"R&B in R&D" is the second segment of the 2nd episode of the third season of Trolls: TrollsTopia, and the 41st overall episode in the series. It premiered in June 10, 2021.
Synopsis[]
Rhythm & Blues get jobs in the Funtime Factory Research and Development division and want to really wow Sky Toronto with a big, new idea. But their desire to impress backfires when they fail to admit that there's a glitch in their automated Dance Pants design.
Plot[]
At the Funtime Factory, a worker reports to Sky Toronto that since the start of TrollsTopia demands have skyrocketed and the factory can't keep up with it. Sky notes it is time to go to backup contingency. They produce between them a pair of keys, which unlocks a disco ball that raises up into the sky. Outside, a Troll in a distant tower spots this and begins to note something down. That note is attached to a bird that flies away, and a while later returns to deliver the message "now hiring". Poppy is excited they're now hiring at the factory. Poppy suggests Rhythm & Blues, and Sky likes the "R&B in R&D" idea as it has a ring to it.
The girls agree to it in unison; the idea of TrollsTopia using their inventions has the pair flipping out, scientifically speaking, and Sky is satisfied with their attitude. They celebrate, but he notes they have to do a week trial period to prove themselves. They show him their PHDs in "everything", but he has to confirm everyone on staff is a good fit together. In the past, they had incidents and a flashback shows Tiny Diamond, Priscilla and Keith trying to get a job at the factory disguised as a single adult between them as "Mr. Glitterstone". He takes them to their lab, which is not what they expected. He looks forward to their ideas first thing tomorrow morning. They are okay with this, despite not expecting that. Sky has other matters to take attention to, as he has to dismiss a baby that got hired by error in the same way Tiny, Priscilla and Keith tried to get hired.
Poppy drops by with some lunches for them, which they appreciate. They show her their inventions, starting with a speaker that can mix the songs of all 6 Tribes. This produces awful results that even cause employees upstairs to leave the building by hitting the evacuation buttons. The employee that hits the button instead hits the "Run around and panic button" instead. They also have the Dance Pants. Poppy jumps in the pants and they begin to dance, but soon malfunction. Poppy hits the "panic button" again, causing Trolls to run around and panic. They also have a Robot Party Butler and an Anti-gravity and Anti-matter Piñata. They are convinced one of these inventions has to work.
As the song plays, they show the butler has an issue that while he serves punch, he also knocks it out of the partiers hands and has to be dragged off. The Piñata has the issue of just a slight tap causes a blackhole. They continue throughout the night.
The next morning, they present their ideas to Sky. He welcomes Rhythm, Blues and Poppy, asking if she's here for moral support, which she confirms. Their first idea is Disco ball-loons, but Rhonda Sparkleman from Accounting had already pitched the idea 5 minutes ago. Sky asks them if they have any other ideas, but the two only have ones that are not ready yet and in desperation put the Dance Pants idea forward. Sky is convinced and decides to put the Dance Pants straight into production. He takes them and leaves.
After he leaves, the two are confronted by Poppy, who notes they aren't ready. Thinking they have time to fix the glitches, Sky immediately disapproves this, by announcing they immediately begin producing the pants. The trio are helpless as the pants are shipped out to Trolls all over TrollsTopia. Before long, Trolls are running into problems because the pants soon glitch. The Funk sisters don't know how to stop the pants and Poppy comments that the only thing that can stop her dancing is a undanceable song. The sisters remember their speaker and roll it out.
Relieved, the girls and Poppy relax but a cough behind them is from Sky, who is not happy about the situation. Sky confronts them in his office and asks why they didn't tell him about the glitches in the pants. They confess they wanted to keep him from finding out their inventions have flaws. Sky states that of course they have flaws, and they are shocked he already knows about this. Sky explains that creation comes with flaws, and they have no idea how many explosions they've had in the Factory's production of Disco Ball-loons; Rhonda is shown reflecting an explosion look. Sky tells them next time to tell him about the flaws so they can work together to get rid of them. The girls pick up "next time" and Sky confirms they're the best innovators they have, welcoming them aboard in excitement.
The episode ends with the camera panning to Rhonda while Sky is not looking. It turns out Rhonda is a baby in disguise.
Cast[]
- Pop Trolls
- Amanda Leighton as Queen Poppy
- Gary Cole as Sky Toronto
- Declan Churchill Carter as Keith
- Abby Ryder Fortson as Priscilla
- Megan Hilty as Rhonda Sparkleman
- Kat Graham as Rhythm & Blues
- Other
Songs[]
- "Work It"
Trivia[]
- The title is a rhyming play on how "R&B" and "R&D" are acronyms for longer terms. "R&B" means "Rhythm & Blues", while "R&D" means "research and development".
- This is the second episode to have Rhythm & Blues' name in the title, the first being "Rhythm & the Blues".
- The motivational poster "Get to Work" is based on the "Hang in there, Baby" cat.