"Pyramid Scheme" is the eighth episode of the first season of Nickelodeon's Monster High. It is the thirteenth episode of the series overall. It premiered on March 10, 2023. It was written by Han-Yee Ling.
- For the episode's transcript, see here.
Premise[]
Cleo wants the lead role for the school play and raids her family's ancient tomb for a perfect, superior costume.
Plot[]
In Cleo's room, she is telling her IBall about what happened to her earlier, she was planing on taking the lead role of Cleopatra in the school play. At the Coffin Bean, Cleo is rehearsing for Frankie and Clawdeen. The two clap her performance, but Clawdeen is a little upset, because she expected Cleo had found the mummy talisman, one of the talismans they need to bring her mother, Selena, back to Monster High from Beheme. Clawdeen asks Cleo if she has discovered anything about the talisman, but Cleo just says she knows it's not in her jewerly box. To calm Clawdeen down, Cleo says the Blood Moon Eclipse is still far away, so they have time.
Cleo is concentraning on getting the role of Cleopatra for the play, especially now that her older sister, Nefera, is studying abroad in Scaris. She explains to Clawdeen and Frankie that for years, in every play the sisters audited for together, Nefera always got the lead roles while Cleo got background roles, moslty trees. But with Nefera away, Cleo believes she has a chance of getting the lead role. Frankie then points Cleo to a girl behind her that looks like her, to Cleo's shock, it's Nefera, who has returned from her trip to Scaris earlier. Nefera hugs Cleo warmly says how happy she is to see her, and says she returned earlier because Mrs. O'Shriek insisted on her to try for the role of Cleopatra in the school play. In her dorm with Clawdeen and Frankie, Cleo is worried about not getting the role. The she has an idea, her family has a neckalce that belonged to Cleopatra herself and decides to use it to make her look like Cleopatra, beliving it will help her the role. She looks for it in her jewerly drawer. Clawdeen takes some of Cleo's jewerly to see if any of them is the mummy talisman, but it is not there.
Cleo can't find Cleopatra's necklace, she realizes it must be in her family's ancient tomb, where her family keeps their treasures. She takes a small pyramid that can transport them to the tomb, Cleo's mummy powers allow her to enter it. Cleo sends her scarabs to the tomb to get the necklace, but they are transported back to the dorm just a few seconds later, because there is a price to pay. Cleo doesn't undestand what it means but realizes they will have to do it themselves. Nefera enters the dorm, Cleo immediatelly hides the tomb and introduces Nefera to Clawdeen and Frankie. Nefera warmly hugs them and takes her suitcase to get some souvenirs she brought from Scaris. Cleo whispers to Clawdeen to distract Nefera, then she takes Frankie's hand and the two go to the tomb. Nefera asks where the two went, Clawdeen says they left for a snack. In hopes to bring her mother back, Clawdeen asks Nefera about the mummy talisman. Thanks to her queen training, Nefera knows everything about it and shares her wisdow with Clawdeen: the mummy talisman's powers can only be wielded by it's chosen mummy representative, the one who proves themselves with the most selfless act, and the talisman will glow when it gets close to the chosen one.
Cleo and Frankie are transported to the tomb, Cleopatra's necklace is in a platform just a few centimeters away. Frankie and Cleo are inside a glowing box on the floor, Cleo asks Frankie to go first and they agree. But once stepping out of the box, Frankie is transported back to the dorm, Cleo goes out of the box to see if the same will happen to her, but nothing happens, meaning only members of the de Nile family can enter the tomb. Frankie is transported to the dorm and falls onto Clawdeen, then they compliment the tomb to Nefera. Learning Cleo is in the tomb, Nefera gets worried because it has incredible dangerous booby traps, but says that as long as Cleo doesn't touch any of the jewels contained in it she will be okay. But knowing her sister, Nefera immediately realizes touching the jewels in the tomb is the exact reason Cleo went there. In the tomb, Cleo, with high hopes for getting the lead role, grabs Cleopatra's necklace, but once she takes it from the platform, the tomb starts shaking. The booby traps are activated, shooting many stakes and arrows at Cleo, who thankfully doesn't get shot. Seeing some rocks on the floor, Cleo puts one of them in the platform to see if it will make the tomb stop shaking, but the rock is shattered to pieces.
Cleo falls and drops the neckalce, she tries to retrieve it but another arrow is about to shot her. Nefera, Frankie and Clawdeen enter tomb and Nefera saves Cleo just before she can get shot. Clawdeen knows they have to do something, but if she and Frankie get out of the box, they will be transported back to the dorm. Cleo and Nefera dodge the arrows, but then Nefera steps on another booby trap on the floor, it opens chasms with lava and Nefera falls into one of them, to Cleo's horror. Nefera manages to hold on the chasm, Cleo tries to pull her up with a stick, but Nefera falls again. She grabs on the rocks again but now she is closer to the lava. Cleo asks Nefera what to do and Nefera asks her what treasure she moved and Cleo responds it was Cleopatra's necklace. Nefera snatches at Cleo on why she does things like this, and Cleo snatches back she knows she'll never get into a level as high as Nefera. Nefera is shocked at hearing this and apologizes, but Cleo takes it back and asks again what she has to do. Nefera explains the necklace is called "The Heart of Cleopatra" and to escape the tomb Cleo either has to put it back in the platform or pay the price by replacing it with something equal, another heart. Cleo grabs the necklace from the floor is about to put it back, but then sees that the mummy talisman is attracted to the necklace. Cleo realizes she can't do it because Clawdeen needs it to bring her mother back, so Cleo throws the necklace to Clawdeen, who catches it and sees the mummy talisman on it.
Then Cleo gets her bag with her organs and takes the jar containing her heart. Although she knows how much this will harm her and her health, Cleo sacrifices her own heart to save her sister and friends. Once she puts the jar in the platform, the tomb stops shaking, the booby traps are disarmed and the box disappears, so now Frankie and Clawdeen can walk around the tomb. Clawdeen runs to Cleo, worried because once they leave the tomb Cleo will be too far away from her heart. Then they hear Nefera screaming and run to save her. Nefera is nearly about to fall into the lava, Frankie and Clawdeen hold Cleo's legs to help her reach Nefera, Cleo grabs Nefera's hand right before she falls and pulls her back up with Clawdeen and Frankie. Nefera compliments Cleo for her heroism. Although annoyed at first, Cleo warmly hugs Nefera, who hugs her back. Clawdeen is grateful to Cleo for helping her find the mummy talisman, but she and Frankie are worried that she will have to live without her heart, Cleo explains it's the price to pay to take the talisman with them, but Clawdeen believes there has to be another way. Frankie takes a rock from the floor and has an idea. Frankie chomps on the rock with their strong teeth to make the rock shaped like a heart, which they name "The Heart of Frankie". They replace Cleo's heart with their stone heart, and it works. Frankie gives Cleo her heart back and the two hug.
The four of them are transported back to the dorm. To bring Selena back in the Blood Moon Eclipse Ceremony, the mummy talisman has to be wielded by the mummy representative. Clawdeen asks Nefera to do so, but they see the talisman is glowing when it gets close to Cleo. The mummy talisman chose Cleo to be its representative after she sacrificed her heart to help her friends, a very selfless act, Cleo is amazed. Clawdeen is happy they are one step closer to bring her mother back. Nefera suggests a party night to celebrate, they all agree excited, but Frankie accidentally electrocutes the girls with their zap powers. Cleo is finishing doing her monster minute to her IBall, she has decided to give up on getting the lead role for the play because having the role to open the portal to Beheme with her friends seems better to her. She then rehearses on a speech she's been working for the ceremony, while reciting her speech, Cleo trips and falls, but says to her IBall she meant to do this.
Characters[]
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Notes[]
- This episode had a sneak peek in a compilation posted on the Monster High official YouTube channel on March 2nd, 2023.
- Cleopatra's lines that Cleo recites is part of her final speech from William Shakespeare's play Antony and Cleopatra.
- This is the first episode where Draculaura is absent.
Milestones[]
- Nefera de Nile makes her official animated debut.
- Cleo becomes the chosen one of Cleopatra's necklace, the "Heart of Cleopatra", which also holds the mummy talisman.
Errors[]
- Sometimes Nefera's hair is not shaded correctly.
- Cleo looks upset in one frame, but the next she looks better and there is no frown.
- Sometimes Cleo has a different voice tone.
- The bottom of Nefera's hair has a lot of different colors, which seems to be an error.
- Cleo's eyeshadow is green as she, Frankie, and Clawdeen save Nefera in the temple.
- The lava messes with the shading of the characters.
- Frankie's hair goes through the coffin bean couch sometimes for a few seconds.
- How can Cleo place her heart after the rock fell down along with the area that you place it?
- Cleo's hair twitches in different poses between shots.