Ghostbusters! Assemble!
Two-part Series Finale: The Ghostbusters from the 1980s (Peter, Ray, and Winston) return for Egon's 40th birthday — just as a mysterious entity begins devouring people, boats, and whole towns down the length of the East Coast.
The page contains the following tropes:
- 10-Minute Retirement: The Extreme Ghostbusters leave after seeing that they are no longer needed with the Real Ghostbusters back into business.
- Actually Pretty Funny: In the climax of Part 1, Ray complains that Ecto-1's cramped and both his legs have fallen asleep. Garrett, in good humor, snarks his have too, and Ray cracks up.
- Art Evolution: As with Egon, Slimer, and Janine at the beginning of the series, the rest of the OG Ghostbusters' character models from their show are tweaked both because of the Time Skip and to fit the Extreme design aesthetic.
- The Bermuda Triangle: Turns out S.I.D.N.E.E is the Bermuda Triangle that was responsible for all those disappearances of ships and planes throughout the century.
- Book Ends: A Meta one going by production order. As "Knock, Knock" was the original Real Ghostbusters Pilot, the animated team's very first bust takes place at a Bowling Alley. Their final appearance here in the Real/Extreme continuity likewise kicks off with another Bowling Alley bust.
- Broken Pedestal: While the Extreme Ghostbusters are initially excited to meet their legendary predecessors, friction quickly builds. The older team is unintentionally condescending to their successors and the new team quickly becomes disillusioned before quitting in anger.
- Rebuilt Pedestal: However, they gain new respect for the original team after saving them on the George Washington Bridge and then later working together to stop the Ecto-Clones (and then S.I.D.N.E.E).
- The Bus Came Back: Peter, Ray and Winston return to celebrate Egon's Birthday and later joins up with him and the new Ghostbusters to stop the new ghost of the weeks.
- Call-Back:
- The Bowling Alley Bust, again, is a callback to "Knock, Knock".
- Slimer devouring most of Egon's Birthday Cake is also reminiscent of him similarly devouring Winston's Birthday Cake in "Slimer, Come Home".
- Peter's post-Bowling Alley Badass Boast ("We came, we saw, we bowled") is reminiscent (albeit kid friendly) of his similar boasting following the Sedgewick Hotel bust in the original movie.
- The original team having trouble suiting up for their first bust in years is reminiscent of Egon's similar problems back in "Darkness at Noon".
- According to Egon, when the original team split up, Peter left for Hollywood and had tried to get another movie made about them. "Take Two" had previously shown the guys consulting on a movie about their adventures.
- Continuity Nod: After the Bowling Alley bust, Egon compares it to the events of "Drool, the Dog-Faced Goblin".Egon: "Reminiscent of the time we busted that Class 4 Shape Shifter in the Poconos."
- Crazy-Prepared: Janine anticipated that Slimer would eat the Thanksgiving Turkey so she prepared a back-up. Unfortunately, Slimer ate it too.Janine: SLIMER!
- Fire-Forged Friends: While there's initially friction between both generations of Ghostbusters in Part 1, the Extreme Ghostbusters become friends with their predecessors by the end of Part 2.
- Food Fight: The Ghostbusters throw croutons at Slimer after he ate two Turkeys.
- From Bad to Worse: While en route to their last stand, and with NYC being devoured by the entity, Egon grimly reveals it's worse than they thought:Egon: I theorize that this entity will keep on ingesting matter until it's size and density achieves critical mass. And then...Peter: Yeah, don't tell me. It will let out one colossal burp.Egon: It will most likely become quasi-gravitational.Ray: Like a black hole in space. Instead of moving towards matter, all matter will be drawn to it.Egon: Exactly, Ray. It will, in essence, devour everything there is; starting with New York City, then the Eastern Seaboard, and eventually [the entire world].
- Fully Absorbed Finale: For Real Ghostbusters, giving this incarnation of the team a final send-off.
- Grand Finale: End to the Extreme Ghostbusters and the Real Ghostbusters.
- Hydra Problem: The Ecto-Clone respawns into two whenever it gets hit by the Proton Streams.
- I Owe You My Life: Kylie says this after Eduardo saves her from S.I.D.N.E.E. She returns the favor by saving Eduardo from drowning. She later gets caught again and Eduardo again saves her.Eduardo: Sometimes, I think this might be a habit of you.
- Lock-and-Load Montage: The Extreme Ghostbusters and the Real Ghostbusters build the new equipment and vehicles in order to prepare themselves for the final battle against S.I.D.N.E.E.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: The Extreme Ghostbusters shoot down the Ecto-Clones to save the Real Ghostbusters only to later learn about the Ecto-Clones' duplication powers. The Real Ghostbusters assure them that they didn't know and they did what they thought was right. As Winston adds, the original team probably would've been KIA if the new team hadn't rescued them.
- "Not So Different" Remark: When Kylie points out Eduardo's obvious difficulties with basic math, Peter makes him feel better by saying he was the same way in college and still went on to become a scientist.
- "Save the World" Climax: See From Bad To Worse.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
- The Bowling Alley Bust in Part 1. Peter, Ray, and Winston may have been the Real Ghostbusters, but they're also now middle-aged, out of shape, and haven't busted any spooks for the better part of a decade. They also have trouble adjusting initially to the now-upgraded (and more powerful) Proton Packs (whereas Egon, of course, developed said upgrades with Kylie and is used to them by now).
- The initial friction between both generations of Ghostbusters. The original team, of course, were the foundation of everything the Extreme Ghostbusters know and use. But they also don't know their predecessors and miss busting, so they unintentionally can't help sidelining the Extreme Ghostbusters (with the new team's hero worship turning to disillusionment and resentment at the unintentional condescension). Egon's the only original Ghostbuster who recognizes this initially, as he's already been down this road at the beginning of the series and long since accepted that the future of Ghostbusting lies with his students (though he likewise initially can't help falling back into the old team camaraderie).
- The Statue of Liberty confrontation in Part II. The Proton Packs are perfect for taking on smaller or individual ghosts. But S.I.D.N.E.E. is simply so large and so powerful (even more than Stay-Puft) that the Packs are basically useless. To take the entity down, they're gonna need to upgrade to serious firepower.
- "Take That!" Kiss: Slimer gives Peter one for berating him for eating half the birthday cake.
- Wham Shot: How Peter, Ray, and Winston surprising Egon at the firehouse is played.
