I never grew up with The Real GhostBusters, but I will say it's one of the few nostalgic properties where I can fully agree with people who'd levy complaints. It was based on a movie and the show had a strong level of respect for the property, at first. Any complaints toward new installments were deserved, so as an outsider, I have a great level of respect for what the show was.
I decided to review one episode from every season. I will be focusing mostly on episodes written by J. Michael Straczynski, mainly to see how he'd handle episodes in the worser seasons. I don't know for sure if I'd wind up liking the dire season episodes, but you never know until you try.
Episode
Since this was from the first season, I won't focus on a Straczynski episode. This episode was written by Michael Reeves and was the sixth episode overall. This was two episodes after the first episode Straczynski wrote, Slimer Come Home, and earlier on story editing was handled by Len Janson and Chuck Menville.
I would've picked one of the episodes written by the two, as singled out by Phelous, but... I dunno, The Boogeyman is more interesting? That and I wanna single out the more scary in principle episodes as that's where things really unwind.
We start with Winston as the driver, back before he would always be the driver. And yes I got this from Phelous. We're in the era of peak representation, when you notice these things you gotta bring it up.
Speaking of eras, this was before people became entirely aware of cliches. In this, Peter wants rest and with how he brings it up quite a bit toward bedtime we know something would be up. On the upside, this was also back when Slimer was used properly, as in sparingly, so we got a decent interaction out of it, and by decent, I mean not overkill.
One thing I like about this is that it was also when Peter wasn't devolved (and yes, I'm not saying this because I love Phelous' videos on the show, but because even I can pick up on stuff like this)
Let me put it like this. Peter takes out what seems to be an experimental bomb used to destroy Slimer. In the later seasons he would actually use a bomb to destroy Slimer (he was at that level of stupid), but then again he'd just forgive it as he was at that point to. In this, it was just a clever ploy to teach Slimer a thing or two.
This is also a reason why I didn't go for episodes Phelous already covered, I'd be saying what he said verbatim.
Our introduction to the Boogeyman comes from two kids, i.e., his current haunts, Kenny and Megan Carter. Given the creature's association with scaring kids, it's well-founded, though I will say it conflates with upping a kid's sense of wonder if The Halloween Door is anything to go by, or I'm just an idiot.
It turns out Egon shares, a link if you will, with the Boogeyman, which you'd never expect out of the more intelligent, but then again Winston is the more down to earth of the two, and with the creatures they encounter... go figure. With Egon it provides more layers to his character, as he held on to childhood fears.
Indicative of the time, these episodes don't hold back on the creepy atmosphere. I haven't watched the show when it was new, but already I know I'm gonna miss hearing Lorenzo Music.
They do some big spell-outs, they need a childlike person to be a stand-in for luring the Boogeyman, who is the happy one? Here's a hint, he oozes over a stuffed toy- Ray. Now look, I maintain that I respect the first season a great deal, but I'm the same person who nitpicks Teen Titans.
Should go without saying, but Peter would've been the stand-in if this came in a later season. There it would've probably been not funny, but they got it down here, because you know.
Though not much else occurs worth talking about, I was able to maintain interest. We get to the final confrontation, and the point Kenny and Megan seek to face the Boogeyman with bravery, which is more or less a distraction as they overheat their proton packs in order to destroy the link between the Boogeyman's realm and the real world.
And what better way to leave off than with a Slimer joke? He hasn't been around that much in the episode so it's welcome here.
Overall
This is standards 80s cartoon fare, but of the more enjoyable crop. They had a strong sense of creepiness and a point to facing your fears, not to mention as there was actual passion put into the writing of it, leading to a fun experience, and a taste for what was the peak of the series.
I fear the worst as we go on, but I have one more surefire good episode before then.
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