Car Trouble

Car Trouble
Episode Number	011
Broadcast Number	013
Season	01
Original Airdate	November 11, 2003
Production Code	385-911
Guest Characters	Overload, Gizmo, Sammy and Cash
Written by	Amy Wolfram
Directed by	Alex Soto
Chronology
Previous	"Mad Mod" (Chronological order) "Apprentice - Part 2" (Broadcasting order)
Next	"Apprentice - Part 1" (Chronological order) "How Long is Forever?" (Broadcasting order)

"Car Trouble" is the eleventh episode of season one and the overall eleventh episode of the Teen Titans series.

Synopsis

Cyborg has finally finished working on his latest masterpiece: the T-Car, Cyborg is especially proud of his work and even calls it his baby. During its first test drive it soon gets stolen by two punks named Sammy and Cash. Cyborg will go to great lengths to get it back but it seems that he isn't the only one interested in his "baby".

Plot

Cyborg has just finished constructing the Titans' official land transportation vehicle and now proudly presents it to his teammates: the T-Car. Everyone but Raven is excited, and an alarm provides the proud constructor the opportunity to demonstrate the car's virtues... or so it should be.

Sammy and Cash, the original car thieves

The alarm leads the Titans into Cook's Electronics, where they apprehend the electric villain Overload. Just before he gets in, Cyborg proudly boasts his car's attributes to two juvenile bystanders, Sammy and Cash, and while the Titans are busy, the two do-no-goods promptly nab the car and take it for a joyride. Distraught and worried that some harm might befall his car, Cyborg separates from the team and goes looking for his 'baby'.

Sammy and Cash decide to participate in a race on the notorious course Crash Alley. A tiny car proves to be their only, albeit tough, competition until they hit the T-Car's nitro booster, winning the race. But right thereafter, the tiny car's driver reveals himself as Gizmo, who promptly appropriates the T-Car for his own, leaving Sammy and Cash in a force field bubble for Cyborg to find. Upon learning that now Gizmo has the car, an angered Cyborg goes after his diminutive nemesis but fails to apprehend him, partly because of his obsession for his baby.

Dejected, Cyborg is found by Raven, who despite her initial lack of excitement, tells him that she can empathize with him, explaining that she essentially has to put a fraction of her soul into whatever she is moving when she uses her telekinesis, somewhat becoming a part of it and vice versa. They spot Gizmo, who gets away again, and in order to pursue him, they simply 'borrow' Sammy and Cash's sports car. On a highway, they desperately try to stop Gizmo, but the T-Car ends up crashing into a prison transport truck - the one Overload just happens to be contained in. He promptly takes over the car and rebuilds it in his own evil image. With a literal new set of wheels, Overload callously informs Cyborg that only way to defeat him is to completely destroy the car and drives it full speed at Cyborg, confident that the latter would never dare destroy his most precious possession. However, Cyborg arms his sonic cannon when he quickly overcomes his attachment. Quietly declaring that it's not his car anymore, he blasts it to kingdom come in cold blood and reducing it to scrap, neutralizing Overload's power and defeating him for good. With the prison transport repaired as well, the guards add Gizmo to their collection along and him, what's left of Overload, Sammy and Cash are all ferried to Prison. Cyborg is disheartened at what he had to do, believing that his masterpiece really is gone forever now. However, Raven lifts his spirits by telling him that the remains are just parts and hands him the core circuit board that he used to complete it before, saying that what made the car special lay not in the car itself, but its builder.

Reconstructing the T-Car ... with some help

With Cyborg's spirits restored, he gets to work building a brand-new T-Car with Raven's help, and she ends the episode with a bright smile smeared with transmission fluid as soon as it's ready to rock.

Characters

Main characters

• Cyborg
• Raven

Supporting characters

• Robin
• Starfire
• Beast Boy

Villains

• Gizmo
• Sammy and Cash (Debut; only appearances)
• Overload (Debut)

Credits

• Written by:
  • Amy Wolfram
• Directed by:
  • Alex Soto
• Starring:
  • Greg Cipes as Beast Boy
  • Scott Menville as Robin
  • Khary Payton as Cyborg
  • Tara Strong as Raven
  • Hynden Walch as Starfire
• Also featuring:
  • Matt Levin as Sammy (Only appearance)
  • James Arnold Taylor as Overload (First appearance) and Cash (Only appearance)
  • Lauren Tom as Gizmo

Trivia

• Cyborg briefly mentions Metropolis, which is famous for being the city Superman mainly operates in.
• When Cyborg quips "Yo Radio-Head, listen to this", this is a possible reference to the English band Radiohead.
• This is one of a few times in the series where Raven made a big smile.
• This was the last episode to air in 2003.
• This episode aired on a Tuesday as part of Cartoon Network's "November Premieres" block, where a new episode of a show would premiere on a random weekday throughout the month.

Cultural references

• The scene where Cyborg drives his car up the vertical side of a cliff is based on a chase scene from the animated film Lupin The Third: The Castle of Cagliostro.
• The music played while Cyborg builds his car is a clip from the song titled Rock The House, sung by the cartoon band, Gorillaz.
• When the T-Car has the flames painted on, it looks a lot like Wayne's car from the movie, Wayne's World.
• Cyborg falling on a garbage barge after failing to get back his car from Gizmo is a reference to Diesel 10's defeat from the Thomas the Tank Engine movie, Thomas and the Magic Railroad.

Goofs

• When Raven appears in the electronic store, her outfit looks sky blue till. Then it changes when she leaves the store with the Titans.
• Raven's mouth was missing for a second when she casts a spell on Overload at the electronic store.
• When Cyborg runs up to the parking lot knowing that the T-Car was stolen, his mouth didn't move when he cried "My car alarm!".
• As Gizmo takes possession of the T-Car from Cash and Sammy, the car's interface panel shows the Ignition switch with a missing "I".

Gallery

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Transcript

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