The Garbage Goblins

## Episode guide

**"The Garbage Goblins"** is the first episode of the first season of *Nate Is Late*. It is also its series premiere.

## Synopsis

As Nate shows Malika the new watch he got for his birthday, he drops it down a sewer grate!

## Plot

Nate catches up to Malika as they're making they're leaving their houses and shows off his new digital watch which he got recently for his birthday. However he accidently drops it into the sewer to his panic on what his parents will do if they find out. Malika points out a nearby manhole cover which the duo pull open and venture down to retrieve the watch. They manage to find near instantly due to the alarm on it but before Nate can grab it, a goblin suddenly emerges from the shadows to their surprise. After some initial screaming, they find that he's friendly and introduces himself as Pimple. Nate askes for his watch back but Pimple claims his can't due to the "Law of the Drain", meaning anything that is dropped into the sewer stays there. When Nate pleads for it, Pimple agrees to do so if the duo if they help him with a problem.

He leads the pair to a giant troll and explains that he has taken over his home, explaining further that trolls, while assumed to live under bridges, just don't like sunlight in general and likewise live under the sewer. Pimple wishes for the duo to drive it out, claiming that trolls are afraid of humans, and that he'll relinquish the watch once they do. The pair agree and go to confront it, but the alarm on Nate's watch wakes the troll up and it quickly attacks the pair. Nate, Malika and Pimple run and manage to escape down a drainage pipe into a lower area of the sewer. The duo become angry with Pimple for his dishonesty and demand the watch back. However, the rest of Pimple's family reveal themselves with the wife admitting that they were desperate for help to drive out the troll due to forcing the family to give it food and having taken the teddy bear of the youngest goblin. Pimple hands over the watch, but Nate and Malika agree to help regardless after hearing their story.

Nate, Malika, Pimple and his family all work together to trap the troll with a broken chandelier piece. It seems to work, but Nate mocks the troll with teddy bear he had taken which angers it enough to break free. The group run and seem to escape through another pipe. But the troll manages to grab Nate through it and pull him back, leaving him at the troll's mercy. Malika, Pimple and his family return to save him and notice the troll reeling back when a light blinking from Nate's watch shines in it's face. Reminded that trolls don't like light from Pimple, Malika notices a cover above the area that blocking sunlight. She tries to reach it but falls short, though quickly aided by Pimple's family. The light stuns the troll and the others grab objects with reflective surfaces, along with Nate using his flashlight feature on his watch, to surround the troll and shine light on him. Eventually it becomes too much for the troll who runs away.

The goblins thank the duo for their help, but they realize they only have two minutes to get to school. Pimple helps them by leading them to a shortcut. The duo arrive at the school and explain their situation to Principal Prudence. She dismisses it as one of their usual stories but informs them that they're actually on time. But can't let them in due to the smells they acquired from their sewer trip, forcing them to go home, shower and change, meaning they'll be late regardless.

## Characters

* Nate (debut)
* Malika (debut)
* Principal Prudence (debut)
* Nate's mother (indirectly mentioned)
* Nate's father (indirectly mentioned)
* Pimple (debut)
* Grog (debut)
* Pimple's wife and kids (debut)

## Trivia

* This is one of the few times the duo actually arrive on time. They're only forced to be late because of being too smelly to go into their school and having to go home to shower and change clothes.

## Gallery

Click the image to view the gallery for this episode.

## Transcript

Click here to view the transcript for this episode.

## Names in other languages

* **Basque:** Iratxo kirastxo
* **French:** Les gobelins des égouts
* **German:** Die Müllkobolde
* **Italian:** I goblin delle fogne
* **Mandarin (China):** 下水道精灵
* **Spanish (Spain):** Los duendes de las alcantarillas

 Season 2 | 1. "The Lady of the Lake" • 2. "The Thunderbird" • 3. "The Crocodile Man" • 4. "The Golem" • 5. "The Hairdresser" • 6. "The Mood Enhancer" • 7. "The Chess Game" • 8. "The Drone" • 9. "The Astronaut" • 10. "The Gorgon" • 11. "The Dimensional Rift" • 12. "The Reptilians" • 13. "The Enchanted Bracelet" • 14. "The Ink Thief" • 15. "The Tiki" • 16. "The Puppet" • 17. "The Mandrake" • 18. "The Vampires" • 19. "The Sphinx" • 20. "The Pendulum" • 21. "The Giant Fish" • 22. "The Wedding Dress" • 23. "The Home Spirit" • 24. "The Great Pili-Pala" • 25. "The Endless Recess" • 26. "The Chicken Cop" • 27. "The Kitsune" • 28. "The Collector" • 29. "The Kappa" • 30. "The Beanstalk" • 31. "The Demigod's Test" • 32. "The Glitch" • 33. "The Tiny Tops" • 34. "The Magician's Top Hat" • 35. "The Chromapix" • 36. "The Gingerbread Family" • 37. "The Alphabet Agency" • 38. "The Wild Beasts" • 39. "The Return of the Cuddly Toys" • 40. "The Race Car" • 41. "Inside Professor Toybos" • 42. "The Asteroid" • 43. "The Time Travellers" • 44. "The Nebulons" • 45. "The Witches' Convention" • 46. "The Kobolds" • 47. "The Superstars" • 48. "The Goblin's Cousin" • 49. "The Golden Crown" • 50. "The Scarecrow" • 51. "The Banana Peel Part I" • 52. "The Banana Peel Part II"