I often try to keep my personal
voice off this blog to keep an air of objectivity when covering elements of
Saturday mornings that I may not exactly be a fan of, but acknowledge that
others are. But, for this, the final part of our Real
Ghostbusters 30th anniversary celebration on the weekend
before Halloween, I’ve decided to share my picks as the best episodes of the
animated series. Now, these may not be THE greatest in any critical terms, but
they are the ones that I extremely liked or proved memorable for one reason or
another.
So, I give to you: MY TOP 10 (or so)
REAL GHOSTBUSTERS EPISODES! Do you
like them as well? Do you have different favorites? Let us know in the comments
or on our Facebook pages.
Original
airdate: 10/18/86
Writer:
Michael Reaves
Director:
Richard Raynis
Meghan
and Kenny Carter come to the guys to get the Boogieman out of their closet,
leading to the revelation that Egon has encountered him before.
 |
| For that much closet space, I bet those people could learn to live with a ghost. |
Who
hasn’t been scared of something in their closet when they were younger? This
episode takes all those fears and wraps them up into the fearsome guise of the
Boogieman. His design, and the design of the world he lived in, were phenomenal
and the story certainly pushed the scare factor as far as it could go. It also
gave us a little insight into Egon’s motivations and what drove him to become
the scientist we all know.
Original airdate:
11/1/86
Writer:
J. Michael Straczynski
Director:
Richard Raynis
Samhain,
the spirit of Halloween, is freed in New York and seeks to make Halloween
eternal.
 |
| Revenge! Revenge for all the pumpkins you have slain! |
I
can sum up why this episode rocks in one word: Samhain. You have a super creepy
dude with a pumpkin head who wants to make Halloween last forever? What kid
WOULDN’T love that? Because of the nature of the show, there are very few
recurring foes. The Boogieman and Samhain were two of them, which speaks as
much to their appeal as their story potential. This is also the first of
several episodes by J. Michael Straczynski you’ll see on this list. While it
takes a team to make a show, he was largely responsible for the tone of the
earliest episodes and what endeared viewers to turn in every week and make it
the success it was.
Original airdate:
11/15/86
Writer:
J. Michael Straczynski
Director:
Richard Raynis
While
overseeing the production of their movie, the guys have to face a ghost
terrorizing the studio demanding absolute quiet.
 |
| It's a cartoon based on a movie who made the movie in the world of the cartoon. Woah. Meta. |
Aside
from tying into the movie (along with a brief clip and Bill Murray’s re-dubbed
dialogue at the end), the episode is fun because it shows the Ghostbusters’
ingenuity in dealing with problems without the aid of their equipment. It also
shows a bit of a simplified take on the movie-making process; so aspiring
filmmakers, don’t think it’s easy as all that.
Original airdate:
11/22/86
Writer:
J. Michael Straczynski
Director:
Richard Raynis
Reporter
Cynthia Crawford gets the story of what happened following the Gozer battle and
how Slimer came to live with them.
The
second movie-based episode, showing the aftermath from the first movie. It did
something few tie-in programs ever or would ever do: explain the differences
between it and the source material.
Why
did the Ghostbusters get colored uniforms?
Real
world answer: In order to better differentiate the characters in far group
shots and make toys more appealing for purchase by parents.
Cartoon
answer: Because the tan suits absorbed so much spectral energy and had to be
destroyed.
Why
is Slimer living with the Ghostbusters?
Real
world answer: To give the team a cute mascot to appeal to kids.
Cartoon
answer: So Egon could study a ghost in a controlled environment.
 |
| The lesson: never skip laundry day. |
Also,
the Spectral Ghostbusters? Killer design.
Original airdate: 9/16/87
Writer: J.
Michael Straczynski
Director:
Dale Schott
Heartbroken
Jeremy uses a magic flute to bring about the end of the world.
 |
| Ominous face in the clouds? Check. |
One
of the few character-driven episodes, the thing that makes it memorable are the
visuals. The final act had incredible designs and effects. The story itself was
touching and showed that not everyone deals with heartbreak well.
Original airdate: 10/1/87
Writer:
Mark Edward Edens
Director: Dal
Schott, Larry Jacobs
A
woman hires the guys to remove the ghost from Hearst Castle for the title of “Ghostbuster
of the Year.”
You
can’t have a show about ghosts without a haunted house episode. But, how about
a haunted CASTLE? Besides some funny sight gags and Citizen Kane overtones, the most memorable thing about this episode
is when objects in the house would come to life and attack the guys. Specifically,
one instance that always stuck with me was when the pool balls and cues came
together to form a “man” and chased them through the halls. Cool and creepy at
the same time.
Original airdate:
10/31/87
Writer:
Pamela Hickey, Dennys McCoy
Director: Charles
Gosvenor
Samhain
is freed from the containment unit and turns the firehouse into his own
personal fortress.
 |
| On this episode of Extreme Makeover: Supernatural Edition... |
This
is one of the dreaded later episodes that featured the maligned Junior
Ghostbusters, but it also featured the return of Samhain. While this episode
didn’t get a chance to push the envelope as much as some of the earlier ones,
one thing I thought was cool about it was how Samhain altered the firehouse
into his fortress. The design looked like something out a Tim Burton movie, and
it always made me wonder what a Burton-fueled Ghostbusters movie could look
like. There have been inspired designs in the franchise in the past, but Burton
has that extra creepy touch.
Original airdate:
9/17/88
Writer: Tony
Marino
Director: Charles
Grosvenor
Peter,
Egon and Ray are transported to another dimension where ghosts live in the city
and mortals are dealt with by the Peoplebusters.
 |
| Don't get on their bad side...whichever side that is. |
The first episode to
feature Buster Jones as Winston is also one that features him the least.
Alternate universe stories is another common science fiction trope, but again
extreme credit goes to the stellar animation staff The Real Ghostbusters employed. The design of Boo York and the
Peoplebusters make this episode memorable. Unfortunately, Winston was denied
his alternate version and would be for two decades until Cryptozoic’s Ghostbusters:
The Board Game II decided to include them (and Winston) as alternate
playable character pieces.
Original airdate:
11/12/88
Writer: Len
Janson, Chuck Menville
Director: Charles
Gosvenor
A
ghost escapes the guys and possesses Ecto-1.
 |
| Respect your wheels. |
If
this episode had come earlier in the series, I’ve no doubt the metamorphosis
Ecto-1 underwent would have been a lot more sinister, maybe even approaching
the lines of Christine. But, we get a
good glimpse of what might have been in the somewhat cartoony interpretation
featured in this episode.
Original airdate:
9/8/90
Writer: J.
Michael Straczynski
Director: Raymond
Jafelice
The
guys realize Janine has gone through many unexplained changes over the years,
learning there’s a supernatural reason behind it.
 |
| Whenever your loved ones undergo a radical change, check for evil genies first. |
When
all the network-mandated changes to the show yielded a ratings decline, ABC
offered J. Michael Straczynski his position back in an attempt to repair the
damage. Straczynski declined due to other commitments, but offered to write a
few episodes under the provision that they’d be done exactly how they used to
be. This was one of those episodes, which sought yet another in-universe
explanation to all the changes made to Janine’s character model over the years.
BONUS PICK:
Original airdate:
12/9/89
Writer: Len
Janson, Chuck Menville
Director: Charles
Gosvenor
An
accident with a trap sends the guys and Slimer back to 1959.
 |
| Black and white TV wasn't the best time travel indicator: some of us still had them in the '80s. |
Ah,
time travel. A common trope in science fiction, and not always done right
(especially if your name isn’t Marty McFly). This short episode always held a
special place for me. It wasn’t thought-provoking or one of the greatest, but I
do enjoy a good romp through history and understand waxing nostalgic about a
previous age (why the hell else would I run this site?). It was also ended up
being an oddly prophetic episode as the plot device of the city confiscating
the firehouse land for an urban renewal project is a common event in and around
21st century New York City. Many buildings as old as the firehouse
lain to rubble and serving as the foundations for monumental glass
monstrosities.
That's all, folks. Until next time:
