Top Secret Mission
"Ancient city of gold discovered in the jungles of Peru. Set up security system. MAD will try to steal gold."
Synopsis
Inspector Gadget is sent to South America where, deep in the jungles of Peru, he is to guard a recently discovered city of gold from the clutches of Dr. Claw. Worried that her uncle may be in over his head, Penny--and faithful dog Brain--tag along. Once in Peru, Gadget hitches a ride down a river with an English archaeologist who, unbeknownst to Gadget, is working for Claw. The archaeologist's attempt on Gadget's life backfires, and the inspector ends up saving his life instead! Finally arriving at the new-found city, Gadget sets up camp, the archaeologist goes about his other business for the time being, and Penny starts investigating. She's startled at what she finds inside the main pyramid: MAD is replacing the gold bricks of the city with painted Styrofoam blocks, crushing the gold into dust, and smuggling it out as sugar. Things get further complicated when outside, a busload of tourists arrive. Gadget has his hands full trying to prevent these lookie-loos from setting off any of his booby-traps, but that's nothing compared to what Dr. Claw is demanding of his harried archaeologist: Get rid of Gadget, stop his niece from snooping around, and continue with the smuggling operation. Penny is briefly captured but soon escapes, and then uncovers something that even Claw didn't know: the "gold" he's been stealing is nothing more than Fool's Gold: worthless iron pyrite. She calls the local authorities--who arrive and congratulate the inspector for foiling Claw's plan--but she's not done yet: With Brain's help, Penny triggers a mechanism that sends the fake city of gold crumbling to dust as one of real gold breathtakingly rises up in its place.
Quotable Quote
"This is a form of ancient Inca entertainment. Here, follow me...Let's do it again!" --Inspector Gadget improvising in his new-found role as tour guide.
Notes
A detailed plot and some funny comedy bits make this a busy, well-written, and well-rounded episode. Like a later entry in the series ("The Green Emerald"), it borrows elements from the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark (South American jungle locale, hidden secrets contained within the ruins of an ancient civilization, etc.). The episode really kicks into high gear once a busload of tourists arrive and start setting off Gadget's booby traps left and right. The fact that Inspector Gadget set these traps and then later looked on in amazement when they actually worked was a great piece of writing for his character--he still remains somewhat clumsy and inefficient, but he's not entirely helpless. Other episodes, especially those from the second season, simplified his character to the point that he was simply a complete idiot. There's a lot of cute touches in this episode--Brain closes a scene by playfully giving a foam block a karate kick towards the camera; later he walks up to Penny and shows her a photo he took of Gadget and Henrietta (Penny is all business and ignores it). Also of interest to note is that stills from this episode were used for the Inspector Gadget View-Master reels.
Be On The Look-Out For...
...the first appearance of Henrietta and Willard, a hilariously mismatched tourist couple. Henrietta is a rather zaftig woman in a big floppy hat, ridiculous cat glasses and gaudy clothes; her beloved Willard is a short little mustachioed mouse of a man with a milquetoast voice. Though they'd go on to appear in other episodes--primarily in crowd scenes--this is the only instance where they are involved in any of the action.
...a new Gadget Hat accessory: The Gadget Magnet makes its debut in this episode.
...Incan hieroglyphics--and Penny's translation thereof: "Bird of day and bird of night will bow to the true city of gold."
...Chief Quimby. He doesn't say a word at the beginning of the episode--not even after having Gadget's assignment blow up on him. And he doesn't make an appearance at the end. Could it be that the actor who voices Quimby wasn't available when they recorded the soundtrack for this episode?
MAD Agent Count
Three: The archaeologist and two regulars.
Unanswered, Nit-Picky Questions
Penny and Brain took great pains to stay out of sight after having followed Inspector Gadget from Metro City to the jungles of Peru. Yet at the episode's end, they're standing by him when the new city of gold rises from the dust. How'd they explain that one?
Ridiculous Safety Tip
It pays to be prepared when traveling: Wear warm clothes, bring along a first aid kit, and don't exhaust yourself.
"All That Glitters"