Plagued
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"Plagued" is the eleventh episode of the French animated television series Code Lyoko. It premiered in France on November 12, 2003 and in the United States on May 3, 2004.
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[edit] Summary
XANA possesses a rat that tries to sneak a bite from the school's kitchen. That rat goes on to bite other rats, putting them under XANA's control. Meanwhile, the school counselor has been watching Jeremie and believes him to be a gifted student. As such, he believes that Jeremie would be better off at a more advanced school and decides to give him an aptitude test. During the test, XANA's army of rats attacks the school.
[edit] Recap
The episode starts off as a pack of rats in the city's sewer system forage for food. One rat's help is refused by the group. The rejected rat departs and scurries through some tunnels and piping, apparently tracking a scent. The lone rat ends up in the school's kitchen and finds some apples. Almost immediately, one of XANA's ghosts appears and takes over the rat.
Jeremie, Ulrich, Odd and Yumi are having a Library period. While Yumi reads and Odd and Ulrich are playing table soccer with a crumpled sheet of paper, Jeremie is communicating with Aelita via his laptop. He explains to Aelita why they must stay quite in the Library. In response to this, Aelita says "Oh, you need silence to focus on what you are studying" and Jeremie says "Yeah, and not miss game point." Ulrich and Odd are playing with a paper ball, to see who gets the match point. Odd stands up and hits it towards his opponent. Ulrich leans back, and holds on to the table with his leg. He gives it a powerful swat and gets it to the other side past Odd. With no time to celebrate, Ulrich loses balance and falls down. Jim comes and yells at him and says, "Ulrich! Is that what you call silence?!" While Ulrich laughs, Yumi is trying not to show Jim that she is laughing. Headmaster Delmas comes in and Jim grabs his ear. The campus supervisor doesn't notice it is the Headmaster and let’s go. The gang starts laughing. Headmaster Delmas came to look for Jeremie, he needs to talk to him.
In the Sewers, the rat that has been possessed by XANA approaches the pack that had rejected him the night before. Several of the pack members emit threatening hisses, but the XANA-possessed rat is not intimidated in the least. Without warning, it attacks the other rats. The XANA-possessed rat has little trouble pinning several opponents to the ground. In order to build a bigger army, XANA has his enslaved rat bite its opponents' forelegs. This transmits XANA's presence into the victim via fluids injected by the bite wound.
Back at the school, Jeremie comes out and tells Ulrich, Yumi and Odd everything Headmaster Delmas recently imparted to him. He says that the school psychologist has been looking at Jeremie's academic progress. Because of Jeremie's stunning record, the psychologist is going to see that the star student gets moved to an advanced school for the gifted. However, attendance at the said school is requisite upon a high score on a series of mandatory IQ tests. Odd says "Hold on! You mean he is going to send you to a school for future Einsteins?" Jeremie says "Yeah..." and that his parents are NOT going to pass a great opportunity like that.
In the Sewers, XANA has assembled a gigantic army of rats with the main rat is commanding the others.
At the Quad, Jeremie and the gang are talking about how to flunk the test so he doesn't get transferred into another school. Odd says "What’s the big problem? You flunk the test and they will think you are a moron, no one will ever know!" Jeremie says that flunking is not quite that simple, since those kinds of tests are full of trick questions. One actually has to be clever to flunk the IQ tests. Yumi says that Jeremie is the one of the cleverest kids around, and Jeremie tells them that he will try his best to fail. Yumi leaves and tells Ulrich to keep her posted.
That night, Jeremie is sitting in the Library. The psychologist, Hans Klotz (although he refers to himself as "Mr. Simone" in the American broadcast), enters and greets Jeremie, expresses his high hopes for the student and hands him the test papers. With false enthusiasm, Jeremie says he hopes he will do well on the test with as much sunniness as possible.
As Jeremie is taking the test, Ulrich and Odd go to eat. In the walls of the Dormitory Building, 3 rats cut an electric wire and everything goes dark. Sissi, in her room, asks, "What kind of a two-bit school is this?!" A pack of rats surfaces in her room. Sissi manages to get away, although thoroughly freaked out.
In the Cafeteria the students are clowning around. Ulrich tells everyone to quiet, as he hears strange noises. The rats come down from the ceiling and start to attack. Screaming, the students try to leave, but they are surrounded by rats outside. Ulrich calls Yumi. Yumi asks, "Is that you Ulrich?" in a kind of flirty voice, and then says "Huh?! What?!" Ulrich tries calling Jeremie, but Klotz doesn't let his prize student answer.
In the Cafeteria's courtyard, Ulrich and Odd are outside. Sissi is on the other side, but lucky for her, Yumi is coming on her bike. She collects Sissi, and goes to where Ulrich and Odd are.
The rat infestation has spread. At the Library, the tests are laying forgotten on the reading table. Klotz is lying on the floor, trembling and stuttering that he is terrified of rats because of a boyhood experience with a rat in a closet. Jeremie is reduced to the role of protector and comforter. The prodigy is quick on his feet and departs for the Photography Lab (also located in the Library). He returns a short time later with camera flash bulbs. He uses these as weapons, exploiting the bright flash in order to stun the attacking rats. After handing Klotz the camera and instructing him on how to use it, Jeremie calls Yumi and tells her that they will meet in the Factory. Yumi tells everyone to evacuate to the Science Building's roof. The students and faculty evacuate the Cafeteria, trailed by Rosa Petitjean, who is busy deflecting leaping rats with a meal tray. Yumi says "We have to get to the Factory. Jeremie said he will meet us there!" Ulrich says "Great idea but how do you suppose for us to get there?" Odd find a fire hose, which they use to "part the Red Sea" of rats in front of them. They go down to the floor from the rooftop.
They do not travel in the sewers since the tunnels and channel catwalks are packed with rats. Instead, they opt to take a land route towards the factory. In the Factory, Yumi virtualizes Ulrich and Odd as Jeremie is heading to the factory.
In Lyoko, Ulrich and Odd don't see Aelita. Yumi realizes that she typed the wrong coordinates. Odd says that it's okay and that they will run. As they run, they see Aelita being chased by two Krabes. Ulrich says "Don't worry Aelita; your two knights in shining armor have come to protect you!" As they close in, everything starts moving, Yumi thinks it’s her mistake but Aelita says "XANA has changed the slope of the plateau! Better hang on!" Odd, Ulrich and Aelita let go, but Aelita makes a place for them to land on. The Krabes charge in right after them. The two Krabes shoot at Aelita, and Ulrich stands in front of her and takes the hits. Odd tells Ulrich to protect Aelita, that he will attract the Krabes' attention. Odd destroys one Krabe. In retaliation, the partner shoots a rock Odd was holding on to. He hurtles toward the Digital Void, but the Krabe devirtualized him just in time.
Jeremie arrives at the Factory and tells Yumi to go to the Scanners.
At Kadic, the students are cowering in a corner of the Science Building's roof, shielded by Jim. The rats have managed to get to the rooftop stairwell, and are busily chewing through the access door.
In Lyoko, Ulrich is protecting Aelita, but he gets shot two more times. Ulrich tries to destroy the Krabe, but the monster devirtualizes him. Just as the Krabe is about to attack Aelita, Yumi destroys the Krabe with her metallic boomerang fan.
At Kadic, the rats have managed to open the door, illiciting panic amongst those assembled on the roof.
Yumi takes Aelita to the Tower. In the Library, the frightened Klotz "Say...Say cheese!" as he aims the camera flashbulb at a pack of slowly advancing rats.
Aelita enters the Tower and just as the rats are about to attack the kids and Klotz, the Tower is deactivated. Jeremie says "Return to the past now!" and time is reverted back.
After the return trip, the gang is in the Library talking about the test that Jeremie is going to take. Yumi says "Hey Jeremie have you figured out a way of flunking the test?" Jeremie replies by saying "Well now that I know what the test looks like I shouldn't have any problems giving all the wrong answers." Ulrich says "Are you sure it’s going to work?" and Jeremie says “I’ve got a foolproof way to flunk the test. I'm going to get all my answers from Odd!" Ulrich and Yumi start laughing, and Odd says "Yeah yeah, laugh your heads off all you want, but you never know you might be in for a big surprise!" The episode ends on that.
[edit] Memorable Quotes
- Odd: Welcome to the rat pack!
- Jeremie: I've got a fullproof way of flunking. I'm going to get all my answers from Odd!
[edit] Trivia
[edit] Cinematic Notes
- When Jeremie contacts Aelita via the laptop, the camera angle makes it look like the screen is missing.
- At first, Jeremie and Klotz pile up the Library's book collection in front of the door to keep the rats out. When Jeremie heads for the Photography Lab, the piles of books have disappeared.
[edit] Allusions to the Real World
- While Jeremie takes the test, Klotz is plying his own IQ at a Multicolor Puzzle Cube.
This puzzle cube is similar, and probably is, a Rubik's Cube, a famous 3×3×3 mental puzzle. It was invented in 1974 by a Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture named Ernõ Rubik.
| Preceded by: "The Girl of the Dreams" |
Code Lyoko episodes | Followed by: "Swarming Attack" |
