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In Egon's Dragon, long ago, Egon's ancestor Zedikiah Spengler summoned up a dragon to do his bidding. When Egon comes across the well in which the creature was put to sleep, he accidentally awakens the dragon, which assumes Egon is its father![2]

Cast[]

Peter Venkman

Egon Spengler

One Man Band Poltergeist

Ray Stantz

Winston Zeddemore

Slimer

Loci

Janine Melnitz

Zedikiah Spengler

Equipment[]

Proton Pack

Particle Thrower

P.K.E. Meter

Trap

Ecto-1

Ecto-2

Helmet Ecto Goggles

Locations[]

Nass Burg

Paddy's Clam House

Firehouse

Plot[]

The Ghostbusters were out in New England on a bust at a farm. Peter enjoyed the change of scenery but a poltergeist dumped a pile of hay on top of him. The poltergeist laughed, played a bunch of instruments at once, and flew off. Ray and Winston chased after it while Egon paid attention to his P.K.E. Meter. As Peter brushed himself, Winston indicated help was needed. Egon handed his Ghost Trap to Peter and the poltergeist was trapped. Peter lamented how this bust wasn't going to be in the newspapers. As Peter and Ray walked back to Ecto-1, Ray noted how it was great they got paid and got three home backed pies. However, Ray stored them in the backseat with Slimer.

While on the road, it became apparent the guys were lost. They soon crashed into a sign that read "Nass Burg." Egon recognized the name as Ray realized they drove in the wrong direction. Winston suggested they ask for directions in town but Egon was eager to skip it. Ray noted they had no choice since Ecto was almost out of gas. Just as Ray finished up at the gas station, Slimer was nowhere in sight. Peter wasn't sure where he was and suggested they just leave. Ray, however, spotted Slimer looking into a well. The guys walked over to the well and Ray noticed an old plaque next to it. Winston read it aloud and learned a Zedikiah Spengler banished a dragon into the well in 1742. Egon admitted he was an ancestor but quickly noted he was a loon who chose superstition over science. Egon then revealed Zedikiah conjured the dragon by mistake but stated he didn't believe the story. Egon grabbed Slimer and they left Nass Burg.

Egon's voice echoed down the well and awakened the dragon. Back in New York City, Egon added the dragon was only the size of a horse, nothing amazing. However, the giant dragon from Nass Burg appeared in the sky above them. Egon refused to admit the truth as the dragon breathed fire. To make matters worse, the Proton Streams were ineffectual. Without any other options, the guys ran for it. Peter tripped and fell just as the dragon passed over him and it grabbed Egon. The dragon, recognizing strong family traits, thought Egon was his daddy!

The next morning, Janine came upstairs to Egon's lab and read the morning headline to the weary Ghostbusters. They were up half the night looking for Zedikiah's journals and the other half trying the decipher Zedikiah's arcane symbols. Significantly larger than before, the dragon, nicknamed "Loci," started bringing Egon cars. Janine and Slimer were happy to see Loci bring a Rolls Royce but Egon was getting annoyed. Egon revealed he came to deduce Zedikiah bungled the spell when he placed Loci in suspended animation. In 1742, Zedikiah Spengler experimented with musical incantations. Instead of refilling his well with water using one of these spells, he roused the well's Genius Loci in the form of a dragon. Once the dragon, who was slightly larger than a horse, started bringing Zedikiah pigs and sheep from neighboring farms, he knew he had to put a stop to it. Nothing seemed to work so he tried to rearrange the notes of the original incantation and found the right melody. He was able to put the dragon in a state of suspended animation in the well but it should have been forever and Loci wasn't supposed to get any bigger.

Loci then dropped a ferry on the street outside the Firehouse. Ray declared all they had to do was play the incantation again. Ray, Peter, and Winston tried to play it but was shot at. Egon then popped out the Firehouse and declared only one chord was the key, it produced sound waves that put the dragon in suspended animation, Zedikiah just didn't know that. If played at the exact frequency and amplitude in relation to the size of the dragon and its distance from the well, the sound waves would place Loci in suspended animation. Since Loci got bigger, simple musical instruments couldn't make the right sound waves anymore so Ray needed to adjust the Particle Throwers to vibrate at the frequency. Peter suggested Egon lead Loci to Nass Burg with Ecto-2. It worked but Egon began to have second thoughts. The sound waves had the potential to destroy Loci. Winston assured him it was the only choice they had. The Ghostbusters opened fire into the sky and Loci was returned to the well. Egon went down to check and Loci was indeed in suspended animation and back to the size of a horse again, too. Egon confirmed on the P.K.E. Meter and petted Loci before he climbed back up.

Quotes[]

Egon: Do you talk about the loons and the scoundrels in your family tree?

Peter: If I didn't, I wouldn't have anybody to talk about.

Trivia[]

  • The episode was recorded on October 31, 1986.[3]
  • Egon asserts scientists and scholars run in his family, not Ghostbusters.[4] However, another ancestor named Eli Spengler later proved to be such.
  • Janine's Manhattan Mornings newspaper mentions a Yankees vs. Dodgers Major League Baseball game and indicates it is a Friday and March 1986.
  • Mayor Lenny is mentioned twice in the episode.[5][6]
  • Peter flunked music in high school.[7]
  • Writer Kathryn M. Drennan reveals much about the episode in the visual commentary found on The Real Ghostbusters Complete Collection.
    • In the script, she only described the barnyard ghost as all legs and no arms. Animators added the musical instruments and such.[8]
    • The 'Nass' in Nass Burg is a reference to one of her high school friends. Drennan said she saw the episode, too.[9]
    • Nass Burg is in the New England area.[10]
    • The Genius Loci was inspired by the Leeds Devil which later appeared in Extreme Ghostbusters "The Jersey Devil Made Me Do It." Drennan also said the Leeds Devil also appeared at a time when folklore was winding down and scientific reasoning was taking hold, which also appealed to her.[11]
    • Drennan wrote one claw was going for Peter and the other was going for Egon but liked how the scene turned out.[12]
    • When Egon was grabbed by Loci, the others were supposed to be looking around, not slumped on Ecto-1.[13]
    • Drennan didn't write in the bits with Loci licking Zedikiah and Egon.[14]
    • Drennan didn't call for the dragon to understand English.[15]
    • Wanted Janine's joke about the Rolls Royce to happen after the car crashed.[16]
    • The music played by Ray, Peter, and Winston was supposed to sound like an amateur attempt at the flute, drums, and guitar but ended up sounding like a belly dancer music.[17]
    • Drennan wanted the dragon to sound musical like pipe organs and appear more serpentine in design.[18]
    • In the final scene, Drennan wanted Winston to put his hand on Egon's shoulder when the group comforted him about the dragon's safety.[19]
    • When the Ghostbusters fired their Proton Throwers like tuning forks, each stream was supposed to sound like a different chord which would be later paid off by Peter's rock concert joke.[20]

Animation Errors[]

References[]

  1. Marsha Goodman (1986). Episode Call Sheet and SAG Report - "Egon's Dragon" (1986).
  2. Eatock, James & Mangels, Andy (2008). The Real Ghostbusters Complete Collection booklet, p. 24. CPT Holdings, Inc.
  3. Marsha Goodman (1986). Episode Call Sheet and SAG Report - "Egon's Dragon" (1986).
  4. Egon Spengler (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "Egon's Dragon" (1987) (DVD ts. 5:29-5:32). Time Life Entertainment. Egon says: "Scientists and scholars run in my family, except for Zedikiah."
  5. Janine Melnitz (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "Egon's Dragon" (1987) (DVD ts. 11:26-11:36). Time Life Entertainment. Janine says: "Ghostbusters' pet terrorizes city. Mayor demands that the fearless foursome do something."
  6. Winston Zeddemore (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "Egon's Dragon" (1987) (DVD ts. 14:44-14:46). Time Life Entertainment. Winston says: "What's the Mayor gonna say?"
  7. Peter Venkman (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "Egon's Dragon" (1987) (DVD ts. 15:10-15:12). Time Life Entertainment. Peter says: "Do you think it can sense I flunked music in high school?"
  8. Kathryn M. Drennan (2009).The Real Ghostbusters- "Egon's Dragon" Visual Commentary (DVD ts. 01:47-01:59). Time Life Entertainment.
  9. Kathryn M. Drennan (2009).The Real Ghostbusters- "Egon's Dragon" Visual Commentary (DVD ts. 03:47-03:50). Time Life Entertainment.
  10. Kathryn M. Drennan (2009).The Real Ghostbusters- "Egon's Dragon" Visual Commentary (DVD ts. 05:05-05:26). Time Life Entertainment.
  11. Kathryn M. Drennan (2009).The Real Ghostbusters- "Egon's Dragon" Visual Commentary (DVD ts. 05:59-07:35). Time Life Entertainment.
  12. Kathryn M. Drennan (2009).The Real Ghostbusters- "Egon's Dragon" Visual Commentary (DVD ts. 09:44-10:02). Time Life Entertainment.
  13. Kathryn M. Drennan (2009).The Real Ghostbusters- "Egon's Dragon" Visual Commentary (DVD ts. 10:35-10:37). Time Life Entertainment.
  14. Kathryn M. Drennan (2009).The Real Ghostbusters- "Egon's Dragon" Visual Commentary (DVD ts. 10:58-11:01). Time Life Entertainment.
  15. Kathryn M. Drennan (2009).The Real Ghostbusters- "Egon's Dragon" Visual Commentary (DVD ts. 12:21-13:03). Time Life Entertainment.
  16. Kathryn M. Drennan (2009).The Real Ghostbusters- "Egon's Dragon" Visual Commentary (DVD ts. 12:21-13:03). Time Life Entertainment.
  17. Kathryn M. Drennan (2009).The Real Ghostbusters- "Egon's Dragon" Visual Commentary (DVD ts. 13:49-14:44). Time Life Entertainment.
  18. Kathryn M. Drennan (2009).The Real Ghostbusters- "Egon's Dragon" Visual Commentary (DVD ts. 15:30-15:55). Time Life Entertainment.
  19. Kathryn M. Drennan (2009).The Real Ghostbusters- "Egon's Dragon" Visual Commentary (DVD ts. 18:49-18:59). Time Life Entertainment.
  20. Kathryn M. Drennan (2009).The Real Ghostbusters- "Egon's Dragon" Visual Commentary (DVD ts. 19:20-20:04). Time Life Entertainment.

Gallery[]

Episode Screen Caps[]

Collages and Edits[]


RGB DVD Boxset Features[]


 
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