Escape from Elba

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Challenge of the GoBots ep 48
(Broadcast Order)
Challenge of the GoBots ep 48
(Story Order)
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"Escape from Elba"
Production code 0142-8545
Production company Hanna-Barbera
Airdate November 20, 1985
Written by Linda Yuro and Lee Yuro
Animation studio Wang Film Productions

The Guardians finally capture Cy-Kill, but can they keep him?

Synopsis[edit | edit source]

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Cy-Kill, Geeper-Creeper and Block Head are pursuing Turbo and Scooter through a canyon on Earth but it's a trap - Leader-1, Path Finder and Heat Seeker are waiting. The Renegades try to escape but Cy-Kill manages to get wedged in a pillar. They take him back to the Command Center but the Brainstormer is unable to deal with his power, burning out. The Guardians have to return the device to GoBotron for modifications but Crasher and Cop-Tur then launch a rescue attempt but without their leader they don't fare well. However they are able to slip away in stealth mode. Meanwhile back on Roguestar, Fitor berates Geeper-Creeper and Block Head for losing Cy-Kill, but has at least discovered that his leader has been taken to the top-secret prison on the planet Elba. Cy-Kill will be kept there for a week while the new Brainstormer is prepared. Turbo deposits him on the barren planet with guards Heat Seeker, Van Guard, Royal-T and Street Heat - and the latter pair think little of the assignment. Fitor meanwhile contacts UNECOM requesting amnesty for himself and Geeper-Creeper; Leader-1 believes it to be a trick but their promise to also hand over a Thruster and a stealth device is tempting to General Newcastle, Matt Hunter and Anya Turgenova. Meanwhile on Elba Cy-Kill begins playing on how disgruntled Royal-T and Street Heat are, ultimately taking over their minds.

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On GoBotron Path Finder tells Scooter they are receiving a distress call from Elba. It's been sent by Van Guard and Heat Seeker before they are driven away by Royal-T and Street Heat, who assure Scooter nothing is wrong, blaming an ion storm. However, Scooter is suspicious - and with good reason, as Royal-T releases Cy-Kill from his cell. He chases after Van Guard and the injured Heat Seeker, blasting them both. Meanwhile on Earth Fitor and Geeper-Creeper have arrived with the technology promised, demonstrating the stealth device on Anya. Spay-C then arrives with a message from Scooter, asking Leader-1 to head to GoBotron and help test the Brainstormer as he is the only GoBot as strong as Cy-Kill. Leader-1 also shares Scooter's belief something is wrong on Elba, so he sends Turbo, Spay-C Hans-Cuff and Matt with Fitor and Geeper-Creeper to investigate - believing it will be a good chance to test their real loyalties, and fitting them with restraining bolts. However, Fitor has a tracker hidden in his leg and Command Center 2 is followed by Crasher and Cop-Tur. When the Command Center lands they are ambushed by Cy-Kill, Royal-T and Street Heat. Fitor meanwhile signals Cop-Tur and the Guardians are soon overwhelmed.

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General Newcastle receives a message from Turbo on Elba stating everything is under control - but it's actually Cy-Kill mimicking his voice, saying he will be returning Cy-Kill to Earth as Elba's security has been compromised. He locks Turbo up and prepares to use the Command Center to sneak past Earth's defences, having also mesmerised Hans-Cuff and Spay-C. When the General passes on the news to Leader-1, who wonders why Turbo has made such a big decision without clearing it with him. Cy-Kill meanwhile boards the Command Center, leaving Royal-T and Street Heat to guard the prisoners. Once the ship has gone Turbo lets Matt out, having hidden the human in his chest. He removes the restraints from Turbo, Heat Seeker and Van Guard and they escape, soon chasing off Royal-T and Street Heat. They also find an old Astrobeam. Cy-Kill arrives at UNECOM Headquarters but Turbo is able to get a message to him but the Renegades spring into action, blasting their Guardian hostages. Just then Leader-1 and Scooter arrive in Command Center 1. Leader-1 is hit by fire from the Renegades but Turbo revives in time to help. He blasts Fitor and Geeper-Creeper and grabs his commander while Scooter shoots Cy-Kill with the Command Center's weaponry and the Renegades retreat. Meanwhile Anya has found the stealth device has broken after only two uses. Turbo, Leader-1 and Scooter muse on what they've just been through - before Turbo belatedly realises he's left Matt on Elba...

Featured characters[edit | edit source]

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes[edit | edit source]

Notes[edit | edit source]

  • The Guardians make a Looney Tunes "ZOOOM!" noise early in the episode when they speedily zip after Cy-Kill.
  • Leader-1 is, in no uncertain terms, a moron. His plan to "test the sincerity" of Fitor and Geeper-Creeper's amnesty request is to reveal the secret location of Cy-Kill's prison, transport them there, and then wait and see if they try to betray him. And his secret weapon if, no when, things go wrong? Matt Hunter. That's it.

Continuity notes[edit | edit source]

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  • The Thruster offered by Fitor is known as "Thruster 2"; presumably the one usually used by Cy-Kill, Crasher and Cop-Tur is Thruster 1. Meanwhile Turbo takes "Command Center 2" to Elba.
  • Cy-Kill, Fitor and Geeper-Creeper are using handguns rather than their usual hand lasers when they get to Earth, even though the restraining bolts are fake.
  • Gadgets and Powers:
    • Cy-Kill is so charismatic, he seems to have already swayed Street Heat and Royal-T to his side before his eyes start shooting a hypnotic ray.
    • Cy-Kill can also give Scooter a run for his money in the voice mimicry arena, perfectly duplicating Turbo's voice and lingo.

Continuity errors[edit | edit source]

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  • When Turbo first appears via Astro Beam, he shows up as a big giant head. It almost looked like he was using the Astro Beam for some kind of communication instead of teleportation, but moments later he's fully materialized (and normal-sized).
  • You would think the huge assignment of guarding Cy-Kill would warrant more than four Guardians seeing as he previously escaped the Prison Moon with its' much larger garrison.
  • The Guardians are very harsh on Royal-T and Street Heat - while they're obviously not happy with the Elba assignment, Cy-Kill takes over their minds and there's no indication they regain their free will before they're taken down. Royal-T's worries about what might happen to them only adds to a slightly uneasy feeling, especially when Leader-1 goes evil every few episodes and no-one minds.
  • If they are still considered Renegades it's surely more of a problem that Matt's been stranded with them on Elba rather than the end-of-episode joke everyone takes it as.

Animation and technical errors[edit | edit source]

  • Scooter's legs are completely red in the opening fly by.
  • UNECOM is spelt "UNICON" on the establishing shot of the base.
  • Street Heat speaks in Royal-T's voice when Cy-Kill hypnotizes them (although he's never spoken before, so it's hard to tell).
  • The black around Fitor's eyes disappears when he's explaining the stealth device.
  • When Leader-1 gets a message from Scooter, Geeper-Creeper turns his head inside its frame, instead of turning his entire head as one piece.
  • Although Fitor and Geeper-Creeper are supposedly wearing restraining bolts on their way to Elba, the devices are not present.
  • Someone yells "Night Ranger, look out!" when Cy-Kill ambushes Turbo's squad, but Geeper-Creeper is actually on-screen at the time getting shot by Cy-Kill and his men. At a guess, during production someone thought Geeper-Creeper was Hans Cuff, the only Guardian not shown getting shot. And that Hans Cuff's name is Night Ranger.
  • Also, Geeper-Creeper alternates several times this episode between two eyes and goggles.
  • Matt opens Turbo's roof instead of his windshield in order to exit on Elba, and the roof is colored green like the windows.

Real-world references[edit | edit source]

  • Elba is named for the island off Tuscany to which Napoleon Bonaparte was famously exiled from 1814-1815, escaping after a little over ten months.

Trivia[edit | edit source]

  • This episode is a Renegade "win"; while Cy-Kill's plan to use his situation to strike at Earth fails he successfully escapes imprisonment without giving away any Renegade secrets, converts two Guardians to the Renegade cause and prevents any further use of Elba.

Foreign localization[edit | edit source]

Home video releases[edit | edit source]

DVD

2015 — Challenge of the GoBots — The Series, Volume Two (Warner Archive Collection)

External links[edit | edit source]

Footnotes[edit | edit source]