Club Fred

"Club Fred" is the first episode of Season 9 of Rugrats.

Characters Present

 * Tommy
 * Dil
 * Chuckie
 * Phil
 * Lil
 * Kimi
 * Angelica
 * Stu
 * Didi
 * Chas
 * Kira
 * Howard
 * Betty
 * Drew
 * Charlotte
 * Grandpa Lou
 * Lulu
 * Miriam
 * Boris
 * Minka
 * Greeter
 * Tracy
 * Tucker
 * Employee 2
 * Giggling Baby
 * Overjoyed Waiter
 * Candy
 * Laughing Golfer
 * Salon Guy
 * Pool Waiter
 * Falling Waiter
 * Fred
 * Nearby Guest
 * Club Guest

Plot
On a windy day in the late summer/early fall, Stu and his family are hosting a barbecue at their house, which causes Drew to note that it's probably too late in the year to be having a party like a barbecue. Stu and Drew's stepmother, Lulu, brings out a brochure advertising an all-inclusive trip to a pirate-themed resort in the Caribbean called "Club Fred," which Aunt Miriam gets excited about. Betty gets what they're talking about and, while she herself has never been there, she's heard of that resort and claims the place is supposed to be really fancy, Stu's a little unsure about taking a trip to a place like that, since "fancy" usually equals "expensive" when it comes to hotels/resorts. But then his dad, Lou, finds some special coupons that would allow all of them (kids and adults alike) to be able to stay at the resort. After hearing this and thinking it over, Stu agrees to the trip, deciding that a vacation (especially to the Caribbean) would be nice. Betty then excitedly tells the kids that they're all going on vacation!

But after arriving at Club Fred to check in, it turns out that Lou made a mistake when making their group's reservations, which results in them all having to stay in a single small hut--this includes not only the kids (Tommy, Dil, Chuckie, Kimi, Angelica and the twins) but also all their parents, all four of Tommy and Dil's grandparents as well as Lou's cousin, Miriam (needless to say, it's very cramped). Later on, while watching a live show at the resort, they hear about a treasure hunt where, if you find said treasure, you can upgrade to a "5 Room Deluxe Vacation Package," which would allow the Rugrats and their families to have a lot more room. When the adults express an interest in finding it, another guest happens to overhear and tells them to not get their hopes up. The man elaborates by explaining that he's been coming to Club Fred for years and no one has ever actually found the treasure in that--the man also adds that he thinks the whole "treasure hunt" is just a gimmick to attract more people to the resort. The kids' parents are disappointed by this, with Stu claiming that winning the treasure hunt would be the only thing to make their vacation "fun, fun, fun."

Tommy and the rest of the kids overhear this and decide to try and find the treasure so they can help the grownups have more fun on the trip, but first, they have to break out of "Kid Fred," the resort's daycare center. After getting out, Tommy and his friends (along with Tommy's brother, Dil) go and try to find the treasure they look everywhere, and even end up at a place that no Rugrat should ever go: a nude beach!

Eventually however, after disrupting a live show put on by various employees (led by Pirate Fred, the guy who runs Club Fred), the kids do end up finding the treasure, which turns out to have been hidden under the stage the entire time. Just as Boris is questioning why the treasure would be hidden there, everyone at the resort realizes that Pirate Fred's been cheating all this time--all the guests who witnessed the show get angry and threaten to press charges against him. In the end, the entire Rugrats gang is able to upgrade to the deluxe vacation package that the treasure hunt promised, so they don't have to stay in the tiny grass hut anymore.

While Tommy and the other kids are out having their treasure hunt, Angelica has broken out of Kid Fred for a different reason: she wants to live the same pampered resort lifestyle as the grownups (particularly her mom). She orders a bunch of stuff at the unwitting expense of her parents but is eventually caught by her mom (in the mud bath next to hers while at Club Fred's spa), Angelica's parents ultimately punish her by forcing her to basically act as a servant to not just them but (presumably) to the others for the rest of their vacation (and, on top of all that, Angelica's possibly forced to be nice to the other kids). Charlotte briefly worries that they're giving Angelica too harsh of a punishment, but when Drew reminds her of all the stuff that Angelica ordered at their expense, they ultimately go through with the punishment they've decided on for their daughter.

The episode ultimately ends with everyone finally having fun at the resort...except for Pirate Fred, who's being chased down the beach by Aunt Miriam.

Trivia

 * This is the eighteenth half hour episode of the series after "Tommy's First Birthday", "The Santa Experience", "Passover", "Chanukah", "Mother's Day", "Vacation", "The Turkey Who Came to Dinner", "The Family Tree", "No Place Like Home", "Be My Valentine", "Discover America", "Finsterella", "A Rugrats Kwanzaa", "Preschool Daze", "Curse of the Werewuff", "Bow Wow Wedding Vows", and "Murmur on the Ornery Express".
 * It's never stated where in the Caribbean that Club Fred is located (i.e., Jamaica, the Bahamas, etc.).
 * Susie and her family don't come on the trip with the others -- it's possible that they were unable to come due to having other commitments (or something like that).
 * Final Appearance of: Miriam Pickles
 * Morals:
 * It is wrong to cheat people
 * Don't take or use things that are not yours