Line #19 Awesome/TheRealGhostbusters


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/janine_with_proton_pack.png]]
2	One of the strikes "against" the show is that it tended to be a bit low-key and didn't rely on BIG AWESOME MOMENTS that left people (and kids) whooping very often -- but "not very often" is a long way from never...
3	----
4	* The very first episode "Ghosts R Us", has the team chasing down both the ghosts who have been driving them out of business and a gigantic toy monster rampaging after them. The coup de grâce is when Egon essentially makes a bomb out of his pack that completely annihilates the monstrosity after it re-emerges from falling into the bay above the bridge they are on.
5	* The final battle in "The Collect Call of Cathulhu." Egon's explanation on how they are going to defeat "Cathulhu" (use their particle beams to ionize a metal roller coaster track, creating a massive lightning rod to attract a bolt powerful enough to banish him) is not only scientifically sound -- [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LabLee1My-A it can be done in reality]].
6	** And then Peter firing his thrower right in Cathulhu's face to lure the monster closer to the roller coaster.
7	--->'''Peter:''' Hey, squidface! I'm gonna make calamari outta you!
8	* The train fight and closing the gate in "Knock Knock".
9	* In "Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream", after the more scientifically-minded Ghostbusters are incapacitated, {{everyman}} Winston realizes how to and successfully defeats the Sandman.
10	** And his plan gives Janine a CMOA into the bargain: after the Sandman puts her to sleep and turns his attention to Winston, we see the sleeping Janine muttering, "I'm a... I'm a... I'M A GHOSTBUSTER!" Dream Janine appears in full uniform, grabs the spare thrower Winston left on the desk, complete with ThemeMusicPowerUp, and kicks the Sandman's ass along with Winston.
11	* "The Headless Motorcyclist":
12	** The entire plan, culminating in using a complex holographic array to fool the Headless Horseman -- now on a motorcycle -- into crossing the bridge, stopping him cold, and allowing him to be trapped was pretty freakin' sweet, too. Low key can still be awesome.
13	** The guys are at a fancy party, when Peter sees a lovely young lady walk by. He follows, intent on flirting, until he realizes she's with another man. [[ChivalrousPervert He shrugs and is about to walk away]], when the man starts berating and getting rough with the woman. Peter civilly tells the guy to lay off, but when the guy shoves him into a table and threatens him, Peter simply smiles, gives a quip, and starts rolling up his sleeves. If Winston hadn't stopped him, you can bet Peter would have thrown down.
14	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvaXBGGE_C4 The climax]] to "Venkman's Ghost Repellers", where the boys make a spectacular entrance to save Peter's dad from a horde of ghosts, with a kick-ass original song playing.
15	* In "Revenge of the Ghostmaster", the titular spook casts a spell on the Ghostbusters and Slimer that prevents any technology from working within forty feet of them. Egon and Ray, however, figure out a Rube Goldberg-like way to trap him.
16	* The climactic scene of "The Spirit of Aunt Lois". After spending much of the episode being harassed and humiliated by the Domovoi spirits [[ConMan Dr. Basingame]] riled up, the Ghostbusters finally get to strap on their proton packs (which they couldn't use before as Aunt Lois was in the line of fire), march straight in, deliver a PreAssKickingOneLiner or two and cut loose on the spooks. It's helped a lot by some excellent animation and a SugarWiki/{{Funny Moment\|s}} for Peter when he says "Smile!" to a haunted statue before blasting it straight into a waiting ghost trap.
17	* In "Ghost Busted", due to a lack of haunting, the guys decide to alter their devices to capture criminals instead. They essentially ''eradicate crime'' in New York City; if the ghosts hadn't started reappearing, who knows what they would have gone after next.
18	* "Play Them Ragtime Boos". How do you stop the ghost of an old-time {{jazz}}man from reverting time to TheRoaringTwenties with his MagicMusic? An equal and opposing force, primal and emotional. In other words: ThePowerOfRock.
19	* In "Beneath These Streets", Ray believes the earthquakes rocking New York are caused by a giant pillar that holds Manhattan up. After the guys [[ArbitrarySkepticism dismiss his theory as some old urban legend]], he goes by himself down into the sewers and discovers he was ''right'' and ghosts are causing the quakes by blocking the lubricant. He fights the ghosts until his proton pack runs out of juice, then prepares to ''fight hand-to-hand'' when [[BigDamnHeroes the rest of the guys show up]].
20	* The BigDamnHeroes moment in "They Call Me MISTER Slimer!", when the guys blast a group of Barrow-wights that had trapped some kids (with an assist by Slimer, who ''carves a baseball bat'' out of his body and [[BatterUp goes to town on them as well]].)
21	-->'''Winston:''' Let 'em have it!
22	* In "[[Recap/TheRealGhostbustersS1E6TheBoogiemanCometh The Boogie Man Cometh]]", the ghost of a dead gangster tries to intimidate the gang with one hell of a NightmareFace. Our boys don't even flinch, with Peter summing it up, "Take away those supernatural powers, and you're just another two bit dead hood."
23	* Peter defeats the first Fire Fly in "Troll Bridge" by turning a water main on it. Egon, seeing the result, quickly discerns that the Fire Flies are [[WeaksauceWeakness vulnerable to water]], and brings a water tower down on the others.
24	* The ending of "The Haunting of Heck House": without their proton packs, the guys and Slimer beat the most infamous HauntedHouse on the planet by turning the place into a giant ghost trap.
25	* The guys defeating their ghostly doubles in "Citizen Ghost" after a few close calls.
26	-->'''Ray:''' Say goodnight, fellas, 'cause [[TitleDrop the REAL Ghostbusters]] are here to stay! ''[team opens fire]''
27	* The end credits clip, with the Ghostbusters being honored with a parade, and then they break into The Ghostbuster Strut. Sweet.
28	* One of the "low key" events that's still awesome. In "Mrs. Rogers' Neighborhood", a possessed Peter demonstrates enough HeroicWillpower to keep the possessor from opening the containment unit for quite some time, ''while his hand is on the lever,'' giving Egon enough time to come up with one of his "very small chance to work" plans and zap the ghost out of him.
29	* Rigging up a device to trap and then defeat Necksa and save his three friends all on his own in "The Devil in the Deep".
30	-->'''Peter:''' Listen up, [[Literature/MobyDick Moby Dink]]! This isn't your average old proton gun. Nuh-uh. This product of Dr. Peter Venkman's inimitable genius emits ''microwave'' particles, fully capable of sucking all the moisture out of you and turning you into the world's first salt water prune!
31	* In "Devil To Pay", Peter gets Winston and Ray onto a gameshow to score a free vacation to Tahiti. The gameshow turns out to be a front for a minor demon (Dib) to steal people's souls. After a series of challenges and a near-death experience, the guys make it out alive with their souls, but without the free vacation. Peter assaults Dib, screams at him, demands the vacation and gets his way - ''without using a proton pack''.
32	** To add a CMOF, we later see Dib sent them on their free vacation -- and they're on a castle-like structure overlooking Tahiti. What was it made of? Another part of "First Prize" -- ''three tons of deviled ham.''
33	* Peter gets to show off his GuileHero skills in "You Can't Take It With You". An old millionaire has opened a portal to send all his money to the Spirit World before he dies, never mind that hordes of ghosts are streaming through the opening. The Ghostbusters can't get past his security system to shut it off, but Egon realizes it would shut off and close the portal if they could get it to overload, but how? Peter steps out and taunts the guy about how he may be able to take his fortune with him, but he'll have to leave behind his mansion, which is worth much more, so they'll make sure it's donated to charity. It works -- the guy turns up the machine to teleport the entire building, which not only overloads and destroys his equipment but displaces all the money he'd already sent over, sending it back to Earth.
34	* In "Rollerghoster" a carnival ride is possessed by the spirits of circus animals who died in a fire decades earlier. Peter calls up a friend of his in the special effects business for all the mylar he's got. He then has the mylar rolled down the side of a building to create a giant funhouse mirror, and builds a bonfire in front of it. When Egon asks what he's doing, Peter says that he believes if the ghosts see another giant fire it will drive them out into the open and they can trap them. It works perfectly.
35	* In "Look Homeward, Ray", after temporarily quitting the team and going through a TenMinuteRetirement, Ray bounces back from all that by saving his buddies from the giant Puma, and rejoins the team while getting a kiss from his childhood crush in the process.
36	* In "Lights! Camera! Haunting!", the guys have been captured by ghosts working with a filmmaker and are about to be blasted with their own proton packs. Just before the ghosts can fire, Ray [[ReverseThePolarity reverses the polarity of his PKE Meter]] so that it sends signals to ghosts rather than receives them. Then out of nowhere, a cowboy, pirate, and soldier in a jeep appear:
37	-->'''Egon:''' It's the ghosts of the studio's old movie stars.
38	-->'''Peter:''' Swift move, Ray. Only how do you know they won't side with the ghosts?
39	-->'''Ray:''' Because... [[TheCavalry they're heroes!]]
40	* Show any kid with a fear of the Bogeyman the episodes "The Boogieman Cometh" and "The Bogeyman is Back". Watching Egon overcome his relatable childhood fears and bust the Bogeyman had to have struck a chord with many kids. In "The Bogeyman is Back", for one, the titular demon has the Ghostbusters, including his childhood victim Egon, at his mercy when the Junior Ghostbusters turn up. The Bogeyman turns around and starts threatening them instead. Egon's fury at this overcomes his fear and allows him to break free of the Bogeyman's control, grab a proton pack and proceed to turn the tables on his arch-nemesis in a matter of seconds. Moral of the story: do ''not'' threaten children in front of [[PapaWolf Egon Spengler]].
41	* "Ghostworld":
42	** Egon giving a ghost who prided himself on cleverness a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech infuriating him and keeping him busy while Janine and his mother free the rest of the guys from the ghost's control. At the very end, the 'busters put him down.
43	--->'''Egon:''' Checkmate!
44	--->'''Ghost:''' But you are my servants!
45	--->'''Peter:''' Sorry, big fella. [[PreAssKickingOneLiner It's servant's night off.]]
46	** Everyone at the firehouse is possessed when they visit the titular amusement park--everyone except Egon, who [[SickEpisode catches a bad cold]] and doesn't go. Instead, his [[MyBelovedSmother well-meaning but overbearing mother]] comes to take care of him. When Egon realizes something is up and travels to the park, Mrs. Spengler goes right along with him... [[NeverMessWithGranny and proves]] ''[[NeverMessWithGranny invaluable]]''.
47	*** When Egon and Mrs. Spengler encounter a possessed Janine, Mrs. Spengler doesn't hesitate for a second, instantly throwing and activating the Ghost Trap to help capture the spirit inside of her. Egon didn't even have to describe the trap or how it worked--[[AdaptationalBadAss his mom already knew what to do]]!
48	*** While Egon deals with the BigBad of the episode, Mrs. Spengler joins Janine and effortlessly uses more Ghost Traps and powerful, spirit-harming lights to save the other 'busters and Slimer.
49	*** And finally, during the final battle against the evil spirit controlling the park, Mrs. Spengler is right there fighting alongside the team, controlling the Ecto-1's spirit-damaging headlights and causing the ghost great pain.
50	* In "Partners in Slime", Poso (a gangster-like ghost) has Janine and Louis kidnapped to force the Ghostbusters into giving up their technology, which he can use to be in charge of all other ghosts. Three of his goons go to the Firehouse to demand a surrender -- finding Egon unarmed and alone. [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor They specifically demand to see how the Containment Unit works.]]
51	-->'''Egon:''' And this lever opens the trap.\
52	''(the three ghosts get sucked into the Containment Unit)''\
53	'''Egon:''' And that concludes our tour.
54	* In "The Thing in Mrs. Faversham's Attic", he ''taunts'' the titular specter into getting close enough to be contained in a trap.
55	-->'''Ghost:''' Your time has ended!
56	-->'''Egon:''' Not my time. Yours. Smile for the birdie! ''(opens trap)''
57	* "Short Stuff":
58	** The second BountyHunter has more luck than the first, moving through holes and vents to grab the guys' proton packs and stall out Ecto-1. When the guys are forced to run into an old building, Egon waits by the only way the ghost can enter (a mail slot) and activates the trap when it pokes through.
59	** The first supernatural bounty hunter to go after the guys is a spider-type creature rampaging through the firehouse. Winston nabs it by getting it to swallow a trap.
60	--->'''Winston:''' Bullseye! ''[opens trap]''
61	* This exchange:
62	-->'''Winston.''' Egon, can you read Sumerian?\
63	'''Egon''': In my sleep. Underwater and with the lights off.
64	* "Night Game", the BaseballEpisode where Winston helps a team of good spirits against the evil ones. When he hits that last pitch (hurled by a giant one-eyed anthropomorphic elephant, no less!) and sends that sucker flying into the scoreboard, shattering it into as million pieces? Woohoo!
65	* Showing up to save the Carter kids from the Boogieman and standing guard over them all night while the other three search for the portal they need.
66	* Being the only one ''not'' to get sucked into the "Ghostbuster of the Year" competition and reminding his friends they're a team, not rivals. They all eventually regret not listening to him.
67	* Janine rescuing the guys from a near-Gozer-level entity in "Janine Melnitz, Ghostbuster" tends to stick out for Janine fans.
68	-->'''Receptionist:''' No one sees Proteus without an appointment.
69	-->'''Janine:''' [[IWillShowYouX I got your appointment right here.]] ''BLAST''
70	* In "Janine, You've Changed", an evil spirit has been slowly but surely removing Janine's humanity while making her "prettier" and "more desirable." She's literally minutes away from a full transformation when the guys show up and evoke the PowerOfLove. She then uses the supernatural powers of the being she had almost become to kick the spirit's ass.
71	-->'''Ghost:''' I'll turn you into something uglier than you were before. Three feet tall and twisted. Would you like that?
72	-->'''Janine:''' [[BringIt Take your best shot.]] [[NotAfraidOfYouAnymore I'm not afraid of you anymore!]]
73	* Destroying the MonsterOfTheWeek's power source in "20,000 Leagues Under The Street".
74	* Slimer shows remarkable balls in "When Halloween was Forever." He'd been forcibly summoned and forced to join in on Samhain's personal entourage, and Samhain is giving him a [[JoinOrDie "Join or be obliterated"]] speech. Then Slimer beckons Samhain to come closer, and when he does, [[DefiantToTheEnd he blows a raspberry in his face.]] You go, Spud.
75	* In "Drool, The Dog-faced Goblin", Drool, a small phase-shifter, makes a HeroicSacrifice to stop a much larger and meaner phase-shifter. Up to this point, Peter absolutely ''hated'' Drool and wanted to blast the poor thing. At the end, [[BittersweetEnding he was forced to admit he was wrong]].
76	-->'''Peter:''' I take it all back, buddy.
77	* In "Revenge of Murray the Mantis," the boys [[SummonBiggerFish release Mr. Stay-Puft himself]] in order to bring down a gigantic praying mantis. The fistfight between the titans is ''epic''.
78	* The climax of "Ragnarok and Roll". Seeing D'tillio, Jeremy's [[DeadpanSnarker somewhat snarky]] yet still [[TheIgor staunchly loyal hunchback]] finally ''snap'' and [[TheDogBitesBack tell him where to stick his wretched]] [[ApocalypseHow nihilism]] while he's ''hanging off the side of a building by his fingers'' is wonderful. It also brings Jeremy back to his senses, making it heartwarming as well.
79	-->'''D'tillio:''' Look at me! [[TheGrotesque I'm small and weak and ugly]], but at least I'm still human! [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech If you weren't sufficiently loved, it's your own fault, and not the world's!]] You had everything, I had nothing, but I'll have more love and decency in my [[NeverSayDie going out]] then you ever will!

Context Awesome / TheRealGhostbusters