"Power Play with the Casagrandes" is the second episode of the fourth season, the one-hundred-fifty-first episode of The Loud House, and the second episode of the Casagrande story arc.
When a high utility bill threatens Hector and Rosa's annual anniversary trip, Ronnie Anne spearheads a family effort to cut back on usage.
Synopsis[]
As the Casagrande family hang out in the family room, Sergio comes in with an envelope. Hector opens the envelope and discovers it's the latest power and water bill, and the numbers are higher than last time. When he and Rosa suggest that make some cutbacks, they mention their anniversary trip. When Ronnie Anne asks what that is, they explain that ever since they moved to Great Lakes City, they went to a dance club where they danced and fell in love. Not wanting her grandparents to miss this special occasion, Ronnie Anne decides to help as much as she can.
Ronnie Anne calls a meeting with Bobby and Maria and says that they need to try to cut back on energy usage, like Bobby chatting with Lori on so many devices, Maria using a giant coffee machine and Ronnie Anne admitting to using numerous devices at once. Ronnie Anne suggests some alternatives such as Bobby only having five-minute conversations (much to Lori's fury), Maria getting a personal foot massage from Ronnie Anne and eating energy gum instead of coffee and Ronnie Anne attempting to change her clothes, brush her teeth and take a shower in the span of two minutes (which doesn't turn out very well). When Ronnie Anne, Bobby, and Maria check the energy usage, they discover that it's still going up, prompting them to check around and see who else is using up so much energy.
Spying around the apartment, the three realize that each one of the family members uses so much energy, from Carlota using her beauty tools, CJ wasting water in the bathtub to play with his toy pirates and Frida using numerous studio lights and fans for photoshoots with Lalo. This prompts Ronnie Anne to hold a meeting where she states that if Hector and Rosa want to go on their trip, they all have to cut back on energy usage, to which they grudgingly agree to. The family manages to cut back on their energy use when Carlota lets her hair frizz up as a new look, CJ plays in the sink instead of the bathtub, Carl moves his toy train by himself without the use of remote control, Frida using her painting skills and Carlos riding a bicycle instead of using his car. When the family checks the energy usage, much to their disappointment and frustration, the energy use is still going up.
That night, as Ronnie Anne sleeps, she heads downstairs to get something to eat, when suddenly, she hears loud techno music downstairs. Entering the bodega, Ronnie Anne discovers that Sergio is having a rave party with numerous pigeons. Caught, Sergio tells the pigeons to escape and Ronnie Anne forces him to come with her. Entering Bobby's room, Ronnie Anne reveals that Sergio is the one who has been using up so much energy. Bobby says that the reason Sergio was in the bodega in the first place was that he was tired of him staying up late at night and thought placing him in the bodega will prevent him from bothering him.
With this secret revealed, the energy use has finally been lowered, allowing Hector and Rosa to go on their anniversary trip. Ronnie Anne also found a way to solve Bobby's dilemma: she's letting Sergio stay in her room and has attached a laser pointer to a toy plane, so when Sergio chases after the dot for a good 20 minutes, he'll be too tired to stay awake.
The premise of this episode is extremely similar to the Season 1 episode "The Green House", as both episodes involve a large family attempting to reduce their energy use in order to save something.
Humorously, Lori mentions the events of that episode by saying that she's "been there".
This episode reveals that Hector and Rosa have been married for over 40 years.
This is the first episode with this criteria in which said main character is not the one around which the episode is centered.
This and its sister episode mark the first time ever where Lincoln is absent from both segments of an episode.
Outside of the Casagrande story arc, Lincoln would later make his first absence from both segments of an episode in "Good Sports"/"Geriantics".
Innuendo: Lori's furious texts to Bobby are three poop emojis and one fire emoji, with the implication that Lori is using much stronger language.
Cartoon physics: When Ronnie Anne, Bobby and Maria spy on Frida, the plant Bobby is peeking his head out of is way too small for his body, referencing the cartoon gag where a spying character would pop out of an unusual place.
Irony: When spying on Carlota, Ronnie Anne questions why she would use both a curling iron and a straightener at the same time.
References[]
Power Play - The title of this episode is a term used in ice hockey where a team has a numerical advantage on the ice due to one or more penalties given to the opposing team.
Dreamcast - One of Ronnie Anne's devices in her flashback resembles this Sega console.
LEGO - CJ's toy figures with their rectangular bodies and forked hands are reminiscent of this Danish toy company's minifigures.
Errors[]
In the next scene after Ronnie Anne knows how to fix everyone's problems, it was nighttime. But when Bobby came and told Ronnie Anne if she's okay bunking with Sergio, the window shows it was daytime.
When Ronnie Anne was about to rub her mother's feet, Maria is shown with two left feet instead of a life and right one.
Videos[]
The Loud House Parrot Rave Party Nickelodeon UK
Casagrande Family Find Ways to Save Money! - "Power Play" 5 Minute Episode - The Casagrandes