Top Ten Episodes of G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero - Number 08

"Computer Complications"
Written by David Schwartz

As I said last week, one of the biggest challenges the Joe writers faced was juggling so many characters while still giving them all adequate face time. If they had a hard time in the first season, then things only got harder in the second season. The 1986 toy line brought over 20 new characters that needed to be sold. Naturally, this meant that the older characters got pushed further to the background in order to make room for the new characters. But the 1985 characters would still be on the shelves for a few more years, so they couldn't just disappear completely.

The best formula for dealing with the copious characters was to ground a story around one or two characters and fill in the background with whatever other characters needed some face time. Season Two's Computer Complications makes perfect use of that formula by focusing on two new characters, the G.I. Joe Mainframe, and the Dreadnok Zarana.

The story is fairly straightforward. The Joes are attempting to retrieve a satellite probe that fell into the ocean and everything goes awry when Cobra tries to steal the satellite for themselves. This probe is very important because apparently it's got Anti-matter in it. Unfortunately for Cobra, the Joes are using some silly robot submarines that successfully fight off Cobra.

The satellite and the robot subs are just a Maguffin, a plot device in order to get the real story going, the story of Zarana attempting to infiltrate G.I. Joe and getting tangled up in a relationship with Mainframe. Mainframe, the Joe's new resident "computer guy" is diligently working on reprograming the robot submarines that were damaged in the fight with Cobra. Zarana is sent undercover to get the computer codes so Cobra can control the robot submarines. It's a story of espionage and intrigue, loyalties are questioned, duties take precedence over romance, and heartbreak is inevitable.

Zarana is the bad girl sister of Dreadnok leader Zartan. She's a tough girl who grew up and spends all her time with a gang of uncouth bikers. She's fought for everything her whole life and is caught off guard by Mainframe's chivalrous advances.

Although Mainframe is himself a sarcastic tough guy, he's also a guy who is trying to learn from his past. He's both handsome and charming, but he's also been through a failed marriage. He's pretty carefree and treats women like things to be conquered. He is completely taken by Zarana's independent self reliance and resolves to do right by her.

Throughout the episode there's some obligatory action between G.I. Joe and Cobra as they battle over the satellite probe, but the majority of time is spent on Mainframe and Zarana's relationship. Mainframe procrastinates his duties working on the submarines in order to spend more time wooing Zarana. Zarana gets increasingly aggravated by Mainframe's advances interfering with her own mission.

There's a particularly good joke when Mainframe is working on the computer. Zarana keeps picking up tools with which she intends to beat Mainframe. But each time she's about to strike, Mainframe turns around and thinks she's being helpful, because each tool she picks happens to be the exact one he needs.

In the end, Zarana goes through with her mission out of duty to her brother but saves Mainframe's life, refusing to let him die in the process. Mainframe, in turn, protects her identity from other Joes looking for the spy. Despite successfully reprograming the robot subs and stealing the Anti-Matter, the Joes blow up the Cobra helicarrier transporting it. Surprisingly enough, the helicarrier crashes into the USS Flagg, sinking both ships. It's a very action packed ending.

The episode ends in a bittersweet draw for both Cobra and G.I. Joe, neither of whom gained the Anti-Matter and both of whom lost some heavy artillery. Then there's a beautiful shot of Zarana and Mainframe both looking at the moon, lamenting the fact that they could never be together.

It's a strong episode that deals with the high drama very well. Mainframe and Zarana's relationship even becomes a good continuity point revisited in a later episode (that weird one where Mainframe, Dial Tone, and Lady Jaye are all de-aged to 10 year olds and Flint, Sc-Fi, and Gung Ho are all aged to senior citizens).