Rock Bottom?

Rock Bottom? is the twenty-third episode of Season 1 of Code Lyoko.

Plot[]

Odd, Ulrich, and Jeremie are once again the only students staying at Kadic during the long weekend. During recess, Jeremie announces he has problems with connecting to Lyoko. Yumi says she's organizing a party at her house. While Ulrich, Odd and Jeremie fool around by sliding in the dormitory corridor and making it a competition, Jim finds them and becomes angry at their tomfoolery.

In the meantime, Odd finds his crush at the academy, Samantha "Sam" Knight, who is from another school. Odd chose her to be a DJ for the party and she agreed to it. Jeremie finally manages to connect to Lyoko and Aelita communicates with him, pointing out that the connection problems are the result of Lyoko constantly traveling through the network.

After Odd flirts with Sam (and kisses her in the process), she asks him to go to the computer lab together. Once they arrive, he finds out she is trying to steal a laptop good enough for mixing music, since she currently can't afford one at the moment. Unfortunately, Jim enters the room and Odd tells Sam to hide under the desk. Thinking Odd intended to steal the laptop, he drags him to the secretary room and locks the computer lab door.

In the secretary room, Jim refuses to listen to Odd. In the meantime, X.A.N.A. activates a tower in the Mountain Sector and uses it to generate a spectre, which dives into the ground. Samantha listens to strange sounds from the outside while unsuccessfully trying to get out. Odd, Ulrich, and Jeremie notice that the academy buildings begin to sink into the ground, that became gelatinous and muddy thanks to X.A.N.A.. Yumi receives a phone call while Sam notices the academy is sinking, also noticing the danger of suffocation. The ground slowly swallows the Science and Dormitory Buildings, with Jim unaware of what is going on due to playing excersize music. Jeremie and Ulrich run to the to the Factory but Odd tells them that Samantha is trapped in the computer lab and she was the one who tried to steal a laptop. Ulrich agrees to help Odd saving Samantha while Jeremie goes to the Factory alone. As Yumi is running to the Factory she notices that the rest of the city begins to sink as well.

Aelita notices X.A.N.A.'s pulsations while Yumi arrives at the factory. Odd and Ulrich, meanwhile, try to connect the Dormitory and Science Buildings using a rope race technique. Jeremie virtualizes Yumi, who lands somewhat roughly because of the connection problems. Ulrich and Odd manage to save Samantha and they break through the door and escape, unaware that they have left Jim behind. The ground creates a shadow over Jim's room, causing him to finally be aware of what is going on just as the window breaks and tons of mud starts pouring into the room. Jim opts to hide in a closet and call for help, but the caller suspects him of making a practical joke and does not guarantee help will come, much to Jim's anger and dismay.

On Lyoko, Yumi is devirtualized by three hornets and Aelita uses her Creativity to create a protective envelope for herself from the rocks. Samantha, in order to be safe, is taken to the Factory. Jeremie virtualizes Odd and Ulrich to protect Aelita. Ulrich gets devirtualized while destroying one of the Hornets, but Aelita manages to enter the tower. As Jim's closet becomes completely submerged under the mud, Aelita deactivates the tower, saving Jim from suffocation. Jeremie then launches a return to the past.

Starting over again, Odd takes Sam to Jeremie's room, who explains how to do what she wanted without having to steal equipment as Odd looks on, amused and thanks him.

Trivia[]

The original French name for this episode is 36^ème dessous.
The music heard during the scene where Jim is working out in his dorm is the beginning notes of the song "Eye of the Tiger" by American rock band Survivor.
Prior to airing, the English dub's title was "Critical Situation",^[1] which is what the episode is mistakenly titled on Netflix.
In the script for this episode, Samantha was originally named "Francesca". Jim's last name was also originally going to be "Spinalunga".^[2]

Errors[]

When Jim calls the police and tells them about his emergency, the woman he is speaking with on the phone asks him if his situation is just a "practical joke" despite many of the buildings in the city having been clearly shown to be sinking along with Kadic.
One of the skateboards is already missing in the shot when Jeremie grabs his scooter, even though he is the first one to travel to the factory.
In several scenes, the leaves on the bonsai tree behind the activated tower constantly disappear and reappear.
Ulrich ends his last move of the chess game with his king in check.