Plot
The forlorn Jeremy and his companion DyTyllio reach a mountain shrine, where Jeremy summons a magic flute that holds the power to end the world. Jeremy and DyTyllio have been inseparable since Jeremy once saved DyTyllio from being struck by a car, and DyTyllio has stayed at his side even as Jeremy's grief turned nihilistic. He plays the opening of the Symphony of Destruction, which calls forth the Dark Entity, an evil face in the sky. As Jeremy's resolve hardens, his appearance grows darker to match. Attacks by creatures called Half-Bats spread across New York, and natural disasters break out worldwide. Proton streams have no effect on the creatures, and P.K.E. readings spike everywhere at a frightening rate.
Working from twelve assignments that arose over four days, Egon Spengler recognizes a pattern centered on a single house, at 427 South 15th Street in Manhattan. There the team meets Cindy, Jeremy's ex-girlfriend. Jeremy had wanted to marry her, but she wanted to focus on her career; after they broke up, he went to pieces and vanished. Cindy hands Egon a letter from Jeremy that predicted all of the phenomena, along with an old scroll bearing a single word: "Ragnarok." When Egon scans the parchment with his P.K.E. Meter, it overloads and he throws it out the window before it explodes in the street.
Jeremy begins the second movement of the Symphony of Destruction, and Janine Melnitz radios Winston Zeddemore with fresh reports of volcanoes, tidal waves, earthquakes, and twisters tearing through cities. The Ghostbusters find Jeremy atop the Karstick Building as more Half-Bats attack, one of them smashing part of the Ecto-1's roof, which sends Ray Stantz into a fury. With the city in ruins, Jeremy starts the final stanza. The team's blasters have no effect on him, so while Cindy tries to reason with him, the Ghostbusters set their proton packs to overload simultaneously, ready to sacrifice themselves to stop the apocalypse.
When DyTyllio is knocked from the building while saving Cindy, Jeremy moves to rescue him. DyTyllio refuses to be saved, telling Jeremy that destroying the world over his own pain is wrong. Jeremy promises to stop, pulls DyTyllio back to the roof, and plays the Song of Life. The team shuts down their self-destruct sequence as the Half-Bats melt away and the world begins to right itself. The Dark Entity, unwilling to let Ragnarok end, strikes Jeremy with lightning. The Ghostbusters fire on the weakened entity, and Jeremy, alive but drained, borrows everyone's strength to repair the flute and play the world back to normal. The flute vanishes and Jeremy returns to himself.
Characters
Peter Venkman
Egon Spengler
Ray Stantz
Winston Zeddemore
Janine Melnitz
Slimer
Jeremy Whittington (voiced by Frank Welker) - The heartbroken protagonist whose sorrow is exploited by the Dark Entity, transforming him into a pale, lifeless-eyed vessel for apocalyptic power. He was born with everything and had once saved DyTyllio's life, but his breakup with Cindy drove him into hiding and eventually to a nihilistic desire to end all suffering by ending the world itself. His speech mannerisms are modeled on Elvis Presley, and his accent suggests a southern United States origin.
Cindy - Jeremy's ex-girlfriend who turned down his marriage proposal in favor of her career, driving him to despair and making her the key to reaching his humanity.
DyTyllio - Jeremy's closest companion, who remained loyal even as Jeremy's plans turned destructive. His moral stand against Jeremy's nihilism and his willingness to be knocked from the building to save Cindy is what finally reaches Jeremy. The character's name is an in-universe nod to Real Ghostbusters story editor Larry DiTillio.
The Dark Entity - An ancient evil force possibly identified as Surt, a Norse fire jötunn whose purpose is to bring about Ragnarok and the destruction of all worlds.
Half-Bats - Winged supernatural creatures serving the Dark Entity, which Jeremy calls his "emissaries." Unlike standard ghosts, they operate on a different frequency, carry no ectoplasm, and pass through proton streams entirely. They can fly and are intangible, yet are capable of physically smashing solid objects.
Mad Prophet - A street preacher (credited as "Mad Prophet") whose running gag of hawking donations for the end of the world pivots to deadpan resignation when Peter confirms the apocalypse is actually underway.
Production
The episode carried the production number 76019 and was recorded on October 29, 1986.2 In the episode's call sheet, the Dark Entity is listed as "Thing in Clouds."2
Frank Welker, who supplied the regular cast voice of Ray Stantz and Slimer, also voiced guest character Jeremy Whittington, with Lynn Ann Leveridge and Christopher Weeks supplying additional guest voices in the episode. The character DyTyllio was named for Real Ghostbusters story editor Larry DiTillio, who in turn worked a nod back to J. Michael Straczynski into the episode "You Can't Teach an Old Demon New Tricks." When Jeremy summons the flute, he can be heard reciting Tolkien's Ring inscription and then saying "Khazad-dum."
The episode includes several in-jokes referencing the show's own production. An ABC theater marquee advertises a showing of Ghostbusters, tying back to the film premiere depicted in Take Two; ABC was the network that aired The Real Ghostbusters. A news reporter's microphone carries a "DIC" logo, for DIC, the studio that produced the series.
Trivia
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When the Ghostbusters arrive at Cindy's house, Egon's jumpsuit is mistakenly colored brown like Peter's.
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"Ragnarok and Roll" is one of the most character-driven episodes of the series.
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The winged Half-Bat creatures in this episode bear a visual resemblance to the Stone Gargoyles in Ghostbusters: The Video Game.
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In Extreme Ghostbusters, Surt, a Norse fire jötunn whose purpose in Norse mythology is to wreak the final destruction of the world by setting fire to it at the end of Ragnarok, is imprisoned in the containment unit. It is unclear when or how Surt was captured, or if the skull-like face that partially crossed into the mortal world at the end of this episode was Surt himself. Surt uses the recently released Fenris, the giant demon wolf who is the harbinger of Ragnarok, to attempt his escape. His plans are foiled when Slimer and Eduardo take a stand against him in the hell-universe of the containment unit, risking their lives and afterlives to do so. Surt likely remains imprisoned in the containment unit.
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The Dark Entity in this episode is depicted in dark colors. In real Norse mythology, Surt, one of the dark gods of Ragnarok who was to kill the other gods, was also known as "the black one" or "the dark one."
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Egon apparently knows how to transplant human brains into animal bodies. The method he used to perfect this technique and why he has a human brain on the mantel in "Copy Cat" remain unexplained.
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Issues 5-7 of the IDW Ghostbusters ongoing comic series feature a young boy named Scotty who is possessed by a Manitou. As one of Dan Schoening's many in-jokes, Scotty's parents greatly resemble Jeremy and Cindy.
Quotes
Janine Melnitz: "EGON!! YOU SAID YOU'D TRANSPLANT HIS BRAIN INTO A CHICKEN THE NEXT TIME HE MADE FUN OF ME!"
Ray Stantz: "Winston, do you realize the kind of power he must have been in contact with for a single sheet of exposed paper to do that?!"
Winston Zeddemore: "No, do I want to?"
Ray Stantz: "Only if you want nightmares the rest of your life!"
Winston Zeddemore: "Thanks, I'll pass."
The Dark Entity: "NO!! MY TIME IS COME! YOU CANNOT STOP ME NOW!!!"
Egon Spengler: (as he faces certain death) "...Janine...."
Street Preacher: "The end is near! Repent! Did you hear brothers and sisters? The end of the world is upon us; there's no use to argue! But if you donate five dollars, I might be able to work out a reprieve."
Peter Venkman: "Actually, you're right! The end of the world is upon us!"
Street Preacher: "It is? You mean this is the real thing!?"
Peter Venkman: (Nods)
Street Preacher: "Well, shoot. Looks like I'll have to find a new line of work."
Gallery
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Notes
The word "Ragnarok" refers to the apocalyptic event in Norse mythology in which gods such as Thor and Odin die and the world is submerged in water, leaving two human survivors to repopulate it.
There is no South 15th Street in Manhattan, where most numbered streets are divided into "East" and "West" variants. The location Egon highlights, however, sits roughly along the line where 15th Street would run.
Jeremy's speech mannerisms are styled after Elvis Presley.
As the Ghostbusters set their packs to overload and each said what might be their last words, Egon spoke only one: "Janine," a nod to his attachment to Janine Melnitz.
Release
"Ragnarok and Roll" was released on home video as part of The Real Ghostbusters Complete Collection (Volume 2, Disc 1), where it carries the DVD number 032. Its broadcast episode number was 016. In broadcast order it followed "Adventures in Slime and Space" and preceded "Captain Steel Saves the Day"; in DVD order it followed "Chicken, He Clucked" and preceded "Don't Forget the Motor City."
References
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Eatock, James & Mangels, Andy (2008). The Real Ghostbusters Complete Collection booklet, p. 12. CPT Holdings, Inc.
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Marsha Goodman (1986). Episode Call Sheet and SAG Report, "Ragnarok and Roll" (1986).
