Going Underground

Going Underground is the 28th episode of 6teen and the first episode of the second season. It aired on Teletoon in Canada on October 13, 2005, and on Cartoon Network in the United States on November 10, 2008.

Jude and Wyatt both get fired from their jobs and find out that Taj Mahome Video is hiring, so they (and Jonesy) apply to work there. Meanwhile, Caitlin worries about the frequent injuries she's been causing her boyfriend.

Main Plot
The gang are hanging out by the Big Squeeze when Jen realizes that they've all worked at the mall for a year. She calls for a celebration, but Nikki isn't really in the mood because of how much she hates her job. Jen then realizes that Jonesy never has steady work, and asks him if he's found his next job. As it turns out, he has: Taj Mahome Video is opening a store in the mall, and he plans to work there for the perks. His friends are duly impressed, but Caitlin can't stay, as she and Talon have plans to study at Grind Me. The mention of the coffee shop depresses Wyatt, as it reminds him of Serena, but his friends try to comfort him, saying that part of the problem might be that they still work together. Caitlin and Talon then set off, but on the way to leave Caitlin accidentally blackens Talon's eye. Wyatt then leaves to go back to work, where he finds Chad and Serena making out, depressing him further.

Later, at Spin This, Wyatt is approached by Ax, who asks for help finding a song about heartbreak. This request annoys Wyatt, so he passive-aggressively directs the goth to Serena, with the instruction that Serena would be able to find the song since she's so good at breaking hearts. Jonesy, meanwhile, is in the line to interview at Taj Mahome Video, where he encounters Kristen and Kirsten. Even though they love the Khaki Barn, they're there as well, because they've heard good things about the place. While Jonesy waits in line and Wyatt works, Jude is lazing around at Stick It until he's brought down to earth by Blade, who wants a stick-it. Jude gives it to Blade, and Blade walks off while eating–until he looks at his food and realizes that a cockroach has been cooked into it.

This leads to Ron the Rent-a-Cop showing up, shutting down Stick It for health violations, and banning Jude from ever working in the food service industry again. This saddens Jude, but his friends are unsympathetic to his plight when he relates his tale, as he brought it on himself by never cleaning the store. Nikki then suggests that Jude join Jonesy in the Taj Mahome lineup, and Jude decides to do so.

Wyatt, meanwhile, is having a tough time at work. He rearranges singles poorly and when called on it by Serena, he blows up on her for being the only single person working in the store. Serena lets this go with just a warning, but Wyatt reassures her that he's fine. It soon turns out that he's not fine, however, as he takes control of the DJ booth and dedicates a song called "I Hope You Choke" to Serena and Chad. This is the last straw for Serena, who grabs Wyatt and fires him from Spin This.

Jude and Jonesy don't do well at their interview, either, because the people tapped as the new managers of the store are Blade and Christo. They remember that Jonesy worked for them before, so he doesn't get a chance at the job, and Blade obviously remembers the cockroach in his stick-it, so Jude isn't hired either. Jude and Jonesy then hear that Wyatt got fired, leaving all three males in the gang jobless. Jen has a suggestion, though: apply at Underground Video. None of the guys are enthused by this idea, especially after the dream of working Taj Mahome Video was ripped away, but they agree to go in and apply.

When they attempt to apply, though, the person working there initially tells them that the sign was a joke. However, he relents and hires Jude and Jonesy just because he's feeling "saucy." Wayne then shows his new staff around the store, finishing with a demonstration of his movie picks wall and a consequent demonstration of his fealty to the art of film and hatred of philistines. After this, Wayne gives his employees a chance to demonstrate their mettle by choosing three movies for their own picks. He is impressed by Jude's eclectic picks (which Jude chose based on cover art), but is annoyed by Jonesy's top pick of Top M16s. After berating Jonesy for his top choice, Wayne asks Wyatt to choose movies. He then accepts Wyatt's top three picks, hires him, and fires Jonesy.

After being fired, Jonesy looks across the hall and sees that Taj Mahome is having a party. He sighs, as he wishes he could have worked there, and the other guys join him in this expression of disappointment. The girls then arrive, unhappy as well because of Caitlin's breakup and it being a rough day all around. The group is made happier by each other's company, though, because despite everything they still have each other. The moment is almost exquisitely bittersweet–until Wayne mocks them, ruining the camaraderie between them.

Sub-Plot: Caitlin Injures Talon
After Caitlin blackens Talon's eye, they head off along with Nikki and Jen to Grind Me in order to study. There, Caitlin spills a hot cup of coffee onto Talon's crotch, and he walks off to see the mall nurse. After he leaves, Caitlin confides in her friends that she's worried that Talon may dump her because of all the injuries she's inflicted upon him. At first her friends are skeptical, but when she details all she's done to him (including opening a car door on his kiwis) they become more convinced that she may have a problem. To test this, Jen and Nikki go out to do some polling of the men of the mall to find out what they think. While they go out polling, Talon comes back and talks to Wyatt and Caitlin. However, when he tries to hug her, Caitlin pulls back, citing that she's hurt him too many times and doesn't want to do so again in case he dumps her. This surprises Talon, and he reassures Caitlin that he's not going to break up with her. They then move to kiss, but before their lips make contact Talon's tongue shoots out and he licks Caitlin up and down her face.

Later, the tables have turned and Caitlin is now contemplating dumping Talon. Nikki and Jen caution her against this, and suggest that she teach him how to properly kiss. Caitlin agrees, and soon she and Talon are watching a romantic movie with lots of kissing. They turn to each other and are about to kiss when Talon licks her again, and at this Caitlin gives up and breaks up with Talon.

The next day, she brings a cake to the table to celebrate one year of working in the mall. Nobody is very enthused about working for a year, although they want the cake. However, midway through cutting the cake, Talon walks by, and Caitlin chases him with the knife still in her hand. Naturally, she falls down and injures him again instead of being able to apologize, and she gives up on Talon for his own safety.

Quotes
Wyatt: Oh, THAT song! Hold on. (He leads Ax to Serena.) Excuse me, Serena? This customer would like to find some song about a girl stomping a guy's heart, and I thought since you're SO good at that, that you might be able to help him! (to Ax) Have a nice day! Jude: Your resume's four pages long? Jonesy: I've worked at a lot of places! Jude: For ONE day! Jonesy: Your point? Nikki: She squished his kiwis with a car door. Jen: Yeah, but that's not THAT big a deal. I mean, he's okay now. Nikki: Trust me, guys do not forget that kind of thing. Jen: But DUMP her? Really? Nikki: Alright. There's a scientific way to figure this out. Come on. Jen: Wow, I'm glad I don't have kiwis. Nikki: I hear ya, sister. Wayne: I heard you, man. We're not hiring. Wyatt: There was a sign in your window. Wayne: Yeah, that was more of a joke than anything? Wayne: Because some other stores have no principles or loyalty to the art of cinema, and we'll sell individual parts of a trilogy to a customer WHETHER IT'S GOOD FOR THEM OR NOT!!! Jude: Think if we kissed up across the hall they'll let us work there? Jonesy: Not a chance. Nikki: Oh, this is so lame. ''(Caitlin hands a slice of cake to Nikki.) ''Jonesy: I'll take hers. Nikki: (pushing Jonesy away from the slice of cake) No no no no, I'll have some. Lame cake tastes the same as un-lame cake.
 * Ax: Yeah, hey, man. Um, do you have that song... the one where the girl... uh, stomps on the guy's heart... and... um... uh... squishes it into the ground?
 * Jonesy: Okay, how's my resume look?
 * Jen: Do you really think he'd dump her?
 * Jonesy: Hey man, we're here about the jobs? (Wayne continues listening on his headphones) I said we're here to apply for the positions?
 * Wayne: (looks at movie) What about parts two and three? You can't just buy part one! Okay? They were written as a trilogy! They were filmed, nay! CONCEIVED as a trilogy! Taking only one of them home would be like leaving two of your newborn triplets at the hospital! Would you do that!? Would you abandon two of your babies!?
 * Wyatt: So then why do you carry the DVDs individually? Why not sell them only as a trilogy?
 * Caitlin: (entering with a cake) Happy one year anniversary guys!
 * Caitlin: (to Talon) "You kiss like a golden retriever!"

Trivia
Reason for firing: Blade found a dead cockroach inside a stick that he ordered, then reported it to the board of public health, prompting officials to shut the restaurant down. Reason for firing: Following his breakup with Serena, Wyatt started behaving rudely at work and played a song called "I Hope You Choke" on the store PA. Serena eventually got fed up with this and pink-slipped Wyatt. Reason for firing: Wayne disliked Jonesy's movie tastes, particularly for the film Top M16s.
 * Jude's job: Stick It manager
 * Wyatt's job: Spin This employee
 * Jonesy's job: Underground Video employee

Errors

 * Jonesy states that answering "Yello" on the phone is annoying, but later on, he answers the exact same way, thus making him a hypocrite.
 * When Nikki says "Oh no!" following Wyatt's firing, Jen's voice is used instead of hers.

Episode connections

 * This episode was the final appearance of Stick It in 6teen, but it made a cameo appearance in the episode "Bye Bye Nikki? Part 1".
 * This is the second time Britney and Gina appear. They first appear in "Mr. Nice Guy."
 * Despite his ban from working at food establishments, Jude would later work at Burger McFlipster's in the episode “Over Exposed.”

Cultural references

 * Top M16s is a reference to the Tom Cruise movie Top Gun.
 * The single "where the girl stomps on the guy's heart" is likely a reference to the song "Rocks Tonic Juice Magic" by the band Saves the Day.