Episode: Season 5, Episode 5 (Production Code: 507)
First Aired: June 30, 2013
Somewhere in the Indian Ocean, Monstroso and Molotov Cocktease are being served drinks aboard Monstroso's massive ship. Nearby, a squadron of O.S.I. jets move in. Brock tells Head Shot, who is taking aim, that they need to take Monstroso and Molotov alive. Shoreleave tries to comfort Brock about seeing Molotov with Monstroso again. Brock remains professional as the O.S.I. announce their presence with flares and smoke. Rather than fighting the O.S.I., Monstroso and Molotov "give them a show". As they prepare to have sex aboard the ship in plain view, Brock can be heard screaming.
Flashing ahead 12 hours to the present time, Brock is in an O.S.I. interrogation room with an O.S.I. "Mister," acting as a sort of internal affairs. Brock's face is badly cut up and bandaged. In another room, another Mister interrogates General Gathers, who is not pleased with their presence aboard his ship. Another Mister interrogates Shore Leave in yet another room. They are all being questioned about the apprehension, and later apparent escape, of Molotov and Monstroso from O.S.I. custody who, in the process, took down the O.S.I.'s "$100 billion" hover carrier.
After the opening credits, the scene shifts to 1 hour prior. Brock and Gathers are at the O.S.I. dry dock with the damaged heli-carrier as the Misters are flying in. Gathers tells Brock to tell them "as little as possible," as he doesn't trust the Misters after the incident with Cardholder and Doe. The new Misters introduce themselves as Mr. Frost and Mr. Sample, along with a third rookie agent who "hasn't earned his hat" yet. They want to interview the key players in the incident to make a report.
Gathers and Brock recap the mission, stating that it was a complete success and that they followed every security protocol upon bringing Monstroso and Molotov back. The Misters interrupt, however, asking if they (Brock and Gathers) knew that "uncleared civilians" were aboard.
Elsewhere, the uncleared civilians, a.k.a. Rusty Venture, Sgt. Hatred, and Dean, are being interrogated separately by the rookie Mister. Hatred explains that they came to the heli-carrier to have his enormous breasts examined. Gathers, who still misses his own breasts from when he had his sex-change reversed, is appalled that Hatred would want to get rid of his "pillowy gifts from God and super science."
Flashing back to 5.5 hours prior, a doctor informs Hatred that the breasts are a side effect of the "nomolestol" the O.S.I. has him on to prevent his pedophile urges combined with the "super soldier serum" he received years ago. Also present is Hank, who is still wearing his Destiny "strength suit" from SPHINX Rising, which he has been wearing for weeks.
At the same time, Brock is trying to begin his interrogation of Monstroso, but due to his size, the strip search is taking longer than expected. He goes to check on Molotov in the meantime, and explains that he first met her as a rookie agent at the Goodwill Games. He and his partner were after the Siberian Husky, the KGB's deadliest assassin. While trying to take him out, Brock's partner is killed by Molotov. Brock manages to take out the Husky, who is then revealed to be Molotov's father.
Dr. Venture, Brock, and Gathers are all separately asked about their relationships with Molotov. They all deny or refute having any relationships or partnerships with her. The Mister interrogating Brock reveals Molotov's chastity belt, which he found while searching Brock's bunk. He accuses Brock of being in love with Molotov, and thus helping her escape. Brock denies it vehemently. He accounts for his whereabouts during her escape by saying that he was interrogating Monstroso.
Flashing back, Monstroso is wearing bed sheets as they didn't have any prisoner clothes in his size. Monstroso freely tells Brock everything he knows about the Guild, as he claims to be "as good as dead" anyway since the Guild would be coming for him. They start by discussing the Sovereign, then move on to the Council of Thirteen. Developing photos from Monstroso's pinky ring camera, they get pictures of the telescreen silhouettes of the Council. Monstroso only recognizes one of the councilmen, who he knows to be the Clue Clown. They are interrupted by an alarm going off. Brock goes to investigate, and is told that Molotov escaped.
Elsewhere, Amber Gold and Head Shot are being interrogated, with Amber taking the blame for Molotov's escape. She gave Molotov a full scan, but must have missed something. (In a brief flashback, it turns out to be a pin hidden beneath Molotov's eye patch.)Preparing to leave for a weekend retreat, Head Shot went to check on Amber, and found Molotov alone in a detention cell under a hood. He moved into the room (apparently to molest her) and discovered that it was Amber under the hood. And that she wasn't a "real blonde."
In the Venture's interrogation room, Dean cries out that he did it. Saying that he "let them out, both of them." After getting Dean a soda, all three Misters are in the room to hear Dean's story. Flashing back, Rusty shows Dean his former lab aboard the heli-carrier. Inside the lab is the German plastic surgeon who performed Gathers' sex change and lived with SPHINX for a while. He explains that the room has been converted into a lab for the "Premos," who can see into the future and "poop out" little black balls with their premonitions printed on them. They have a premonition, saying "GOLDEN LADY FLY AWAY BOOM BOOM," which the surgeon dismisses as nonsense. Dean, seeing the Premos stuck in their tanks, feels bad for them. When the alarm goes off, Dean sets them free. In the present, the Misters are displeased that they were brought in for the wrong confession.
During Shoreleave's interrogation, he flashes back to his quarters 4 hours before where he had a video call with his boyfriend, the Alchemist. The Mister begs him to skip past that part, which he reluctantly does. Fifteen minutes later, Gathers calls a meeting of every agent on the ship to track down Molotov. After they move out, Venture argues with Gathers to allow them to leave. Gathers reminds them that the ship is on lock down, and then argues with Hank who wants to join the fight in his strength suit. Gathers orders Hatred to move them to a lower level, out of Gathers' sight.
Brock, meanwhile, was ordered to stay with Monstroso in case Molotov tries to break him out. He keeps up the interrogation and gets to a question about the Investors. As he asks the question, one of the Investors appears behind Monstroso, causing him to freak out and flip the table over onto Brock. Monstroso desperately tries to escape, while Brock remains pinned down, unable to see the action due to the table on top of him. The Investors move in on Monstroso, phasing him through the wall out of the heli-carrier before disappearing. When Brock finally gets up, the room is empty with Monstroso having apparently vanished into thin air.
Elsewhere, Shoreleave leads a team of agents in pursuit of Molotov. Instead, the find the Premos that Dean freed hiding in a closet. Molotov kicks him into the closet and locks the door while she kills all of the other agents. Shoreleave breaks out and fights Molotov, but she reveals a detonator and uses it to blow up one of the heli-carrier's engines. The X-1, with H.E.L.P.eR aboard, falls off the carrier as tilts before secondary engines kick on.
The Ventures, inside the "Nozzle" room (which has gyroscopic stabilizers,) see Molotov through the window. Hank wants to go and fight her in his strength suit, but Hatred refuses. Hatred himself goes out, firing at Molotov, but misses each time. She pulls up to fire at Hatred, but Hank pulls him out of the way thanks to the speed boost of his strength suit. Hatred is knocked out, however, and Hank decides to take on Molotov himself. Brock comes running, trying to stop Hank, but is locked out by a security door. In the present, Brock laments that if he had just been quicker, he could have prevented whatever happened to Hank.
Once Brock blasts through the door, he finds Hank on the floor, his muscles atrophied and sitting in a foul puddle of his own fluids from being in the suit so long, Molotov having stolen the strength suit. Brock pursues Molotov into the hangar. Gathers leaves the bridge in control of a nervous agent while he goes to provide backup to Brock, personally. Brock and Molotov do battle in the hangar as the doors to the outside close. As Molotov escapes through them, Brock jumps into a jet and goes after her. The doors slam shut before he can get out though, ejecting him. Luckily, H.E.L.P.eR is there with the X-1 to catch him and fly him back to the fight.
Brock and Molotov continue their fight on the exterior of the heli-carrier, eventually finding themselves dangling off the side. In the interrogation room, the Mister asks Brock what happens next, to which Brock replies "you saw the video."
Flashing back again, Gathers returns to the bridge and brings up a video of the action. Brock is seen by one of the engines, holding what appears to be Molotov in the strength suit above his head. After a moment's hesitation, he throws "her" into the turbine, resulting in the suit's complete disintegration and leaving nothing remaining but shredded metal.
The Misters complete their report, and present the rookie agent with his hat. Despite finding nothing to charge Gathers or Samson with, they berate them for running "a weird ship," and leave. Gathers turns around and changes the status on Monstroso to "Missing" and then looks at Brock before changing the status on Molotov.
Flashing back, Brock is about to throw Molotov into the engine but is stopped by Gathers. He tells Brock that Molotov is with the O.S.I., and that all of this was a test for both her and the O.S.I. She passed, taking a list of double agents that Gathers had provided her with in the process, while the O.S.I. failed. He explains that Molotov will now work for him as a deep cover agent, away from the "prying eyes of the bureaucrats and Misters." Replaying the video from earlier, it is revealed that Brock threw the empty strength suit into the engine.
In the present, Gathers changes the status on Molotov's record to "deceased." Believing it to be part of Gathers' plan, Brock asks him what really happened to Monstroso, but Gathers has no idea. As they discuss it, two Misters enter the bridge and introduce themselves as Mr. Frost and Mr. Sample. Gathers' mouth drops open and his cigarette falls out as he is in complete shock.
Elsewhere on the carrier, the three "Misters" transform into the Investors. They phase through the floor, leaving only their hats behind to be discovered by Gathers.
The Stinger shows the Ventures in a room where Hank is walking on a treadmill to restore his atrophied limbs.
Tropes:
- The Bus Came Back: The German doctor is seen working for the O.S.I., having last appeared in the season four opener.
- Call-Back: We finally get to see what Brock and Mol meant when the other killed their partner and then their father, respectively in this episode. Which was mentioned way back in The Incredible Mr. Brisby.
- Continuity Nod: Shore Leave watches a saucy video sent to him by the Alchemist, whom he started dating in "Operation: P.R.O.M.".
- Double Reverse Quadruple Agent: Molotov. Thought to be with Monstroso, believed to be dead by the O.S.I., actually working in "deep cover" now for Gathers.
- The Dreaded: The Investors to Monstroso.
- Funny Background Event: While the Ventures and Hatred are hiding away from Molotov, Rusty is sleeping with his head in between Hatred's breasts.
- Internal Affairs: The "Misters" to the O.S.I.
- Javelin Thrower: As revealed in a flashback depicting the start of Brock and Molotov's complicated relationship. Brock killed her father by throwing it at him.
- Master of Disguise / Voluntary Shapeshifting: The Investors are able to perfectly impersonate two O.S.I. Misters and a non-existent rookie third agent.
- Oh, Crap!: Gathers at the end when he realizes that the "Misters" were impostors.
- Powered Armor: Hank is still wearing the "Countess" armor from SPHINX Rising. Molotov then gets her hands on it, and it's destroyed by Brock at the end of the episode.
- Remember the New Guy?: The New O.S.I. teased in SPHINX Rising debuts in this episode, including members like Headshot, Amber Gold, Afterburner, and Snoopy. They're implied to have deep, complex backstories with most of the existing O.S.I. members that only get teased.
- Running Gag: The O.S.I. "Misters" continue to be named after placeholders. In addition to the previously shown "Doe" (as in "John Doe") and "Cardholder", this episode has "Yourname" and "Sample".
- Secret Test of Character: Gathers to Molotov, although arguably the "secret" part of the test is more for everyone else. She passes with flying colors.Gathers: Samson! Stand down! She's with us.Brock: What?Gathers: This wasn't an escape, it was a test - of our security and her skills. We failed; she passed.
- Shout-Out:
- The "premos" are basically the "precogs" from Minority Report.
- Many of the O.S.I. agents are based on GI Joe characters, including their own PunnyNames.
- The story being driven by flashbacks as the Gathers, Brock, Shoreleave, and the Ventures recount the events to the Misters draws significant parallels to An Inspector Calls, including the same twist ending.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: After weeks, possibly even months, in the SPHINX Powered Armor, Hank's muscles have completely atrophied, and he can barely walk without it. He apparently also smelled absolutely foul, having been marinating in a soup of his own bodily fluids for God knows how long.
- You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Mister Frost's reaction to Brock regaling of getting launched out of a jet.Mister Frost: You fell off!? How the hell are you still breathing oxygen!?
