THE END OF AN ERA

20,000 Leagues Under the Street

Original Air date October 5, 1991

Writers: Jules Dennis and Richard Mueller

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 3 of 5)

Summary:  Peter has a nasty dream about bugs.  He hates bugs with a passion.  Unfortunately for him he is fighting an Egyptian God of Insects, Apshia, today.  Janine is shown escorting Winston to a display on ancient Egypt.  Janine is quite the Egyptologist shown to be so obsessed that she thinks she was an Egyptian Princess in your last life. 

Reign of the Bugs

                The ancient insect god comes back and starts making insects big.  The real hard part is the bugphobe Peter finds himself kidnapped by the giant insects.  Janine however remembers that the glass tip of the pyramid is the source of the god’s power and she informs the Ghostbusters and they destroy it.

Janine's unknown passion.

                Egon in the end has to explain to Peter the importance of bugs.

My Take: For the last episode of series it didn’t feel like anything special.  It makes one wonder what the point of the entire final season was.  The 7th season is the smallest of all of them yet it doesn’t seem to serve any purpose. Did they know this was their last episode or was it unexpectedly canceled? 

                Now for my stray observations:

• Since when does Janine have this much interest in academic stuff?
• Why was Janine with Winston and not her boyfriend?  To be fair she does go places with other Ghostbusters, she went to Ghostworld with Ray.  Also there wasn’t any jealousy here.
• Peter, as a scientist, should know of the importance of most insects.

 Out with a whimper.   

PETER’S DAD IS BACK AND RAY IS FOOLISH ENOUGH TO TRUST HIM

The Treasure of Sierra Tamale

Original Air date September 7, 1991

Writers: Jules Dennis and Richard Mueller

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 3 of 5)

Summary:  Peter’s father, Charles, shows up with a money making scheme like always.  None of the Ghostbusters are buying it save Ray; he agrees to go off to an adventure in Mexico hoping to find lost treasure.  When they get there they find a tour guide and head out to the pyramid.

The other Ghostbusters show up when Ray needs them.

                When they get to the pyramid they are attacked by Quoatles.  Ray uses a special pack that Egon gave him.  It’s a trap and proton pack in one, but can only be used a few times.  Ray uses it to trap one Quoatle while being chased by the another one.  Charles and Ray are trapped.  Their guide flees and calls in the Ghostbusters.

All together now!

                The other three Ghostbusters show up free Ray and Charles.  They find the treasure find that they came for and discover that they can’t take it because it belongs to the god Quetzalcoatl.  When they leave the guide was revealed to have been one of the Quoatles that they fought in human form.

My Take: When Peter’s Dad shows up you always know sleazy stuff is going to happen.  This time it is about finding treasure.  It ends about the same.

                Now for my stray observations:

·         Why did Ray fall for Charles’s plans?  Ray is not that dumb.

·         Okay so Ray uses this new special packless particle thrower and trap all in one, gets trapped, and when they freed him he had a traditional proton pack on!

·         Also when the big revel happens at the end why isn’t the Quoatle concerned about his captured fellow?

This was an okay episode but it wasn’t a favorite. 

TWO GODS FIGHTING, AGAIN

Very Beast Friends

Original Air date November 10, 1990      

Writer: Gordon Bressack

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 3 of 5)

Summary: Two Sumerian gods named Anshar and Kishar are having there once every thousand year battle.  It suddenly occurs to them that their fighting is pointless because they are both immortal.  So they decide to take a mortal for a champion.  At this time the Ghostbusters are sailing on Ray’s new wooden sailboat and are shipwrecked on the gods’ newly created island. Peter and Ray are fighting so much that Anshar and Kishar feel they have found their host bodies.

Glad to have this book on hand.

                 Egon, Winston, and Slimer watch in horror as their friends transform whenever they get angry.  They try their best to calm the two down to prevent their transformations.  When that fails, they come up with their best weapon that they can create on Gilligan’s Island and try to blast them apart.  That doesn’t work but it’s distracts the gods long enough that the day ends.   Each deity is no forced leave their host.  As they go back into hibernation each swears that after the next thousand years he is actually going to win.

What a Ghostbuster can make on Gilligan's Island.

My Take: Hmm..Two gods sworn to destroy each other, stop me if you heard this one before.

                Now for my stray observations:

•        Ray likes to go sailing 19^th century style.
•        Needs to buy a better sail.
•        I started to hum the Gilligan’s Island tune on this episode.
•       If one champion had won, would the other really recognize it? 
•       At least in ended well for the guys.

It was a so-so episode. 

LOOK WE FOUND ANOTHER WITCH

Kitty-Cornered

Original Air date October 14, 1989

                            

Writers: Pamela Hickey and Dennys McCoy

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
• Rodger Bumpass as Louis Tully

(Rating 3 of 5)

Summary: A witch who is flying over New York decides to play a prank on a police helicopter and loses her cat, Twinkie.  The cat lands on Slimer who is getting a pizza delivery.  Slimer fights with the cat over the pizza and nearly wreaks one of Egon’s experiments.  This causes Egon to yell at Slimer.  Slimer, while holding the cat told Egon that he was sorry and all of a sudden the damage was magically undone.  Egon concluded that the cat was a witch’s familiar and Slimer, as a ghost, could make wishes with it.

Slimer finds a magic cat.

                They decide to keep the cat away from Slimer so not to disrupt reality.  The cat however decided it preferred to sleep on Slimer’s stomach while he was napping.  This causes Slimer’s dreams to become reality.  Egon, Ray, and Lewis have to fight through an army of talking food, a transformer, and Christmas Carolers with Santa Claus.  The Witch comes and joins them and they work together to get her cat.  When they do all is returned to normal and Slimer wakes up.  Before they leave he gets one more wish, a giant sandwich. 

This is what happens if Slimer gets wishes.

My Take:  I think the Ghostbusters should have made Slimer grant some reasonable wishes.  It would be nice if the Ghostbusters didn’t have to worry about money all the time.  Louis had the right idea.

                Now for my stray observations:

• The talking food was funny.  
• How dumb was that witch?  You drop your cat?  Don’t you have magic spells to prevent that?
• I am assuming magic is what allowed the cat to survive the fall.
•      Why didn’t Egon have the experiment under glass the first time?

              Maybe they should call on this witch for help in the future she seems nice, unlike the last one.

STRANGE WAY TO TAKE A VACATION

Transcendental Tourists

Original Air date September 9, 1989  

      

Writers: Len Janson and Chuck Menville

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
• Rodger Bumpass as Louis Tully

(Rating 3 of 5)

Summary: A ghost family shows up in South Dakota for their once a century vacation.  They find the place overrun with people so they decide to scare them away.  At this point Winston, Peter, and Slimer have arrived for their vacation.  They see people leaving in hurry but Ghostbusters aren’t afraid. They go ahead anyway figuring they would just ignore any ghosts as they weren’t being paid to care. 

Want to hunt fish not ghosts!

When the ghost family find out they are here they try to scare them away.  The ghosts don’t succeed at scaring them but they do succeed in annoying them to the point they grab their proton packs to declare war.  As the two Ghostbusters and the ghost family were about to go at it Slimer and the youngest member of the ghost family, Scabitha, fly in the middle and announced they were had become friends and didn’t want them to fight.   

Slimer's new friend. 

So the two groups made peace and spent the rest of their vacation together a ghost family with some Ghostbusters. 

My Take: This episode is proof that the Ghostbusters don’t attack random ghosts, just ones that cause harm, and this episode also proves that if you do cause harm maybe the Ghostbusters will get over it if you help them have a cool vacation. 

                Now for my stray observations:

• The Ghost Family is surprised to learn there are human in their normal vacation spot.  Don’t they realize this use to be a mining town?  It must have been a lot nosier in 1889.  The events in Deadwood were only ten years before that. Not to mention Native peoples in previous centuries.
• Scabathia sounds like Lil in Rugrats!   
• I like how Peter and Winston just decided to ignore the ghosts at first.  After all they weren’t on the job.  And as it turns out some ghosts are nice.
• The Mt. Rushmore singing scene was funny. 

The Ghostbusters always have an interesting vacation. 

GHOSTBUSTERS THE MUSICAL

The Halloween Door

Original Air date October 29, 1989

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski

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
• Rodger Bumpass as Louis Tully

(Rating 3 of 5)

Summary: The Ghostbusters are preparing for their Halloween party.  Slimer has made for himself a Peter costume, to which Peter quickly puts on a Slimer costume to slime him.  Peter is escorting a beautiful woman named Lynn Stacy to one of Donald Trump’s parties.  Slimer, in his Peter customer, chases her off.  Peter tried to chase her back and instead ran into a Dr. Crowley and his assistant Fairweather.  Dr. Crowley wants the Ghostbusters help in ending Halloween.  The Ghostbusters basically tell him off, but Fairweather stole a PKE meter and that is what they needed.

Peter gets a long awaited revenge moment.

                That afternoon the Ghostbusters were doing a demonstration at a local Junior High School.  That demonstration actually turned into a musical performance where the Ghostbusters danced and sang.  

The Ghostbusters tell Crowley and Pal to stick it.

                Later that night Dr. Crowley prepares his weapon when he fires it the blast goes across the world to destroy all the materials of Halloween and any fiction that might inspire it.  While this is going on he recites a rhyme.  After he is done Fairweather reveals himself to be a minion of the demi-god Boogaloo.  A deal that was made over 2000 years ago by the Druids stated that as long as Halloween was observed Boogaloo and his demons would not invade the Earth.  With the destruction of Halloween they are now back.  Unless Halloween is brought back by midnight they will overrun the Earth.  Boogaloo starts singing about his badness and begins dancing around finishing his dance with the moonwalk. 

The moment Crowley realized his henchman wasn't really on his side. 

The Ghosts are out dancing, but how did the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man get out of the Containment Unit.

                The Ghostbusters were overwhelmed, their traps were full, the packs were drained, the Ecto-1 was totaled, and the Containment Unit at the firehouse was destroyed.  They located Dr. Crowley and try to force him to reverse the effect of the machine.  However the machine was destroyed.  They begin to try to fix it but time was running out.  Then a little blond girl with pig tales and her own home made vacuum cleaner Proton pack shows up and tries to see if she can join the Ghostbusters in their battle.  Winston freaks and tries to tell the girl to get to safety.  Egon however gets an idea, since no place is going to be safe, he realizes that she could be a big help.

I am the baddest of the bad even though my name sounds dumb.

                Egon brings the girl before Boogaloo, who is gloating about his minutes till victory, he sees the girl and Egon tells him that she has something to say.  She looks at him and says, “Trick or Treat!”  Halloween is alive and Boogaloo has lost, he and his demons are sucked back to which they came.  It is now Halloween at 8:00 PM the night and its damage was erased.  

My Take:  This episode aired as a Sunday night special the week of Halloween.  It had its own special opening sequence that was different from the one typically used.  (I actually thought it was better than they had used the last two seasons.)  The last two Halloween episodes had Pumpkin head (I mean, Samhain) trying to take over the world and create Halloween forever.  In this case we have a villain who wants to insure it never happens.  It is an interesting take.  I wasn’t a big fan of the musical numbers that I found completely ridiculous.  Dr. Crowley as a villain was clearly a stand in for all the censors and the parent groups behind them that Straczynski felt restrained him over the years.

                Now for my stray observations:

• The Peter/Slimer costume thing was really funny.
• Peter should be glad to get out of a Trump event.  He might not even be a real billionaire.
• After the Ghostbusters tell Crowley off, he for a moment thinks about the moral dilemma of stealing from someone, while simultaneously planning mass property destruction. 
• I didn’t think the Ghostbusters could dance and sing, they talked about this before. 
• They crossed the steams while dancing I thought they couldn’t do that. 

  

  No crossing the streams, unless you are in a choreographed number.

• Dr. Crowley was going off like a Dr. Suess rhyme.
• The first thing that Boogaloo does is sing a song and dance, the villain.
• If the Halloween deal was made over 2000 years ago are we saying Emperor Augustus had to deal with Boogaloo and friends. 
• Hey how did the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man get out?
• Okay Pumpki(Samhain. sorry)  is the Spirit of Halloween and wants it eternal while Boogaloo is needs Halloween to end.  This should make them enemies.  So shouldn’t Pum(Samhain) have attacked once the Containment Unit exploded?
• The end of this episode is what saved it for me.  The little girl bringing down the big bad was great.
• Some things weren't meant to be musicals!

THE GHOSTBUSTERS VS THE GHOST OF AL CAPONE

The Ghostbusters! Live, from Al Capone's Tomb!

Original Air date December 2, 1989

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski

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
• Rodger Bumpass as Louis Tully

(Rating 3 of 5)

Summary: Peter has conned his fellow Ghostbusters to do what we now call a reality TV show where the Ghostbusters are going to capture the ghost of Al Capone for the audience at home.  This whole thing is staged and the Capone bio pick shows that Peter (or Straczynski the writer) doesn’t know much about the life of Al Capone.

Shooting the show from the Tomb!

                The real Capone is insulted by this so he kidnaps the Ghostbusters and brings them to the ghost world where their weapons don’t work.  Capone sends one of his men to pick up the Ghostbusters.  There the Ghostbusters are cornered until an attack on Capone’s headquarters gives them the opportunity to escape.

The Boss wants  to see you!

Attack!

                They end up meeting with some rivals of Al Capone who feel he is a tyrant to the ghost world.  They help the Ghostbusters with a gift of magic crystals to make their packs work.  The Ghostbusters with a repaired Ecto-2 and 1930s car go off to battle Capone.  Capone's magic bat is his primary weapon so Winston sends Ecto-2 on a suicide mission with a pack set to explode.  Winston ejects in time and the Ghostbusters manage to trap Capone.  They return to the real world only to find ABC wants them to make more episodes. 

The rivals!

My Take: Okay if you’re going to use a real historical figure you should do your best to try to present them accurately as possible.  I say "as possible" because if you are doing a story where Thomas Jefferson encounters ghosts you already adding things to his life that didn’t happen.  But you should do your best to portray the stuff you can to the best of your abilities.  I don’t how you present Capone’s ghost but everything about his life they showed was wrong.  For example he wasn’t an only child like they said; in fact he had brothers who were also involved with the mob.  He wasn’t always respectful to women, just certain women.  He got that scare after insulting a woman and getting in fight with her brother.  (Capone was a nobody at the time.)  His rise to the dominate force in Chicago mob politics had a lot to do with Johnny Torrio, who was never mentioned.

                

Al Capone's ghost!

                   Now for my stray observations:

·         If the Ghostbusters wanted to do realty TV why don’t they just bring a camera with them on their missions? Kind of like Cops.

·         Why don’t the Ghostbusters’ packs work in the ghost world when they did last episode.

·         Oh Ecto-2 how many of you do we go through.

A fun episode all the same. 

SONG FOR THE SECOND MOVIE

On Our Own

Release date: June 22, 1989

Writers: Bobby Brown

Director: Ivan Reitman

Main Cast:

·         Bill Murray as Peter Venkman

·         Dan Aykroyd as Raymond Stantz

·         Harold Ramis as Egon Spengler

·         Ernie Hudson as Winston Zeddemore

·         Bobby Brown as himself

(Rating 3 of 5)

Summary: The music video consists mostly of Brown singing and dancing to his own song in floating TV screens across New York City.  The screens cut from Brown to scenes from Ghostbusters II.  There are bunch of celebrity appearances from great ones like Superman actor Christopher Reeve, and blowhards like the Republican nominee for President in 2016, Donald Trump.

My Take:  I will be honest I like the song it’s very catchy, some things fall off for me though.  For one with exception of the little rap at the beginning most of lyrics don’t seem to have much to do with Ghostbusters.  The Ghostbusters song written for the first movie by Ray Parker, Jr. was actually about the Ghostbusters.  Most the lyrics seem to be Brown singing to his girlfriend.  It is almost like Brown most the work this song sitting at his desk and someone called to tell him he had the Ghostbusters contract so he just added a small rap about the movie's plot to the beginning and called it good.   You can watch the video here. 

FOR A THIRD TIME THE GHOSTBUSTERS DECIDE TO TAKE IN A SECOND PET GHOST

Baby Spookums

Original Air date September 12, 1987

Writers: Len Janson and Chuck Menville

Director: Charles Grosvenor

Main Cast:

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

(Rating 3 of 5)

Summary: During a rare planetary alignment and a full lunar eclipse a dimensional gate way opens and a little ghost escapes, later two bigger ghosts coming looking for it.  

                 

Finding Spookums

                   The Ghostbusters are doing routine work busting ghosts.  When they got done Ecto-1 wouldn’t start and when they went to inspect it they find the little ghost in there.  Slimer intervenes before the guys bust the little one explaining to the Ghostbusters that it was just a baby.  They agree to bring the ghost home.

Janine likes Spookums

                At the firehouse Janine and guys fall in love with little ghost naming it “Baby Spookums,” after a nickname Egon’s mother gave him.  Little did they know that Spookums's parents had also come through the dimensional portal and they were not happy.

Actually everyone likes Spookums

                The Ghostbusters are later called in to deal with two large ghosts wreaking havoc.  The Ghostbusters fight them several times at one point they end up suffering friendly fire where one of their misses blasts Ecto-1.  While back at the firehouse Slimer is being punished for his good deed because Spookums is causing some trouble and the blame is being directed at Slimer.  Slimer starts to play the Peter role in his own relationship with Spookums.

Baby Spookums can get in some trouble

                After borrowing Janine’s car the Ghostbusters finally catch the two big ghosts.  At the station Slimer has yelled at Spookums so firmly that the little ghost runs away.  As the Ghostbusters bring the catch home, Slimer listening to the trap tells the guys that they have captured the parents of Spookums.  They decided to reunite the family but when they let the ghosts out of the trap Slimer finds that Spookums has run off.

Spookums looks to Slimer as a protector!

                They go on a search and find the missing Spookums.  As the eclipse was ending Egon and Winston hold the closing portal open with crowbars allowing the ghost family time to return home.

Family Reunion

My Take:  Over all it was a very cute episode.  But the thing I think everyone wants to know after watching this episode is the voice changes.  For Peter I got the feeling that somehow Venkman had finally been introduced to some anti-depressants.  He is a lot more excitable and happy now.  He even seems to have developed a positive relationship with Slimer.  Although that might just be character development the spud can only save your life so many times before you get use to him.  As surprising as it might seem I found the change to cause very minimal reaction from me.   

                Janine however was very different.  At times I had hard time even accepting her as the same character.  I really feel that even if they had to change actresses they should still gone with a New York accent.   You can argue that Dave Coulier sounds more like Bill Murray than Lorenzo Music did, and understand the change.  With LaMarche sounding very much like Ramis and Welker doing a close, if higher pitched, Aykroyd wanting a more Murry-like sound makes sense.  But Soucie sounds nothing like Potts, where Summer was very close.

                Now for my stray observations: 

·         Didn’t they learn anything from the last time they took in a cute ghost?  Hopefully they took a few more PKE meter scans this time. 

·         Despite the fact that Spookums wasn’t evil and Victor was they both caused similar problems for Slimer.

·         Are the Spookums actually ghosts or just other dimensional creatures?

·         Slimer has his own bed? About time!

·         Is Spookums a boy or a girl?  It took me awhile to identify the mother and father.

·         Slimer chasing off Spookums is a familiar theme in Peter and Slimer’s relationship.

A fun episode and a good start to the third season. 

THE DENTIST’S OFFICE OR THE AFTERLIFE

Deadcon I

Original Air date December 2, 1987^[1]

Writers: Mark Edward Edens and Michael Edens

Director: Reg Lodge

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 3 of 5)

Summary: At the opening of the new Plump Towers the owner, Mr. Plump, is pleased to be hosting this year’s convention of dentists.  However at the same time they are also hosting another convention that turns out to be a convention of ghosts.  Plump originally thought the name Deadcon 1 meant they were a bunch of undertakers.  The Ghostbusters are called in but Mr. Plump doesn’t want them to use their particle throwers because they almost blasted a dentist.  The Ghostbusters surprisingly complied and decided to track the ghost by posing as the hotel staff.

When you a dentist sometimes you hang about with ghosts.

                The Ghostbusters spent their time working as bellhops, room service, chefs, front desk receptionist—even had some of the calls rewired to the firehouse—, and anything else the guests needed, both living and dead.  At one point Janine calls Ray to tell him that the ghosts have an odd request and he tells her to answer it.  So Janine releases the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, who then reports to Plump Towers as the keynote speaker.

You want us to catch ghosts without our equipment?

Ray waiting on a ghost.

                Things start to get rowdy so the Ghostbusters go grab their equipment to deal with the ghosts.  The problem is there are too many of them and they find themselves surrounded.  Peter gets into the festive spirit and calls a conga line and brings it into the lobby where pre-laid out traps are waiting to the ghosts.  Peter gets out of the line and ghosts head into the traps.  The dentists in the line hardly notice.   

Abe Lincoln and Lawrence of Arabia these aren't bad ghosts why do we want to catch them again? 

King Louis XVI hanging out with Winston.  Without the King we wouldn't have the United States, and they want to put him in the Containment Unit?

                A few remaining ghosts kidnap Plump and bring him to the dentists’ ball but the Ghostbusters capture them as well.  The dentists all had a good time, but the Ghostbusters run out of traps and leave forgetting all about the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. 

Apparently a good public speaker. 

My Take: Okay so the ghosts want to have a convention.  So if they are actually paying their bills why does Mr. Plump want them gone?  I mean if they are not doing anything to hurt anybody so who are they offending?  Most ghosts don’t pay, why harass the few that do?

                Now for my stray observations:

·         Mr. Plump doesn’t want the Ghostbusters to use their equipment.  Let’s pretend that was possible for a moment, is that something they want to start doing as request for people?  Can other customers request no particle thrower jobs?  Maybe the Ghostbusters should charge a different rate for that.

·         Speaking of rates how much money did they get from Plump to take care of his guests for him?

·         Okay let’s review the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man for a minute.  He is destroyed during the film.  Yet, in "Cry Uncle" he escapes from the Containment Unit with aid from Egon's uncle in a manner that didn’t make sense.  The Ghostbusters catch him again using multiple traps (that also didn’t make sense).  So he is back in the Containment Unit, yet at the end of their Crimebusters adventure he was seen walking around, so somehow he escaped.  But in this episode he is back in the Containment Unit so they must have caught him again. Yet they overlook him when leaving?

·         Speaking of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man how did the ghosts know they could call the front desk and they could request his release?  They’re not supposed to know these are the Ghostbusters, although to be fair the Ghostbusters are still wearing their jumpsuits.  

·         And speaking of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man in the Containment Unit, how did Janine get him out?  We were shown in “X-mas Marks the Spot” that is not an easy thing to do, yet Janine does it on request?  If we can get ghosts out that easy now shouldn’t we be helping Drool?

·         How can I ever repay you? Pay you’re bill!

An okay episode with a lot of plot holes. 

---

[1] Listed original air dates for entire syndicated season may not be correct.

THE WORLD’S WORST GRANDSON

Ghostbuster of the Year

Original Air date October 1, 1987^[1]

Writer: Mark Edward Edens

Directors: Dale Schott and Larry Jacobs

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 3 of 5)

Summary: The Ghostbusters are at a routine job at a bus station. When they finish catching the ghosts after nearly destroying the bus station, they are approached by an assistant of publishing mogul Charles Foster Hearst III.  She informs the Ghostbusters that her employer would like to meet them.  When the Ghostbusters go to see Mr. Hearst they discover that his mansion is haunted by the ghost of grandfather and founder of his publishing empire, Charles Foster Hearst Sr., and he would like the Ghostbusters to get him out the there.  However there is catch: Hearst wants to see who the best ghost catcher is.  So he wants them to work independently and the one who nabs his grandfather's ghost would win the Ghost Hunter of the Year award and be featured on the cover of Spook Magazines.  Winston objects pointing out that the Ghostbusters are a team, but the other three start to get excited.  They had all been reading Hearst spiritual magazines their whole lives and would love to get the Ghost Hunter of the Year Award.

They're not going to be using this bus again anytime soon!

                They decide to take up the challenge but it turns out they really suck at Ghostbusting by themselves and the group decides Winston was right along and they end up teaming up anyway.  The ghost of CFH Sr. keeps repeating the word “Rosebud.”  It turns out to be his sled and once that is found and the ghost has it he moves on from the Hearst mansion happy to have his sled back.

Charles Foster Hearst Sr.'s ghost

                All four of the Ghostbusters receive the Ghost Hunter of the Year Award as a team and are featured in Spook Magazine.  Winston still holds his nose to it, until they spell his name wrong and then he is infuriated. 

My Take:  This episode was okay and funny at times but that was about it.  I really did like the scene when Winston gets morally offended by Hearst’s suggestion but the other Ghostbusters get greedy.

 

                Now for my stray observations:

·         Poor bus station, how bad does your ghost problem have to be before you call these guys in?

·         What type of creepy grandson sends the Ghostbusters after the ghost of his own grandfather?  Especially the grandfather who is responsible for his current wealthy situation?  I would never call the Ghostbusters on the ghosts of any of my grandparents.

·         Why do Egon, Peter, and Ray want to get on this guy’s magazine anyway?  They’re already famous.  Who are “ghost catchers” more famous than them.  Last I checked they have a monopoly on this business.  The only competition they ever had were frauds, such as ghosts trying to ruin their business to outright to fake spiritualists. 

·         I confess I have yet to see Citizen Kane so Rosebud doesn’t mean anything to me.

A generally decent episode so you should enjoy it. 

Update: I have now seen Citizen Kane.  The movie features a character named Charles Foster Kane who is based on the real life William Randolph Hearst.  So the name Charles Foster Hearst is a clever parody.  In the film Kane dies in the beginning and the last thing he says is "Rosebud." The story follows an investigator who is trying to find out who Rosebud was. Kane's life is then shown in flashbacks.   If watched this episode you know who Rosebud is.    

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[1] Listed original air dates for entire syndicated season may not be correct.