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Cobra Commander holds the world to ransom with a deadly mind controlling gas, and Pathfinder and Ambush must put aside their differences to stop him.

Plot[]

The Joes battle Gnawgahyde and Metal Head in the jungle as Pathfinder and Ambush argue over the approach they should take. Pathfinder has the opportunity to capture them as they retreat, but Ambush stops him, suggesting they follow them back to their secret base instead.

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"Ssssstop them!"

Upon locating the secret entrance to the Cobra base, Pathfinder and Ambush infiltrate the base, where they both plant explosives in different parts of the base. The explosives destroy the base, and Salvo enters the wreckage to find them injured, only to be attacked by Cobra Commander, who hurls a vial of green liquid at him, producing a gas which knocks him out. Cobra Commander leaves Salvo unconscious and retreats, remarking that he will have the honor of showing the effects of his new behavior modification gas to the world.

Salvo remains unconscious in hospital, while Pathfinder and Ambush recover from their injuries. Cobra Commander makes a TV broadcast, explaining that his new behavior modification gas can transform the human brain into a brainwave transceiver, transmitting his signal to anywhere on Earth. Cobra Commander demands 50 billion dollars from the nations of the world, or he will launch missiles and spread the gas all over the world, transforming the population of the world into his slaves.

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Salvo is brainwashed.

Cobra Commander gives a demonstration and transmits a signal to Salvo, he wakes up and attacks the other Joes. The brainwashed Salvo then leaves to return to Cobra. Meanwhile, Bullhorn attempts to stall Cobra Commander, who orders that all Joe forces must remain inside their base, or he will launch the missiles. Rampart relays this to Pathfinder and Ambush, who are still at the hospital, and they disguise themselves as nurses and escape. Pathfinder and Ambush take an old helicopter from a nearby hanger and find their way to the Cobra base, where they find that Cobra Commander is bluffing and that his missiles are not actually functional and relay this information to Captain Grid Iron, who then sends an assault force to attack the Cobra base.

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Pathfinder and Ambush in disguise.

Gnawgahyde and Metal Head see this and attack the Joes headquarters, but are repelled by Rampart, who shoots down their Hurricanes and causes them to retreat. Cobra Commander sees this and orders his laser vipers to repel the Joe attack on his base. Meanwhile, Pathfinder and Ambush find the mind controlled Salvo, who goes to attack them, but is knocked out by Pathfinder. As the other Joes enter the base, Cobra Commander releases the gas throughout the base, taking control of the Joes minds and ordering them to attack Pathfinder and Ambush.

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Pathfinder and Ambush spy on Cobra Commander.

Pathfinder and Ambush reach the control room and capture Cobra Commander, just as Gnawgahyde and Metal Head arrive. Metal Head launches a missile and accidentally destroys the radio transceiver, preventing Cobra Commander from issuing any further orders. Cobra Commander agrees to activate the antidote in order to save himself and flees in the chaos. Salvo and the other Joes are cured and freed from Cobra's influence, but Ambush and Pathfinder argue over who will go after the Commander, allowing him to escape the base. Grid Iron commends them for their team work, despite them allowing the Commander to get away, and the two rivals admit they do make a pretty good team.

Appearances[]

Featured Characters[]

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

G.I. Joe Cobra



Featured Vehicles and Equipment[]

G.I. Joe Cobra
  • Retaliator (1)
  • Mobile battle bunker (2)
  • Locust (3)
  • Hammer (5)





Notes[]

Animation and Technical Errors[]

  • At one point, Cobra Commander addresses his troopers as Range Vipers, but is actually talking to Alley Vipers.
  • Cobra Commander's neck is shown to be skin colored in one shot, instead of part of his armor.

Miscellaneous Trivia[]

  • As the first episode of the series, this episode features the first appearances of many of the new characters introduced in the 1990 wave of toys. The only characters who appear from previous waves in this episode are Cobra Commander, Lady Jaye, and Gnawgahyde.
  • Unitedwestand4

    Destro's Dominator, on loan to Gnawgahyde.

    Lady Jaye is silent in this episode.
  • The commercial bumpers in this episode are provided by Pathfinder, Stretcher, and Ambush.
  • Gnawgahyde and Cobra Commander escape in Destro's Dominator vehicle, though Destro himself does not appear in this episode.
  • The shot of Cobra Commander turning in his chair and pointing at the Joes is used for the title sequence of the first season.

Quotes[]

  • "I want my money in unmarked bills, and take your time to think about it, because before long, I'll be doing all your thinking for you."

-- Cobra Commander issues a sinister threat.

Real World References[]

  • When Pathfinder and Ambush are disguised as nurses, Ambush's name tag reads "Nurse Ratchet", a reference to the character from the 1975 film "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest".
  • Cobra Commander says "At Cobra Labs, we're always working on better living through chemistry." 'Better things for better living through chemistry' was a DuPont advertising slogan in 1935.

Footnotes[]

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