- Barbecue is receiving tips from a caller to Cobra locations all over the world. Just who is the Viper?
Plot[]
On the corner of a city street stands a newly renovated firehouse, which was restored thanks to Barbecue, the Joes' fireman. After Scarlett compliments the refurbishing job and hopes the place is still standing after the house party is over, Barbecue tells her that the place is a little too neat and adds that he hopes to antique it a little. Barbecue then lifts a flaming burger off the grill and places it on Scarlett's plate. She immediately dumps the plate into the punch bowl.
Barbecue's firehouse.
Roadblock is surrounded by five generic Joes at the basketball court, Snake-Eyes snaps to the beat of the song on the stereo while Gung-Ho is told by Lady Jaye that she has never seen his dance moves before. Above and behind the two dancing Joes, Alpine tells Footloose that he will make a climber out of Footloose even if it kills him. Roadblock knocks his opponents out of the way with the basketball and falls through a window after he is tripped.
Barbecue gets a call while serving food.
The railing holding Alpine and Footloose's ropes snaps and the two Joes drop onto the table, causing the food to fly toward Scarlett. After Roadblock climbs up to the window, he tosses the ball into the hoop and Barbecue tells Scarlett, who is covered in food, that it looks like his party is a success.
The phone rings and Barbecue is told that "the viper is coming; five seventy-five." He relays the message to the other Joes and Scarlett believes that the phone call is from Cobra and is a cryptic challenge. After the Joes each grab a hamburger, they return to headquarters.
In the map room, Barbecue suggests that five seventy-five could be a set of coordinates. Lady Jaye tries five degree east and seventy-five degrees south. Turning to her teammate, Lady Jaye tells Barbecue that the South Pole sounds like a likely place for a Cobra base.
Alpine and Footloose, with a Snow Cat in the background.
G.I. Joe Snow Cats drive through the snow and stop while Scarlett examines the area with binoculars. As she mutters about the area being filled with "chock full of nothing," Alpine climbs out of his Snow Cat and asks what Footloose sees in the distance. The two wander off and Alpine tries to remove the object they spotted, a rock, saying it would look great in his collection and because he would like to have a memento of the trip.
However, the rock glows for a moment and a Snow Cat is lowered into the ground by a hydraulic lift. Scarlett watches the Snow Cat descend and when Lady Jaye, Barbecue and Gung Ho reach the bottom they climb out and enter a room. Rising from behind a counter, a robot greets the Joes to Cobra Recreational Base #3, where they can play table tennis and swim in the Cobra Commander Gymnasium, eat lunch in the Destro Dining Room or watch the Cobra Cuties in the Zartan Entertainment Center. The robot then adds, "No tipping, please."
Cobra Recreational Base #3.
The Joes enter the next room and find themselves surrounded by Cobra Troopers. They begin to throw cue balls at the Joes, but Lady Jaye rushes forward, strikes a cue ball that nails a racked set at the other end and causes the balls to fly at the Cobra agents. Gung-Ho and Barbecue rip off a volleyball net and tie up four more Cobra soldiers. As the Joes begin to retreat, Barbecue sprays the floor with an extinguishing foam and the Cobras step into the foam and slide into the pool.
The manager of the base runs to a control panel and alerts the Firebat pilots, who take off and attack the Joes on the snowy landscape of Antarctica. H.I.S.S. tanks and Snow Serpents pour out of the base and advance upon the Joes, but Roadblock remains undeterred. He hops into his Snow Cat, avoids the missiles from the Firebats and launches snow-pedoes at the group of H.I.S.S. tanks. Cobra's tanks explode and Scarlett radios Ace for his help on the removal of some pests. The four Skystrikers following Ace dive to the ground with him as he tries to help out his friends.
Battle in the snow.
Inside the base, Lady Jaye, Barbecue and Gung-Ho use a couch for cover as they try to hold their position as they are attacked. The couch may be fireproof, but as a laser blast rips the top portion of the couch off, Lady Jaye wishes that the furniture was laser-proof.
Ace flies toward four Firebats while the four accompanying Skystrikers dive to the ground and pound the Cobra forces. After the Joes capture the polar troops, Scarlett leads Roadblock, Alpine, Bazooka, Spirit and dozens of generic Joes run down the main corridor of the base and as they enter the weight room, Scarlett fires one shot and demands that the Cobra agents surrender. They immediately drop their guns and place their hands in the air.
As the Cobra soldiers are led out of the room, Scarlett tells the Joes that the situation doesn't make sense. After all, why would Cobra send the Joes a message about a recreation base? The manager tells Scarlett that Cobra would never tell the Joes anything and calls them "spoilsports."
West Point Military Academy audience.
Back in America, Flint, Gung-Ho and Roadblock lounge on the couches and when the phone rings Barbecue picks it up and learns that Viper will start at the west corner.
At West Point Military Academy, Scarlett explains to Roadblock that the Viper's clue, the word "corner," could be translated as "point," and with so many high-ranking brass in the stands, Scarlett expresses her worry that Cobra may attempt to attack the academy. Deciding to have a chat with one of the tank jockeys, she looks up and finds Major Bludd in the driver's seat. He takes a couple of shots at the Joes and as they turn to retreat, Major Bludd orders the Cobra troops in the other tanks to roll forward and capture Senator Robbins and General Grant.
Scarlett and Roadblock leap onto Footloose's A.W.E. Striker and several A.W.E. Strikers rush forward in an attempt to cut off the advance of Major Bludd's tank. Graduating cadets scatter as the tanks approach, and with Footloose at the wheel, Roadblock is able to hang on the side of an A.W.E. Striker and drop a grenade into the tread of Major Bludd's tank.
The grenade's explosion rips the tracks apart and the following tanks pile into one another. Scarlett orders the A.W.E. Strikers to circle around the tanks and as the Joes cruise around Cobra, Major Bludd tells himself that he now knows how Custer felt.
West Point Military Academy cadets help in a battle.
A Cobra soldier shoots out the tire of an A.W.E. Striker and Footloose tries to avoid the wrecked A.W.E. Striker, but as he swerves it Scarlett and Roadblock are thrown from the vehicle. Before a Cobra can shoot Scarlett, she awakens and tells him in a playful voice, "Oh, look out behind you." Asking if she expects him to fall for "that old gag," a cadet tackles the Cobra agent to the ground. She compliments him and he salutes her smartly and adds, "Our pleasure, ma'am."
Scarlett jumps into the fray and begins to swat aside several Cobra troops. One cadet watches her, smiles and says in an impressed voice, "Wow, that's some kind of soldier!" The cadets standing around the fight raise their fists in the air, shout "Yo Joe!" and proceed to clobber several Cobras.
Roadblock demands that Cobra surrender, however, a Cobra officer replies that they don't have to since they outnumber the Joes 10-to-1. "Would you believe 50-to-1?" asks Scarlett. Behind her, hundreds of cadets ready their rifles and Cobra surrenders. The crowds in the stands cheer and Major Bludd escapes by slipping into the smoke of the battle.
The Joes arrive at the Extensive Enterprises tower.
Scarlett and Barbecue try to relax at the fire station, however, the red phone rings again. Scarlett picks up the phone and learns that the Viper will start on the top floor, and when she demands to know his identity, the man on the phone replies, "I am the Viper."
Outside the Extensive Enterprises Tower, Scarlett stands in front of Barbecue and Snake-Eyes and radios Wild Bill, who is hovering around the tower in a Dragonfly, for a status report, listens to the Joe cowboy explain all is well, and she then turns to explain to Barbecue that Extensive Enterprises Tower is the tallest building in the world so no one else has topped their top floor.
Inside the tower, Destro slams Major Bludd onto a desk in a ransacked office and tells the mercenary that he is the most likely candidate for the Viper, but Major Bludd objects since he was almost captured by the Joes. Tomax and Xamot support Major Bludd's position by providing an alibi and explain to Destro, who turns to the twins and threatens to charge them as the traitorous Viper, that they cannot be the Viper since the loss of man-hours and finances building a recreation base make the idea of tipping off the Joes seem quite ludicrous.
Scarlett, Snake-Eyes and Barbecue enter the building, while the Joes on the ground are left in Roadblock's care. As the three Joes travel to the 80th floor, gas is pumped into the elevator and the Joes are knocked out. Breaker tells Roadblock that something has gone wrong, so Roadblock leads the Greenshirts into the building. A guard rips off his mask, reveals himself as Zartan and welcomes the Joes to two wings of armed Cobra agents, who appear as panels on the walls are raised.
Scarlett fallen before Destro.
Roadblock radios Wild Bill that they have entered the building and Wild Bill is soon attacked by three F.A.N.G.s that fly out of a hidden hangar on the side of the tower. Scarlett awakens and with her best Southern accent she asks Destro, "Don't tell me you're the little ol' Viper." Destro grunts a "no" and orders the other Cobra agents to disarm the Joes.
Wild Bill flies ahead of his adversaries, rotates 180 degrees and shoots a F.A.N.G. from the sky, but another F.A.N.G. catches up with Wild Bill and fires a rocket. However, Wild Bill moves out of the rocket's path and the rocket destroys the window and wall of the office where Destro interrogates the three Joes.
Barbecue grabs Destro's gun and when the arms dealer orders Barbecue to drop it, Snake-Eyes leaps forth and punches Destro to the ground. Tomax begins to shoot into the smoke and Barbecue hits Tomax's hand. A bookcase swivels and Cobra troops pour into the room with guns blazing.
Climbing the Extensive Enterprises tower.
Alpine and Footloose climb up to the top floor and a Cobra F.A.N.G. attacks them. The rope is hit and Alpine quickly climbs up the rope before it snaps. Wild Bill shoots down the F.A.N.G. and asks if his teammates need any help. Footloose says they have everything under control and the rope snaps but Alpine catches him as he hangs on the remaining good part of the rope. Wild Bill laughs and radios back that it appears that they do indeed have the situation in hand.
Scarlett, Barbecue and Snake-Eyes continue to battle Cobra and Scarlett tells Barbecue that they really could use some help. Suddenly, Footloose and Alpine burst through a window and the Joes' newest climber tells Scarlett, "All you had to do was ask." Tomax, Xamot, Major Bludd and Destro retreat via an escape shaft.
More Greenshirts join Recondo and Roadblock on the first floor and the Cobra agents surrender as soon as Zartan announces that he never surrenders and blends with the background on the walls.
The Joes watching the phone, waiting for another call.
On the top floor, Barbecue explains to Scarlett that neither the captured Cobra agent nor the top Cobra leaders know the identity of the Viper, and Scarlett wonders if the Viper even knows who he is.
Barbecue, Scarlett, Duke, Flint, Roadblock, Snake-Eyes and Footloose watch the red phone and patiently wait for it to ring, and as soon as it rings, Barbecue walks forward, answers the phone up and is told that the Viper will arrive at today at noon and that he should be ready.
The "Viper" is actually a window wiper.
F.L.A.K.s, stacked sandbags and several armed Joes surround the firehouse, and an elderly man walks toward the Joes and asks for Mr. Barbecue. The Joe hops down from the seat of a F.L.A.K. and introduces himself. The elderly man tells him: "I am the Viper. I've come to vipe you vindows. Five-seventy five an hour. I start on West corner, top floor first."
Realizing the "Viper" is actually a window wiper and all the clues that led them to Cobra plots were coincidences, Barbecue points to the old man and laughs softly, and the situation is so absurd that all of the Joes are immediately laughing as well.
Appearances[]
Featured Characters[]
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| G.I. Joe | Cobra | Civilians | Others |
|---|---|---|---|
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Featured Vehicles and Equipment[]
| G.I. Joe | Cobra |
|---|---|
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Notes[]
Animation and Technical Errors[]
Snow Cat.
- In Antarctica, the Snow Cat's canopy opens forward, rather than backwards.
- The Firebats seem to be two-seaters.
- As Scarlett and Roadblock are scanning the stands in front of them at West Point, the animation clearly shows Major Bludd and the Cobra troops sitting in the tanks are visible a few yards in front of them.
Continuity Errors[]
- The Viper's clue of "5-75" leads the Joes to investigate Antarctica. However, a more logical conclusion would have to been 5ºN, 75ºW, near Bogota, Colombia.
- The Viper's accent is somewhat inconsistent, with his "west" being understandable.
Miscellaneous Trivia[]
- The West Point cadets certainly had empty rifles for the ceremony. Cobra surrendered when confronted with the empty threat of a bluff.
- The Cobras still wear their masks and helmets even though they are at a resort.
- Standard Cobra Troopers are visible in the cockpits of the Firebats, not A.V.A.C.s.
- The "Now you know..." segment attached to this episode involved Roadblock telling kids not to play around downed electrical wires.
- When Roadblock falls through the window at the party, Barbecue quips that now he won't need to get that window cleaned - a subtle set-up for the episode's payoff, suggesting that he's already called for a window washer.
- The fact that Destro knows Scarlett's surname would seem to indicate this episode takes place after Captives of Cobra.
- A character similar to the title character appears in issue 14, page 17 of the 2001 G.I. Joe comic.
Quotes[]
"The viper is coming; five seventy-five."
--The Viper makes contact.
"What could Cobra attack down here?"
"Whatever it is, they can have it!"
--Roadblock and Barbecue, about Antarctica.
Real World References[]
- Surrounded by Joes, Major Bludd says he knows how Custer felt, referring to the famous defeat of General Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn. Custer actually was a West Point graduate in 1861.
- This episode was based on an old campfire story.