PLOT[]
The video begins with two best friends: Ted and Link, in the school library. (As for the episode, this episode takes place possibly during the end of second trimester. And today it is report card day for second trimester.) Link asks Ted for help on a chemistry question. But Ted is busy hacking into the school's report card system and network on his computer. Thinking that Ted's computer was broken, Link offers to call the librarian, but Ted orders him to stay silent. Having spent the last two weeks learning how to hack, Ted (unsuccessfully and unacceptably) accesses his teacher's files and immediately changes his failing grades into "A's" instead of "D's". (He --Ted-- did this last trimester --first trimester-- and was lucky enough to get away with it.) Link tries in vain to stop Ted (knowing that Ted is cheating).
Ted brags that the system was so old that he easily hacked into it. Link warns that Ted could get caught, as his teachers would know that they did not give Ted an "A". Ted tells Link that report cards are about to come out, and his grade changes are just temporary. However, after they come out, Ted promises to revert his grades back to what they originally were. That way, nobody would notice. Link shakes his head, knowing what his friend is doing is wrong.
Just then, the librarian wakes up. Ted immediately closes all windows on his computer and pretends to study while the librarian passes by. Link warns Ted that the computers takes screenshots, of the students' activities, but Ted dismisses it as a myth spread by the teachers to scare them into doing their work. He offers to help Link by changing his grade from "B" to an "A". Link rejects the offer.
Sometime later, Link is at a plaza, helping another student with Biology. They argue the differences between prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Suddenly, two bullies show up. The other student leaves, and Link faces the two bullies alone. Link says he doesn't have lunch money, but he offers to give them a leftover tuna casserole. The two bullies say that they did not come for Link, but rather, for Ted. Because of this, Ted tells Link that these two guys are his new friends, Axel and Stacy. He is using his computer hacking skills to help them earn better grades, and they pay him in return. However, it turns out that Ted had already gotten himself a large number of clients lined up for him that afternoon. He asks Link to partner up with him, but Link categorically refuses.
The next day, at school, Ted and Link are sitting in class. Everyone has received their report cards, except for Ted himself. Instead, Principal Daniels, (Eliot) walks into the classroom and asks to speak with Ted, and Ted fears the worst. However out in the hallway, Principal Daniels (unaware that Ted cheated) congratulates Ted on having received a perfect GPA on both first and second trimesters. And he invites him to participate in the academic bowl the following day as an alternate. Ted declines, but then, Principal Daniels points out that the prize money this year is the highest, with each member of the winning team being paid $1,000. In addition, he has never had to use any of his alternates. Upon seeing an opportunity to get some easy money, Ted agrees. He shows up at school the next day, with his friend, Link, at his side.
Link questions Ted's decision to agree to participate as an alternate, asking him what his plan is should he get called to compete. Ted scoffs and dismisses Link's concerns. But then, Principal Daniels informs Ted that another of their team members had caught the stomach bug, meaning that Ted needs to step in and participate after all. Ted reluctantly walks onto the stage to participate. Unfortunately, his presence on the team proves to be a burden, as he answers every single question incorrectly. While his team --the blue team-- initially had a strong lead, due to several mishaps (thanks to Ted's wrong answers), the two teams end up tied. The other members express exasperation at Ted, and are flustered at his surprisingly disastrous performance, given that he was supposedly a straight "A" student.
The competition enters a tie-breaker round, where the two teams are given the right to choose a player from the other team. Of course, both choose the weakest players, which are Allison and Ted, respectively. Ted's teammates advise him to ring the bell instantly after the question is asked, even if he does not know the correct answer. The question that happens to be asked is, "What do you call a living thing that has its DNA inside of a nucleus?" This happens to be the same question that Link was arguing over with another team member of the Academic Bowl the day before.
Ted happens to answer the question correctly as "eukaryote", much to the pleasant surprise of Link and his teammates. His team narrowly ends up winning the competition. As the students celebrate their victory, Principal Daniels immediately walks up onstage. And he is unaware that Ted cheated. His demeanor having changed considerably. He is still unaware that Ted cheated, until he asks to speak with Ted privately. And Ted follows him into a dimly lit hallway.
In a stern voice, Principal Daniels immediately begins questioning Ted on his poor performance in the Academic Bowl and demands an answer. Ted has no idea what Principal Daniels is talking about and claims he just won the competition for the school. But Principal Daniels says to Ted that the perfect score in the competition (made by Ted) is the only question he got right. (He got an "A" in the competition, but the last question, it was the only one that he got right. And that is why he received the extra credit. The "A" and 4.0 GPA was just for the only one question he got correct.)
During the competition, given Ted's surprisingly disastrous performance, Principal Daniels called Ted's teachers. They crossed paths with Principal Daniels and told him that he was failing in his classes --except physical education-- and were shocked when they heard that he had a 4.0 GPA this trimester (which second trimester) as well as first trimester. (They said that Ted got an "A" --a 4.0 GPA-- on his report cards --from both first and second trimesters-- if he changed his grades.) So, Principal Daniels called the librarian, and he asked the librarian for Ted's screenshot history. Ted realizes at that moment that he is busted, and that contrary to what he believed, students's activities on the computers were indeed monitored and recorded. His screenshot history shows his report cards from the first two trimesters and he changed his grade on both of them from a "D" to an "A".
An enraged Principal Daniels reprimands Ted for his actions and threatens to expel him and call the police. Ted begs him not to, and Principal Daniels relents. However, he is going to be facing multiple consequences. He is going to write a genuine apology to Link. In fact, he is going to write an apology not only to Link, but also to his friends Axel, Alex, his period class teachers (from math, science, language arts, history, and art), the school librarian, and the computer lab teacher (for a total of ten apologies). In addition to writing apologies, Ted's report card grades for both first and second trimesters --all his grades (for both the first two trimesters) except for physical education (where he got an "A" for)-- are going to be reverted to what they were prior to his hacking (only his grade for gym is going to remain an "A", but the rest of the grades --including math, science, language arts, history, and art-- are all going to revert back to a "D"). Then he is going to forfeit the prize money from the Academic Bowl, he is going to get a one-week long term suspension, and --when he comes back to school-- he is going to be assigned a special assignment (which involves updating --and redesigning-- the school's report card system and network to remove the ability to hack the system so future hackers --including himself-- are not going to do it ever again). And for a bonus punishment, Principal Daniels states that if Ted doesn't pass third trimester and picks up his grades to at least a "B", he has to repeat eighth grade twice and/or take summer school.
After Principal Daniels makes him return to class, he also states to Ted that if Ted gets too many of those --if his behavior becomes a problem-- he (Principal Daniels) and Ted's teachers are going to start him on a disciplinary. And not just being in trouble by him --Principal Daniels-- and his teachers nor just writing apologies, forfeiting the prize money, a one-week long term suspension, and updating and redesigning the school's report card system and network (to remove the ability to hack the system so future hackers are not going to do it ever again). (It would be more than just being in trouble by Principal Daniels --and his teachers-- and just writing.)
A week later, Ted is seen working in the library alongside Link. While Ted is writing the apologies --the first task assigned by Principal Daniels-- he reveals that his parents confiscated his laptop, I-Pad, smartphone (I-Phone), Nintendo games (his N64, Wii, Wii Virtual Console on both the Wii and Wii U's Wii Mode, Wii U, Wii U Virtual Console, Switch, Switch's NSO/Nintendo Classics, Switch 2, and Switch 2's NSO/Nintendo Classics), and PS5. (That is, until he gets his grades to at least a "B".) In the midst of their conversation, Principal Daniels interrupts and orders Ted to return to work. Ted had almost finished up, and Principal Daniels orders him to install antivirus software on all the other computers in the school (in addition to the school's report card system and network).
Just then, Axel and Alex (another client that Ted lined up) show up and demand their money back, as they too had been busted along with Ted. Ted hands them his birthday money, and they take it all, refusing to give any change, much to Ted's distress.
MORAL[]
Use your talents for good instead of evil.
CAST[]
Main Characters[]
- Ted - Nick Robert Freedson
- Link - Branddon Watkins
- Principal Daniels - Eliot
Supporting/Minor Characters[]
- Student 1 - Natalia Christabelle (Nat)
- Student 2 - Daquan Chambers
- Student 3 - Milan Lapesarde Lacy
- Student 4 - Valencia Berry
- Student 5 - Tatiana Ariel
- Student 6 - Danny Pikofsky
- Teacher 1 - Theodore Mark Martínez
- Student 7 - Amogh Karwar
- Bully 1 - Chandler Dunman
- Bully 2 - Alex Long
- Teacher 2 - Leanne Abalos
- Host - Brigitte Reinke
- Opponent 1 - Sara Kamine
- Opponent 2 - Rachel Boudwin
- Opponent 3 - Jacob Sola
- Opponent 4 - Joshua Pitney
- Teammate 1 - Gigi Ganza
- Teammate 2 - Kory Mann
- Audience Member 1 - Kalond Irlanda
- Audience Member 2 - Ebony Dodson
- Audience Member 3 - Richard Sather
- Audience Member 5 - Jacob Athyal
- Audience Member 7 - Marv Roussan
- Audience Member 8 - Victoria Lynne Smith
Trivia[]
- Ted changing his grades is similar to "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" in which the title character erases his truancy records by hacking a computer. This tactic is also used by Danny to change Felix O'Neil's grades in "Expelled," a film that copies the plot of the former.
- This is also the first episode to have similarities to the film, the second being "Kid DITCHES SCHOOL To THROW PARTY, He Lives To Regret It."
Allusions[]
- The episode is similar to the Horrid Henry episode "Horrid Henry Computer Whizz" when Henry changes his grades from and F to an A+ and being forced to participate in the contest, until he gets exposed by Miss Oddbod for altering the results and has to face different punishments because of that.
Errors[]
- The number average grades do not match the letter average grades. For example, students with an average in the 70s have an A when in reality, they would have a C or a C+.
- After the clients got caught up and demand a refund from Ted, it turns out there was another guy instead of Stacy. However, it's very likely this guy was another client that Ted lined up at a different time.
- During Principal Daniels' scolding towards Ted on hacking into the computers and changing his grades (as Ted was getting "C's" and "D's" in every subject), Ted has his medal visible when they first enter the dim lit hall. However, in the shots that show both Principal Daniels and Ted (i.e. when Principal Daniels brings up the part where he crossed paths with Ted's teachers --in the hall-- and spoke to them about his performance) the medal is not on his neck. And in the shots where it only focuses on Ted (i.e. when Ted is assuming what his teachers told Principal Daniels), the medal's ribbon is on his neck but the medal itself is tucked in his shirt.