In this new semi-regular series here at arealamericanbook, I take a look at key episodes of G.I. Joe (1983), G.I. Joe (1989), and GI Joe Extreme (1995) for your infotainment enjoyment. Yes, there was a television show called “GI Joe Extreme”.
“The Cobra Strikes”
original airdate 9/12/83
Written by Ron Friedman
The plot in one sentence: Cobra blackmails the world with its matter teleportation device in the very first episode of G.I. Joe ever!
Best thing about this episode: This frame:
It starts as a face kick, but ends up being a neck kick.
Weirdest thing about this episode: Duke’s about 6 feet tall, right? So what’s up with Ramar?
Personal Trivia: I don’t think I caught this in its initial broadcast.
Best line: “The shipment was difficult to assemble, and I lost more time climbing to this ridiculously melodramatic location!” (Destro to Cobra Commander)
Worst line: “I’m going to kick the mustard out of that crazy hotdog!” (Duke)
Number of times a Joe kicks a Cobra in the face/neck in this episode: One.
Number of times a Joe kicks a Cobra in the face/neck in the entire series: Two.
Historical significance? After Masters of the Universe started a new trend, G.I. Joe was the next big kids cartoon to debut in first-run syndication. You can bet children dulled by the tame and static Hanna-Barbera and Ruby-Spears cartoons of the 1970s had never seen so much mayhem. To wit:
Most Skystrikers don't make it off the runway, destroyed in a Cobra raid.
Does it hold up? The animation is the best of the entire series, with more fluidity and effects than any other episode until the higher budget G.I. Joe: The Movie came along in 1987. The villains are delicious, there’s a nod to proper military hierarchy (something that many episodes eschew), and there’s more face punching, face kicking, and explosions than almost any other episode. But there’s also a little too much goofiness, from Cobra’s mind-controlled slaves to the general concept of the matter teleportation device.
I give it 4 out of 5 MacGuffins.
A Real American Book! 