Welcome to Cyberspace (episode)

Vox Pop

*Welcome to Cyberspace* is the second 11 minute episode of the animated series, *Twipsy*.

## Synopsis

*Twipsy shows his new human friend Nick around the Cyber Mall and all its fantastic opportunities. But then there's trouble: Twipsy and Nick are arrested by the Cyber Police for going too slow. As a messenger, it's Twipsy's job to transport e-mails from A to B as fast as possible. Meanwhile, Albert and Lissie are desperately trying to bring Nick back home - and they succeed.*

## Character Appearances

* Nick Walker
* Lissie Walker
* Stan Walker
* Dr. Walker
* Computer Shop Clerk
* Albert Barkhorn
* Twipsy
* Cyberpolice Crawl Patrol

## Plot

**Spoiler Alert!**

This is a detailed explanation of the episode as it follows. *If you have not seen the episode as of yet, we advise you to tread carefully.*

Continuing where the previous episode left off, Twipsy takes Nick on a tour around cyberspace, starting with the Cyber Mall, home of the virtual visualisation of online shopping. Although Twipsy appears very optimistic about showing this place to his first human friend, Nick appears nonplussed, yet homesick from his experiences in the virtual world (alas, Twipsy thinks of the real world as somewhat flawed.) Even as Twipsy showcases the multiple departments, from the virtual CDs through to the virtual cheese platters, Nick begins to feel homesick, and mentions that he misses the real world; of course, Twipsy cites its limitations (fresh air gets polluted, and real world dogs are messy and slobbery), and mentions that Nick will have to remain in cyberspace for some time as possible.

In the real world, Lissie decides to forward her case to the computer technician down the road - she cites that she has lost something important in her computer, and the technician mentions getting a file recovery program. However, when Lissie cites she has lost her brother Nick in the computer, the technician suggests she may be joking, and hence suggests she see a psychiatrist.

Back to cyberspace, after giving into Nick's pleas of homesickness, Twipsy hatches a plan to get Nick out from cyberspace to the real world by smuggling him through an email. However, Nick isn't good at travelling the highways of cyberspace, and inadvertently falls in the middle of the highway. This proves a problem, since in cyberspace, travelling at high speed is the rule - the Cyber Police officer in charge of speed patrol have caught the duo still on the highway. Twipsy decides to negotiate with the officers, telling the truth that the duo has gone way below the speed limit - "the speed of light" or 186,000 miles a second.

As the Cyber Police have a zero tolerance for cybermessengers travelling slowly on the highway, Twipsy is asked to provide identification and licence to confirm his identity, but the Cyber Police officer take notice of Nick. Although Twipsy tries to pass off his human friend as his workmate Mosey Dosey Dought, the Cyber Police officer confirms his suspicions through Nick's school library card, labels him a fraud, and arrests the duo. Both Twipsy and Nick quickly make an escape, even as the Cyber Police make a pursuit along the information highways.

Meanwhile, Lissie is busy fixing up her computer, using various manuals emphasising how to navigate the Web. She is interrupted with an exhausted Albert, who although is afraid of heights, has managed to climb to the first floor of the Walker's home to Lissie's bedroom window. Albert asks if she picked up any sign of Nick so far - she cites she saw Nick's face on screen, but it was junk mail. Of course, Dr. Walker from downstairs calls out to her (and an absent Nick) that dinner is ready shortly, forcing Lissie and Albert to hatch a plan to convince her mother that Nick is still here.

Of course, the pursuit still happens in cyberspace, as both Twipsy and Nick are chased by the Cyber Police. Twipsy reassures Nick that the will be close to the Email Hall shortly, but their potential bid for freedom is halted as they are blocked off by Cyber Police. The duo end up trapped in a roadblock, and encased in an immobility casing, designating both human and cybermessenger stuck on the highway for good, to the ridicule of the Cyber Police officers.

In the real world, both Albert and Lissie are still short of any luck bringing their friend back home, even with Lissie contemplating adopting a child to replace Nick. Being the inventive genius, Albert makes mention that there is only one way to get data out of a computer - he decides to modify a printer as an external portal to hopefully rescue Nick.

At the roadblock in the information highway, just as Nick and Twipsy were about to resign to their fate, Twipsy makes mention that perhaps he and Nick can escape, simply with Twipsy interfering with the immobility casing though electromagnetic waves. Of course, as Twipsy honestly but jokingly comments they don't have televisions in cyberspace for him to demonstrate the ability, Nick finally declares that he wants to go home.

So far in the real world, Albert successfully completes his modification of his printer, and decides to test it. At first, the printer spools off numerous documents, to Lissie's disapproval, but Albert checks them all - even if it's Nick's report card, or even a tender offer for the Nickel Futures business. Unexpectedly,the printer successfully beams Nick back from cyberspace, and successfully back in the real world. In fact, Nick finally is so glad to be home, he even scoffs down his dinner, to the astonishment of both Dr and Stan Walker.

Little does anyone know, that the printer has accidentally beamed another hitchhiker... Twipsy ends up beamed into Nick's unluckily messy bedroom, and already he is astonished by the place, all the way down to the "stinky piece of fur in the corner" - Champ, the family dog.

## Notable Quotes

Whoa! It’s not real!

Nick

Real? Yuk, I hate reality.

Virtual CDs on your left, virtual gift baskets and virtual cheese platters on your right. Don't you love it?

Twipsy

I miss fresh air.

Nick

It gets polluted!

Twipsy

I miss ice cream!

Nick

Too cold

Twipsy

I miss my dog.

Nick

Dogs slobber!

Actually I didn't lose a computer file, I lost my brother in the computer!

Lissie

I don't have time for jokes, little girl.

Technician Clerk

This isn't funny! We were playing a computer game with Albert, our next door neighbour, and then the lights went out, and when they went back on, my brother was inside my computer! We saw his shoe on the monitor!

Lissie

Have you thought about seeing a psychiatrist?

What took you so long?

Lissie

I'm afraid of heights!

Albert

This is just the first floor, Albert!

Lissie

Widths scare me too! It's a very wide window!

I thought I saw [Nick's] face on my screen, but it turned out to be junk mail.

I think you should tell the truth!

Albert

The truth... ground me now.

We know you don't like going too fast...

Crawl Patrol Officer 1

...so we thought perhaps you'd like to stand still...

Crawl Patrol Officer 2

...for ever, and ever, and ever, until infinity.

Crawl Patrol Officer 3
*(the officers laugh, ridiculing both cybermessenger and human for resisting arrest)*

(defeated) And you thought a nanosecond was a long time!

I got it! We adopt a kid that looks like Nick!

Lissie

No, we couldn't teach him to have table manners as bad as Nick's in time for dinner!

You said you were going to get Nick back, not publish a newsletter!

So this is the real world, what a mess! And what's that stinky piece of fur in the corner?

Crawl patrol! Are you aware of what speed you are going?

Crawl Patrol Officer 1

Zero...

Twipsy

That's right, now do you know what the speed limit is in this zone?

Crawl Patrol Officer 1

Speed of light.

Twipsy

Correct! Which means, you are moving at a pace which is a tad too leisurely!

Crawl Patrol Officer 1

But...

Twipsy

To the tune of millions and millions! The speed of light, as you know, happens to be 186,000 miles per second!

There's only one way to get something out of a computer. I'll need a screwdriver, a triple-A battery, some copper wire, a large magnet, electrical tape and some gum!

Albert

Gum?

Lissie

I like gum!

You do, by any chance you have a TV remote?

Nick

Better... I have the ability to transmit electromagnetic waves, that control among other things, TVs!

Twipsy

## References

1. ↑ Amazon. 2015. Amazon.com: Twipsy - Season 1, Episode 2 "Welcome to Cyberspace" [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LJIHT6U/ref=dv\_dp\_ep2. [Accessed 10 April 2015].

**English**