Home  Episode Summaries Season 1 The Pit of Vipers - Notes
Credits: story by Flint Dille and script by James M. Ward
Production Number: 600-51
Original Airdate: November 27, 1985
"Watchdog" is the ultimate military computer, purchased by the Pentagon to wipe out terrorism - and especially the operations of Cobra - the world over. The only problem is, the computer may be a double-agent. [Note: The story editor for the episode was Flint Dille]
| THE PERSONNEL |
| G.I.Joe: Flint,
Lady Jaye, Ace, Heavy Metal, Breaker, Bazooka, Airborne*, Col. Sharpe,
Shipwreck, Admiral Ledger, Scarlett, Gung Ho*, Cover Girl*, Roadblock*,
Frostbite*, Alpine*, Joe grunts |
 |
Cobra: Cobra agents, Destro, Cobra Commander, Zartan, Eels |
| THE GEAR |
| G.I.Joe: AWE Striker, Skystriker, USS Flagg, Armadillo, Snow Cat, Silver Mirage motorcycle, Dragonfly |
|
Cobra: Trubble Bubble, Ferret, HISS, Rattler, FANG |
|
* indicates the character was silent during the episode
The episode contains several references to dogs. For example, Cobra weapon
is called the Pit Viper, which is similar in name to a Pit Bull. After
the new defense computer computer system, called Watch Dog, fails to find
a single active Cobra base, Breaker notes to Scarlett that the system is
"barking up the wrong tree." The Cobra yacht found in the Indian Ocean
is called the Cerebus, which is the name of a three-headed dog with a dragon-tailed
that allowed spirits to enter the underworld in Greek mythology.
Due to the presence of a computer controlling the whereabouts of the Joes, Dino Virgilio Monzon noted that the story for "The Pit of Vipers" was similiar to the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "The Ultimate Computer," which featured the M-5 Mulitronic unit. In the Star Trek episode, Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock, explained that the M-5 unit was designed "to correlate all computer activity aboard a Starship, to provide the ulitmate in vessel operation and control."
I
Dialogue:
Shipwreck: So she’s a rubber duck armed to the bill. My mistake.
Ace: Those are the breaks, sailor. It’s up to us fly boys now.
Time: 15 seconds
II
Dialogue:
Scarlett: Breaker, where is everybody?
Breaker: Watch Dog’s got the Joes moving all over the world
looking for Cobra, only they’re not finding anything.
Flint: This is what we slogged through 200 miles of swamp for?
One crusty FANG that’s been abandoned since the early Pliocene?
Bazooka: Watch Dog goofed, huh?
Flint: Breaker! Patch me through to Watch Dog right this minute!
Time: 26 seconds
Note: In the original airing,
Scarlett's line ("Breaker, where is everybody?") was a voice-over with
the shot of Joe headquarters on the screen (first scene after cut). The USA Network editors
cut the dialogue from the scene with Flint standing by his AWE Striker
(last image in edited footage sequence) and re-created Scarlett's voice-over using Flint's order ("Breaker! Patch me through to Watch Dog right this minute!") while the shot of Joe
headquarters was on the screen.
III
Dialogue:
Cobra Commander: A triumph! A masterpiece of the destructive art!
Shipwreck: I’m surprised you don’t call ‘em long distance and brag.
Cobra Commander: An excellent idea. Yes! Let’s reach out and crush someone! Destro, enable their communications.
Destro: Commander, no!
Cobra Commander: Never refuse me, Destro!
Time: 27 seconds
Snow Job
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Original:
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If someone falls on a frozen lake, don’t walk on ice when it is cracking. Instead, Snow Job suggests that you should use a branch to pull them off the ice. |
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USA:
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Same as above |
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Movie Clip: But the base begins to fall apart and the Pit Viper drives up through the base and straight up into the air. At the foot of the door, Breaker yells to Scarlett, "Jump or kiss tomorrow good bye!" The Joes parachute to the ground as The Pit Viper falls back toward the base. Explosions rip the base apart and Lady Jaye looks up and sees her friends safely parachuting to the ground. "Don’t look now," Breaker happily tells his teammates, "but we won!" [1.74 mb]
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