Black Friday

"Black Friday" is the sixteenth episode of the third season of Teen Titans Go!, and the one-hundred-twentieth overall episode of the series.

Summary[]

Starfire is visited by f ou r ghosts and shown the true meaning of Black Friday, similar to Charles Dickson's novella Christmas Carol.

Plot[]

As the Teen Titans sit around the table about to indulge in a Thanksgiving dinner, Robin makes a short toast thanking his friends. He, Beast Boy, Raven, and Cyborg begin eating their dinner rapidly, surprising Starfire who believes they should enjoy their time together and the meal. Robin tells Starfire that there's no time as they have to get ready for Black Friday, saddening Starfire. Cyborg urges Starfire to shove a lump of cranberry into her stomach so they can head out faster, but she announces that she can't participate in the year's Black Friday, shocking the others. Cyborg claims that it's the most important holiday of the year, while Starfire reveals that she doesn't like the holiday. Raven, Robin, and Beast Boy attempt to persuade her, but Starfire reiterates that she cannot participate and leaves to lay down in her bed.

As Starfire dreams, she is visited by the Ghost of Black Friday Past and accidentally angers him when she calls his evening gown a dress. The ghost takes Starfire to last year's Black Friday, where Starfire wandered Jump City Electronics for a surround sound system that the Titans can enjoy only for her to be shoved by Kyd Wykkyd, Más y Menos and Kid Flash and the system to be taken by Jinx. The Ghost of Black Friday Past tells Starfire that if she hadn't been so courteous, she could have bought the system for her friends. But, Starfire says the item was unimportant. The ghost takes Starfire to Titans Tower where after she fell asleep, the Titans gathered to enjoy their brand new TV but were disappointed due to the poor sound quality. The ghost wrongfully blames Starfire for the lack of sound, and she begs that he stop showing her the past.

Starfire wakes up in her bed and wonders if her actions caused her friends to be upset. She decides to spend time with them, but not participate in Black Friday. Starfire finds the Titans at the front of a line outside Jump City Electronics and greets them. Robin asks if she came to celebrate Black Friday, but she says that she only came to spend time with them. Beast Boy says that's sweet, but orders her to go to the back of the line. Robin explains that the front of the line is only for people who know the true meaning of Black Friday. So, the Titans send Starfire to the back of the line.

Starfire falls asleep and dreams that she is in an abandoned parking lot save for one truck. She approaches the truck and meets the Ghosts of Black Friday Present who offer her a burger or burrito. They tell Starfire that they're there to show her what she's missing and open the truck. In front of Jump City Electronics, the Titans are shivering in the cold, and Starfire comments that they look miserable. However, upon a closer look, she sees that the Titans are bonding as they wait in line. Beast Boy offers Raven a coffee from Justice Java, and Cyborg warms up the Titans by becoming a heater. Starfire notices that they're not yelling at each other and that Robin hasn't hit anyone with his stick which the ghosts attribute to the Black Friday spirit. Starfire agrees that spending time together is important, but that Black Friday isn't the way. The ghosts begin taunting her, and Starfire pleads for them to stop.

Starfire wakes up as Jump City citizens run past her and enter Jump City Electronics. More run toward her, accidentally carrying her inside the store. She searches for her friends, but calls out to the consumers (Mammoth, See-More, and Billy Numerous), telling them that they do not need to behave wildly when Batgirl bumps into her. She tells Bumblebee and Mother Mae-Eye not to fight over television sets as there are plenty, but Jayna runs into her. Starfire spots Aquaman as he fights Aqualad and asks if it's worth sacrificing their soul for unnecessary possessions, but is knocked out by Doctor Light's elbow.

Starfire meets the Ghost of Black Friday Future and she takes her to an ally where Robin, Beast Boy, and Raven are rummaging around. Starfire wonders if they're searching for clues to a criminal investigation. However, the ghost informs her that, without Starfire, they paid too much for goods on Black Friday and are reduced to living with the rats and filth. She asks about Cyborg's whereabouts. The ghost tells her that he was trampled to death when trying to buy a laptop that was ninety percent off. Starfire promises to change her ways and honor Black Friday in her heart.

Starfire finds herself at Jump City Electronics and asks an employee, the The Brain, the date. He informs her that it is Black Friday and Starfire, noticing that it's not too late to change, tells him to get out of her way. She finds the Titans fighting with Brother Blood, Control Freak, Kitten, Mad Mod, Mammoth, Mumbo Jumbo, Ravager, and Doctor Light and knocks the villains to the side. She rallies the Titans to participate in Black Friday. Cyborg transforms into a shopping cart, and the Titans take merchandise from Mammoth, Billy Numerous, and Killer Moth. They spot Jinx running to the cashiers with a surround sound system in her hands and chase after her. The Titans run over her, and the system lands in Starfire's arms.

At Titans Tower, in the morning, the Titans stack their purchased electronics in the living room. Beast Boy notes how much they've saved, and Robin tells them they couldn't have gathered the merchandise without Starfire. Starfire says she's happy that she got to spend time with her friends and places the surround sound system on the pile. The pile suddenly glows, releasing the spirit of Black Friday, Buster, who congratulate Starfire for embodying the spirit of Black Friday. He rewards the Titans with ninety-nine percent off all future merchandise and wishes that the spirit of Black Friday be with them always. As he leaves, the Titans wish the same for Buster.

Characters[]

Main Characters

Robin
Cyborg
Beast Boy
Raven
Starfire
The Ghost of Black Friday Past (debut)
The Ghosts of Black Friday Present (debut)
The Ghost of Black Friday Future (debut)

Minor Characters

Buster (debut)
Cranberry Roll (debut)
The Brain
Pelican

Cameos

Jinx (cameo)
Billy Numerous (cameo)
See-More (cameo)
Mammoth (cameo)
Batgirl (cameo)
Killer Moth (cameo)
Kyd Wykkyd (cameo)
The Rats (cameo)
Jayna (cameo)
Mother Mae-Eye (cameo)
Bumblebee (cameo)
Doctor Light (cameo)
Ed (cameo)
Aquaman (cameo)
Aqualad (cameo)
Kid Flash (cameo)
Más y Menos (cameo)
Mumbo Jumbo (cameo)
Kitten (cameo)
Mad Mod (cameo)
Brother Blood (cameo)
Control Freak (cameo)
Ravager (cameo)
Generic Jump City Citizens (cameos)

Trivia[]

Aqualad, once again, mysteriously escapes from the trash hole, without us knowing how.
This is the first time Ed appears since season one's episode "Caged Tiger", and his fourth appearance overall.
This episode reveals that The Brain is working at the Jump City Electronics. One can note that his name tag says "Brian", a running gag continued from the episode "Brian".
Gizmo is the only member of the H.I.V.E. Five to not appear in this episode, while Speedy is the only member of the Titans East to not appear.
This is one of the episodes where more members of the H.I.V.E. appears without being present the full team, with a total of four, being Gizmo the only one missing.
This episode was aired before the premiere of Adventure Time: Stakes special.
This is the second time Mad Mod and Rose Wilson appear, the third time Kyd Wykkyd and Kitten appear, and the fourth time Mother Mae Eye appears.
This episode is similar to The Thundermans Season 2 Episode 10, when Max doesn't believe in Christmas and Phoebe is Past, Present, and Future.
This is the only episode to date where Jayna physically appears without Zan.
This is the first episode in which The Brain appears but Monsieur Mallah doesn’t.

Continuity[]

The decorations and table settings from "Thanksgiving" are seen again.
Beast Boy's love of burritos and Cyborg's love of burgers are shown again. The first times were "Burger vs. Burrito" and "Baby Hands".
Beast Boy's orange sleeping bag appears for the second time. ("Slumber Party".)
Arcade machines of Circle Guy and Pie Hunter can be seen in the van owned by the Ghosts Of Black Friday Present. These video games were respectively associated with Raven and Cyborg in Video Game References.
This is the second time Scrooge McDuck is referenced in the series, and the third time Ducktales is mentioned in the series (if this episode is counted in that category). The first two episodes to reference DuckTales were "The Date" and "Missing".
This is the eleventh episode when Beast Boy doesn't make any animal transformations.

References[]

The entire plot is a take on the classic Charles Dickens story "A Christmas Carol", with Starfire being visited by three ghosts and being shown the true meaning of Black Friday paralleling Ebenezer Scrooge being visited by three ghosts and being shown the true meaning of Christmas.
Starfire mentions Scrooge McDuck when she decides not to shop on Black Friday at the beginning of the episode. Easily mistaking McDuck for Ebenezer Scrooge from the classic A Christmas Carol story.
Similar to the original series, Robin wore a heavy coat in the episode "Snowblind" but in this episode he wears a heavy jacket opposite that he wore.
Similar to the 2003 series, Starfire wears a hat that resembles the same one she wore in original series episode "Snowblind".
Starfire calling ghost Robin's old-timey pajamas a "dress" is a similar running gag from the SpongeBob episode "Sentimental Sponge", where there's also a running gag of someone commenting about Squidward's night shirt being a dress, only to be corrected.
When Starfire is shopping hard with the other Titans at the end of this episode, the music in the background sounds very similar to the songs "What I Like About You", by The Romantics and "You Shook Me All Night Long" by AC/DC.
On the Jump City Electronics sign, Leslie Willis/Livewire makes a cameo appearance.

Errors[]

The Titans say to Starfire if they could celebrate Black Friday. However, at the time they said it, it was Thanksgiving, but in reality, Black Friday is a shopping sale which is the day following Thanksgiving.

Running Gags[]

Starfire calling The Ghost of Black Friday Past's old-timey pajamas a "dress".
The Titans yelling at Starfire to go to the back of the line.
The Ghost of Black Friday Past yelling "It's just a robe!" when Starfire thinks he's wearing a dress.