Episode Ten: A Man Named Krinkle

I have to apologize. This was supposed to be up before the end of the semester.  I had this plan to put up the last four episodes of the first season before I came home. But life likes to take plans and ball them up and toss them into lit fireplaces. And the next one will be up within a week. Cross my heart and hope for a softball to the face. Alexia, any words?

(Now that summer is here, things should get easier. But Kendall has her family pushing her to do five things at once because they are annoying, and if they had their way, I wouldn’t be around. But enough about annoying old people! Let’s learn a little something about A Man Called Krinkle.)

 

OVERVIEW

The citizens of Shuggazoom are running away from a large potted plant monster battling the Hyperforce and winning. All of their attacks are being absorbed and they get covered with some fast growing mutant moss that starts eating the Robot. However, Chiro gets the idea of throwing it into a vat of plant food when he sees it looking for food and growing bigger.

(And the monster goes ‘BOOM! And fish and flowers and sludge rain from the sky! I guess the plan apparently worked. That was a smart move on Chiro’s part.)

All the helpless citizens leave so that the cleaning crew can do their job.  Including one grey-skinned man who says something weird…

(Foreshadowing! Ok, folks, it’s time for a pop quiz! Can you point out the episode’s titular character? The first one to get it right gets a cookie!)

Said man is giving himself a monologue about the Team and petting the Robot and crying.

(Um…)

Then his boss yells at him to do his job.

(THANK YOU!)

This is also the first time Chiro ever hears about these clean-up guys. They are the Clean-Ops. They are “high-tech janitors here to cleanse the city after our rubble inducing battles” according to Gibson.

(The Hyperforce! Helping people everywhere through job creation!)

Chiro goes out and has his first meeting with the episode’s titular character- Gyrus Krinkle, Clean-Ops Tech #06751- and gets his first taste of the man’s overly excitable personality. Awkward touches and a plea for a job interview don’t really win him any points with the boy hero (Chiro does his best to not run for the hills while getting as far away from this guy as possible.) and his boss fires him on the grounds of “obsessive creepiness.”

(Is that legal?)

I don’t know. But Krinkle takes the opportunity to monologue again as it starts raining. He goes home (Underground. Using an elevator. To his basement.) to his wind up Monkey Team and his nagging mother.

When asked about what he does in the basement, he grins at a robot action figure of sorts.

(Foreshadowing!)

Indeed, as that’s the same toy Chiro is drooling over in his room. According to Chiro, it’s the “Techroid A-88. The most amazing robot toy this side of the Nexafore.”

(Yes, kids! You too can own the Techroid A-88. Just call this number and receive yours for only $49.95 with shipping and handling! Get yours now!)

Nova rushes in and informs of an accident involving Gibson and he hurries out of his room… and into his own birthday party.

(Happy fourteenth birthday! But, notice how Sparks isn’t at the party? Well, he’s busy running back to the Robot after forgetting to get his leader a birthday present. But he does end up finding something lying against the Robot’s foot…)

He barges into the party and hands Chiro THE TECHROID -88! Chiro is happy. (Until Otto’s present blows up the cake. Then the party presumably ends.)

The next morning, the team is discussing defense plans against foes like Cheese-Bot and Cloggy Colon Creature-

(Wha-? When were these? I want to know about those guys!)

The team is attacked by a large mechanical four-legged spiderlike creature.

Antauri states the obvious and they start to fight back. But the thing is too fast for them and they soon get tied up in its trap.

(And there’s more stating the obvious. Thanks Nova and Otto.)

Thankfully, the Fist Rockets take care of the creature, flinging the thing into a building.

(That’ll cost ‘em a few pockets of cash.)

Gyrus comes out of nowhere and gets the spider web off of the Robot with some sort of ray gun (Foreshadowing!) before trying to get a spot on the team.

He only manages to creep out the entire team and make them suspicious when he blurts out something only they know. He ends up getting spurned and angrily monologues to himself once more. He goes home, having decided that Chiro is the one to blame for everything-

(How?! No, seriously, how is it Chiro’s fault that you’re a weirdo with a fan-crush?)

-and his (Robotic!) mother and his windups apparently push him over the edge, telling him “It’s time.”

Meanwhile, with our heroes, Chiro is playing with his dolls before he goes to bed when Sparks- forced by Gibson and Nova- comes in to tell him that his birthday gift was actually something he re-gifted.

(Not that Chiro minds. No, he seems ecstatic that some random city-person knew what he liked better than his teammates.)

Gibson suggests that they take it to his lab and make sure it isn’t dangerous, but Chiro shoots that idea down before shooing them away.

(I might agree with Chiro on this- I mean, dissecting a toy robot just because they found it outside?- but the next scene proves just how right Gibson was.)

Krinkle, dressed up like Chiro, activates the toy and gets access to the Robot. The Techroid attacks him, awakening the rest of his team. The Monkeys get hypnotized while Gyrus puts Chiro in a full body replica of the Techroid A-88. Meanwhile, the Monkeys get sucked into preexistence-The Great Void.

Gyrus pops in and basically takes control over them.

(And then the opening credits roll, with Gyrus in Chiro’s place. It is easily the weirdest thing about the episode yet, seeing as that means Gyrus has just broken the fourth wall and most likely knows that he is a cartoon character… is he ripping off Deadpool? Because Deadpool is going to find out! And then Gyrus is going to (accidentally) get shot in the crotch because he aimed for the chest and missed.)

 

He sics the Monkeys on the newly formed Techroid A-89.

As they fight (Chiro trying not to hurt them), Gyrus loudly monologues to Chiro about how they should have just let him lead them.

(Why is he still talking to himself!?)

After being attacked by Otto and Antauri, Chiro realizes he can free himself from the costume if the Monkeys attack it hard enough.

Once free, the team snaps out of it. Gyrus doesn’t take it so well and tries to kill Chiro.

(Because that’s TOTALLY how you handle your problems- throw a hissy fit and try to destroy an innocent fourteen year old boy with a team of Robot Monkeys who regularly save the city because you have problems.)

Eventually, he traps them all and preps a bomb to go off. He starts to leave when Chiro has the most brilliant idea- he starts talking! No, not talking- playing to Gyrus’ rules! Here’s their conversation:

Chiro: “Gyrus! Gyrus, wait! I thought you were going to pilot the Robot’s ears for us.”

Gyrus: “But, the Super Robot doesn’t have any ears.”

Chiro: “If we built some, then you could.”

Gyrus: “I-I don’t know.”

Chiro: “I mean- we do owe you, right? And you said the team could use someone like you.”

Gyrus: “Yeah, guess…maybe we could…”

Chiro: “Whadaya say? Super Robot Monkey Team…

Gyrus: “…Hyper Force Go…”

And he lets them go, falling to his knees.

The episode ends with a flash forward to sometime later. Gyrus is hanging out with the team reminiscing about one of their wins against evil and being complimented on his Robot Ear piloting.

(WHAAATT?)

But not to fear, it turns out the entire thing was a daydream. Gyrus is being held in a padded room with robot guards outside. He’s been dropped off by the Hyper Force, in a facility far away from the planet.

(And he’s still talking to himself…)

NEW CHARACTERS

GYRUS KRINKLE:  This is every famous person’s worst nightmare- the insane fan. Gyrus is obsessive and intelligent. Yet, he’s surprisingly easy to feel bad for. I get the feeling that he never had many friends. And since his mom has a windup key in her back, she probably wasn’t the easiest to live with. He’s a great villain- and more entertaining than the Skeleton King.

(I don’t have as nice of an opinion. The guy is creepy and insane, plain and simple. But he is a rather good villain. He has obvious motives and reasons for his actions, as well as enough personality and skill to remember him by. I can only imagine how much more dangerous he would be if he had succeeded.)

UNANSWERED QUESTION(S)

1)      Was Gyrus’s mother always a robot?

2)      How did he manage to create all those weapons without anyone noticing?

3)      Why did he blame Chiro for everything?

4)     Will he ever be seen again?

5)     Will we learn more about Cheese-Bot or Cloggy Colon Creature?

Well, this episode was very interesting. It reminds me of a movie about a woman who ends up taking care of her favorite author during a snowstorm, but goes mad when she finds out the fate of her favorite character. It’s got it lighthearted moments and its darker ones. And a villain who worships the heroes is just too much fun to play around with.

(Speaking of worshipping fans, that’s a trend that continues on in the next episode. Until then, take care.)