-be-doop.

I mean, maybe we can still hang out on weekends.

Just gotta see if my dad will let me.

Dude, what's your problem?

You haven't said a word to me all day.

Your plan didn't work, so what?

Let's at least have fun together while we still can.

Fine, if that's all you care about,

I hope you and your stupid little plan have fun together.

Good luck, dude.

Nice knowing you.

Josh, wait...

Well, it's been another groovy day in Springdale.

But before you all go home,

I just wanna extend a word of appreciation

to Springdale's top student.

Someone who really knows the importance of a good plan.

The student with the highest GPA in the school

and the only one of the Springdale Scorcerers

to actually ace the SPLAT.

But I didn't ace the SPLAT.

Please join me in congratulating our own...

Hey.

What are you doing here?

Oh, hello, Ted.

Penny, what's going on?

Are you okay, Ted?

You seem confused.

You told us you failed the SPLAT,

but Mr. Gary's announcement said you aced it.

Were you lying to us?

Oh, 100%.

Wait, don't tell me you still haven't figured it out yet.

I didn't fail the SPLAT.

Neither did you.

No one did.

But I saw the grades in Neely's office.

Every Scorcerer got an F Plus.

I changed them.

Well, my partner did.

We changed all the top scores to an F Plus.

All but mine.

But those grades, they're why the magnet's shutting down,

why Miss Neely's losing her job

and why Josh and I have to go to different schools!

Why would you do that?

I'm tired, Ted.

You know how hard I've worked?

No parties, no friends, no fun.

I wanna be the best.

And yet, when you're around, I always come in second.

I needed you gone, buddy.

But I knew I couldn't get you kicked out by myself.

There's only one person in the whole school

smart enough to beat Ted Freeman, and that's...

Ted Freeman.

You hate messes, Ted.

You'll do anything to avoid them.

So when I presented you with the biggest mess of all,

it was just a matter of time

before Ted Freeman tried to plan his way out of it.

I'm feeling really nervous about the test scores.

There's gotta be someone we can talk to,

someone on the staff who's always on our side no matter what.

So you knew we'd pull the heist.

Well, I knew you'd do something stupid.

You and Josh can't help yourselves.

All I had to do was help you make it far enough

to get yourselves caught.

Then even if you did figure out my plan,

no one would believe you.

You set us up.

You told us the grades went in Monday,

but you knew they were going in Friday.

Oh, it's so cute watching you catch up.

What about the fake grades?

You can't do that.

They'd never give a student staff access.

Keep going, buddy. You're so close.

Think big.

You don't need staff access

because your partner is on the staff.

Ding, ding, ding!

Good luck at your new school.

How was that?

Just perfect, Mr. Gary.

Why do you think Mr. Gary

told you everything you needed to know

about where the SPLAT scores were kept?

We gave you everything you needed to put a little plan together.

What's Mr. Gary get out of this?

And Principal Neely beat out

a lot of qualified candidates to get this job.

Mr. Gary helped make Springdale what it is,

but Ms. Neely's magnet program gets all the credit.

He needed her gone, I needed you gone,

and now we both have what we want!

I'm sorry, Ted. I really am.

But like I told you after the dance, you can't win 'em all.

Go away.

Hey, bug.

You've got some friends here to see you.

What are you guys doing here?

We owe you an apology, dude.

Yeah, it wasn't a bad plan. It was amazing.

We were double crossed.

I know, but how did you figure it out?

I was reviewing the security footage and saw this.

That's why the mouse and keyboard stopped working.

Not cool.

Smart, efficient, tactically sound,

but definitely not cool.

My mom may be a pain, but she's a good principal.

We need to fix this.

So what do we do?

I've got a plan.

We're going... Not Canada!

All right. Okay.

Hey, you'll be at the PTA meeting, right,

to help me win over the crowd?

Yeah. Yeah.

Thanks. Keys, please.

Promise to take care of the place, okay?

Yes, I will. Of course.

It's gonna be groovy.

Put that away.

Me and you, baby.

Hey! You know how long it took for me to sit in that chair?

Ted figured it out.

All of it.

Well, most of it. I told him the rest.

Did you tell him about me?

Definitely about you.

What?

Because if I know Ted, he's planning something right now

and tomorrow's his last chance to put it into action.

I need to know you'll be willing

to do whatever it takes to stop him.

Whatever it takes?

Penny, in case you ever notice,

I'm the new principal of a school!

I can't just target a bunch of kids!

No, you can't.

But you know someone who can.

Hey, that's groovy.

That's groovy.

Terry.

I'm doubling your budget.

Why?

So you'll use it.

Malfeasance ends tonight.

So first the bad news.

Our SPLAT grades have already been uploaded to the district.

They're a part of our permanent record now.

There's nothing we can do about that.

Ugh, dang it.

The good news is those grades are fake

and we can prove it.

- Whoo! Nice. - Good.

The Testron answer sheets.

Each one is printed with the student's name

and our real test answers.

We get our hands on everyone's original answer sheet,

and it'll prove those other grades were faked.

Nice.

There we go.

And now the bad news.

Wait, there's more bad news.

When I was planning our first job,

I knew these answer sheets might be an issue,

so I told Penny to have them shredded.

- Seriously. - Ugh! Come on.

They're being held in this storage room.

We need to get there and swipe the answer sheets

before they're picked up by the shredding company.

Which is in two weeks?

6:00 PM tomorrow, during the PTA meeting.

PTA? Dude, there's gonna be parents and teachers there?

We're toast.

And now the bad news.

Wha-

Grimes has been trucking in a ton of equipment

since noon yesterday.

I found receipts for lasers, alarms,

drone parts, and permanent dye.

What's the die for?

That's the bad news.

Oh, come on!

The Tattler 2.0.

It has infrared cameras and super sensitive hearing.

Worse, it's equipped with paintballs

filled with permanent dye,

the same kind banks use to mark bank robbers.

You get tagged with this stuff, it's not coming off.

Mr. Gary sent out an email district-wide today

saying that any student marked with this stuff

is expelled from everywhere.

Can he do that?

No school means no audience!

My act will die.

And I'll be homeschooled.

By my mother.

Dude, what are we gonna do?

Guys, I know this is scary.

We get caught this time,

we can basically kiss our futures goodbye.

But we're facing something much bigger than us,

and someone has to make it right.

And we are the only people crazy enough, weird enough,

and smart enough to pull this off.

Last time it was for us,

this time it's for all of Springdale.

So, one last job?

One last job.

One last job.

One last job.

All right, let's do this.

Penny had eyes everywhere.

She even deputized a bunch of eighth graders as hall monitors.

So we needed eyes of our own.

Everyone worked as a team.

We weren't great at everything,

but every one of us was great at something.

Hopefully it would be enough.

You built this?

See anything interesting?

Nothing unexpected.

So, you got any afterschool plans?

Why you want back in?

Why would I want that?

It's not too late, Penny.

When you were with the crew, I know you had fun.

This is middle school, Ted.

There's no time for fun.

You have until the bell rings, Freeman!

After that, it's game over.

Maybe.

Maybe it's game on.

Penny had Gertz locked outta the school's power grid.

The only things she could control

were the hallway locks and the PA system.

It would have to do.

Mr. Gary wanted the PTA meeting to be a huge event,

a giant party just for him.

That would be our in.

We just needed the right bait.

Something amazing.

I'm blown away! This is great!

You know what, and I think it's really groovy

that you're making up for what your friends did, okay?

But I don't have a lot of time to learn magic tricks.

The PTA meeting's tonight.

But you wanted it to be big, right?

The biggest!

There might be another way.

I shouldn't even be telling you this.

Oh, come on, are you kidding me?

But magicians have a secret.

A way to win over any audience.

I need that! All these parents love Neely.

There's some mean parents too, but what's the secret?

You gotta have a big finish.

Now, tell me, Mr. Gary, how do you feel about doves?

About what?

Well, you know what magicians say about doves, right?

No, I don't know what magicians say about doves.

They're very jazz flute.

Make the call.

Hold it right there.

What do you think you're doing, buddy?

Yeah, I got party doves for the party.

Mm, likely story. I'm gonna have to check that with the chief first.

Okay. Okay.

Freeman!

- Listen, kid... - Detective.

Sure.

I don't have all day, okay? Do you want these doves or not?

I got a whole van of party doves.

Freeman!

You're all clear. Good to go.

But I need someone to sign for them, so...

Oh, sir, could you maybe sign? No. Fine. It's fine!

Come one, come all!

- Come see the Amazing Chad! - Not this time.

This is Brains.

He took the bait.

I seriously can't believe this is working.

Like, seriously.

See how you like that!

What are you up to, Ted?

Okay, so no one's gonna sign for the party doves?

Fine. I don't need this.

Kid, party doves? You into it?

Nothing? All right.

Oh no, we're all the way in the C wing.

Dude, those birds wreak.

Stinkiest magic ever.

Wait, am I allergic to magic doves now?

Gertz, we're pinned down. Can you help?

I see you.

There's just one, but others are nearby.

Don't make a sound.

If they hear you, you're toast.

It's right behind you. Stay out of sight.

Don't make a sound.

No, no! Shh!

I think I can distract it with sound.

I just need...

Bless you.

Thank you. Seriously.

Gertz, we need to get to the main hall.

How's it look?

All good for now, but hurry.

Springdale parents,

we will be starting the PTA meeting in a moment.

Well. You must be happy.

Our kids losing their best friends.

Look, I know it's not ideal, but it might be for the best.

They need discipline.

When you're at war, having discipline is the only way

you make it out alive.

This is middle school, Cliff.

Take a look around.

Does it look like anyone's at war?

Mayday! Mayday!

I've got bogies on my six and I'm taking heavy fire!

Please advise, over!

Oh, yeah!

Magic is stupid! How you like that magic, Chad, huh?

Eat that, Freeman!

We made it!

We made it.

Now all we have to do is use Neely's key card and open up the door,

put the test answer sheets in with the doves,

and wheel out of here like nothing happened.

Grimes.

It's a trick. Ted is already in the building.

Freeman's inside?

Break off pursuit and get back here.

Where are my Tattlers?

Now!

What the?

Aw, that was my favorite plaid.

Wow, what a turnout.

Well, I should introduce myself to you.

My name is Gary Garrie.

I am the brand new principal

for the Springdale Magnet School

of the Jazz Flute Arts.

That's right. You heard it. Jazz Flute Arts!

No, no, no questions. No, no questions right now, okay?

But I can assure you that this year's program

is gonna be hip, it's going to be happening,

and above all, it's gonna be groovy.

No, did you hear me? Groovy.

Gertz, the key card's not working.

Fart, Penny's already had my mother locked outta the system.

Josh, stop! The drones!

What? This is as quiet as I can get.

Josh, stop kicking.

- Gertz, can you open the door? - Checking.

- Open the door. - I can't!

- Use your key. - It's not working. Why isn't it working?

Gertz!

Get this door open, whatever it takes!

What the heck is a Gertz?

Where are you, Gertz Neely?

Got you.

Follow me.

Well, can you open it?

Yes, if I open all the doors.

Great. Do it.

Wait, all of the doors?

It's been hardwired together.

If I unlock that door, all the doors open.

The Tattlers will be on you in minutes.

And Grimes?

Seconds.

- Do it. - Wait, what?

It's the only way. You stay here, try to finish the job.

I'll buy you some time.

But that's not part of the plan.

You're right. Can't plan for everything.

No. You finish the job. I'll buy you some time.

No, if Grimes catches anyone, it should be me.

I'm the one he's after.

We'll see about that.

Ted?

Ted?

Do it.

Fart.

Barker?

It's not Ted you're after, you know. It's me.

Nice try, Barker.

Everyone knows Freeman's the brains.

Yeah, but I'm the hands.

All those pranks, every remote controlled stink bomb,

the water balloon launcher, the splatter horn.

I built them all.

And the videos?

Oh, you mean Wannabe Cop Fails

with 36,000 views and counting?

Did you like it?

Barker!

That's when it happened.

The ending will shock you.

To save the school and to save his friends.

Josh Barker, the ultimate prankster, pranked himself.

72 weeks of farts was Josh's crowning achievement.

His finest prank.

And he planned it all himself.

The hands had become the brains.

They say it's a stink so rancid nothing could survive it.

Gertz! Gertz!

First Gertz, now Josh?

You have good friends, Freeman.

Too bad they're all going down.

Just like you.

Maybe.

But that's the price of being part of something amazing.

Freeman!

Finally! Caught you in the act!

Do you even know what's going on here?

Do you even care?

All I care about is rules.

What is your deal anyways?

When I was your age, I had a saying.

"One slip today could be a catastrophe tomorrow."

I never slipped, Freeman.

Not once.

And look at me now.

- Thank you. - No!

Ted, run!

Come one, come all!

Ted! Ted! You have to get up now.

- My pants! - Come on, Ted! Move!

My pants!

It's the end of an era and the beginning of a new one.

Right now, I'm going to name

the new student ambassador

of Springdale's new Jazz Flute Magnet, Penny Prichard!

And also, as of this week,

Ms. Penny Prichard has the highest GPA score,

which actually makes her number one, all right?

Number one!

Come on!

Oh, that's gotta hurt, huh, Freeman?

But that's the price for malfeasance, boys.

Cold sting of justice.

Oh, that's probably your parents.

I gave them a call.

It's not gonna be like last time, though.

This time I got proof.

This time, nobody's saving either one of you two.

Oh no.

They sound mad.

- That's enough. - I'm just making sure they can hear.

I suppose I should let 'em in.

I know the law is supposed to be impartial,

but I gotta admit, I'm really gonna enjoy this.

Hey, Sammie the Steambear, what you got there?

Classic Steambear. Stay outta trouble.

It takes a woman's touch sometimes, Cliff.

What, are you gonna just gently press the button and that's gonna be it?

What, are you gonna just with your giant man fingers?

I'm just making sure that...

Here he comes.

Okay, people.

People, okay. The answer is no.

We cannot go back to the old magnet.

And yes, the new magnet has to be jazz flute.

- What are you thinking? - What is this all about?

Malfeasance of course,

Of course it is.

Malfeasance.

Didn't I tell you what would happen

if you kept hanging around with...

Oh, gee, son!

You wreak!

Where is Ted?

Right there, the one and only.

I am not joking, Mr. Grimes.

Where is my son?

Listen, if you had passed the SPLAT thing,

then this wouldn't be a problem.

But what do you want me to do?

Listen, I'm trying my best tonight.

Wait a minute, wait, wait, wait, wait.

Here we go, and now for the big finish!

Lady, that's him.

That's Freeman in the red hoodie.

Okay, that's not red, it's razzmatazz.

No, it can't be.

There a problem, officer?

No!

And now join me for the Springdale Magnet

for the Jazz Flute Arts takes flight!

What is that?

What is all this?

They're the SPLAT scores.

The real ones.

What?

I don't understand, I delivered that bin myself.

The ol' switcheroo?

The ol' switcheroo!

You have good friends, Freeman.

Too bad they're all going down, just like you.

Maybe.

But that's the price of being part of something amazing.

So if you're here, then that means...

Care to explain this?

It's simple, Ms. Neely.

Mr. Gary wanted your job.

I guess he was always tired of being...

Overlooked.

So he faked the SPLAT scores and shut down the magnet.

The SPLAT scores were fake?

That's right, ma'am.

Mr. Gary failed us.

He sure did.

Come on!

You're gonna actually listen to...

You're gonna listen to him? Come on, you guys!

Who are you gonna believe? These genius kids, or me?

Genius kids, or me?

Yeah, I get it now.

Faking test scores, defrauding the school system,

abusing his position.

I don't know about you, but I think there's a perfect word for that.

Malfeasance.

Tattletales, assemble.

What!

What is...

Oh, bummer!

You know what?

This isn't worth it!

I did it. Okay?

I did it. It wasn't the kids, it was me.

Okay?

It was me. There.

I cannot believe our boys pulled this off.

You know, that must have taken so much...

Discipline.

It was all me, okay?

You satisfied?

Can I get a wet wipe or something?

You can guess what happened next.

Ms. Neely got her old job back.

After he was let go,

Mr. Gary decided to follow his passion.

Grimes had to give up all his fancy new gadgets.

At least we think he did.

And Chad finally got to take his act on the road.

Kinda.

Well, guys, it's been amazing.

If you ever need me, feel free to call.

Wait, your last name is Zandini?

Yeah, so?

Zandini? But you go by Amazing Chad?

What have I done?

Come see the Amazing Chad!

So, good results?

Smart, efficient, tactically sound.

Analysis: Not garbage.

And I'm sorry for saying you were acting out for attention.

That wasn't cool.

It's fine.

I was only mad 'cause you were right.

How'd you know?

Easy. It's exactly what I do.

Friendzies for pretendzies?

Maybe not pretendzies.

I've said too much.

Well, we did it.

We saved the school.

Yep. Worst plan ever.

So something tells me you're not going down for any of this.

Mr. Gary's in enough trouble as it is,

and taking orders from a 12-year-old?

Not a good look.

But you were right, Ted.

When I was with you and the crew, I did have fun.

So, I guess it'll be trying to take me down again.

No, Ted, we both know there's only one person

in the whole school smart enough to beat Ted Freeman.

See you in class.

See you in class.

Let's talk about plans.

Everything you've ever loved,

every cool thing that has ever existed

did start with a plan.

But Josh was right.

Life can be messy.

There's order, there's chaos,

and somewhere in between, there's us.

It's good to have plans, but you can't plan for everything.

Where's the fun in that?