iCarly Season 3 Episode 4 Review: iGo Public

iCarly Season 3 Episode 4, “iGo Public,” balances possum absurdity (Yes, you read that right!) and emotional vulnerability in a way that only this show can.

Only Spencer would bring Janine of Possum Secret Handshake fame from Socko’s failed arcade (Of course!) to Shay What. Likewise, only Jerry Trainor could sell a line like “Oh, I’m going to Yogi the Bear the crap out of you.”

Spencer’s efforts to reconnect with his roots haven’t been as overtly discussed or displayed since iCarly Season 3 Episode 1, “iBuckled,” but “iGo Public” finds a subtle connection to Spencer’s humble beginnings on the Nickelodeon show — with the cursed possum. 

Spencer becomes obsessed with the game Pak-Rat on iCarly Season 2 Episode 2, “iStage an Intervention.” He can only move on and complete an important sculpture if he beats Sasha Striker, a champion Pak-Rat player.

While this episode doesn’t find a 1-to-1 comparison because the story focuses more on Millicent and Harper’s obsession with the possum, it does have plenty of parallels.

The script reveals that — like in 2008 — this possum game is interfering with Millicent and Harper’s lives. The machine’s threats are mostly silly, but Harper blowing off an event Tinsley wanted her to attend and Millicent dumping Derek to spend more time playing the game has more of a sting.

That dialogue informs off-screen consistency within those dynamics even though Derek hasn’t appeared since iCarly Season 2 Episode 9, “iHit Something,” and Harper and Tinsely’s relationship hasn’t advanced on-screen since iCarly Season 3 Episode 2, “iLove You Shoes.”

Even casually, the acknowledgment — and detriment with Millicent and Derek — of those relationships on “iGo Public” could give them more narrative momentum if they reappear later in iCarly‘s season. It is understandable that the first few episodes of Season 3 prioritize a relationship nearly two decades in the making.

Ultimately, the game’s effect on Millicent and Harper is hilarious. Harper trying to out-dance the possum shouldn’t be as funny as it is, but Laci Mosley is that good!

“iGo Public” delivers the Millicent and Harper team-up that iCarly Season 3 Episode 3, “iMake New Memories,” misses — and it’s better for it.

Adding Trainor in so Spencer can avenge another addictive (and corrupt, in this case) game only amps up the entertainment factor of this wacky plot.

The story also works as a lighthearted juxtaposition to Carly’s pure-hearted and unabashed obsession with Freddie — down to his not-so-great fedoras.

It’s a delight to see Miranda Cosgrove and Nathan Kress lean into these blissed-out versions of their characters, where Carly and Freddie get to be giddy and romantic. Paramount+‘s iCarly has played its cards right because everything about this Creddie era is earned — even a love confession this early in their relationship.

Despite only airing for a few seasons (so far!), iCarly makes great strides with Carly and Freddie’s adult relationship in those first two, and the show knows its embedded history well enough that this grandest of gestures doesn’t come too soon.

A scene that notes that shared history is Freddie and Spencer’s quick conversation, where Spencer knows about the fedoras and the slideshow presentation before the words can come out of Freddie’s mouth. There’s a shorthand between that trio from the last 15 years — one that Harper and Millicent are quickly learning.

Consequently, “iGo Public” is a good time for Carly and Freddie to confess their love to each other — and the world. Freddie’s love for Carly has evolved over the years, and the last two seasons of iCarly show Carly slowly falling in love with Freddie.

That scene’s blocking with the picnic lends itself to the intimate confession. So, even when iCarly pulls back the curtain to reveal the livestream (with perfect use of Marissa), Carly and Freddie’s privacy briefly falters but never truly fades. The Bushwell’s roof becomes an extension of Creddie’s bubble. 

The sequence gets even better with dialogue that speaks to Carly’s vulnerabilities about revealing their relationship to the public. It’s a sign of Carly’s development that she doesn’t want to repeat history and open Freddie up to the internet’s vitriol. But he’s been beside her on the internet for the better part of 15 years.

So, it’s fantastic that Freddie validates Carly’s feelings (and doesn’t freak out when Carly doesn’t immediately say she loves him back) while assuring her that he can take whatever comes next because he loves her. With “iGo Public,” iCarly further develops a healthy relationship that honors Carly and Freddie’s past, present, and future.

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New episodes of iCarly stream on Thursdays on Paramount+. Try Paramount+ for free, right here.

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