Using the Planeteers as bait, Dr. Blight and Duke Nukem capture Captain Planet and demand a lifetime supply of nuclear waste in exchange for his safety. Now the team must find a way to rescue the captain.
This episode includes examples of the following tropes:
- 1-Dimensional Thinking: MAL unleashes an avalanche on the Planeteers, who manage to escape by jumping a gorge on skis. Despite the avalanche gaining on them, none of them ever thinks of going to the side.
- Batman Gambit: The villains' plot du jour is a double example. They claim they have a nuclear bomb to attract the Planeteers, whom they then capture, correctly suspecting that they would call Captain Planet.
- Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humor: While gloating about finding out the secret of the Captain's abilities, Dr. Blight quips that he's going to go to pieces. Then she cackles at her own joke.
- Gasp!: When he and Blight are making their ransom demand, Nukem hits Captain Planet with a radioactive blast. Upon seeing this, Gaia lets out a loud, terrified gasp, raising a hand towards her mouth and instinctively taking a few steps forward.
- I Have Your Wife: Dr. Blight and Duke Nukem first capture the Planeteers to lure Captain Planet, and then capture Captain Planet to force the team to deliver tons of nuclear waste.
- I Lied: Dr. Blight and Duke Nukem capture Captain Planet and demand tons of nuclear waste if the Planeteers want to see him alive again. When the team apparently caves and delivers the ransom, the villains shoot down the geo-cruiser, with the Planeteers apparently onboard, before planning to kill the Captain anyway.
- Instantly Proven Wrong: Subverted. Captain Planet declares defiantly that the team would never help Dr. Blight and Duke Nukem ruin the environment... and then the geo-cruiser turns up with the ransom. However, the "ransom" is actually a ruse so the Planeteers can smuggle themselves into the base.
- Kick the Dog: While the villains initially poison Captain Planet to make sure he's powerless, Duke Nukem keeps zapping their helpless captive throughout the episode, for no apparent reason other than sadism.
- Leeroy Jenkins: Wheeler means well, but by trying to manually break the metal door to Dr. Blight's lab – despite Linka's warnings – he sets off the alarm.Wheeler: I still say we should attack this place head-on and right now.
Linka: Nyet. Better to sneak inside and take Blight and Nukem by surprise.
Wheeler: But what if we're too late?
[...]
Linka: I told you your plan wouldn't work.
Wheeler: At least I did something besides just talk.
Linka: Exactly! You set off the alarm! - Sadistic Choice: When Captain Planet is taken prisoner, the Planeteers' one option is delivering the ransom (which is nuclear waste) and the other – letting Dr. Blight and Duke Nukem kill the Captain.
- Take a Third Option: When presented with a choice between delivering the ransom, and letting Captain Planet be killed, the Planeteers come up with a plan to save him without giving into the villains' demands.
- They Would Cut You Up: After getting what she wants, Dr. Blight gloats that she's going to experiment on the captain to see how his abilities work, so she can use said abilities for her own ends.
- Trojan Horse: The Planeteers apparently do as demanded and drop off nuclear waste containers. After Dr. Blight and Duke Nukem bring the containers inside, the Planeteers emerge.
