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Basic Training

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"Basic Training" is the 21st episode of the first season of Inspector Gadget. It is the 18th episode in production order.

Synopsis[]

The episode opens up on a train. Gadget, Penny, and Brain are on the train waiting for Quimby's orders. Quimby soon arrives with the assignment, and Gadget is ordered to protect computer parts that are aboard the train from Claw. Unknown to Gadget, Claw is waiting at a level crossing in the M.A.D. Mobile as the train passes, contacting his agent aboard the train disguised as the conductor regarding their plan to steal the computer parts when the train reaches Claw's Castle at M.A.D. Mountain. Once the agent assures Claw that Gadget is as good as gone before the train reaches their base, once the train passes and the crossing gate rises, Claw lays rubber as he roars back to his castle.

Gadget talks to a bird behind bars after nearly being duped into jumping out of the train by the phony conductor, and it leads him on a wild goose chase. Gadget says to never trust a bird behind bars. Brain meanwhile waits in disguise when he spots the M.A.D. Mobile on the road next to the tracks passing by. Terrified, he warns Penny, and they go to find Gadget to warn him, who is duped by the phony conductor again to check the caboose for his suspect. When Gadget crosses over to the caboose, the agent uncouples the caboose from the rest of the train and it speeds away, leaving Gadget behind.

The conductor, who works for Claw, tries to get rid of Gadget ― unsuccessfully, as usual. Penny pulls the emergency brake in the back car so Gadget can catch up and swaps the labels on the boxes while she's still inside the car, just to be sure. Gadget interrogates the engineer, unaware that he's not a M.A.D. agent. Penny finds out that Claw plans to hijack the train and warns the engineer, but they're knocked out by the sleeping gas. Before that happens, Claw, parked on cliff with the M.A.D. Mobile after getting ahead of the train, fires a pair of missiles at a large pile of rocks perched on the cliff edge, sending them down to block the tracks. However, when Gadget sees the rockslide, he quickly uses his Gadget Laser finger to blast the obstruction away so the train can proceed safely. Disappointed by the failure of the rockslide, Claw decides to meet the train at his castle, and speeds the M.A.D. Mobile towards the cliff edge, before transforming it into the M.A.D. Jet to take off safely, first having the roof retract and switch colors from black to gray before rising back up, then having the front tires move backwards closer to the cab of the vehicle and extend out into wings, the rear tires retract into their wells as they rise up and inward into a pair of jet engines, the tail fin pokes up, then the jet engines fire, and the M.A.D. Mobile rockets into the air to head to M.A.D. Mountain and Claw's Castle. As for Gadget, once the phony conductor vouches for the engineer, Gadget accuses a disguised Brain as the M.A.D. Agent aboard and chases him out onto the top of the train, where Gadget attempts to put his new Gadget Magnets to work, but they prove a little too strong in their magnetic grip, forcing Gadget to have to use his Gadget Legs to cling to the side of the car as the train passes under a low bridge and through a tunnel to avoid being injured if he stayed on top, but upon approaching a trestle bridge, Gadget finally gets his Gadget Magnets to let go, but he flies off the train and over the bridge into a ravine, but lands safely in a M.A.D. dump truck full of vegetables heading for M.A.D. Mountain. In the meantime, the phony conductor uncouples the passenger cars from the train, before the tracks are switched and the locomotive and boxcars head for Claw's Castle.

Soon, the train arrives at Claw's headquarters. Brain wakes Penny up and the conductor tells Gadget that they made it. He sends Gadget to Claw with some boxes. Claw turns as Gadget comes in and he thanks the inspector for his work.

Gadget steps into the elevator and Claw attempts to plunge Gadget to his death, but Penny fights Claw and saves her uncle, who turns out to be all right. Penny then re-hijacks the train and gets out.

Later, Chief Quimby congratulates Inspector Gadget for saving the computer parts. Penny tells Quimby that Gadget tricked Claw by giving him the wrong boxes and winks at Brain for a job well done; it is revealed that the boxes Gadget had delivered to Claw have cat food in them.

Back on the train, Gadget gives Penny, Brain, and everybody at home some safety tips involving trains and railway tracks, including not riding in-between cars or on the roof as Gadget just did in the episode.

Featuring Voices of[]

Trivia[]

  • This is the second of four episodes where Dr. Claw is voiced by Don Francks, who voices his Asian counterpart, Iji-Waruda-san, in "The Japanese Connection".
  • This is the only episode where Inspector Gadget and Dr. Claw interact with each other directly, although obviously Gadget has no idea who is he talking to.
  • This is one of few episodes where the location of Dr. Claw's Castle within the episode is explicitly confirmed. This time, the location is atop M.A.D. Mountain.
  • The elevator scene is one of few times where one of Penny's gadgets malfunctions.

Gadgets used[]

Locations[]

Chief Quimby's disguise[]

  • Inside a tea trolley aboard a train, his face pops up inside the teapot, wearing scuba gear.

Self-destructing message[]

  • "Train carrying top-secret computers. Agent of Dr. Claw will try to steal it. Stop him. This message will self-destruct."

Chief Quimby's reaction to being blown up[]

  • Unintelligible underwater blubbering

Brain's disguises[]

  • Waiter

M.A.D. Agents[]

Pop culture references[]

  • A Bridge Too Far - the title is Dr. Claw's attempt at a pre-mortem one-liner

Home media releases[]

  • Gadget to the Rescue (Family Home Entertainment)

Quotes[]

  • M.A.D. Conductor: He's on his way, Boss.
    Claw: Good. I have the computer parts, and now I have Gadget. (malevolent laughter)
    M.A.D. Cat: (snickering and laughing)
  • Claw: Yes, Gadget, just a little higher...
    (Claw turns his chair around so Gadget won't recognize him. M.A.D. Cat also keeps his back to Gadget to do the same)
    Gadget: Here are your computer parts!
    Claw: Thank you, Inspector. You've done an admirable job.
    Gadget: It's all in the line of duty. Good day! (He returns to the elevator, but suddenly has a puzzled thought) Where have I heard that voice...?
    (Once the elevator doors close, Claw turns his chair back around and uses his computer to prepare Gadget's doom, as spikes are then shown waiting at the bottom of the shaft on the ground floor)
    Claw: Goodbye, Inspector Gadget. It was nice knowing you. (sinister laughter)
    (Claw hits the button to send the elevator plummeting, and Gadget barely has a chance to react in surprise as the elevator makes its deadly plunge)
  • (Back in the train depot at the bottom of M.A.D. Mountain, Penny and Brain see the spikes and watch as the elevator plummets towards them at high speed)
    Penny: Oh, no! The elevator's dropping! I've got to stop it! (She begins typing in her computer book to try and override the elevator controls. Brain peeks out to check on the elevator's status before looking back at Penny as she continues to struggle) Come on! (At the last second, she manages to override the controls, and the elevator stops just before the first tips of the spikes could skewer the bottom of the car) That did it!
    (Inside, Gadget is thrown to the floor with a grunt)
    Gadget: Oof!
    Brain: Whew!
    (Then the elevator rapidly begins ascending again, causing Gadget to be accordion-squeezed because of the speed)
    Gadget: Whoa...!
    (From his desk, Claw is stunned to see the elevator is coming back up)
    Claw: What?! Someone's reversed it! I'll fix that!
    (He hits a key on his computer, and the elevator comes to an abrupt halt and plunges again, throwing Gadget to the ceiling in the process)
    Gadget: Oof!
    (Back in the depot, Brain sees the floor display showing the elevator plummeting again and panics)
    Brain: Whoo...!
    (He alerts Penny to the situation)
    Penny: Not again!?
    (She goes to work, while Brain covers his eyes in preparation to hear a sickening splat or crash. However, she again stops the car before a single spike pierces the floor, and throwing her uncle to the bottom of the car again)
    Gadget: Whoof!
    (Brain peeks out, and is surprised to see Penny did it again with saving her uncle as the car again begins ascending back up to Claw's office)
    Claw: No! NO!!
    (It becomes a tug-of-war between Claw and Penny as they vie for control of the elevator with Claw sending it plunging, and Penny stopping it and sending it back up, forcing Claw to stop and send it back down again, all while Gadget is throw about inside, grunting with each impact against the floor or ceiling by the sudden jerks of the car stopping when Claw or Penny take control and reverse its course, and Brain watches with anxiety, fear, and concern. After several back-and-forth efforts, Claw has gotten fed up)
    Claw: ENOUGH!!
    (He sends the car plummeting again, and this time, makes sure Penny can't override it again. When Brain sees it, he now looks ready to have a panic attack as he swallows and gulps frantically)
    Penny: It's not stopping!!
    (The elevator continues to plummet to the bottom of the shaft)
    Penny: (frantic) What's wrong with my book?!
    (Inside the car, Gadget shouts in fear as he continues to be bounced around. Finally, with a few more button presses, Penny overrides the trap entirely as the spikes are then seen retreating downward out of sight, and the elevator's speed returns to normal. Penny peeks out to check on the elevator's condition, and upon seeing it is safely coming down, closes her book, while Brain teeters next to her, about ready to pass out in relief, which he does at that point with a relieved sigh)
    Penny: (as Brain faints) That did it!
    (The elevator makes its final, and safe, descent to the ground floor, and when the doors open, Gadget is shown to be alright, but very dazed and dizzy from his little roller coaster ride in the elevator car)
    Gadget: I think I'll open my presents now...
    Penny: (as she and a recovered Brain watch Gadget stumble past) He's alright!
    Claw: (from on his computer screen) He's alright?! (he blares his orders over the P.A. to his agents) STOP HIM!! STOP GADGET!! DO YOU HEAR ME?! STOP HIM!!
    Fred: There he is! Grab him!
    Penny: Uncle Gadget! This way! NO, THIS WAY!!
    Fred: Hold it, Gadget!
    Penny: Come on, Brain! There's no time to lose!
    Gadget: I keep hearing my name...

Gallery[]

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