Drool, the Dog-Faced Goblin
Writer:
Linda Woolverton
Director:
Dale Schott
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: After
along car trip the Ghostbusters stop at a traveling circus. The reason is Egon saw in their ad that there
is a goblin in this circus. When they
see that the Goblin was in fact real the Ghostbusters try to bust him. However Madame LaFarge, the circus owner,
stops them. She explains that Drool, the
Goblin, is part of their circus family and they can’t just take him. Egon tries to explain that goblins are
dangerous but LeFarge is having none of it.
She accuses the Ghostbusters of being trigger happy and asks them to
leave.
 |
| Drool is just a pet |
The
Ghostbusters are heading home but along the way the Ecto-1 breaks down, little
known to the Ghostbusters it was sabotage.
They are forced to stay overnight in a hotel. During the night they are victims to some
paranormal pranks, cats sounding like dogs, mud coffee, everything floating in
a room. The next day they are attacked
and run out of town by this entity.
There weapons are useless and they have their butts handed to them. The Ghostbusters discuss how this was
similar to shape-changing ghost they battled a while back who they were never
able to defeat.
 |
| She is allowed to have a pet too! |
 |
| Nasty Ghost |
The
Ghostbusters come to the conclusion that Drool was behind everything so they head
back to the circus to bust him. They
come in, over LaFarge’s objections, and blast Drool.
Drool starts to cry but then they hear that trouble is still going on
outside. They let Drool go and go out to
confront the threat. The Ghostbusters
then realize this is the same shape changing entity that they failed to catch
before. It is truly violent and
threatens to harm some of the circus goers.
Drool however enters the battle and attacks the ghost protecting the
people. The Ghostbusters fire and have
them both caught in the stream, if Drool lets go people may die but if he
doesn’t he is trapped too. Madam LaFarge
lets the Ghostbusters know that Drool wants them to do what is best and the
trap both of them. Madam LaFarge asks if
they can let him go, but Ray explains they can’t without letting loose the
other evil shape changing ghosts. Ray
tries to play sour grapes by saying that Drool will be with his own kind and he
may be happier there.
 |
| Okay now what do we do? |
 |
| Ghost is getting really nasty! |
My Take: I really
struggled rating this one I kept going back from a three to a four. On one hand I really like the story, Drool
and Madam LeFarge as characters, and Drool emotional sacrifice at the end. He nobly went down helping and protecting
those who despised him, and was never fully appreciated for it. I might have
made a five but there were many things holding the episode back and that I will
go over in my stray observations.
 |
| "Sorry we busted you;re pet. We could try to let him go but we're lazy." |
Now for
my stray observations:
·
Okay so who is paying the Ghostbusters? They aren’t a charity, they are a
business. Sometimes they do free work
for a poor client or a world threatening situations, but neither is the case here. The Ghostbusters weren’t wanted, Egon just saw
an ad for a circus saw the word “goblin” and they came a running. This would be like exterminators showing up
at your door because somewhere someone told them your son had an ant farm. Once Peter questioned going into a building
that had opened a door to the Netherworld, why isn’t he questioning this?
·
Where’s Slimer?
Slimer isn’t in this episode which is okay on its own, but there is one
problem. That problem is no one even
mentions Slimer. This is odd because he
is relevant here. The Ghostbusters try
to tell Madam LeFarge that it is wrong for them to keep a pet ghost all the
while they have a pet ghost. LeFarge
accused them of being trigger happy in their ruthless hunt of Drool, but she
didn’t call them hypocrites and perhaps that’s because she didn’t have their
personal information. If she had such
knowledge she would be justified to call them that for in this episode that is
what they were.
·
So our weapons conveniently don’t work until we
reach the part of the plot where they do.
Why do the blasts work on the shape changing ghost at the end when they didn’t at the beginning?
·
What do you mean we can’t release Drool? Okay maybe you can’t let him out of the trap
without releasing the other one but you can get him out of the Containment
Unit. We saw Egon do it in the episode
“Xmas Marks the Spot.” Yes it’s risky but considering everything that Drool did
for them, especially after the way they treated him, at the very least they owe
him a try.
It was a good episode but
generally I prefer episodes where they Ghostbusters aren’t the least likable
people.
[1]
Listed original air dates for entire syndicated season may not be correct.
