JANINE GETS HER WISH!

Janine, You've Changed

Original Air date September 8, 1990

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski

Director: Raymond Jafelice

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
• Rodger Bumpass as Louis Tully

(Rating 5 of 5)

Summary: The story begins with the Ghostbusters working a routine job except its gets nasty towards the end.  When they return home exhausted they don’t say much to Janine but Peter pulls a prank on her. The prank causes Janine to drop her scrape book.  In the book are photos from the past and Slimer notices that Janine looks very different from her earlier pictures.  So he takes the scrape book to the Ghostbusters and it lights a fire under their butts.  Egon creates a holographic display that uncovers the fact that Janine has changed in hair, height, weight, and voice.  They need to find out why because it maybe supernatural. 

Something is not right!

                The Ghostbusters then go and spy on Janine but they are so bad it that she grows frustrated with them being weird and leaves.  Slimer follows her home and finds out she has a fairy godmother who is granting her wishes.   The fairy godmother realized that Slimer was spying on them and sent her demon dogs after him.  Slimer flies back to the firehouse and the Ghostbusters capture the dogs.

Not really good at spying!

                After reading Slimer’s report Egon determines that Janine is being haunted by a Makoveris Lotsabucks, a ghost that preys on your insecurities.  They try to find Janine but she has run away.  Egon locates her and Janine is forced to choice between them.  Egon confesses that he and all the Ghostbusters love her just the way she is.  This lets Janine see the truth of her benefactor and she turns back to their side allowing the Ghostbusters to catch the creature.

Cheaper than plastic surgery. 

                Later Egon and Janine decided to resume dating.

My Take: Okay, big episode, when I first read the episode’s premise I thought it looked dumb.  However I really enjoyed the episode and rated a five simply for restoring my favorite relationship in the series.  Janine, an attractive young woman who easily could find a boyfriend, falls in love with a man who doesn’t know how to process normal emotions.  The tragedy of this is Egon actually loves Janine very much but he doesn’t know how to express it in way that he could be comfortable with.  For Janine she doesn’t understand this so she assumes that because her clear affections aren’t returned that there is something wrong with her.   In this episode we see the length she will go to help change that.  A good moral lesson could be made for those who seek body altering surgeries to try to get someone’s approval. 

When Egon approaches Janine at the end I found myself frustrated with him.  Instead of just telling her what he feels.  He keeps taking two steps back for every two steps forward.  He tells Janine, “I love you, we all love you” and “It doesn’t matter what you look like.” Instead of what he needs to be saying, which is “Janine I love, I always have” and “Janine I always thought that you were beautiful.”   When he lays down his proton pack it has the effect he intends and Janine turns on the demon.    

Now for my stray observations:

·         Poor Ghostbusters, cockroaches are gross.

·         I am really hoping that the Makoveris Lotsabucks starts off slowly with subconscious before appearing as a full-fledged fairy godmother.   I hate to think that every episode since Season 3 Janine has been in active contact with this thing.

·         When the voice of Peter and Janine changed I found them both dramatic but Janine more so, I am glad they just didn’t focus voice change part but things like height and eye color as well.  Of course if the magic is undone shouldn't she revert to her season 1 self and Laura Summer reassume the role?

·         Peter earned a cookie.

·         Slimer reports!

·         Apparently we never needed a “Peter You’ve Changed” episode. Well somebody did.

And who says the great episodes only came in the first three seasons.