Top Secret Mission
"Ultra-luxury cruise begins today. Wealthiest people will be aboard."
Synopsis
Chief Quimby orders Inspector Gadget to attend a cruise in order to safeguard the passengers' expensive jewelry. Despite the efforts of a MAD Milkman and his exploding milk bottle, a bothersome seagull who seems to have taken a liking to the police inspector, and two MAD agents who won't let anyone on the ship without an invitation, Gadget manages to get aboard. Little does he know that Dr. Claw is also on board and he's replaced the entire crew with his own men. Gadget's niece and dog have snuck on board, too, and while Brain shadows the inspector, Penny does some investigating of her own below deck, but is soon captured. Upstairs at a cocktail party, Gadget suspiciously eyes various guests until the lights suddenly go out. Panic breaks out when guests' jewelry is plucked from them in the dark. While Gadget continues interrogating passengers, Claw gets ready to get rid of the kidnapped crew. Hoping to force some sort of showdown, Brain guides Gadget downstairs into a rat's nest of MAD agents, who presumably overpower him. He's soon strung up on the cable of a crane, and is mercilessly and repeatedly dunked in the ocean by Dr. Claw, toying with him like a cat plays with a mouse. The police (and the Coast Guard) arrive just in time to capture the MAD agents, save Gadget and the crew, and prevent the jewels from disappearing. Claw, however, manages to make a last-minute escape.
Quotable Quote
"Don't anyone move! I'm putting this entire ship under arrest!" --Inspector Gadget, biting off more than he can chew.
Notes
This is the first regular (non-pilot) episode of Inspector Gadget and all the well-known elements of the show are in place already (though just a few episodes down the line they were tinkering with the formula). The first few minutes of the episode are subtly used to tell us who Inspector Gadget is ("As Metro City's number one detective-agent, I've got to be on my toes every instant of the day," he reminds Penny) as well as to run through a quick demonstration of some of his gadgets. Later we see Gadget gamely trying to do his job at the cocktail party, but it's clear he doesn't know what he's doing and he's in way over his head. And that's before the jewelry is even stolen! The bit with Gadget and the seagull is cute, as is a playful Brain snapping a picture of Penny. A nice solid start to the series.
Be On The Look-Out For...
...Dr. Claw. For someone who likes to keep a very low profile, he sure picked an odd place for his headquarters this time: The cargo hold of the ship, where anyone could look down from above and see him.
...the MAD Milkman. Come on, even in 1983, who was getting their milk delivered by a milkman?!
...Gadget/Claw interplay. Through most of the episodes, Inspector Gadget and Dr. Claw rarely interact directly. But at the end of this episode, Gadget seems to know it's Claw speaking while trying to drown him.
...attempted murder. Claw offers no reason for his decision to get rid of the crew (and Penny), especially since being tied up, they're basically incapacitated anyway. But he does give the order, and it's implied he's going to have them thrown into the water. And this is what makes him such a great evil villain.
MAD Agent Count
A lot. Too many to count!
Unanswered, Nit-Picky Questions
Does Penny know what Dr. Claw looks like? One of the MAD agents holds her up while speaking with his evil boss via some sort of communications link. Claw sees her on his monitor and recognizes her as "Gadget's niece" but she doesn't respond. Do the agents just talk to a video camera, or is it a two-way closed-circuit television monitor set-up? Do they see Claw when Claw sees them? Ah, the sweet mysteries of Inspector Gadget.
Ridiculous Safety Tip
Good nutrition and proper food is important (not to mention redundant). Apparently swimming is good, too.
"The Boat"