The Smurfy Verdict (The Smurfs, 1981)

"The Smurfy Verdict (The Smurfs, 1981)"
This is what happens when you keep Brainy as the main focus for too long.
Part of Season: 7 Episode Number: 33a Air Date: November 28, 1987 Writer: Story: Sean Catherine Derek Previous episode: "Smurfette's Lucky Star" Next episode: "Chlorhydris's Lost Love"

"The Smurfy Verdict" is a Season 7 episode of The Smurfs. It originally aired November 28, 1987 on NBC. The story is written by Sean Catherine Derek and the teleplay is written by Terrie Collins.

Summary

When Baby Smurf wandered away during a picnic, Clumsy is being put on trial for the disappearance of the little infant. Fortunately, Baby Smurf was safe and Clumsy was proven to be innocent after all.

Why It Sucks

1. Brainy Smurf is completely out-of-character in the second half of the episode, even more so than "Clumsy Luck". He accused his best friend for the disappearance of Baby Smurf and put him on trial. He never has second thoughts and continues to pin the blame on Clumsy.
2. Everyone is unaware of Baby's surroundings when he wandered off a couple of times in the episode, during the end of the three-legged race and the court scene.
3. This episode is infamous for its terrible ending. Brainy congratulates the others and states that he has to finish off his case, resulting in the others throwing him out of sight. In response, Brainy gets angry about not getting justice rather than showing remorse for his actions.
4. Like "Clumsy Luck", this episode made poor attempts at comedy. It wasn't nearly as dark as the former, but accusing someone of child abandonment is still considered a serious offense.
5. Brainy is also a jerk to everyone if things don't go his way. The supposed intellectual refuses to listen to reason and cares more about blaming his best friend for child abandonment without deciding whether or not he should be guilty.
6. The animation is rendered stiff and lifeless, despite the characters being drawn better than in the first few seasons.
   • A few animation mistakes, such as Brainy's pants being miscolored blue in one shot.
7. Wild Smurf is never seen again for the rest of the episode after rescuing Baby Smurf from Azrael.
8. Like most episodes centered around Brainy Smurf, he is seriously miscast as an antagonist and doesn't listen to his fellow Smurfs at all. Even though he's supposed to be an intellectual with poor social skills.
9. Sassette found out that Brainy Smurf stole goodies and hid them in his robe, which came out of nowhere in this scene.

Redeeming Qualities

1. Everyone, except Brainy Smurf, was relieved to have Baby Smurf back at the end of the episode.
2. Brainy Smurf was likable in the first half of the episode, compared to the second half.
3. The part where Papa Smurf called out everyone for not watching Baby Smurf's surroundings was pretty satisfying.
4. Some scenes are animated well, such as the squirrel pointing to a bear's cave.
5. Although Brainy Smurf shows no remorse for his actions, at least he gets punished for his actions at the end by being thrown out of the village like he always does.

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