Spy Games (Fireman Sam)

"Spy Games"
"Canʼt you do anything right?" - Norman Price (Uh, Norman Price? The people watching this episode should be asking YOU this question.)
Series: Fireman Sam Part of Season: 10 Episode Number: 7 Air Date: February 22, 2016 Writer: Tim Bain Previous episode: "Bus Trouble" Next episode: "Fox on the Run"

"Spy Games" is the 7th episode of the tenth season of Fireman Sam.

Summary

Norman is making a movie about a international spy, but unfortunately poor James has been roped in as his stunt double video.

Why It Can't Do Anything Right

1. Norman is incredibly unlikable in this episode, if not, as much as his actions in Froggy Fantasy, as he calls James the worst stunt double ever all because he caused Norman to get squirted with water because he didn't want to get squirted, and once even caused James to get stuck in a tree without feeling remorseful and telling him "Can't you do anything right?" without even realizing he was in danger. Then, he makes James ride on a go-kart and he goes out of control. In fact, as soon as Sam rescues him, the go-kart he was riding in gets launched into the sea. This gets worse as seen in WIABS#6.
2. Mild crash formulas happened during the episode, such as when James caused a box to get over his head, causes him to be uncontrollable.
3. This is a James torture episode, as he is constantly pestered by Norman & the others for the spy movie clips.
4. As usual, The voice acting is very irritating & bland to listen to, with only a few exceptions.
5. Unnecessary pop-culture reference to James Bond in a cringe statement: "Surrender, Jake Pond, international spy!"
6. The infamous climax of the episode: Norman ties James in a chair and gives him a magnifying glass to burn the rope, but when he does so, he accidentally directs sunlight into the oily rags, setting them on fire and trapping James. Now, because of Norman, James is in SERIOUS danger and needs help!
7. The rescue scene is very anti-climatic, like many modern Fireman Sam episodes.
8. Norman, despite apologizing, never gets punished for torturing James, & gets away with it scot-free. Why? He put James in SERIOUS danger, so having him not punished is VERY unsatisfying.

Redeeming Qualities

1. James & the other characters are still likable.
2. It's considerably funny Dilys mentions Norman's middle name is Stanley, and he's the laughingstock to other kids.
3. For a CGI series episode, this one at least (for once) teaches kids a good lesson about how to save people from dangerous situations and why it's important to do that.
4. The ending was pretty decent, despite Norman getting off scot-free.

Reception

The episode is hated by many people for Norman torturing James and getting off scot-free, though some like it with enjoyment. It currently has a 3.7/10 on IMDb.

Trivia

• This episode reveals that Norman's middle name is Stanley.
• This episode references the Season 9 episode, "Lights, Camera, Avalanche!"

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