Net Gains

"Net Gains" is the tenth episode of the third season, and the one-hundred-eleventh episode of The Loud House.

Plot

Lynn desperately wants to win a basketball championship, but gets drafted onto a terrible team.

Synopsis

Lynn is getting ready for basketball tryouts, because there's a championship game in a few days, and Lynn is desperate to win, since she has won the championship game in her system called "FLIBBR" (Football, Lacrosse, Ice hockey, Baseball, Basketball, and Roller derby), except for basketball. Upon arriving at the gym, the referee announces that each team has one available spot, and their sponsor will decide on who goes to which team. Lynn wants to join the Brie Throwers, which is the best team attending, however, Flip, who is sponsoring a team called the Turkey Jerkies, chooses Lynn, causing Lynn to scream in despair since the Turkey Jerkies is the worst team competing.

The next day, Lynn arrives at the gym to train her teammates. There's Maya, who has a tendency to fall asleep every so often, Paula, who has an injured leg and is required to use a crutch, Amy, an overweight girl who frequently gets calls from her mother, and Diane, whose palms get sweaty when playing. When Lynn tries to train them, they're unsuccessful at doing anything good well, and Lynn, coming up with a new strategy, orders them to pass the ball to her whenever they grab hold of it. During the first game, Lynn ends up scoring all the points, while Maya, Amy, Paula, and Diane just watch from the opposite side of the court. Despite winning the game, Lynn's teammates are not happy with her, since they didn't get a fair amount of play time. During the second game, the opposing teams discover Lynn's strategy, and use that to their advantage, causing the Turkey Jerkies to lose.

When trying to figure out what to do next, Amy gets a call from her mom, and Lynn gets the idea of getting a ringer, which is another basketball player, but more talented. When Flip is unsure about this, Lynn convinces him that if his team were to win the championship, it might improve business sales, and he immediately agrees to Lynn's plan. After a whole lot of searching, Lynn finds two players from Beaverton named Megan and Morgan. During the third game, Megan and Morgan end up doing all the work, while Lynn doesn't get a chance to play. Realizing that she just went through what her teammates went through, Lynn apologizes to her teammates, since she was so blinded by winning the championship, that she forgot the real reason why they play basketball: to have fun.

During the fourth game, the Turkey Jerkies play against the Brie Throwers, and Lynn allows her teammates to play along. When the game ends, the Turkey Jerkies begin celebrating, despite the fact that they lost 50-12. Nonetheless, they still congratulate Lynn for letting them play and have fun. Flip decides to celebrate by giving them a free Flippee (by which he means to give them a single Flippee, and a straw for each one of them).

Cast

• Jessica DiCicco as Lynn
• Brian Stepanek as Lynn Sr.
• John DiMaggio as Flip / Pep
• Maile Flanagan as Amy / Morgan
• Chrissy Cannone as Diane
• Kelly Jean Badgley as Maya / Jean Juan Player
• Cree Summer as Paula / Megan
• Trevor Devall as Referee / Prisoner
• Jamie Kaler as Announcer / Cop

Trivia

• Staying true to what Chris Savino promised for Season 3, Lincoln does not appear in this episode. However, he is mentioned by Flip when he refers to Lynn as Lincoln's sister when he sponsors her team, not to mention still being on the title card as his face is shown on the basketball.
  • This is the first episode in the overall series where Lincoln is physically absent.
    • Because of him being absent, this episode is the thirty-eighth episode where he doesn't do any fourth wall breaks and the twenty-fourth episode that he's not a main focus (instead, Lynn is).
  • As of this episode, every single major character has been absent from at least one episode.
• This episode's debut is exactly one month after the debut of the previous episodes: "City Slickers" and "Fool Me Twice".
• Lynn Jr. and Lynn Sr. are the only Loud family members to appear in this episode.
  • This makes it the fifth episode to only have one Loud sibling. The others were "The Old and the Restless", "Back Out There", "Legends" and "Snow Way Down", all of which include Lincoln.
    • This marks the first time a Loud sister is the only sibling in an episode.
• This marks the second appearance of the Announcer and Pep, after "No Such Luck".
• At the end of the episode, Lynn says "Seriously dude", a quote used by Luna in "Fool's Paradise".
• This episode reveals that the Announcer and Pep have been sports commentators for 20 years.
• Each of the basketball teams is sponsored by a business that was established in the show:
  • Turkey Jerkies, sponsored by Flip's Food & Fuel
  • Abscessed Molars, sponsored by Dr. Feinstein
  • Garlic Nets, sponsored by Gus' Games and Grub
  • Belchin' Ballers, sponsored by Burpin' Burger
  • Brie Throwers, sponsored by Jean Juan's French Mex

• A girl who looks similar to Polly Pain appears next to the Garlic Nets.
• Although mentioned, Dr. Feinstein doesn't appear in this episode.
• It is implied that Flip went to jail before since one of the prison inmates knows who he is.
• Coincidentally, this basketball themed episode aired during March Madness, a national basketball tournament held during the month of March.

References

• Net Gains - The name of this episode is based off a term in business for the overall gain of a transmission circuit.
• Harlem Globetrotters - When Lynn sees Megan and Morgan doing some skills with basketballs, a whistling jingle can be heard, which is usually played whenever this basketball team performs their skills.
  • Louis Dunbar - Lynn mentions the team's renowned player (more commonly known as "Sweet Lou" Dunbar) upon discovering Megan and Morgan.
• SpongeBob SquarePants - This is a second time that APM music was reused in "The Loudest Yard".
  • The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie - Fight! Fight! Fight! (A), more known as "Now That We're Men", was also heard for the fourth time.
• I.A.T.S.E. Local 839 - The desk in Flip's office has a sticker on the front reading "Local 839", a reference to the guild/union for animation artists.
• Mafia III - The Holton's Department Store commercial jingle was briefly played on the episode.

Errors

• When Maya falls asleep when running up the court, she stops dribbling. When she wakes up she starts dribbling again. The referee should’ve called a double dribble resulting in a turnover.
• Paula shouldn't even be allowed to play due to having an injury on her foot.

Running Gags

• Lynn doing all of the work, while her teammates do nothing.
• Lynn persuading Flip.
• Maya falling asleep everywhere.