| Kevin in Videoland | |
|---|---|
| Season 1, Episode 1 | |
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| Air date | September 9, 1989 |
| Written by | Jeffrey Scott |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous N/A |
Next How's Bayou |
"Kevin in Videoland" is the first episode of Captain N: The Game Master. It is, therefore, the series' pilot and a Season 1 episode.
The episode was written by Jeffrey Scott.
Plot summary[]
Kevin Keene, a regular video game-playing teenager, is sucked into the realm of Videoland through his television set during a routine game of Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!. In this strange new dimension, all of his video game heroes are real - and unfortunately, so are the villains. Mother Brain, leader of the villains, sends her henchmen to abduct Lana, ruler of Videoland. It's up to Kevin and the heroes of Videoland to overcome their personal differences and rescue Lana from Mother Brain.
Character appearances[]
(Numbers indicate order of appearance. Extras and generics are not counted. In the case of group shots, speaking order is used.)
| N Team | Forces of Chaos | Others |
|---|---|---|
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Trivia[]
- Jeffrey Scott called this episode "Kevin in Nintendoland" in his script, and it remained that way on his site (he being unaware of the change) until he was told so by The Unofficial Captain N Home Page.
- On the main title screen, Jeffrey Scott's first name was misspelled as "Jeffery" and the title card was blue. This was later corrected on the DVD version. Curiously, the DVD also makes the text white for some reason (although this does make it consistent with most of the other episodes in the season).
- The narrator calls Princess Lana "beautiful", a rare personal observation.
- The live-action sequence was shot specifically for the opening theme. Jeffrey Scott was aware of it, so he included it in his script.
- Kevin's line upon noticing Lana, "I'm in love", would be quoted in the blurb on the back cover of one of the Captain N comic books ("Pause").
- Both Lana and Kevin call the Power Pad a "Super Power Pad". The word "Super" would be dropped after this episode. It would however be called the Super Power Pad at various points in the comic series.
- In the second Metroid scene, Mother Brain seems to insinuate that Lana rules over multiple video worlds. The situation regarding this is unclear as several video worlds clearly have their own rulers.
- There is a large "NE" on the wall while the heroes are sneaking to the warp to Kongoland. It's never indicated what the full text is, though "WARP ZONE" is a logical possibility.
- Mega Man throws the cover (making a loud noise) after Kevin warns them to be quiet. He doesn't listen, does he?
- On Kongoland, Kevin moves around as a ball of light with his Power Pad. This strange ability is used only once and never seen again. It's likely a concept dropped after the pilot episode.
- The jungle music that plays when the N Team first enters Kongoland is a piece of stock music which was recycled from the 1986 Dennis the Menace TV series, another animated series by DiC Entertainment.
- Kevin exclaims "Jump!" before using his Power Pad to jump (similar to his recurring exclamation of "Pause!"). He never does this again. It's likely a concept dropped after the pilot episode, but a possible in-story reason is Kevin is unfamiliar with the requirements of the Power Pad at this point. It's also possible he was yelling for Kid Icarus to jump down to him.
- The plant that comes out of the warp looks sort of like a Piranha Plant from Super Mario Bros.
- In the conversation between Lana and Mother Brain, it's implied that Simon, Mega Man, and Kid Icarus tried (and failed) to rescue Lana's father. This is never elaborated upon, though.
- Not necessarily an error, but we never see whether Donkey Kong got paused during his climb up the volcano or not.
- Simon tells Kevin to visit them, implying Kevin could return to Videoland on his own. Simon is likely making a joke at Kevin's expense. He'd make a similar joke later.
- Kevin's final line of the episode, "I'm hooked", will later be repeated in the Season 3 opening theme.
- Four enemies from Metroid appear: Skree, Waver, Gamet, and Multiviola.
- This is one of only two episodes in which the "shooting range" room of the Palace of Power appears, "Mr. and Mrs. Mother Brain" being the other.
Errors[]
Animation[]
- The stat bars are missing in the first shot of Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!. It's likely that the game footage is actually animated instead of authentic.
- The Sony logo is missing from Kevin's television set in the first three shots.
- The group shot that appears on Kevin's television screen is recycled from earlier, resulting in the glove still being present on the pedestal, whereas it had actually risen to open the warp by this point.
- Not necessarily an error, but Kevin smiles during Kid Icarus' "It's happening to all of us!" cry. Maybe Kevin's just insensitive.
- The M on the map of Videoland changes to a P or an R.
- During the shot when Mother Brain opens the trap door to send Kevin, Lana, and Duke into the corridors of Metroid, Lana's boots are pink with a green stripe instead of their usual blue with a yellow stripe.
- When Lana addresses Mother Brain just prior to the N Team leaving Metroid, her shoulder pads are pink instead of their usual white.
- Kevin's Zapper is grey in the final shot.
Audio[]
- Simon talks right after Mega Man unflattens him. The audio should have started after the jump cut to Kevin coming over to them as a ball of light.
- Throughout this episode and most of Season 1, Kid Icarus' voice is much lower-pitched and sounds stuffy, like he has a head cold. However, in later episodes - and especially during Season 2 - his voice gradually gets higher-pitched and sounds clearer. (This is presumably due to the voice actor getting used to his role as Kid Icarus throughout the course of Season 1.)
Continuity[]
- The Ultimate Warp Zone opens high up on the wall or ceiling, but the warp that Kevin exits is down near the floor (which, admittedly, is more consistent with the footage that Kevin sees on his TV screen).
- In the Palace, Kevin is able to pause Simon, Mega Man, and Kid Icarus with his Power Pad; however, on the volcano, they are free to move around while everything else is paused.
- The route to Mother Brain's lair changes in every episode.
- The chute from Mother Brain's lair takes Lana to her prison cell, yet it takes her, Kevin, and Duke from the cell to the corridors of Metroid. Perhaps Mother Brain can redirect the chute?
- While much more care is taken regarding Kevin's power level in this episode than would be seen in later episodes, he is still able to fire his Zapper too many times before running out of power.
- Kevin fires his Zapper at the end of the episode despite running out of power during the Mother Brain fight (although perhaps Lana had the Power Pad recharged offscreen in anticipation of Kevin staying).
Logic[]
- Eggplant Wizard does a poor job of "secretly" laughing in the first Metroid scene.
- Kevin doesn't react to suddenly becoming animated. In an interview, Jeffrey Scott was unable to explain it. He confirmed Kevin was pulled from the live-action Earth to the animated Videoland (which becomes rather murky later on), and he guessed either a line was cut from the script, or Kevin knew he was in a game world and simply didn't react to it.
- Kevin is somehow able to recognize Simon Belmont, Kid Icarus, and Mega Man, even though they look drastically different from their game counterparts. It's possible that the games are different on Kevin's Earth. "How's Bayou" seems to confirm this, but it doesn't explain why King Hippo isn't blue in the Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! footage.
- Kevin looks at Lana twice before finally noticing and falling in love with her.
- What, exactly, does Kevin mean by "Warp Zone 4 in Super Mario Bros."? The warp to World 4? The warp to the Minus World? Regardless, how would Lana know what he's talking about? Or does she simply think "Whatever" and go on with her explanation?
- He could have meant the secret warp zone that is found in World 4-2 of the game. This warp zone can only be reached by climbing a beanstalk found in a brick block right after the first set of descending platforms. The beanstalk takes you outside the tunnel to a warp pipe that takes you to the final world. This might be the warp zone Kevin was talking about.
- What does Kid Icarus mean by "It's happening to all of us!" in response to Kevin's disbelief that he's in a video game? Was Kid Icarus trying to state that each of their homeworlds have been under attack by Mother brain for centuries before Kevin arrived in Videoland? If that's the case, how have Lana and the rest of the N Team been able to survive all of Mother Brain's onslaughts for so long?
- Why would the rest of the N Team leave Kevin and Duke, strangers from another world, in the throne room, unsupervised?
- For that matter, why wouldn't Lana try to open the Ultimate Warp on the spot to get rid of her major disappointment?
- Where does King Hippo get the bag from?
- Simon should be dead! King Hippo crushes him in the bag.
- Why does the warp burp when Simon is thrown in?
- For that matter, is King Hippo stupid enough to think Eggplant Wizard burped? Or does he simply use it as an excuse to punch him?
- Kevin doesn't see King Hippo pulling Lana into her bedroom and slamming the doors, even though he arrives mere seconds after it happens.
- Kevin doesn't notice Lana's in trouble, even though her cries are clearly audible through the doors. He even temporarily falls for King Hippo's poor impersonation of her.
- King Hippo uses an even higher-pitched falsetto voice in "Wishful Thinking" which isn't any better than his first impersonation in this episode, yet he still manages to fool Kid Icarus.
- Why does King Hippo throw Lana at Kevin when the mission is to bring her back to Mother Brain?
- For that matter, how can Lana not be hurt by being thrown? Is she Supergirl?
- Kevin is not shown getting out from under Lana. How'd he manage to do that and stand up straight in such a short time?
- After falling on Eggplant Wizard, King Hippo disappears for the rest of the scene.
- After warning Kevin, Lana visually disappears for the rest of the scene.
- Duke disappears between pulling King Hippo's shoelaces and unpeeling the giant banana peel. What was he doing? Why didn't he try to help?
- The map of Videoland doesn't make any sense, yet Simon and Kevin are somehow able to read it.
- Which "game" is Kevin referring to? Is there a game on Kevin's Earth that involved warping to Metroid and rescuing Lana?
- Why does Donkey Kong have the showerhead on when he's taking a bath?
- How is there running water on a jungle world?
- Donkey Kong's tub is awfully low on water for a bath. Maybe it's because he's using the showerhead to fill it.
- Why does Donkey Kong put on a towel? What's he covering up?
- How could Simon be unaware that he landed on Donkey Kong?
- Lame cartoon physics: Simon gets flattened but not killed. Mega Man somehow unflattens him, and Simon is able to talk immediately after with no damage.
- How does Kevin know about the warp and volcano on Kongoland? Is he referring to the same "game" as earlier (which presumably involves rescuing Lana), or is he talking about Donkey Kong? If the latter, then problems will arise later on.
- Kevin seems to have not explained his intention at any point during the lengthy climb up the side of the volcano, instead saving it for when he's paused the boulders.
- How does Kevin control the boulders to get them to Metroid?
- Why do the boulders fall straight down after unpausing? Shouldn't they continue in the direction in which they'd been going?
- Why does Simon believe that a particular warp will take him to Lana?
- How could Kevin spot the hole in the ceiling of the tower from ground level?
- It's never specified what, exactly, Lana feels she should apologize to Kevin for. Crying in front of him and running away instead of trying to send him home, maybe?
- No, you're not locked in, Mega Man. There's a freakin' hole in the ceiling!
- Where was Simon this entire time, and how did he get to Mother Brain's lair?
- Not only that, but why the sudden change of heart? He didn't want to be a team, but here he is saying "We can defeat you as a team!" The writers either slipped up or he did end up in Lana's prison and escaped on his own.
- How does Kid Icarus know which lever will activate the device to make Mother Brain spin around rapidly?
- For that matter, why would Mother Brain even have such a device?
- That might be the lever that gives her the motorcycle like in later episodes. This was the pilot so there were errors all over.
- Why, exactly, is it too dangerous to finish Mother Brain off?
- Kevin's Power Pad and Zapper were out of energy so the heroes would have get in close to do whatever they needed. If you think this something, watch the next episode.
- Did Simon ever take his whip back, or will he simply buy another one?
- Where did Mother Brain's huge army go? It had been laying siege to the Palace of Power for seven years - right up to the accidental side trip to Kongoland. When the N Team returns from Metroid, the army is gone without a trace. Jeffrey Scott's explanation: "I give up!"
- Kevin had probably been gone from Earth for quite a few hours, and his mom is just complaining to him about games, homework, and trash. She didn't once go to his room to check on him?
- It's possible that Videoland's chronological timeline is different compared to Earth, similar to how in the anime Digimon Adventure the timeline in the digital world is thrown out of sync compared to the real world. In the Captain N universe, an entire day in Videoland could equal one minute in the real world, which would explain why Kevin's mother hasn't bothered to check up on him.
- If that's the case, why didn't Princess Lana just wait until summer vacation in Kevin's Earth time before summoning him? That way, Kevin would have plenty of free time to save Videoland without having to worry about school.
- It's possible that Videoland's chronological timeline is different compared to Earth, similar to how in the anime Digimon Adventure the timeline in the digital world is thrown out of sync compared to the real world. In the Captain N universe, an entire day in Videoland could equal one minute in the real world, which would explain why Kevin's mother hasn't bothered to check up on him.
- Why would Kevin fire his Zapper at the ceiling?
Video Game and Cultural References[]
- The opening shot with Mother Brain's army laying siege on the Palace of Power is based on a similar scene in The Wizard of Oz. It's referenced again in "Happy Birthday, Megaman".
- Mother Brain tells King Hippo to "punch out their defenses", a reference to his video game, Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!.
- The spear-toting humanoid rhino enemy in Lana's prison cell is not in the video game Metroid (or any video game, for that matter). Given that he has a spike-covered shell on his back, though, he was most likely based on Kraid from Metroid.
- Simon references fairy tales. It won't be the last time.
Music[]
- Cover version of the opening theme to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly by Ennio Morricone (Eggplant Wizard / Kevin duel; not present in Captain N & The Video Game Masters airings or on the DVD set)
- Guts Man theme from Mega Man (when Kevin is in the corridor, looking for Lana)
- "Message of Darkness" from Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (when Simon, Kid Icarus and Mega Man are arguing)
- Metroid theme (when they're sneaking to the warp to Kongoland; while Lana is waiting in the tower just before the others arrive)
- Cover version of "Shakedown" (the opening theme to Beverly Hills Cop II) by Bob Seger (the corridors of Metroid; not present in Captain N & The Video Game Masters airings or on the DVD set)
Variants and Alterations[]
- On The Family Channel, an extra fade to commercial was inserted after Mega Man walks away from Kevin in disappointment.
- The scene when Kevin, Lana, & Duke venture through Metroid originally had a cover version of "Shakedown" by Bob Seger. This would be replaced with Mega Move in later airings and on the DVD.
- Also, when Kevin & Eggplant Wizard had their showdown, it originally had the theme to The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly. This would be replaced with Mega Move in later airings and on the DVD.