Role Reversal

Role Reversal is the 91st episode of the series and the 11th episode of the final season. It aired on Teletoon in Canada on February 11, 2010, and remains unaired in the United States.

A Sadie Hawkins dance occurs at the mall. While the guys and the girls deal with the stresses brought on by having their roles switched, Nikki makes a new friend at the Khaki Barn.

Main Plot
The gang are gathered around their usual table when Caitlin rushes up with big news: a Sadie Hawkins dance is coming to the mall! Upon learning what this is, the guys and girls are immediately excited: Jude and Wyatt because it means that finally they won't have to deal with the pressure of rejection, and Caitlin and Jen because it means that they won't have to worry about the impropriety of asking a guy instead of being asked. Caitlin is especially happy, as she's come up with a list of five guys she likes and has been able to rank her choices, and so will have plenty of opportunity to get a date to the dance.

Soon, Caitlin spots her first choice, Ethan, and goes after him. When she tries to ask him out, however, she is nervous and awkward and unable to think of the correct things to say. Even her trusty eyelash flutter betrays her, as her eyes get off rhythm with each other, making her look deranged. Ethan notices this, and leaves her behind, where Caitlin miserably contemplates her failure to ask him out.

Wyatt and Jude are having better luck, however, as the dance has caused a lot more women to check them out. As they strut through the mall, they feel excellent about their chances until they realize that although people are looking, no girls are approaching them. This prompts them to conclude that their problem is that they're average.

Jen isn't happy either, as her breakup with Travis has left her feeling unhappy about her romantic prospects. When she asks Jonesy for reassurance, he isn't much help, as while talking to her and assuring her that guys won't be mean even if they turn her down he heartlessly rejects two girls asking him out. When Wyatt and Jude approach him for help, however, he is better suited to help them and suggests that they start thinking like girls if they want to get asked out.

Caitlin, meanwhile, has struck out with all five of her optional dates, and Jen has found herself still unable to get over their mental block. They both go to Nikki, who is able to offer them good advice: Jen should treat the dance as a sports competition, where she is competent, while Caitlin should treat her potential dates as accessories in order to find a good match. They take her advice and set out into the mall to test it out.

Jude and Wyatt have begun acting like girls, and while they aren't attracting any requests, they have begun to trade hair care tips and suggesting ways to look better. This worries them when they realize that they're in stalls and sitting down while peeing, and they decide that they may have been taking the "think like girls" thing too far. After this, they give up on the experiment.

Jen isn't doing very well with her advice, either, as she finds that her listing of all her accomplishments and abilities does nothing to lure in guys. Caitlin doesn't succeed in her attempts either, as she doesn't find a guy who works with her shoes. However, Wyatt is able to suggest that she just has to ask, and while practicing doing so Caitlin is approached by Wayne, who hears her and accepts, much to her discomfort.

When Caitlin tells the group, however, she gets no sympathy from a still dateless Jen, Wyatt, and Jude. Jen is particularly upset about her inability to garner a date, but things change for her that afternoon at the Penalty Box, when she spots a dateless guy and begins going after him. At first, James is frightened by her intensity, but when he learns that she just wants to ask him out, he agrees, and soon they make plans to attend the Sadie Hawkins dance together.

Caitlin, meanwhile, works on getting Wayne to abandon her by faking sick. Amazingly enough, though, when Wayne buys her excuse he comes by with his grandmother's chicken soup in order to help cure her illness. Caitlin is amazed by this, and realizes that it wouldn't be right to wiggle out of her obligation to him. While she comes to grips with this, Jude and Wyatt realize that they won't be getting into the dance without female dates, and start to plot ways to get them.

When dance time comes, Jen is happy with her new boyfriend James, and Wayne is glad to be there with Caitlin. Soon, though, the green-eyed monster of jealousy rears its head, and Wayne shows his possessiveness of his new girlfriend by taking a comment from James out of context and surreptitiously threatening Jen's date. When they're let inside, though, James and Jen head over to the snack table, where they discuss how Caitlin asked Wayne out. Wayne hears them while getting a cup of punch, and upon finding out that Caitlin was just too kind to break his heart, he heads over to Caitlin and breaks up with her loudly out of despair.

Soon, though, Wayne hits the dance floor and begins dancing wonderfully. Caitlin asks him out for real, and he accepts until he meets Caitlin's crush, Ethan–and Ethan's cousin, Ellen. He is instantly smitten with Ellen, and leads her to the dance floor, but Caitlin is alright with this as she gets to explain herself to Ethan, who turns out to actually be interested in her.

Nikki, meanwhile, is upset because Jonesy never showed up to the dance until Jude (in drag) and Wyatt show up and point out that she never asked him to come. Upon hearing this, Nikki realizes her mistake and rushes out of the room to make amends, while the group of six (Wayne and Ellen, Ethan and Caitlin, and Jude and Wyatt) hits the dance floor. Soon, everybody is having a good time at the dance, including Nikki and Jonesy, who have repaired their relationship. Unfortunately, the group gets tossed out when Jude's top falls off and he is exposed as a guy, but they all head out for pizza to conclude what has been a great night.

Sub-Plot: Jean
Nikki is sitting at the table with her friends when she brings up how the Khaki Barn has hired extra seasonal help for a sale. Her friends suggest that it may not be that bad, and that she might even like the girl, but Nikki points out that she doesn't care if the girl is horrible, so long as she's not a Clone. Unfortunately, when Nikki arrives at work, she finds that the new girl is dressed in the red t-shirt and blue jeans that are the unofficial uniforms of the Clones.

The Clones swiftly set Nikki to work showing Jean around the store. Nikki unenthusiastically does so, and when she's finished tells Jean to go back to her friends–until Jean reveals that she doesn't particularly like the Clones. Nikki is shocked to hear this, but Jean explains that while she doesn't like the Clones, she sees no reason to go out of her way to annoy them for what's only planned as a two-week job.

Soon, Jean and Nikki start to become friends. Nikki is especially impressed by how Jean has traveled around the world, and so as a gift Jean gives her old passport to Nikki, as a reminder that Nikki has to pursue her dreams. However, all this conversation leaves Nikki with no time to talk to Jonesy, and she hangs up on her boyfriend whenever he calls. This convinces Jonesy that his girlfriend is thinking up an impressive way to ask him out, but his illusion is shattered when Nikki borrows ten bucks from him to take Jean out to lunch.

Later, Jean says goodbye to Nikki at the Big Squeeze. When her friends ask Nikki who the girl was, Nikki tells them, and they suggest that Jean is into her. Nikki denies this, but her friends are convinced that Jean is in love with Nikki, especially when Nikki reveals that Jean gave her a gift–an old passport. While Nikki waves off her friends' concerns, they start to nag at her, and when she goes back to work she hints that Jean must have a boyfriend. Jean sees through her line of questioning, however, and tells Nikki that while she is a lesbian, she has a girlfriend and isn't into Nikki.

That night, Jean is seen at the dance with her girlfriend, while Jonesy can't get in due to being dateless. When Jude and Wyatt find him, they comment on his state, and Jonesy angrily requests that they inform Nikki he went home. When his friends do this, Nikki realizes that she forgot to ask Jonesy out, and she runs around the mall trying to find him. She eventually finds him in the food court, and apologizes for forgetting. Jonesy accepts her apology, and they dance in the food court before heading back to the dance to meet with their friends.

Quotes
Wyatt: She might be nice. Nikki: I'm fine with not nice as long as she's not another squealing clone. I'm already outnumbered. Jean: I just got a new one so why don't you hang onto that one? (Nikki's phone rings.) Nikki: Yeah, call you later, Jonesy. (She hangs up.) Are you sure? Jean: It'll remind you that you gotta live your dream, Nik. You keep it. Nikki: Thanks! (She hugs Jean, and Jean walks away.) She's just so darn cool. Wyatt: Wait. Why are we peeing in stalls instead of urinals? Jude: Um, don't know. Are you sitting down? Wyatt: (horrified) Yes! (Both run out screaming.) Nikki: So, um, I guess you've got to meet some cool guys while traveling all over the world, huh? Jean: Yeah, totally. Nikki: So, any special guy out there hiding from you? Jean: Nah. Nikki: Well there must've been one guy, you know, somewhere. Some guy, any guy. Jean: Nik, if you're trying to find out if I'm gay, it's okay to just ask. Nikki: What? No, no. I was–it's not like I was– Jean: Yes. I'm into girls. And I'm really flattered, but I already have a date for the dance tonight. Nikki: Oh...kay. Jean: Are we alright? Still friends? Nikki: Yeah, yeah. (Jean walks off.) She's just too darn cool. Caitlin: Wayne just dumped me for another girl! Nikki: Ouch. (She sees Wyatt and Jude as a couple. Jude is disguised as a girl.) Aren't you two just sad. Jude: Not as sad as Jonesy. Wyatt: Seems he couldn't get into the dance because he had no date. Jude: Cause no one asked him. Nikki: Oh no! Did I never ask him? Jen: Nice! Jonesy: I'm in! (The couples follow Wyatt.) Nikki: Heck of a night. Jonesy: Best Laura Secord dance ever!
 * Nikki: Ugh, dreading going to work today. They've hired a new girl to help with the end of season sale.
 * Nikki: This passport is amazing! Look at all the places you've been!
 * Jude: I think you look better in blue. Not periwinkle, but a muted turquoi–
 * Jean: Look at you go. Nice folding, Nik.
 * Nikki: Jonesy totally stood me up!
 * Nikki: (to Jonesy) I messed up. It's like breathing in and out. You know, you take it for granted that the air is just there but when you go to breathe and it isn't, it's a pretty big deal.
 * Jen: A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.
 * Wyatt: If anyone wants pizza, it's on me.

Trivia

 * This is the only season 4 episode that did not air in the United States because of a gay character, which went against Cartoon Network's standards about LGBTQ+ characters in their shows at the time, similarly to the episode "Bicker Me Not", which also featured a gay character (As pointed out by Gracie Bickerson).
 * On that note, the Cowboy was implied to be bisexual in the episode "Stupid Over Cupid" when he entered an auction to win a date with Jonesy.

Errors

 * In this episode, Jen states that prom isn't for another two years and four months, erroneously implying that the main six are sophomores instead of juniors. However, in the episode "J is For Genius", Jen instead states that she and the rest of the gang have one year left to start applying for college. In the real world, high school students don't usually start applying for college until their senior year (12th grade).
 * In the men's restroom, Jude washes his hands along with Wyatt. In the episode "Silent Butt Deadly", he said he didn't wash his hands since he didn't urinate on them, implying that anyone who washed their hands must have peed on them.

Episode connections

 * One of Caitlin's dance choices resembles Brandon from the episode "Midnight Madness."
 * Tim accuses Wayne of being a meat dancer, making this the second time he has done it. The first instance was in the episode "Sweet 6teen", where Tim accused Wyatt of this as he hid a dress in there.

Cultural references

 * Ethan's cousin Ellen bears a strong facial resemblance to the Beavis & Butt-Head character Daria Morgendorffer, who later got her own TV show.