HARD TIME FOR RAY TODAY

Look Homeward, Ray

Original Air date: November 1, 1986

Writer: Marc Scott Zicree

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 4 of 5)

Summary: Ray bids his fellow Ghostbusters farewell as he heads towards his hometown whose residents have asked him to be the Grand Marshall in this year’s parade.  He brings with him photo albums from his time with the Ghostbusters and his gear to show the townspeople.  When he arrives in town he is treated as the hometown hero for his celebrity status with the Ghostbusters.  There he meets Elaine Phermon (yes, that is her name) who he used to have a crush on, and Alan Favish his old bully who now owns the shoe store.   

Ray needs his Stay Puft doll!

                There it is mentioned to Ray that Elaine has inherited an old mansion that she can’t live in or sell because it is haunted.  Ray decides this is a good opportunity to show off his Ghostbusting abilities.  Little does Ray know, Alan, long holding a grudge that Ray is a famous Ghostbuster while he is only a shoe salesman, has a magic book and empowers the rather lowly spirits that Ray plans to fight.  The newly empowered ghosts easily defeat Ray and make a fool of him in the entire town.  Then they go off and wreak the festivities in the town square.  The Mayor blames Ray for provoking the ghosts that had only stayed in that mansion before.  Alan promised to pay for all the repairs the ghosts caused and the Mayor makes him the new Grand Marshall for the reorganized parade. 

Our most famous son!

                Ray returns to the Ghostbusters humiliated by what happened.  Peter and Winston make a bet to see Ray will go back, which Peter wins when Ray sneaks off.  At the old mansion Ray runs into Elaine who actually startled him so bad he ran up a tree.  They head to the mansion together and when they enter Ray gets his butt kicked again.  The other Ghostbusters show up and as they enter Alan, who also had followed them, removes the spell reducing the ghosts back to what they were before.  The other three have no problem defeating the ghosts.  Ray now feels himself unworthy of being Ghostbuster and resigns.   The other three try to talk him out of it but they can’t.

Okay, now you're in trouble.

                Alan gives Ray a job where he has to wear a bunny suit and hope around as he tries to sell shoes.  The other Ghostbusters try to stage an event where Ray can play the hero and it would have worked it Slimer hadn’t got distracted by the ice cream truck.

Ray finds the magic book and discovers he is not a loser.

                As Alan leads the parade, Ray discovers his magic book and realizes the ghosts were empowered with negative energy where his pack operates with positive as a default.  Because Alan used the black magic he accidentally summons a fire-breathing demon.  As the demon attacks the parade Alan tried to stop it but fails and his magic book is destroyed in the process.  The Ghostbusters find their weapons are useless and Ray shows up to explain why. 

                The Ghostbusters adjust their proton packs and hunt the demon using floats from the parade.  They capture the demon and Ray is once more hero of the town.

My Take: This was a fun little episode.  There were some great character moments for Ray, who not only is a fallen hero but he is one who gets redeemed in the eyes of his hometown.

Now for my stray observations:

·         If Elaine Phermon is the love of Ray’s life it’s funny I don’t recall seeing her again. 

·         The bet between Peter and Winston was funny.

·         Even through Ray was set up anyone who has seen Casper knows that Ray isn’t very effective if he is only by himself.  It’s the reason the Ghostbusters are team.

·         Notice we don’t see any of Ray’s family.  This is the editors and writers paying attention, we know from the movie Ray’s parents are dead.

·         When Ray decides to quit the Ghostbusters they follow him behind begging him to stay. At one point Egon begs Ray to think of his pension.  The Ghostbusters only have five people in the organization how do they have a pension system?  Isn’t Ray actually the co-owner and that is the reason he shouldn’t leave?  In fact in the Ghostbusters movie a great deal of it is financed through the mortgage of Ray’s inherited house, so he probably owns more of it than Peter and Egon do. (Winston and Janine are hired help.)  So Egon should really be saying, “Don’t leave Ray you are the majority shareholder with controlling interest.”

·         I’m afraid of heights so I’ll I could think towards the end was, “Winston get in the giant shoe balloon with your co-workers don’t hang on the front of it you’ll fall.”

In the end this was a rather feel good episode.