Like, how can you be so totally uncool, Low-Light?
  -- Satin (to Low-Light after receiving an invitation to a party)
Home Episode Summaries Season 1 There's No Place Like Springfield: Part II - Notes

Credits: written by Steve Gerber

Production Number: 600-59

Original Airdate: December 13, 1985

SUNBOW'S SYNOPSIS
During a battle at sea with Cobra, Shipwreck falls overboard and is knocked unconscious. He awakens in a hospital in the all-American town of Springfield. When he asks the doctor how the battle turned out, he gets a peculiar answer: "You lost. The TV antenna fell down - and you took a bad spill off that ladder." Questioning the doctor, Shipwreck discovers, to his horror, that seven years have passed, seven years he can’t recall at all! The war with Cobra has long since been won. He’s married, has a five-year-old son, and lives in a comfortable home at #6 Village Road. Some of the Joes are his neighbors. But non[e] of it is real: Springfield is a simulation of an American town, where Cobra trains its Crimson Guardsmen for their missions in deep cover. The Joes down the street are synthoids. And hidden beneath the town is Temple Prime - Cobra’s secret central headquarters. Can Shipwreck discover the truth before Cobra coaxes valuable intelligence information from him? And if he does, can he escape? [Notes: the son was a daughter in the episode, and one version of the episode synopses changed the word "son" into "child."]

THE  PERSONNEL
G.I.Joe: Lady Jaye, Shipwreck, Polly, Flint, Roadblock, Torpedo*, Scarlett*, Deep Six*, Doc Cobra: Major Bludd, Destro, Zartan, Ripper, Torch, Buzzer, Cobra Commander, Tomax, Xamot, the Baroness, Cobra agents, Tele-Viper, Crimson Guard
THE  GEAR
G.I.Joe: SHARC, USS Flagg, Skystriker Cobra: Rattler
* indicates the character was silent during the episode

OBSERVATIONS
Screen captures of the new animation included with the review portion of the first part of the episode are available.

While interrogating Shipwreck, Cadet Demming switches from straddling Shipwreck to placing her legs on one side of him and back to a straddling position for no reason.

During the episode, Shipwreck asks, "What in the name of Nimitz?" According to Stephanie Stroud, the name Nimitz originated from Neptune/Posideon, the god of the sea. Also, the name refers to an American admiral of the Pacific fleet during World War II who halted Japanese expansion and ultimately destroyed the Japanese fleetby using a fleet of aircraft carriers.

Like the Star Wars chess game between R2-D2 and Chewbacca, the Dreadnoks fight one another through the use of a small synthoid being under their control while Zartan guides a group of Cobra agents through the synthoid facility.

ERRORS
The Cobra agent who enters Shipwreck's room changes from a brunette to blonde while she is unconscious on Shipwreck's hospital bed.

Snake Eyes is seen on Shipwreck's air-powered ship, however, he was still held captive inside Cobra's base at the time during the mini-series "G.I.Joe: The Revenge of Cobra."

Cobra Commander is seen wearing his hood in one shot, then his helmet and back to his hood while leaving his desk and visiting Destro.

USA  NETWORK  EDITS
I
Dialogue:
Operator: What section, please?
Synthoid Doc: Interrogation.
Operator: Thank you. Going down.
Time: 23 seconds

II

Dialogue:
Tomax and Xamot: Cadet Demming, increase power to factor seven.
Cadet Demming: Yes, factor seven.
Cadet Demming: Tell me Mulaney’s secret. Was it about Temple Alpha?
Shipwreck: I don’t know.
Cadet Demming: Was it about the destablizer formula?
Shipwreck: I don’t know!
Cadet Demming: Do the Joes have the information?
Shipwreck: I don’t know!
Time: 26 seconds

III

Dialogue
Polly: That’s using the old bean.
Shipwreck: What is this place?
Time: 7 seconds

IV

Dialogue:
Althea: Hi, Daddy.
Mara: Yes, darling. Welcome home - to stay!
Shipwreck: Why? I mean, I thought you loved me.
Althea: Daddy, you’re a real drip.
Shipwreck: Mara - don’t!
Time: 17 seconds
Commentary: This edit is perhaps the most remembered one of all the cuts into the series for one reason: Shipwreck is so numbed with the realization that his wife and daughter are synthoids that Polly, who saves Shipwreck from being shot by melting the synthoids, attacks the sailor in order save him from dying inside the burning house. A movie clip of this episode is available in the Episode Highlights section at the bottom of the page.

LESSONS

Recondo
Original:
Never hide inside anything that could trap you, like a refrigerator or trunk explains Recondo.
USA:
Same as above

SPONSORS

Lazer Tag I
1.32 mb

Barbie and the Rockers

HIGHLIGHTS
Sound Clip:
The music at beginning of the episode effectively sets the mood for viewer to share in Shipwreck's trip to the edge of insanity. [492 kb]

Movie Clip: (USA edit number four)
Althea: Hi, Daddy.
Mara: Yes, darling. Welcome home to stay.
Shipwreck: Why? I mean, I thought you loved me.
Althea: Daddy, you’re a real drip.
Shipwreck: Mara - don’t!
[1.29 mb]

Movie Clip:
Description: Lady Jaye and Flint run up to Shipwreck and Lady Jaye tosses her arms around him while Flint happily tells the “old sea dog” that he is glad to see him alive. But Shipwreck pulls away from Lady Jaye's embrace and turns toward the blazing house. “Shipwreck, what happened? Was there something important in that house?” Lady Jaye asks with a voice full of concern. “Nah, nothing important,” he replies numbly as the flames dance before his unblinking eyes. “Just a dream or two.” Shipwreck then turns away from the fire and quietly tells his friends, “Come on. Let’s go home.”
Commentary: As Lady Jaye greets Shipwreck with a hug, I felt that she was not only happy to see him alive but also relieved since she was carrying a large amount of guilt inside of her because her last words to the sailor were not too kind. Also, the music at the end of the episode was far too uplifting and crushed the effect of the tragic ending. At the episode's end, nothing should have been heard but the crackling of the flames from the burning house, and nothing should have been seen in the last shot but Shipwreck walking away from the house alone and toward the moon, which would mirror the ending to "Memories of Mara." [1.10 mb]


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