History Recap / TintinTheCalculusAffair

-->'''Haddock''': (''while he and Tintin are out on the side of the road hitchhiking'') ''There ought to be a law to make those infernal mileage-merchants stop when people signal.''\\

'''Haddock''': ''Hitch-hikers! Blistering barnacles, there ought to be a law against them!''

-->'''Haddock''': ''Hitch-hikers! Blistering barnacles, there ought to be a law against them!''

** Haddock on hitchhiking, when he's the one out on the side of the road:
-->''"There ought to be a law to make those infernal mileage-merchants stop when people signal."''
** Haddock on hitchhiking, when he's the one comfortably inside an automobile:
-->''"Hitch-hikers! Blistering barnacles, there ought to be a law against them!"''

* WigDressAndAccent: Tintin and Haddock pose as the Red Cross officials sent to escort Calculus from the fortress by putting on wigs, a fake beard (Haddock), a fake mustache (Tintin), trenchcoats and glasses.

* RoadBlock: The enemy forces try to stop the tank with the heroes this way.

* VillainousBreakdown: Colonel Sponsz completely loses it when he realises that Calculus's release warrant has been stolen. The last we see of him is him frantically screaming into a phone ordering his troops to blow Tintin to pieces.

* CarMeetsHouse: On driving a stolen tank to the Bordurian border, Tintin finds the road blocked by heavy trucks and the border protected by anti-tank obstacles. So he drives the tank straight through the guardhouse.

!!Tropes

* KidnappedScientist: Calculus himself, for both his knowledge and the plans he's carrying.

* WickedCultured: Sponz seems to enjoy the Castafiore's performance, even inviting her to sing for a private party.

* AdaptedOut: Jolyon Wagg in the Belvision version of the story.

* DrivesLikeCrazy: Arturo Benedetto Giovanni Giuseppe Pietro Arcangelo Alfredo Cartoffoli da Milano fits the "italian driver" stereotype.

%%* KidnappedScientist: Calculus

* OnlyAModel: The [[HammerAndSickleRemovedForYourProtection Bordurian military elite]] displays the effectiveness of a proposed new [[WeaponsOfMassDestruction sound weapon]] through the destruction of a "large North American city" (an {{Expy}} of [[BigApplesauce New York]]) on a TV screen to the [[KickTheDog delight of its audience]], only to reveal that they had merely used a smaller scale version to destroy a model. [[KickTheDog Everyone is disappointed]].

* BeautyEqualsGoodness: Tintin and Captain Haddock witness their friend Professor Calculus being carried off by mysterious figures, when another group ambushes them. When Haddock asks which side they should help, Tintin invokes this trope by telling him to hit the ugliest ones. Haddock is then confronted by two brawling mooks, each as ugly as the other. So he [[TakeAThirdOption bangs their heads together]]. (As it turns out, the "rescuers" are trying to kidnap Calculus as well).

* BeautyEqualsGoodness: Tintin and Captain Haddock witness their friend Professor Calculus being carried off by mysterious figures, when another group ambushes them. When Haddock asks which side they should help, Tintin evokes this trope by telling him to hit the ugliest ones. Haddock is then confronted by two brawling mooks, each as ugly as the other. So he [[TakeAThirdOption bangs their heads together]]. (As it turns out, the "rescuers" are trying to kidnap Calculus as well).

The Calculus Affair (1956) is the 18th adventure of {{Tintin}}, mostly set in UsefulNotes/{{Switzerland}}. It is a UsefulNotes/ColdWar tale featuring SpyVersusSpy situations. The tale begins at Marlinspike Hall during a thunderstorm. Tintin and Haddock witness a series of mysterious events. Glass and porcelain items both within the Hall and in its general vicinity shatter for no apparent reason, followed by a series of gunshots right outside the Hall. The two friends fail to find anyone out there, except a wounded man who makes a quick escape.

* RoadsideWave: Construction workers on the road get covered in tar when the Italian car drives right through their freshly paved foundation.