Be Careful What You Fish For

"Be Careful What You Fish For" is the fourth episode of the eighth season, and the three-hundred-thirty-seventh episode of The Loud House.

Plot[]

A fishing trip with Gramps turns into an obsessive chase when Gramps' old fish rival, Moby Rick, swims nearby.

Synopsis[]

Lincoln and Lynn Sr. have decided to spend their day fishing at the lake with Leonard. Tagging along with them are Lance and Shiloh. When all the Loud boys meet up at the dock, Leonard asks a fellow fisherman to take a group photo of them. Immediately afterwards, the five of them board Leonard's boat and depart, ready to enjoy their day of fishing.

Later, as the Louds fish, Leonard suddenly begins to shout while clutching his right foot. At first, the others think that Leonard has foot pain, but Leonard reveals that he's sensing something. That something turns out to be Moby Rick, a great white sturgeon he has sought after for 30 years. He explains that 30 years ago, he went on a fishing trip on a boat called The Codfather, and as he and his mates were hanging out, Rick suddenly emerged and crashed onto their boat, completely destroying it and, as Leonard reveals, had cost him his right big toe. Because of this incident, Leonard has made it his mission to capture Rick and mount him on a plaque fixed to his boat. After telling his story, the other Loud males tell Leonard that they will help him capture Rick.

Soon, the Louds are hard at work keeping an eye out for Rick. When Lance inadvertently drops some of Lynn Sr.'s Lynn-sagna in the water, it manages to lure in Rick. When the giant fish attempts to swim away, Leonard fires a suction cup at him that has a bobber attached in order to prevent him from submerging. Suddenly, the bobber submerges, only for it to come back up. Because of this, and the fact that it's not moving, Leonard believes that they have tired out Rick from escaping and quickly uses his fishing net to bring him in, only to realize that Rick had managed to detach the bobber from himself and attached a turtle to it instead. Later, Lincoln has attached pieces of Lynn-sagnas to all their fishing lines. Soon enough, Rick manages to snag one of the lines, and the Louds attempt to pull him in, but Rick's immense strength allows him to pull the boat with him until the line he snagged snaps. At this point, the Louds want to call it quits, but Leonard, having come this close to capturing Rick, refuses to back down now, saying that he entered a small cave up ahead called Dead Man's Cove. When Lynn Sr. states that he still wants to pass on continuing forward, Leonard, not wanting to put his family at risk and desiring to capture Rick once and for all, decides to board a dinghy and go in alone. The second Leonard departs, the remaining Louds decide to follow him in fear of his own safety, however, the engine on the boat stalls, preventing them from following him.

Entering Dead Man's Cove, Leonard manages to locate Rick, and after some initial struggle, succeeds in capturing the giant fish after 30 long years. At the same time, the remaining Louds, using paddles to try and move the boat, end up getting caught in a raging current and are on the verge of plunging down Dead Man's Drop, a waterfall. Seeing the dire situation his family is in, Leonard brokers a deal with Rick: he promises to let him go and never hunt him again if he agrees to help him save his family. Fortunately, Rick agrees to help out, and he and Leonard successfully stop the Louds from falling down the waterfall.

Later that night, as Rick pulls the boat back to shore, Leonard apologizes to his sons and grandsons for putting them in a dangerous situation, saying that they matter more than his obsession. At that moment, the Louds arrive to the dock, and Leonard lets Rick go with a thankful salute, telling his family that he and the fish are on good terms now, and has decided on something better to mount on the plaque he initially intended to put Rick on: the group photo they took that morning.

Cast[]

• Sawyer Cole as Lincoln
• Brian Stepanek as Lynn Sr.
• Rob Riggle as Lance
• Bahia Watson as Shiloh
• Rick Zieff as Gramps / Young Gramps / Sailor

Bobber has no lines in this episode.

Trivia[]

• This is the final episode to use the 2017 Nickelodeon Productions logo.
• Following "The Old and the Restless", "Legends", "Net Gains", "The Write Stuff", "Power Play", "Senior Moment", "Sand Hassles", "Band Together", "School of Shock", "Director's Rut", "Haunted House Call", "Prize Fighter", "Puns and Buns", "The Loathe Boat", "Cheer Pressure", "Fashion No Show", "Waking History", "Bye, Tanya", "What Lies Beneath", "An Inspector Falls", and "Let's Break a Deal", this is the twenty-second episode in which only one main character appears.
• This is the first episode since the Season 2 episode "Snow Way Down" to have no female characters present.
• The only Loud male to not appear in this episode is Shane.
• This episode takes place after the events of "'Twas the Fight Before Christmas", as Lynn Sr. and Lance are shown to be on good terms with each other.
  • However, due to the aforementioned episode not premiering in some regions until after this one, this actually ended up being Lance and Shiloh first appearance in some countries, such as Portugal and Spain.
• This episode reveals the following:
  • Leonard is missing the hallux on his right foot due to his first encounter with Moby Rick. According to Lynn Sr., this is the reason why Leonard always wears socks with sandals.
  • Lance is the older brother between himself and Lynn Sr.
  • Shiloh once glued himself to Shelby.
  • Lance is unable to swim, as his muscle mass prevents him from floating.
• Foreshadowing: When the bobber reemerges after Moby Rick pulls it down, the rope attached to it can be seen having a frayed end, hinting that he managed to get it off.

References[]

• Be Careful What You Fish For - The title of this episode is a pun of the saying "be careful what you wish for".
• Moby-Dick - The premise of this episode is similar to this 1851 novel by Herman Melville, as they're both about fisherman going to great lengths to capture a giant creature who inflicted harm on them in the past. Moby Rick, the great white sturgeon Leonard is trying to capture, is a direct parody of the titular great white whale.
• The Godfather - The name of the ship Leonard was on when he first encountered Moby Rick, The Codfather, is a pun of this 1972 Best Picture-winning epic gangster film, based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Mario Puzo.
• Spanish Ladies - Gramps sings a rendition of a the famous sea shanty.

Errors[]

• Leonard collides with an octopus while chasing Moby Rick. Octopi are strictly saltwater animals and don't live in lakes.