Sushi Pack - Rex Marks the Spot

To sooth my broken heart at my VCR's betrayal (read: no "When Will Ben be Zen?" and "Wharf City on the Half Shell" on youtube for a good long time), I'm once again skipping So Says Who? and Darkness and Spice (I'll get to them, I swear!) to do a quick take on Rex Marks the Spot, the better of the two very Tako-centric episodes (Taming the Gaming will come later, just because I want to point out how much of a mess it is). And it is very Tako-centric, which equals one very happy Evalana (seriously, I kept squeeing all through this ep).
But first there's some plot at the beginning with a German scientist who created tiny trash-eating dinosaurs. It's not very interesting, although I did like the line about "a bunch of children's books written by celebrities" being in the pile of trash for the thing (Rex) to eat. Now, this next part I'm only describing because I cannot figure it out. Rex, which is small enough to fit in a test tube, doesn't want to come out, so the scientist sends out the other one, Clayton, instead. While Clayton chows down, Rex sheds a tear, then goes into a rage, and ends up knocking over some chemicals which it then splashes down into. And like I said, I just don't really get what's supposed to be going on in Rex's head. Any theories? Anyway, the only point of all that is to show that the scientist did not naturally create something that grows with the trash it eats, but that it was a side effect of the chemicals.
Finally, we get to the meat of the episode, which starts with Ben proclaiming, "Check it out, Sushies!" (Is that like "Scoobies?") He comes bearing pinky rings that he got from a mail order comic promotion back in the day (whenever that was), and seeing them now, they instantly reminded him of tiny crowns, perfect for sushies. The Pack is instantly enamored of them, and Maguro uses her telekinesis to grab them and crown everyone. Tako is noticeably absent. The others admire themselves; Ikura is especially into it, and Kani finally has an outlet for her crownlust, as seen in The World's Tastiest Heroes (the absolute only thing remotely interesting about that episode, so don't expect me to blog that one here). Ikura decrees they wear the crowns on all missions, but Ben finally points out that not everyone has one. The others whip their heads around to notice Tako, who insists that he's okay without a crown. Of course, the many-headed thinking routine tells a different story... (Mostly I think he's just offended because Maguro was the one who crowned everyone and she forgot about him.) Wasabi offers Tako his crown, but Tako again insists that crowns are not his style. Ben, sensing the truth, tells Tako to just say the word if he wants to wear a crown later. Leading to this lovely exchange:

Kani: Yeah, we can't read your mind!
Tako: There's nothing to read.
Kani: That explains so very, very much.

Of course, Kani's first line should have started (or ended) with "Unlike Maguro..." You know, if one were to read it that way, this episode could be a good basis for a Kani/Tako ship. Not that there isn't some Maguro/Tako in there, too, but this ep has the strongest Tako/Kani interaction I've seen to date. That I remember, anyway.
Back with the scientist, Rex is now huge, still growing, and somehow gained the ability to change things into garbage with his breath. Later, Sophia reports on Rex destroying the city, and the Pack gets ready for action! Maguro calls on Tako to give the catchphrase, but, still offended, he's not enthusiastic at all. Maguro implores him to tell her what's wrong, but Tako denies everything and runs off. Both Wasabi and Maguro have a bad feeling about the upcoming mission.
Out in the city, the Pack watches Rex turn a car into garbage, and they turn to Tako for a cunning plan. Unfortunately, Tako is too apathetic to come up with anything, and goes to face the beast himself. An offhand comment makes the others suspect that Tako really *does* want a crown, despite his previous comments. Tako shoots ink at Rex halfheartedly, complaining about the "stupid crowns" as he does, but Rex easily turns it into sludge, which it then slurps up off the pavement. Ikura attempts to cover Tako, but his attack on Rex meets exactly the same fate. Seeing Rex amble off to make more and more trash, Ikura predicts their doom. Maguro again turns to Tako for a plan (man, I know he's the thinker of the group, but think of your own plans once in a while!), but he brushes her off. Maguro snaps and demands he share his feelings, for the sake of the mission. Tako goes into his many-headed thinking routine once again as he wonders if he should lose his too-cool-for-school image and just admit he wants to wear a crown, when a whole 'nother Tako shows up to remind him of his pride. "Am I that vain? NO!" The other Tako pushes the real Tako out of the picture and goes on an absolutely hyperbolic rant about feelings. And I still can't listen to it without giggling. This, pure and simple, is what makes Tako so great.
Maguro calls Tako out of his reverie, and he suddenly lets loose all his true feelings in a humongous word glurge. Not just that he wanted to wear a crown, but that he thinks the others have an image of him as this cool and spicy handsome guy who would never do something as silly as wear a plastic crown. And he also throws in his apparently secret like of Bossa Nova music (I came right out and cheered when I heard this; I like Bossa Nova music, too!), thoroughly confusing everyone else. Tako reiterates his point: he wanted a crown but was too proud to say it (he's so cute right here ^_^). So Kani slaps her crown down on his head, saying they can share. See what I was saying earlier? Tako feels better for having let his feelings out, and Maguro feels better now that the mission can proceed. Speaking of the mission, Tako finally has a plan to stop Rex! He gives the crown back to Kani, since there's work to be done, and starts giving out orders, with only three minutes to get everything done! Kani works on the Sushi Craft, Ikura gets ready to give Rex the slip by doing push-ups, Maguro hones her concentration, and Tako and Wasabi grab as much trash as they can find (not too hard in the city's current state). After three minutes, everyone except Kani meets up, but Tako knows Kani won't let them down. Sure enough, she shows up with a pimped up plane in record time, and the Pack gets pumped up to take on Rex, since they only have one chance, according to Tako.
In the heart of the city, Tako attaches a trailer to the Sushi Craft and Maguro uses her telekinesis to load it up with all the trash Tako and Wasabi collected. Wasabi laces the trash with his hot sauce power, and Rex is drawn to it like a fly to, well, you know. Kani fires up the craft and Rex chases after it, conveniently forgetting that it can create as much trash as it wants. After a suitable distance, Ikura covers the pavement with salmon balls, sending Rex down a slippery slope. The Pack deserts the trailer, which rolls right to Rex. As Rex chows down, Tako has Ikura go get the scientist and the antidote. The wasabi in the trash sends Rex in search of a drink, but Wasabi also laced the nearest fountain with his particular brand of spice, so Rex is out of luck. The scientist arrives with his formula, the main ingredient being hot dog water, and as I've paid my dues in the dish room of my school's dining hall, I can tell you, hot dog water is powerful stuff (especially when there are still hot dogs in it :d), and Maguro sends it to Rex, who drinks it posthaste and shrinks back down to fit in a test tube, which is exactly where the scientist puts him. Maguro congratulates Tako on his plan working, and Kani's just glad he got over himself. Tako makes a vow to let his feelings out more often, and also makes a horrible pun.
Back at the lab, the scientist is ready to put Rex back with Clayton, only...where's Clayton? The Sushies are not too worried about the implications of this, and the episode ends.

I don't really do justice to how much I love the wangstastic Tako here, especially in his more wordy states. So don't take my word for it, read watch it for yourself.