S3E04: The Maltese Spider

## Summary

"The Maltese Spider" (Japanese title: Bogart-Styled Mystery! The Maltese Spider) is Season 3's fourth episode, and the twenty-fourth episode of the series "Teenage Mutant Ninja Mobians (1987)."

## Plot

The episode opens with the TMNM, Tiny Tiger, and Dingodile arriving on a rainy night at a jewelry store where a robbery recently took place. They soon learn from Elise Oriana III, Christopher Aonuma, and Tai Kamiya's groups that Tony "The Butcher" Vivaldi and his mobsters are behind the robberies and came to an assumption that Loki's group might be behind all of this. Afterwards, they meet up with Kara Wallaroo and Roxanne Pear and go to Shlavotny's All-Night Antique shop when Elise's group spot a cute-looking spider statue at the window. After Elise's group buys the statue, having it delivered to their apartment, Charmy Bee and Tiny couldn't afford an antique pizza maker due to lack of money and our heroes leave. Suddenly, the Butcher and his mobsters arrive and threaten Shlavotny with their laser guns that they are looking for a statue. Suddenly, Charmy and Tiny, having found a quarter, returned to buy the pizza maker, only to get ambushed and captured by the Butcher and his mobsters. Concerned for Charmy and Tiny upon learning of the two's abduction from Shlavotny, our heroes, except Elise and Tai's groups, split up to find them. Suddenly, some of our heroes, except Sonic the Hedgehog's group, got abducted by the Butcher and his mobsters as well. Realizing this, Sonic's group consult Cloud Strife, Aerith Gainsborough, and Yuffie Kisaragi for help in the search. But when they arrive at the streets from a manhole, the Butcher and his mobsters spot them and capture everyone, except Miles "Tails" Prower, Silver the Hedgehog, Shadow the Hedgehog, Rouge the Bat, E-123 Omega, and Christopher's group. Then the mobsters shoot down some building debris on Tails and Christopher's groups, and they presumed they are killed from the destruction.

However, after the Butcher and his mobsters leave with their captives, Tails and Christopher's groups have survived the destruction, but are injured. They arrive at the Channel Six building and recruit Elise and Tai's groups into helping after Silver heals himself and Tails and Christopher's groups. At the Meat Rack, a shady bar where the Butcher and his mobsters hang out at, in the back room, the Butcher and his mobsters contact Loki's group and use a superconducting magnet to swipe all the antiques across the city in order to find a rare statue called the Maltese Spider. Our heroes spot the flying antiques and follow them to the Meat Rack and once in the back room, discover that their assumption they believed is, in fact, true; Loki's group is, indeed, behind the thefts and they have hired the Butcher and his mobsters to steal the Maltese Spider for them and deliver it to them at midnight at the docks. But then, after hanging up with Loki's group, the Butcher and his mobsters spot our hidden heroes after they accidentally make noise.

But luckily, our heroes manage to escape and outwit the Butcher and his mobsters. At Elise, Christopher, and Tai's groups' apartment, our heroes receive the statue Elise's group ordered and suspicious about why the villains would want it, Tails' group then convince the Butcher and his mobsters to reveal why. It is then revealed that the statue is, in fact, the Maltese Spider, and that Loki's group need it's super fuel formula to re-power the Jotundrome, with the promise that while Loki's group takes over the world, the Butcher and his mobsters can take over Detroit. Then Tails' group arrange a meeting with them at the docks at midnight that they'll trade the Maltese Spider for the rest of our heroes. Later at the docks at midnight, our heroes meet up with Loki's group, their henchmen, the Butcher, his mobsters, and the rest of our heroes. Then after handing the Maltese Spider to Loki's group, Tails' group cues Elise, Christopher, and Tai's groups to shoot a laser gun Tails' group secretly stole from the Butcher and his mobsters during the meeting arrangement, destroying the Maltese Spider. Then while Loki's group angrily accuse the Butcher and his mobsters of double-crossing them, Tails' group free the rest of our heroes. Then seeing them freed, Loki's group and their henchmen retreat back to the Jotundrome and our heroes subdue the Butcher and his mobsters, leaving them for the police to arrest them. Then it's all revealed to be an entire flashback narrated by Tails' group in the tone of Humphrey Bogart. Then after Tails' group finished their Bogart-styled narration, our heroes ask them to quiet down, and they do, despite admitting that they're fans of Humphrey Bogart.

## Notes

* Heroes' Insult Count: 21 (2 by Vector, 4 by Tails, 2 by Charmy, 2 by Shlavotny, 3 by Tiny, 1 by Jamieson, 1 by Applejack, 1 by Shadow, 3 by Cop, 2 by Rouge)
* Villains' Insult Count: 6 (2 by the Butcher, 1 by Lefty, 1 by Eggman, 2 by Vanitas)
* Locations: City Streets, Mobians' Sewer Lair, Channel Six Building, Meat Rack, City Docks, and Shlavotny's All-Night Antiques
* Insult count: 27
* Vehicles: Pneumatic Module and the Butcher's Car
* Gadgets: Superconducting Magnet
* This episode marks the first time Loki's group hires some villains to help them with world domination.
* This episode is loosely based on the classic Humphrey Bogart crime film "The Maltese Falcon*."*
* Uka-Uka's group doesn't appear in this episode.
* Lefty, one of the Butcher's mobsters, breaks the Fourth Wall in this episode, when he says "Yeah, you dirty rats, it’s curtains for you" and then turned to us and says with an evil chuckle "All my life, I’ve wanted to say that."

## Goofs

* When the TMNM and allies are in disbelief at Elise's group finding the Maltese Spider in the antique shop window, Knuckles' eyes are blue instead of purple in one shot.
* Rilla was seen with a live fish in his mouth in the shot following him, Loki's group, and their henchmen falling out of the Module but in the previous shot there was nothing there.
* When our heroes run into the antique shop to find Charmy and Tiny in one shot, Kara's hair color is a lighter shade of black.
* When the Butcher says to Tails' group "I should’ve finished you off when I had the chance," his cigar is missing from his mouth in that shot.

## Character Appearances

**Heroes**

* Ace D. Copular
* Adagio Dazzle
* Aerith Gainsborough
* Agumon
* Allison Oriana
* Amy Rose
* Applejack
* Aria Blaze
* Big the Cat
* Big William "Billy" W. Williams
* Biyomon
* Blaze the Cat
* Braeburn
* Caramel
* Charmy Bee
* Cheese the Chao
* Chief Clancy Wiggum (Cameo)
* Chris Thorndyke
* Christopher Aonuma
* Cloud Strife
* Comet Tail
* Cosmo the Seedrian
* Cream the Rabbit
* Dingodile/Dale Wallaroo
* Eddie (Cameo)
* E-123 Omega
* Elise Oriana III
* Ember
* Espio the Chameleon
* Flash Sentry
* Fluttershy
* Froggy
* Gabumon
* Gatomon
* Gomamon
* Grubber J. Gribberish
* Izzy Izumi
* J. Jonah Jamieson
* Joe Kido
* Kara Wallaroo
* Kari Kamiya
* Kayla the Wolf
* Knuckles the Echidna
* Li'l Arturo de la Guerra
* Lou (Cameo)
* Matt Ishida
* Max the Wolf
* Miles "Tails" Prower
* Mimi Tachikawa
* Palmon
* Patamon
* Pinkie Pie
* Pokey Pierce
* Rainbow Dash
* Rarity
* Rouge the Bat
* Roxanne Pear
* Sanford "Snake" D. Ingleberry
* Seifer Almasy
* Shadow the Hedgehog
* Silver the Hedgehog
* Soarin
* Sonata Dusk
* Sonic the Hedgehog
* Sora Takenouchi
* Spike
* Starlight Glimmer
* Sunset Shimmer
* Tai Kamiya
* Tentomon
* Thunderlane
* Tikal
* Tiny Tiger/Tucker Tigerson
* TK Takaishi-Ishida
* Trixie
* Twilight Sparkle
* Vector the Crocodile
* Yuffie Kisaragi

**Villains**

* Arukenimon (Human form only)
* Cubot
* Dr. Eggman
* Dr. Neo Cortex
* Hunter J
* Koala Kong/Kent Kong
* Komodo Joe/Joe Komadipatatim
* Komodo Moe/Moe Komadipatatim
* Loki
* Mummymon (Human form only)
* Myotismon
* Orbot
* Pinstripe Potoroo/Paul "Pinstripe" Potolini
* Rilla Roo/Richard Rooter
* Ripper Roo/Ricky Rooter
* Sephiroth
* Tribot
* Vanitas

## Episode Titles in Other Languages

* Japanese
	+ 不思議のボガート風！ マルタのクモ
	+ Fushigi no Bogāto-Fū! Maruta no Kumo
	+ Bogart-Styled Mystery! The Maltese Spider
* English
	+ USA: The Maltese Spider
	+ UK: The Maltese Spider
* Latin America Spanish
	+ El Caso de la Araña Maltesa
	+ The Case of the Maltese Spider
* Castilian Spanish
	+ El Caso de la Araña Maltesa
	+ The Case of the Maltese Spider
* Catalan
	+ L’aranya Maltesa
	+ The Maltese Spider
* French
	+ Mystère de L'araignée Maltaise
	+ Mystery of the Maltese Spider
* Canadian French
	+ Mistè nan Zarenyen la Maltese
	+ Mystery of the Maltese Spider
* German
	+ Rette unsere Entführten Freunde Uber der Maltesischen Spinne
	+ Rescue our Kidnapped Friends Over the Maltese Spider
* Italian
	+ Antica Guerra del Ragno Maltese
	+ Antique War of the Maltese Spider
* Portuguese
	+ Guerras Antigas
	+ Antique Wars
* Brazilian Portuguese
	+ Guerras Antigas
	+ Antique Wars
* Mandarin Chinese
	+ 博加特风格的谜团！马耳他蜘蛛
	+ Bó jiā tè Fēnggé de Mítuán! Mǎ'ěrtā Zhīzhū
	+ Bogart-Styled Mystery! The Maltese Spider
* Cantonese Chinese
	+ 博加特風格的謎團！馬耳他蜘蛛
	+ Bó jiā tè Fēnggé de Mítuán! Mǎ'ěrtā Zhīzhū
	+ Bogart-Styled Mystery! The Maltese Spider
* Korean
	+ 보가트 스타일의 미스터리! 몰타 거미
	+ Bogateu Seutail-ui Miseuteoli! Molta Geomi
	+ Bogart-Styled Mystery! The Maltese Spider
* Danish
	+ Den Maltesiske Edderkop Mysterium
	+ The Maltese Spider Mystery
* Dutch
	+ De Bogart-Stijl Mysterie
	+ The Bogart-Styled Mystery
* Swedish
	+ Det Maltesiska Spindel Mysteriet
	+ The Maltese Spider Mystery
* Icelandic
	+ Maltneska Kóngulóarmálið
	+ The Maltese Spider Case
* Norwegian
	+ Den Maltesiske Edderkoppsaken
	+ The Maltese Spider Case
* Thai
	+ โบการ์ตสไตล์ลึกลับ! แมงมุมมัลทีส
	+ Bo kār̒ t ̄Stịl̒ Lụklạb! Mæng mum Mạl thīs̄
	+ Bogart-Styled Mystery! The Maltese Spider
* Russian
	+ Загадка в стиле Богарта
	+ Zagadka v Stile Bogarta
	+ Bogart-Styled Mystery
* Polish
	+ Los Naszych Przyjaciół
	+ The Fate of Our Friends
* Finnish
	+ Maltan Hämähäkki
	+ The Maltese Spider
* Hungarian
	+ Oldja Meg az Antik Lopásokat
	+ Solve the Antique Thefts
* Greek
	+ Λύστε τις κλοπές αντίκες
	+ Lýste tis Klopés Antíkes
	+ Solve the Antique Thefts
* Hebrew
	+ העכביש המלטזי
	+ H'ekbysh Hmltzy
	+ The Maltese Spider
* Arabic
	+ العنكبوت المالطي
	+ Aleankabut Almalitiu
	+ The Maltese Spider

## Episode Links

Previous: S3E03: Attack of the 50 Foot Mimi

Next: S3E05: Sky Mobians