"You know what product I can always rely on? A can of whup-ass!" |
iMLM[1] is the 9th episode of Season 1 of iCarly (2021), and the 9th episode overall. It premiered on July 29, 2021.
Synopsis[]
"A new powder supplement seems to have instant benefits for the group, but Freddie’s devotion to the product puts his future at risk after Carly discovers it’s a multi-level marketing scam.[2]"
— Official Paramount+ Synopsis
Plot[]
Carly gets a DM from Griffin asking to meet up. They meet up at Skybucks Coffee while Harper watches from the register.
When they meet up, Carly is surprised to see how calm is, considering that he has "lived a lot of life." Griffin explains that he has been taking Calm Sand from the line of supplements known as Sand. Carly tries some and instantly feels calm and relaxed, like a "snowy owl on the quiet tundra, watching the sunrise." She encourages her friends Spencer, Freddie and Harper to try some. Harper is disinterested, but Spencer and Freddie take on her offer. Spencer takes Sensitivity Sand so that he will be more emotional when watching a sad documentary on a date, and Freddie takes Brave Sand so that he has more courage during his "serious talk" with Millicent.
Later, Spencer and Freddie feel the positive effects of Sand. Spencer indeed becomes more sensitive and apologizes for doubting her earlier by gifting her a menstrual crystal. Freddie uses his new-found courage to decline Millicent's request for a dog.
As a side hustle to get money to move out of his mom's apartment, Freddie spends his life savings of $4000 on Sand inventory in hopes of selling them and making money back quickly, even quitting his job. Carly plans to help Freddie by allowing him to promote sand on iCarly along with Griffin.
Millicent goes to Skybucks Coffee Bar for her Fishy and Me Group. When she feeds her goldfish, she accidentally confuses the bottle of Sand with the bottle of fish food. Millicent is shocked, thinking that she accidentally killed her fish. However, Harper rips off the label on the Sand bottle, revealing that Sand is actually fish food. She connects the dots and realizes that Sand is a multi-level marketing pyramid scheme, which scams people into buying inventory of phony products that cannot be sold, forcing people to recruit more salespeople.
Harper rushes over to the iCarly Studio, quitting her job in the process, to warn Carly and Freddie. When she arrives, they are already livestreaming, so she holds up a whiteboard to tell them that Sand is fish food. Carly realizes that Griffin reconnected with her purely to promote Sand on iCarly and loses interest in him. Griffin pretends to be shocked and leaves on his scooter after Harper threatens him.
Freddie is shocked, realizing that he has spent all his life savings on fish food. However, he realizes that his job as a tech support worker was actually holding him back, and this experience has reminded him that he is an entrepreneur. Harper feels the same about quitting her job and is pleased to be focusing on her career as a stylist.
Subplot[]
Freddie gets a new job as a tech support line. While spending time helping customers, Millicent interrupts by showing him a presentation on why she should get a dog. Freddie replies, "No." after taking a shot of water with courage sand added.
When Freddie gets a call, he unsuccessfully tries to offer his customers Sand after fixing their problems. Freddie decides to let Millicent take care of a fish first before a dog.
Guest Stars[]
Trivia[]
- On May 8, 2021, writer Esther Povitsky posted an image of the front cover of the script for episode 108. Despite being scribbled out, the working title "iMLM" that was printed on the front cover is visible.[1]
- Despite the production code being 108, this episode aired as the 9th episode.
- Writer Korama Danquah confirmed on twitter that the 9th episode is the one written by Esther Povitsky.[4]
- Carly shows interest in Griffin again until she realizes he used her to scam people, so loses interest in him again.
- During the live tweeting session, writer Nasser Samara tweeted a number of behind the scenes trivia points.
- Writer Nasser personally would like to try "Sexy sand" because he is single.[5]
- Ali Schouten had Nasser write all the newspaper articles from Millicent's presentation.[6]
- The writers had a lot of talks about who would get roped into sand selling, and it was unanimous that it would be Freddie.[7]
- Nasser was thrilled to see Ali Schouten make Harper obsessed with Scam Empress, the iCarly version of the Scam Goddess podcast hosted by Laci Mosley.[8]
- During the network run-thru, Laci Mosley's apron accidentally got stuck while she was attempting to quit her job.[9]
- Writer Esther Povitsky later guest stars as Brooke in iTake a Girls' Trip.
- Esther Povitsky wrote about multi level marketing because she believes there is no other better topic for an episode of a sitcom.[10]
Allusions[]
- Harper's favorite podcast, Scam Empress, is a reference to Laci Mosley's podcast, Scam Goddess.
Character Revelations[]
- Griffin has been to prison and sold his pee-wee babies, but is selling sand to scam everyone.
- Griffin has been bankrupt and in prison.
Goofs[]
- When Carly walks into the iCarly Studio, the sign on the Shay Apartment, 8C, is visible, which doesn't make sense as the iCarly studio is on the 3rd floor of the Shay Apartment.
Running Gags[]
- Carly and Spencer using "sand" to calm themselves.
- CJ phrasing his replies to Harper as "As your friend, I say ____, but as your assistant manager, I say ____".
Series Continuity[]
- The events of iDate a Bad Boy and iBeat the Heat are referenced.
- The Random Dancing segment appears for the first time in the revival series.[11]
Quotes[]
Carly: [to Freddie] You quit your job? You can't quit. You have a daughter to support and a mother to placate. |
Carly: Now if you'll just excuse me, I have a Sand-sational event to prepare for. I've got my head in the sand, and it's staying there. |
Harper: Ooh, how are you feeling now that you're unemployed? |
Related Cast Posts[]
- On June 16, 2021, Drew Roy posted on Instagram "Flashback, no. Reboot… oh yeah! iCouldn’t have been more excited to get invited back. Who can name the show? Let the robot guide you. New season premiers tomorrow. Details to come later. #paramountplus"
- On July 28, 2021, Drew Roy posted on Instagram "Griffin is back. A little flashback… and a peek into tomorrow! #PeeWeeBabies @icarly @paramountplus #GriffinIsBack"
Reception[]
International Premieres[]
Platform | Premiere date | Title |
---|---|---|
Paramount+ Australia
|
TBA | iMLM |
Paramount+ Canada
|
TBA | iMLM |
Paramount+ France
|
December 1, 2022 | iMLM |
Paramount+ Latin America
|
TBA | Marketing multinivel (Spanish) iMLM (Portuguese) |
Paramount+ Nordic
|
TBA | iMLM |
Paramount+ UK & Ireland
|
June 28, 2022[12] | iMLM |
Gallery[]
See photos of iMLM here.
|
See videos of iMLM here.
|