"G.I.JOE"
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This episode featured Twenty-Eight Main Characters, all of which were made into Action Figures.
In the jungle, Cross-Country drives up in a H.A.V.O.C., carrying Duke, Beach-head, Lifeline, Mainframe and Sci-Fi, to break into a Cobra Base with a landing strip, because they discovered about a Cobra Computer Expert doing something with software and decoder boxes. After dodging some Vipers, MainFrame finds a decoder box and some computer printouts. Lifeline and Sci-Fi gets captured.
At Cobra Headquarters, Serpentor starts yelling at Tomax, Xamot and Dr. Mindbender. Dr. Mindbender tries to calm him down by telling him about a new Cobra Computer Virus that actually explodes the computers it infects, that they were planning to use to currupt the computer systems of InterPol (International Police). But it will cost Five Billion Dollars. When Serpentor questions how they will get such a large amount of money, the Crimson Guard Commander twins explain that they will hold a Telethon.
"Criminals everywhere would contribute generously..." - Tomax.
"...to see InterPol's computers wiped out." - Xamot.
Dr. Mindbender explains that the two capture Joes would be the "Guest Entertainment" at the Telethon.
At the Joe Base, Dial-Tone just so happens to pick up the Cobra Telethon as a fluke. Dial-Tone, Flint and General Hawk see the captured Joes Lifeline and Sci-Fi held prisoner at the Telethon, where they are about to be executed in really stupid ways to raise money. When the signal randomly changes again (as part of the signal's scrambling), they lose it. Duke and the rest shows up with the decoder box MainFramel picked up.
With the Baroness hosting the Cobrathon, when the Live Studio Audience starts complaining about Sci-Fi's attempt to survive, they temporarily go off the air, just as G.I.Joe picks up the signal again. When they return, Destro attempts to perform stand-up before introducing Dr. Mindbender, who proceeds to explain how the computer virus would be implemented when the Tote Board reaches $5 Billion.
Using the Printout Code Beach-head swiped, Mainframe tries to find the exact location of the Host Computer of the Virus. Tracing the broadcast to Nevada, Flint, Dial-Tone and LowLight begin to check out several Casinos, where several women hit on Dial-Tone. As they're leaving the Casino, they're spotted by the Dreadnoks Ripper, Buzzer and Torch, who inform Baroness via radio that the Joes were headed to the Coconut Palm - the Baroness's Hotel. She tells the Dreaknoks to "take care of them".
At the Cobrathon, while Cobra Commander and Destro reluctantly answer phones, Zartan and Thrasher explain to the viewers that your dollars can help keep young criminals free to join Cobra Academy.
With Lady-Jaye in the background, Hawk communicates with Mainframe who is flying in one of several G.I.Joe jets to the Host Computer they tracked to some abandoned Pueblos that oddly enough, have Telephone Lines leading to them. Along the way, they get attacked by some Night-Ravens (and of course, we see the Strato-Viper Pilots).
Outside of the Coconut Palm, the Dreadnoks have a shoot-out with Flint, Lifeline and Dial-Tone, confirming that the Cobrathon is near by.
At the Cobrathon, Zarana explains to the viewers how Sci-Fi and Lifeline will die. Major Bludd pulls a switch on a giant Slot Machine that tosses out tons of coins into a giant jar that Sci-Fi is tied up in (drowned by money?). While Lifeline is tied to a table with two deadly snakes slithering towards him that broke out of giant Dice (Snake Eyes? Get it?).
At the Peublos, Duke, Beach-head and Mainframe take out a B.A.T. Trooper in order to break inside. Mainframe puts a copy of the Cobra computer virus back into the Host Computer.
Flint, Dial-Tone and Lowlight break into the Cobrathon, saving the life of Lifeline and Sci-Fi, while wee see all the Cobras escape to the roof and off the building in F.A.N.G. copters.
The Host Computer gets destroyed as Cobra's Five Billion Dollar Goal is met.
THE END.
This episode was produced among the height of the series popularity when the majority of the characters were most well know, unlike very early episodes which featured forgettable characters called "Crankshaft" or "Crankcase" or something, or the later episodes that wasted time with "Chuckles" or "Hydro-Man" or whatever the hell Hasbro dumbed down the show with. Instead, being produced in the middle this episode featured the majority of the well known ones commonly familiar to the G.I.Joe fans. All G.I.Joe fans know who the twins Tomax and Xamot are. They know Duke, Wet-Suit, Flint and Leatherneck. They know Serpentor, Dr. Mindbender, Destro, B.A.T. Troopers and the Baroness. It was just bad luck that this episode didn't feature Shipwreck, Bazooka, Quick-kick, Alpine or Snake-Eyes, but it's from the same era.
The Demonstration Dr. Mindbender gives to Serpentor of how the computer virus works is rediculous compared to today's standards. The virus works by making the computer over-work itself until it explodes like a bomb. But remember, this was done in 1986. The most common computer people had back then was a Commodore 64, and that was just one step higher than an Atari. They even used the same Joysticks. This episode was produced back in the days of The A-Team, Donkey Kong, and E.T., and Return of the Jedi was just 3 years old. Not nearly two decades old as it is now. The majority of people back then didn't have the common knowledge that people have of computers today.
There would be several references to this story in other G.I.Joe episodes down the line. Mainframe would re-use the Cobra Computer Virus again later to stop their systems and save the day. And in one episode where Cobra Commander was being interviewed for "Twenty Questions" and insisted that the Host give explanations and examples to back up his wild claims that Cobra was a terrorist organization, the Host proceeded to virtually read a G.I.Joe episode guide of Cobra's actions, including mentioning this story.
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