SEASON 3 SUMMARY

               

               The third season of The Real Ghostbusters aired at the same time as the second, but it aired on ABC like the first where the second went straight to syndication.  This season is often mislabeled a ‘Season 2’ even by those making it because the first two seasons were made simultaneously.  With this season being the second to air on ABC the studio called it the second season as well.  

                What also adds to the confusion in the season number is the fact that the Season 3 is also the first follow up season.  This season often explores concepts and bad guys that were in the first season and that the syndicated season didn’t address.  We get a second encounter with the Boogieman and Pumpkin head Samhain (sorry).  We get the best episode with the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and we see the return of film villain Walter Peck.  The season also introduced new threats such a Rall, the Copycat, and the Grundel.  The season also had some low points, I didn’t think the first episode was overly strong and the “Transylvania Homesick Blues” was terrible in terms of massive continuity errors. 

                This is the first season that has a different feel from its two predecessors.  A major factor to that was the change in the voice actors with Dave Coulier and Kath Soucie replacing Lorenzo Music and Laurie Summer as Peter and Janine.  It took an episode to get used to the new voices.  Janine now has let her hair grow out and gotten a new pair of glasses.  Slimer is also much easier to understand and they use him a lot more.

                The most controversial decision is the creation of the Junior Ghostbusters.   This was demanded by the executives and the writers wanted nothing to do with it and that showed.  It was a bad situation made worse by all involved and I said when reviewing their first appearance.

“Still if you had to make Junior Ghostbusters don’t’ you think you should try to do it well?  For example why create new bland characters when you already have established characters you could use?  What about Kenny from the episode Masquerade or Megan and her bother—also Kenny---from the Boogieman’s first appearance.   They helped defeat him last time wouldn’t it have been great to see them do it again? Then add a new character and there you go.

“It also might be a good idea to establish them before just announcing they exist.  You should answer the questions of, “How did they get to be Junior Ghostbusters?” “Where are they’re parents?” I also thought Catherine who dressed in a uniform similar to Egon’s and was blond might be relative, Egon’s niece perhaps?”

          In the end Season 3 continued on the work of the first two seasons in bringing a high quality show to kids every Saturday morning.  Most the episodes were great and the show was a lot of fun.