Recap / Tale Spin A Bad Reflection On You

The twenty-first and twenty-second episodes of TaleSpin.

In this two-part episode, Baloo receives an award from Shere Khan for being the best pilot in the world and an assignment for the Master Run, a dangerous route from which no pilot has returned. These inflate Baloo's ego, leading to him taking Kit for granted and landing themselves in trouble. When Baloo and Kit fly the Master Run, they discover that Don Karnage and his Air Pirates are behind the disappearance.

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This episode provides examples of:

• Accidental Misnaming:
  • After Baloo makes the paper for saving a koala, Kit takes offense to his surname being misspelled in the newspaper.
    Kit: What?! Kit Clownkicker?!
  • When Baloo and Kit arrive at Shere Khan Industries, Khan's bouncer only allows Baloo to see Khan, saying Khan's note doesn't mention any "Cloudpicker", to which Baloo corrects him, saying "Cloudkicker!"
• Acquired Situational Narcissism: When Baloo receives an award for "Best Pilot in the World" from Khan, he lets the fame go to his head.
• Bedsheet Ladder: Khan's pilots make one for Kit to help him escape from their prison cell on the Iron Vulture. When a knot in one of the bedsheets comes undone, Kit nearly falls into the water but manages to climb into the window of Don Karnage's dressing room.
• Bread, Eggs, Breaded Eggs: Baloo makes the headlines for delivering eucalyptus leaves to a zoo to feed its starving koala. When Baloo sees his picture in the paper, this exchange occurs:
  Rebecca: It's a good picture.
  Baloo: It's a stupid picture.
  Rebecca: No, it's a good picture of you looking stupid.
• Chasing a Butterfly: A baby bear tries to catch a butterfly that lands on the flower of her windowsill. This, of course, leads to the baby bear falling out the open window of her apartment. It's a good thing Baloo and Kit were there to save her in time.
• Chekhov's Gun: Khan rewards Baloo with a trophy for being the best pilot in the world after saving a koala and a baby bear. Baloo later uses the trophy to set off a mine in the minefield so Khan's navy ship can steer away from it.
• Corrupt Corporate Executive: Shere Khan. This episode begins with him talking to his employees, telling one to move a shipment of crude oil from the end of the week to Wednesday, and another to increase the price of nutmeg in his grocery stores, since they're the only ones that sell them. When the employee asks Khan if people will be upset over the higher price, Khan tells them they will, but they'll pay regardless.
• Dramatic Thunder: This episode begins with a thunderstorm as Baloo and Kit are on their way back to Higher for Hire after delivering eucalyptus leaves to a zoo to feed its starving koala and Shere Khan tells his plans to his employees.
• "Eureka!" Moment: When Khan reads the newspaper headlining Baloo's rescue of a koala, he realizes that he may be just the sort of fool he needs to send on the Master Run and investigate the disappearance of his pilots.
• Everyone Has Standards: While Khan used Baloo and sent him out on a possible suicide mission, he did still pay him for the job.
• Fiction 500: Not only is Khan shown to have his own fleet of airplanes, he has his own personal navy. He calls his warships "gunships" but in terms of size and armament they more so resemble battleships.
• Heroic BSoD: Baloo does this after A. realizing the award Shere Khan gave him is meaningless and B. getting captured by Don Karnage and his Air Pirates. However, he recovers when he learns that Kit still has faith in him.
• Huge Rider, Tiny Mount: Baloo rides a motorized tricycle to make his muffin and Bagel deliveries in Cape Suzette.
• Look Behind You: As Kit, dressed in Karnage's clothes, walks through the hallway of the Iron Vulture, he overhears Dumptruck singing "Old McDonald Had a Farm". When Dumptruck notices Kit, Kit tells him, "Look! There's Old McDonald now!" to distract him while he escapes.
• Men of Sherwood: Shere Khan's private air force tends to be esily defeated, either by Baloo or the Air Pirates, but his navy is an impressive force in this episode. The villains' only hope of bating them is a minefield trick, and when that fails, they play a decent role in routing their enemies.
• Mirror Routine: This episode features a scene where Kit hides out in Don Karnage's dressing room. When Mad Dog enters the room, Kit dresses in Karnage's clothes and mimics Mad Dog's movements to avoid being noticed.
• Multi-Part Episode: This episode is the first of two two-part episodes, the other one being "For Whom The Bell Klangs".
• The Navigator: Kit serves as this to Baloo in the series, and this episode has him receive a trophy for it.
• No-Respect Guy: Kit feels like this when Baloo gets all the credit for his rescues of a koala and a baby bear, as Kit gets left out of photos, has his surname misspelled in the newspaper and he fell off a building in his attempt to save the baby bear.
• Nobody Calls Me "Chicken"!: When Baloo and Kit approach the Twin Spires, Kit tries to convince Baloo to turn back, saying he doesn't have to impress anyone, and no one will think he's a chicken. Upon hearing this, Baloo says "Chicken? Me? In case you forgot, I'm the best, kiddo!"
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Karnage gives Baloo a brutal one after breaking into the Sea Duck, mocking him for; after claiming he's the best pilot in the world, he crash landed, upside down. On top of this he figures out that the entire reason Baloo was sent on a very dangerous mission by Shere Khan was because the tiger had lost enough of his own planes on the run, so he sent Baloo out instead. He also points out the gold trophy Baloo got from Shere Khan is fake.
• Spinning Paper: After Baloo rescues the baby bear, this effect is used for the newspaper highlighting the rescue.
• Villain: Exit, Stage Left: Karnage leaves in the Iron Vulture after his plan is foiled by Baloo.
  Karnage: Well, he who steals and runs away lives to steal another day!