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Working in a group like this, you will accomplish more, in less time, than you believed possible. You will astonish yourselves. |
Aggie and Lisa spend the summer after sophomore year in Sri Lanka, with a charity mission program that combines camping activities with building homes. Back home, Lisa's parents, socializing with Nick, admit that, much as they love Lisa, the program gives them a break from her constant chatter. Nick, for his part, hopes that the summer will teach Aggie activism through teamwork, not just solitary sign-carrying.
Nick's hopes bear fruit, as Aggie and Lisa not only apply themselves to house-building but also form an unexpected bond with one of the former "Pennies." Katy-Ann, although initially cool to Lisa because of their earlier argument over religion, warms up to her sense of humour as Lisa tells a satirical ghost story about Michael Jackson. As they work together, Aggie reflects silently on the importance of mutual trust, despite who one's friends are back home. Soon enough, Katy-Ann and Lisa in particular become close as they discover a common love of singing and dancing.
Around the campfire, Aggie tells Katy-Ann she's much more approachable than she'd imagined her to be. Lisa teases her best friend for having pre-judged Katy-Ann, just as Lisa and Aggie had once pre-judged each other. This leads Katy-Ann to open up about Penny and her friends, claiming that they expect perfection from themselves. As a result, she says, they not only fail to recognize their mistakes, but devote themselves to those errors all the more, making Katy-Ann fear for them. This ominous note serves as a segue to the major arc "The Popsicle War," in which Penny and her friends will face an unforeseen, dangerous challenge to themselves as a group and as individuals.
Tropes[]
- Cat Smile: Lisa, in this strip, while teasing Aggie.
- Dead Baby Comedy: Attempting to calm a panicky Aggie during a white-water rafting trip, Lisa jokes that "You can get up to all kinds of things in a riverbed. You ever download Deliverance?" She's alluding to the notorious male-on-male riverbed rape scene (which is not played for comedy) from that movie. Aggie's reaction is of the Dude, Not Funny sort.
- Duet Bonding: Katy-Ann and Lisa become friends while singing and dancing to the song from the Pixar short "Bounding."
- Genki Girl: Katy-Ann and Lisa.
Aggie: Dear Mr. President: I have solved the world's energy needs. All you need to do is put two girls I know on a treadmill. |
- Motor Mouth: Lisa, by her parents' affectionate admission.
- The Power of Trust
- Selective Obliviousness: What Katy-Ann, with concern, sees on the part of the Pennies: Sara's Transparent Closet behaviour, Michelle clinging to a relationship with the uninterested and commitment-averse Stan, and Penny's Make Up or Break Up troubles with Rich.
- Shout-Out
- The arc title, referring to Aggie, Lisa and Katy-Ann leaving off colouring their hair while overseas, is a pun on the New Hampshire state motto, "Live free or die."
- Lisa's satirical "ghost" story about Michael Jackson (who was still alive at the time the strip ran) references the lyrics to his 1986 hit "Bad."
- Lisa's mother, referring to her daughter's Motor Mouth habit during movies, describes her as "her own personal Mystery Science Theater 3000."
- Waving Signs Around: Nick wishes to wean Aggie off this, in favour of teamwork.