The Ghostbusters are in the Ecto-1, stuck in traffic and listening to music from the '50s. Ray says he feels nostalgic for that time, despite being born in 1959. Egon points out that every decade had its problems, but Ray brushes it off. They go back to the firehouse, only to find Janine crying. They ask her what's wrong, and she reveals that the firehouse is being taken down to make way for an expressway.
The Ghostbusters start packing, but Peter tries to dissemble a trap, thinking it would be faster. This results in everyone disappearing and reappearing again. They find that the containment unit is gone, and they hear the alarm but it sounds different. They run upstairs to see a fire truck leaving, then a TV reveals that they've gone back in time to April 10th, 1959. Ray and Slimer are excited to be in the '50s again, but Egon is afraid they'll cause a problem. Ray gets his hair done at a barber shop, while Winston sees the hearse that would eventually become the Ecto-1.
Three ghosts appear in an alley and attack Slimer, and a TV in a store reveals that there have been an abundance of ghosts in New York for the past hour. Egon realises that they've been there for an hour, and concludes that going back in time has made a hole in the space/time continuum which ghosts are going through, but that going back to the present/future would repair the hole. He reveals that they need to recharge their trap first. When the firefighters come back, the Ghostbusters decide to borrow the truck's generator.
The guys find the hole, and Egon and Slimer charge the trap while the rest spray the ghosts with firehoses. A demon shows up, but then the trap is fully charged, and they go back, repairing the hole. They arrive back in the basement, where Janine reveals that the firehouse is saved because it's now a historical monument due to the guys' heroism.
This episode provides examples of
- The '50s: The episode follows the Ghostbusters going to 1959. Ray seems to have the "everyone was happy and cool" view of the 50s, and to an extent so does Slimer, but Egon points out that every decade did have its downsides.
- Accidental Time Travel: The Ghostbusters and Slimer are sent back to 1989 due to an accident with a trap.
- Adaptational Explanation: The movie made it a bit unclear whether Ecto-1 was originally a hearse, ambulance, or a normal car. This episode reveals that it was indeed a hearse.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Ray, at the beginning, wishes it were the '50s again. When that happens, he grows to regret it, as going back caused a rip in the space-time continuum.
- Black Comedy: Winston is taken aback to find out that the Ecto-1 used to be a hearse.
- Boomerang Bigot: Slimer claims to hate ghosts when some attack him.
- Born in the Wrong Century: Ray starts off geeking out about the '50s, despite being born in 1959, and wishing they were there again.
- Conforming OOC Moment: At the end, all the Ghostbusters dance and sing, even Egon.
- Covered in Gunge: The Ghostbusters get drenched in slime, and then later the firefighters do too.
- Ectoplasm: Implied when we see first the Ghostbusters, then the firefighters, covered in some unspecified goo.
- Episode Tagline: Peter keeps telling Egon, "I hate it when you ____".
- Evil Laugh: The demon laughs scarily.
- Extra Eyes: One ghost on TV has lots of eyes.
- Happy Dance: At the end, the Ghostbusters do a conga line because they're glad the firehouse isn't being destroyed.
- Improbable Age: Ray is revealed to have been born in 1959. Seeing as the movie came out in 1984, this means that he would have only been 26 when he was working as a college professor.
- Mass "Oh, Crap!": The other guys immediately look worried, and Slimer even screams, when Peter starts to fiddle with the trap.
- Ocular Gushers: Slimer's tears spurt out when he learns the firehouse will be demolished.
- Red Is Violent: The red demon is the most aggressive of the entities from the hole.
- Say My Name: The Ghostbusters yell, "Slimer!" when the evil ghosts attack him.
- Shout-Out: The song the Ghostbusters sing, "Maybellene", really exists.
- Silent Whisper: When seeing what would become the Ecto-1, Peter whispers inaudibly to Winston.
- Stable Time Loop: The Ghostbusters' (and to a lesser extent, Slimer's) actions in the past end up influencing the present when the firehouse is made a monument.
- Theme Music Power-Up: The theme tune plays as the Ghostbusters are spraying the ghosts and demon.
- Time Travel Episode: The episode focuses on the Ghostbusters and Slimer trying to get back after accidentally going back to 1959.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Peter accidentally sends himself and the others back in time.
