Deviated Tonsils

Deviated Tonsils is the seventh episode of the series, but the fourth to be aired. This episode aired on September 16th, 2000.

Plot
Uh oh! Something is rotten in Appleton, and it's definitely in Molly's throat. Her tonsils have started to ache, and it's messing with her ability to sing! After all solutions have failed, one of her doctors tells her parents the inevitable truth: she has to get her tonsils taken out. To make matters worse, Buzz tells her that she might sound differently compared to how she sounded before. Now, will Molly sound differently after she gets her tonsils taken out, or will she sound the same?

Summary
The episode begins in a barn with Molly and her band performing "I'm Proud to Be Loud". However, Molly has a sore throat and eventually gives up. She's also sneezing and when Nub asks if she feels OK, she says, "I don't know". Eddie says that while Molly doesn't have a fever, she looks pale and jokingly pulls on Molly's cheeks to make them pink. Molly worries that she is indeed sick because they're going to be on her favourite show Dance Jam. However, Eddie is confident that Molly will heal up if she is sick because they won't be on Dance Jam until two weeks. Nub phones Mrs. O!, telling her that Molly "feels bad" and so she picks her up.

The next scene takes place in the O!s' kitchen where Molly is eating soup, which Buzz is getting bored of. Mr. O! says that the soup has to do with Molly's sore throat and Buzz complains, "She's always got a sore throat these days." He opens the fridge but finds only tapioca, which he dislikes. Mrs. O! suggests visiting Dr. Greenbaum and Molly sighs because while she likes Dr. Greenbaum, she feels "soggy" when she thinks of him.

At Dr. Greenbaum's office, he asks Molly if she knows any girls who'd want to date him but she says that she doesn't know any middle school kids. While Dr. Greenbaum examines Molly, her parents look at his awards on the wall and note how amazing it is that he was in medical school at nine and became a doctor at ten. Molly then notices Dr. Greenbaum's unusual pants and enquires about them. He says that his mother let the hem down a few times and then used a piece of his sister's prom dress. Molly compares it to the rings on a tree that determine age, which Dr. Greenbaum takes as an insult. Mr. O! asks what's wrong with Molly's throat and Dr. Greenbaum replies that her tonsils are "deviated". None of the family knows what that means, so he explains that it means "split in two" and shows them. The parents note that Molly's tonsils have always been bumpy but never seemed to bother her. Dr. Greenbaum gets a call from his mother asking him to wear his retainer, which he puts in, and then tells Molly that he will have to remove her tonsils if the sore throats persist. He then asks if the retainer makes him talk funny, to which Molly just laughs.

That evening, at dinner, Molly objects to having her tonsils taken out because she's afraid that someone might tell a joke during surgery and the doctors would laugh so hard that they get distracted and take her brain out instead and have to replace it with a pigeon's, which would make her act like a pigeon. Her parents tell her that tonsillectomies happen all the time and are not scary and Molly, while no longer afraid of having a pigeon's brain, is still creeped out by the idea of having a part of her taken out. Buzz teases her by saying, "The less of you the better," but Molly replies, "I like my parts." Her parents tell their kids to eat their okra, but neither likes it. However, when Mrs. O! says that it is good for you, Molly decides to be as cautious about her health as possible to prevent further throat infections and therefore keep her tonsils.

The next day, Molly shows up to school wearing winter clothes, worrying that she has "hat-head" (her hat has shaped her hair completely). Chadd is confused at Molly's wearing winter clothes, but Molly says that she is trying to avoid having her tonsils taken out. Chadd says that he had his tonsils taken out and he enjoyed it because it got rid of the sore throats and he got ice cream. Molly is almost tempted by the idea of ice cream and mulls it over, but decides she still wants to keep her tonsils. Chadd says that if she does get them taken out, she'll enjoy it and offers her a gummy worm. She declines, offering him okra. He declines, asking if she wants to play dodge-ball, Red Rover, or I Spy. Molly declines all three because she's afraid of overheating because of her clothes, can't yell because of her throat, and can't move her neck because of her scarf respectively. They eventually agree to a staring competition. Molly wins and so they do a breath-holding competition.

The scene cuts to backstage, where the band are getting ready to perform. Eddie is in a grumpy mood because she's having a bad hair day and disapproves of Molly wearing her scarf. Her throat's better, but she thinks it will prevent another sore throat. Then, a man and a woman who will also be performing on Dance Jam enter, despite Eddie's disapproval, and give Molly some tips. The man suggests washing her mouth out with butter after brushing her teeth and the woman suggests pretending the camera is her mother. Then, the man suggests spraying the floor with root beer and both go onstage and sing a song which nobody likes. Molly and her band then enter and Molly sings the "Proud to Be Loud" song but gets a sore throat again, which makes her worry that people noticed her voice was hoarse. Her family arrive and Buzz teases her.

In the next scene, the O!s are with a man who is suggesting surgery-free ways to cure throat trouble in a chalet in Switzerland. However, Mrs. O! and Buzz aren't too sure about some of the more unorthodox ones, with Buzz even outright saying they sound bogus. Among the remedies are eating only snow for a week, gargling Beethoven's fifth symphony without stopping, and having a tonsil massage. Molly, however, likes the idea of these remedies. The parents are reluctant, but they go to the chalet.

At the chalet, a woman in a lab coat has Molly yodel and eat chocolate at the same time. Molly coughs and the woman says that she does need a tonsillectomy and it's "too late" for the other cures. Mr. O! says that Molly will never miss her tonsils and the woman says that ordinarily, that would be so, but since Molly's tonsils are deviated, her voice might change significantly if they're removed. Molly asks what her voice would sound like if it did change, but the woman does not know.

In Molly's room, Buzz teases Molly by doing silly voices and playing songs and suggesting Molly may sound like either of them. Later, Chadd puts info on Molly's tonsils on the Internet. Molly is a bit reluctant but ultimately allows him to. Chadd doesn't think anybody will notice, but a lot of people do, and Molly gets a lot of mail and that night, it's on TV, where a man jokingly says that the fans are "afraid [Molly's] voice will sound good", which causes the audience to boo at him. Molly says to herself, "It's no big deal" three times before falling asleep.

The next day, two girls have a burping replica of Molly's head that they bought from Buzz who is selling them online, which offends Molly. To make matters worse, they claim that soon, people won't want one "when she can't sing anymore".

Later, Molly calls a band meeting to record all the songs she ever wrote that have never been recorded because in fifteen and a half hours, she may sound different. However, Yo-Yo didn't get Molly's message, so they cannot record the songs, which disappoints Molly.

That night, Molly is in bed with her parents trying to reassure her and an angry mob outside chanting, "Molly O!'s voice!". Molly worries that if her voice changes, a voice-activated door won't let her in and would give her a "weird, mechanical laugh". Mr. O! says that if that happens, they'll deal with it when it does, and tucks her in. The parents kiss her goodnight and Buzz turns her lamp off but calls her "Molly No-Voice."

The next day, Molly is at the hospital and her band mates, family, and Chadd are accompanying her, but Nub has to sneak Yo-Yo in due to a "no marsupial" rule. Molly says that she wants to say goodbye to everybody in her current voice as she "doesn't know who they'll be talking to" when her tonsils are out. The others tell her that they'll still be talking to her.

After the surgery, Mrs. O! gives Molly ice cream but Molly is afraid to talk. Buzz enters and teases her about not having a voice. He begins to eat her gummy worms, which angers her. He then begins to slam Molly's penguin plushy in the drawer, causing her to shout, "Quit touching my stuff!". She then realises that her voice doesn't sound any different and celebrates that she's still "herself". She then goes onstage and sings "I'm Proud to Be Loud" properly.

Characters

 * Molly O!
 * Mrs O!
 * Buzz O!
 * Eddie
 * Nub
 * Yo-Yo
 * Chadd
 * Mr. O!
 * Dr. Greenbaum
 * Dr. Greenbaum's mother (mentioned)
 * Dr. Greenbaum's sister (mentioned)

Song lyrics
Whoa, yeah, hoo!

Some days, I feel like I wanna howl.

Make some noise, but I can only growl.

I ask myself, "Well, what would a wise old owl say?!".

I get to feel like a plugged-up spout,

Even if I don't know what it's about,

I'm wired for sound, it's gotta come out.

I wanna shout, OK?

I'm proud to be loud!

If you wanna be heard above the crowd!

Raise your voice, you're allowed!

So be proud to be loud!

I'm proud to be loud!

If you wanna be heard above the crowd!

Raise your voice! You're allowed!

So if you wanna be heard above the crowd!

Raise your voice! You're allowed!

So be proud and be loud!

Whoa!

Woo!