THE GHOSTBUSTERS GET SOME COMPETITION

Robo-Buster

Original Air date October 15, 1988

Writer: Francis Moss

Director: Charles Grosvenor

Main Cast:

• Dave Coulier as Peter Venkman
• Frank Welker as Raymond Stantz
• Maurice LaMarche as Egon Spengler
• Buster Jones as Winston Zeddemore
• Kath Soucie as Janine Melnitz
• Frank Welker as Slimer

(Rating 5 of 5)

Summary: The Ghostbusters return from a job as Janine returns from a date.  Janine introduces her date as Mr. Paul Smart the President of Grossjuck Industries.  The Ghostbusters ask Janine to dispose of a ghost they just caught as they are called away on another job.  Janine drops the trap at her desk and goes to get Paul a drink.  Paul then takes a camera and gets some pictures of the Ghostbusters' designs and steals the trap putting it in his briefcase.  As Janine returns he pretends to get a call on his cell phone and has to go.

Paul Smart, Janine's new boyfriend

Sucker for a pretty face.

Weeks go by and she gets no call from Paul.  When he does call he invites her and the Ghostbusters to a ghostbusting demonstration that he is doing.  When they get there Paul revels the Robo-Buster X-1, then he pulls out the trap that he stole and opens it up letting the ghost out.  The ghost flies away but the new robot catches up to the ghost and destroys it.  Egon protests that ectoplasm can’t be destroyed only contained.  Yet, Egon is arguing against something that was just done making the Ghostbusters look bad.

The new Robo-buster

Robo-buster TV add.

For the next few weeks the Ghostbusters were losing out to their competition, Robo-Buster was getting their first or performed better.  The Ghostbusters were in danger of going out of business; however there were signs that this was leading to a place no good.  Janine confronted Paul in his office but he ended up calling in Robo-Buster who destroyed Slimer.  Janine reported back to Egon and he stated that Slimer and other ghosts might not be truly gone.

The Spectral Mass

Ghostbusters vs. the Spectral Mass

Egon was right for a dark mass made of energy from the ghosts that have been destroyed showed up.  The Ghostbusters tried to confront it and the Ecto-1 got trashed.  Robo-buster was able to disburse it again but it would be a temporary victory.  It returned as the Ghostbusters confronted Paul.  Attacking Grossjuck headquarters, the Spectral Mass showed Robo-buster it was no match.  One of the old ghosts returned to form and demanded Paul directly.  Egon rewired their packs into Robo-Buster and started to blast the mass.  Altering his particle thrower, Peter was able to get Slimer out of the mass. The Ghostbusters filled their traps with the separated ghosts and Robo-Buster was shut down for good. 

The Ghostbusters should send this loser the bill.

My Take: The Ghostbusters finally get competition.  Now if you lived in a world where ghosts are real would there only be one team of four guys who would be able to stop them?  I always thought they would have to deal with completion eventually.  In the past we saw their completion be fake spiritualists, like Dr. Bassingame, or ghosts themselves trying to ruin them.  Yet you think someone would try to tap into the ghost hunting business.  It was a story to be told even without the corporate espionage angle.  I think if someone were to compete with the Ghostbusters their advertisements should focus on destruction. The Ghostbusters make a lot of it and if you could make less you would win the day.

                Now for my stray observations:

·         Oh Janine, so smitten with Paul you forgot he stole your trap.  When a man falls for a woman who is so obviously using and wrong for him but he can’t get past her looks we men call that “thinking with your little head.” What is the female equivalent to this saying? Do women have one?  Whatever it is we have a prime example in Janine.

·         The scene with Egon jealous in the beginning was great.  As sad as it is, Egon is incapable of letting Janine know he loves her so she is going to move on.  Good thing for Egon is she got burnt bad so this should clear her schedule for a while.

·         You can’t destroy ghosts, yes Egon we know this from experience don’t we. 

·         I thought Robo-Buster was a clear Robo-Cop parody. 

·         The Ghostbusters do really need to get a lawyer.  After all Grossjack still got money for all those jobs they did even though the Ghostbusters had to trap all the ghosts in the end.

A thoughtful episode to say the least.