Down on the Farm

“	Inspector Gadget is always right. Well, except for that time in Tangiers. And then there was that mess in Austria. I was almost right. Would you believe... close? How about half right? Most of the time? No? Well...	„
	~ Gadget

Down on the Farm
Season 1, Episode 3
Air date	September 13, 1983
Episode guide
Previous "Monster Lake"	Next "Gadget at the Circus"

"Down on the Farm" is the 3rd episode of the first season of Inspector Gadget.

Synopsis

The episode begins with a sweeping view of Metro City and a terrible traffic jam that extends for miles. In the heart of the city is the source of the trouble: The Gadget Van stopped at a major intersection. The reason for this untimely stop is that, in his haste to take Penny and Brain on a little vacation, Gadget forgot to secure the luggage, which is now strewn all about the road.

Using his gadget arms, neck, and hat, Gadget recovers the luggage while the angry onlookers stare in amazement. Though to Brain's embarrassment, Gadget ends up dumping a couple of suitcases all over the road.

Soon enough, the luggage is back on top of the Gadget Van and they take off down the road. However, Gadget once again forgot to secure his luggage and it flies off and back into the road. Craning his neck to look at the lost luggage, Gadget runs off the road and onto the sidewalk.

After terrorizing a few pedestrians and running through a newspaper stand, Gadget gets inspired to buy a fishing pole. The inspiration comes from the mass of newspapers that is blocking his view of where they're going. Amazing enough (and after running over a fire hydrant), the trio arrives at the department store where the fishing rod is for sale.

Inside the store, Penny watches with a smile as Gadget enjoys trying on some fishing gear and playing with a new rod. After catching an unsuspecting lady's wig, a call comes in on the Top-Secret-Gadget-Phone. Before he even answers, Penny knows it must be Quimby. With the vacation off due to a new assignment, Gadget goes to talk with the chief.

After a miscue with a mannequin, Gadget finds Quimby disguised as a mannequin's head with a hat on. He removes the hat and inside is his next assignment. It turns out that Claw is up to no good as usual and is targeting Metro City with a stolen missile. Gadget has only a few hours to locate the missile and stop Claw from firing it. Gadget tells Penny that he's off to the countryside.

A short time later, Gadget is driving through the countryside and looking for a lead to where Claw might be hiding. He pulls up to a General Store and decides to blend in by changing his hat into a straw hat, though this is all he changes from his normal outfit. Brain arrives and he's dressed like a jogger.

Three M.A.D. agents disguised as a store clerk, farmer, and a Indian cigar statue prepare to stop Inspector Gadget. The clerk keeps Gadget busy at the counter as the farmer takes aim with a knockout dart from his harmonica. All the while, Gadget is clutching a large jar of jaw breakers and trying to steady himself since one of his skates is out. With a quick jerk, Gadget rights himself, but he dumps all the jaw breakers onto the floor. The farmer slips on one and ends up shooting himself in the leg and is out cold in a second. Oblivious to what is happening around him, Gadget apologizes for the mess and tries to clean it up. However, as he is bent over, he skates through the front door. The Indian cigar statue misses him as he leaves, but ends up hitting the clerk that was trying to get Gadget. The dazed clerk gives Gadget a long-winded set of directions on how to find a Doc Painless.

With the lead he thinks he needs, Gadget is back in the Gadget Mobile and driving down the road. Worried that he might run out of fuel, he stops at a gas station where Brain is disguised as an old gas pump. Gadget tries to use Brain's arm to get gas and a little bit of sound effects from Brain leads Gadget to think his tank is topped off now and proceeds down the road.

It becomes quite apparent that Inspector Gadget is lost and has the directions all mixed up. On top of that and to his shock, he has run out of gas. Lucky for him and very unlucky for Dr. Claw, the farm Gadget is nearest to is his. He heads to the farm to look for some gas.

Gadget walks up and into the house, but no one is there. Yawning, he decides to take a quick rest on the old fashion sofa. As he counts some sheep, real sheep start jumping over his body as M.A.D. agents begin to stuff sheep through the open window. Their plan is to smother Gadget with the sheep, but thanks to his Gadget legs and saw, he escapes onto the roof. But his sheep problems aren't over yet as the sheep have filled the house and are now popping through the hole he made in the roof. He hangs onto an antenna until it snaps and sends him falling into a nasty pig trough. Brain arrives in time to see the sight and laughs.

Penny leaves by bus after a message from Brain updates her on the situation. Gadget, however, might be leaving since he has found a full gas can. On his way through the wooden gate and some mechanical fumbling, he ends up dumping all the gasoline on the ground. Turning around, he goes back towards the farm to find help.

Luckily, he finds some farmers, though they're really M.A.D. agents in disguise. All Gadget wants is some gas, but they take off in fear of him. After a long run around the silo, the agents toss Brain dressed as a hay bale into Gadget's way. After he trips and falls, the agents scurry up the silo's ladder, with Brain following. Gadget stares in disbelief as a hay bale with arms and legs is going up a ladder.

Following the M.A.D. agents, Gadget calls out to them for help. Their response is to grab the nearby Brain and throw him at Gadget. Dodging the hay-covered Brain, Gadget continues up the ladder. Brain, on the other hand, lands on a pig that takes off with him.

Penny arrives and finds where the pig had left Brain in the very same disgusting trough that Gadget was in earlier. A quick giggle from Penny that echoes how Brain acted when Gadget was in the trough and the two are back at work. With all the M.A.D. agents about, Penny sends a message to Chief Quimby to come quick.

In the meantime, Gadget has followed the agents into the silo where the missile is hidden. Still trying to get help with the gasoline, he is oblivious to the giant missile right before him. The agents keep him busy as they run around the missile. Gadget can't believe how unfriendly the supposed farm folk are.

In his barn hideout, Dr. Claw has a devious plan to launch the missile while Gadget is inside the silo. This would instantly fry Gadget and send the missile to destroy Metro City. The countdown is started while Penny runs a scan with her computer watch. Soon, she discovers a way to shut the missile down fully, but she and Brain must hurry.

Gadget spots a person inside a missile and gets tricked inside of it as the door locks. Turning on one of his lights, he's surprised at how advanced the "farm tech" is now. He sees an "emergency: break glass" device and he figures that if he can't find that missile, there would be an emergency. He shatters the glass that suspends the launch and an angry Dr. Claw restarts the countdown.

But before the countdown goes too far, it is suspended again with the arrival of Chief Quimby and the police. Claw doesn't care and finishes the countdown, but at the last second, with Penny's help, Brain cuts a wire that disables the missile fully.

Seconds later, Gadget emerges from the missile and smashes a door into the chief by accident. Not one to hold a grudge with Gadget, the chief congratulates him on a job well done and rewards Gadget by putting him on immediate vacation. Outside, the Earth opens up and Claw's jet goes flying into the sky with an ominous threat from Claw to get Gadget next time.

The epilogue has Gadget driving Penny and Brain down some familiar country roads. They talk about being safe around farm equipment and animals. As they finish their talk, Penny realizes that they're lost, which leaves Gadget trying to get his bearings.

Featuring Voices of

• Don Adams - Inspector Gadget
• Cree Summer Francks - Penny
• Frank Welker - Brain, Dr. Claw, M.A.D. Cat
• Dan Hennessey - Chief Quimby, M.A.D. Agent #3, Surprised truck driver
• Don Francks - Big M.A.D. Agent, General Store Clerk
• Greg Duffell - M.A.D. Agent, Agent 612

Trivia

• This is one of the few episodes in where Gadget says “Would you believe...?” and “Sorry about that, Chief.” Both made famous by Don Adams’ other well known role, Maxwell Smart.
• This is the first of twelve episodes in the first season to be animated by Wang Film Productions/Cuckoo's Nest Studios in Taiwan, rather than being animated in Japan by TMS (with assistance from other Japanese studios). As a result, the animation is noticeably lower-quality than the Japanese-animated episodes.
• The Polish name of the episode is Wyjazd na wieś, which means Trip to the Countryside.

Gadgets used

• Gadget Arms
• Gadget Neck
• Gadget Hands holding the following items:
  • a flower
  • a saw
  • a megaphone
  • a miner's lamp
  • a hammer
• Top-Secret Gadget Phone
• Gadget Coat
• Gadget Skates (right one only)
• Gadget Binoculars
• Gadget Legs
• Gadget Spring (from top of hat)

Locations

• Metro City, Dr. Claw's Farm

Chief Quimby's disguise

• As a hat stand in a department store.

Brain's disguises

• A jogger
• A petrol pump
• A bale of hay

M.A.D. Agents

• Fred and Dick posing as farm hands
• Agent 612 keeping watch on the porch of the General Store
• An agent posing as a Wooden Indian outside the General Store
• Unidentified agent posted behind the General Store counter
• Squirt in charge at the farm wearing a M.A.D. Agent uniform.

Goofs

• Continuity: When Gadget drives up to the local general stores he switches his hat to a wicker country hat and continues to wear it throughout the scene. At one point while he is slipping on some marbles on the floor his normal gray hat is back on. Then in the next scene his wicker is back on.
• Continuity: The M.A.D. Agent behind the counter at the General Store is completely bald, but when he and his colleagues report to Dr. Claw, a strip of hair above his ear is visible.
• Cel layer mistake: When the M.A.D. Agents are reporting to Claw and Agent 612 falls over because he is knocked out by his own sleeping drug, the eyes of the agent standing behind him are visible in front of 612's hat during the fall.

Memorable Quotes

Quimby - But, Gadget, the case is closed. as a matter of fact, I'm putting You on immediate vacation, for doing such a good job.

Gadget - But, Chief, My job will never be done, until I have Dr. Claw behind bars.

Claw - Never, Gadget. Never! You will never get Me, Gadget. I'll... get... You. Ha ha. I'LL GET YOU!!! (Crazed laughter)

Gadget - That voice sounds familiar.

Full Episode

Down On The Farm (Full Episode)