AND WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS

Xmas Marks the Spot

Original Air date: December 13, 1986

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski

Director: Richard Raynis

Main Cast:

·         Lorenzo Music as Peter Venkman

·         Frank Welker as Raymond Stantz

·         Maurice LaMarche as Egon Spengler

·         Arsenio Hall as Winston Zeddemore

·         Laura Summer as Janine Melnitz

·         Frank Welker as Slimer

(Rating 5 of 5)

Summary: The Ghostbusters working on Christmas Eve get lost in a snow storm.  Everyone was already annoyed for having to work on Christmas Eve, except Peter who couldn’t care less.  The Ecto-1 breaks down and the Ghostbusters are forced to walk in the snow.  While walking Ray tells Winston that Peter doesn’t like Christmas because of the fact his father was never there for him. They come across an odd energy field and then they run into a town that Egon instantly recognizes as early Victorian England.

Lost in a blizzard, maybe more dangerous than Gozer!

                In another scene Bob Cratchit, with Tiny Tim on his shoulders, buys his family a small bird for Christmas diner. Following Egon’s PKE meter, the Ghostbusters come to a large house that is giving off strong signals.  They see a ghost (Jacob Marley) leave and a man screaming.  The Ghostbusters run in to find Ebenezer Scrooge harassed by three ghosts.  They promptly do the Ghostbuster thing and those three ghosts are in the trap.  Mr. Scrooge tries to get out of paying the Ghostbusters but ultimately gives them some money, which the Ghostbusters at first think isn’t enough until they realize what type of currency it is and decide to go with it.  They then leave and find their way back to Ecto-1 that is now running perfectly.

Jacob Marley might not mind a trip to the Containment Unit

                When the Ghostbusters get back they find that things have changed.  Their Christmas tree is no longer up in the firehouse and Janine and Slimer couldn’t care less.  Ray, Peter and Winston hit the town and find that everything has changed.  No one is celebrating Christmas.  To make matters worse people are fighting and making life miserable for each far more than normal.  They come across a book called “the Christmas Humbug.”  A local describes the book as the classic tale of Ebenezer Scrooge single-handily defeating the three Ghosts of Christmas and ever since people no longer cared for that holiday.

Scrooge is not happy facing the Spirits of Christmas

                Realizing their mistake three Ghostbusters head back to the station fast hoping they can find Egon before he places the three Spirits of Christmas in the Containment Unit.  They figure the only way they can fix this is to go back to the time portal to put the ghosts back where they belong.  Unfortunately, when they reach the firehouse they find that Egon has already placed them in the Containment Unit.  After explaining the situation to Egon the other three Ghostbusters quickly get a response back.  Egon explains the time is passing on both sides of the portal they have to get the ghosts back to Victorian England before the close of Christmas Eve.  However there is no way for them to do that now that those ghosts are in the Containment Unit.  Egon declares that he will have to go inside the Containment Unit himself and once inside bring the three Christmas ghosts back.  Ray says they’re going with him but Egon tells him that they can’t, for they need a backup plan in case it doesn’t work.  Egon says that the other three will have to go back and try to be The Spirits of Christmas.

No ghost is a match for the Ghostbusters!

                Ray, Peter, and Winston had back to the portal with props and each tries to play a Christmas ghost.  Peter has to dress in drag to be the Ghost of Christmas Past.  He tries to use a View – Master to convince Scrooge that he is looking at his past while running him around blindfolded in a wheelchair.  Winston, impersonating the Ghost of Christmas Present, wears a fake beard and tries to use rope to convince Scrooge that they are “flying“ over the town. Worst is Ray who tries to convince Scrooge that he is of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come by wearing a robe and playing a game of charades.

Peter doing a bad imitation of the Ghost of Christmas Past

                Back in the firehouse, Egon has built himself a special suit and a device that will alter his molecular structure and allow him to enter the Containment Unit as if he were a ghost.  Janine watches in horror over the viewer hoping Egon won't get trapped.  Slimer, actually being a little more useful, provided maintenance to Egon’s machine while trying not to get sucked in the Containment Unit himself.  Egon finds the Christmas ghosts and tells them of the have to hurry but unfortunately for them every ghost that was captured in the first season has also seen Egon and they want to get out too.  It’s a race but is one Egon and the Christmas ghost win.  When they get out Egon has them hop into the trap again and he heads to the portal.

Going to space, shrinking small, no just going into my Containment Unit.

    Just as Scrooge is starting to expect somethings up Egon arrives, releases the ghosts, and does his own ghost of Jacob Marley imitation letting Scrooge know he’s having three more ghosts to come visit him.  As the Ghost of Christmas Past does her work, the Ghostbusters are on the roof of the other two apologizing for everything that happened.  The Ghost of Christmas Present thinks the Ghostbusters were supposed to be here that one of them needed the lesson, and when Ghostbusters said it was time for them to go home the bearded ghost did them a favor by having them touch his robe and they’re all magically home.  As they gather around Winston and states that since he always thought “the Christmas Carol” was only a story he wonders what is also real that he thought was only a story.  They then hear laughter that sounds like traditional Santa Claus laughter.

My Take: I absolutely love this episode!  “The Christmas Carol” is one of my favorite all-time stories and every Christmas I have to watch it, particularly I always insist on watching the George C Scott version. (Ironically, that was made about same time this episode was.) This was one of those special episodes that I saw as a kid and remembered decades later, although I had forgotten about the part of the three Ghostbusters pretending to be the Christmas ghosts. That was hilarious. 

Although I have a great respect for Straczynski as a writer I actually have a bit of a strong disagreement with some of his interpretation of the character of Ebenezer Scrooge.  Primarily the way he has overly offended when the Ghostbusters charged him for their services.  I don’t mind him trying to haggle because that is very in character of him; he is a miser who is always looking to get the best deal. But Scrooge is, as I always understood him, simply a ruthless businessman and in the course of his business he did come across costs that were legitimate and he paid.  Scrooge also recognized the necessity of taxes realizing he needed them to pay for the prisons, poor houses, and workshops. (It’s an interesting note to make that Ebenezer Scrooge at his worst was still ahead of some modern neo-libertarians, who act as if taxes are crime against them.)  He also allows Cratchit to take Christmas off with pay, although reluctantly.  In other words Ebenezer Scrooge insists on being paid his due and gives no thought to charity. Scrooge has many faults but hypocrisy isn't one of them and I highly suspect that he would not request the Ghostbusters work for free.  Legitimate service gets legitimate compensation.

Now for so my stray observations:

·         No mainstream cell phones the 1980s.  Getting your car lost in a snowstorm is dangerous now and very dangerous back then.  The Ghostbusters were in real danger of freezing to death.

·         Egon takes one look and instantly recognizes the town as belonging to Victorian England.

·         Don’t like the artistic interpretation of Bob Cratchit and his bird.  His Christmas bird was small but it wasn’t hand size.

·         Sorry, but watching the Christmas ghosts get busted was kind of funny.

·         Is it just me or was Scrooge wearing his nightgown on his book cover?

Scrooge on the cover with his night gown

·         The Christmas Humbug

·         I remember the View – Master, my mother had a whole collection of them.

I remember these!

·         Slimer was useful stopping Egon’s machine from catching fire, why not send him into the Containment Unit?  He seems more fit for it.

·         Great continuity moment having Egon, while in the Containment Unit, encountering ghosts that he put away all throughout season one including the likes of Killerwatt, Pumpkinhead (Sorry, I mean Samhain) , Sleeping Ghost, Ghash, and the Sandman.

That feeling you get when you think you may have put too many ghosts in your Containment Unit.

·         “In the trap it will be quicker.” I think now would have been a good time for the Ghost of Christmas Present to remind us of his magical transportation robe.