“The Uncertainty Principle”

This episode starts off with Spiderman talking about how it is Halloween and everything in Manhattan is quiet.  We then go to a screen of Col. John Jameson in the space shuttle which gets hit by a rock in space to which Jameson says they now have a problem. We are told, via a news report that the Bugle staff including Mr. Jameson are watching, that the shuttle may not be able to land with the damage it sustained. 

Next we have Hammerhead’s car being followed by the Green Goblin who attacks its and takes out the driver and takes Hammerhead hostage after a scuffle.  With Hammerhead tied up, Goblin tells him that this town is going to be his town but Hammerhead says the Big Man is in charge.  Goblin says he knows that L. Thomas Lincoln is the Big Man but Hammerhead says Lincoln is the mask and that the Big Man is Tombstone because that’s “all that’s left when you cross him”.

At the high school the kids are watching an update on the shuttle which says the shuttle has been repaired as best it can but that Col Jameson has to manually pilot the shuttle as he enters the atmosphere which will be tough because if its not done at the right angle they will burn up.  We then see Gwen go to Harry and catches him taking the Globular Green.  She asks what it is and he says its soda so she asks for some which he won’t give him.  Gwen calls him on it and he says its what’s helped him become good at football and have a 4.0 average and then he walks away.

Next we have Big Man calling Hammerhead’s cell phone which Goblin answers sitting in Big Man’s chair.  Goblin says that Hammerhead had a jump drive that has evidence against Lincoln and tells Lincoln that he has to meet him tonight to get it.

Spiderman was swinging across town muttering to himself about how Gwen has got him to go have a talk with Harry when Spidey spots Goblin.  Goblin tells Spiderman about the jump drive and tells him to meet him tonight.  When Spidey asks where and when, Goblin says he’ll know.  Peter then goes to see Harry but sees the Goblin going into Harry’s place.  Peter puts the Spiderman mask back on and as he looks in the window he sees Mr. Osborne walking through the door.  A few minutes later Harry walks in announcing he’s home to which Spiderman thinks to himself that Harry now has two problems now that he thinks his dad is the Goblin.  We see Harry drinking some of the Globular Green.

We flash to the outdoor carnival and we see Black Cat make a very brief cameo walking through the carnival carrying a bag that has a dollar sign on it.  Gwen and Mary Jane talk briefly both asking each other where Peter is.  The football players are then standing dressed in cheerleader outfits doing a cheer (as was the bet Flash and Peter made over the Fall Formal).

We then go to the Bugle where they are watching as the space shuttle enters the atmosphere and Col. Jameson is piloting.  The reporter from the Bugle who is live in California gives Mr. Jameson the play by play which didn’t look good at first but then the shuttle lands successfully.  We see a hint of Mr. Jameson’s soft side when he exhales and says to himself, “He did it”.  But then in classic Mr. Jameson fashion he orders everyone to get started on a new layout that features the shuttle landing.  Peter brings him pictures of Spiderman which Jameson said he doesn’t want because he wants his son John to be the cover story.  Peter asks what he should do with the pictures and Jameson tells him to sell them to the globe since they’ll print anything. 

Next we see Mr. Osborne working late in his office when we see the Green Goblin stealing an inhibitor prototype.  The Goblin comes face to face with Mr. Osborne and laughs as he takes off on the glider with the prototype. 

Gwen calls Peter on his cell phone and he tells her he is at the carnival, mind you he’s in the Spiderman suit.  He lands and asks Gwen where she is and don’t you know it she’s standing right next to him.  Pete takes off the Spiderman mask and says that its his costume.  Mary Jane and Liz Allen tell Peter he fills out his costume well which makes him blush.  Flash, dressed as a cheerleader, calls him the Spectacular Spider Geek and when he hears the girls’ comments he called him “Puny Parker” again but then Peter retorts saying Flash fills out his costume well too.  Fireworks then go off and one of the fireworks is shaped like a pumpkin like the one on Goblin’s belt.  Peter knew that was his cue and disappears.  Gwen turns and says they need to find Harry but sees Peter is gone.

At the spot where the fireworks originated we have Spiderman entering as Tombstone does at the same time.  As the enter they see Hammerhead in chains suspended above a vat of molten steel.  Hammerhead says this is embarrassing but Big Man says he’s disappointed that Hammerhead would have had a jump drive to protect him and asks Hammerhead if he thinks a jump drive really would protect him.  Hammerhead then says there is no jump drive and that it’s a trap.  Goblin shows up and admits he lied and starts having the molten steel attack Spidey and Big Man along with his different weapons.

The battle ensues and Big Man tells Spiderman to unmask or capture Goblin.  Spiderman just about has Goblin when he catches him in a web but then Goblin had more bombs.  Lincoln and Hammerhead take off in a helicopter and Spiderman runs out of the factory.

Mary Jane and Flash are then talking and Flash is flirting with her and says now that he and Liz have broken up as he puts his arm around Mary Jane.  She says she’s a free agent and plans on keeping it that way and won’t be his replacement as she walks away.  Gwen is then looking for Harry and Peter, neither of which she can find. 

Spiderman and Goblin continue to battle outside of the factory and Spidey says he knows who Goblin is and says he’s Norman Osborne.  Goblin then snares Spiderman in a “Gob Web” and starts dragging him along behind him while riding on the Glider.  Goblin then drops Spiderman in a free fall but Spiderman surrounds himself in a web to protect himself from the fall.  Goblin chases after him and hurls a bomb at him but Spidey uses a web to boomerang it right back at Goblin who is on the glider.  The Glider crashes and leaves Goblin clutching his leg and walking with a limp.  Spiderman goes to use a web against the limping Goblin but he was out of web at the moment.  Goblin then grabs the glider and hangs on to it and rides off.  Spiderman says its ok because he knows where he lives.

Spiderman then webs over to the Osborne house and sees Goblin sitting on the couch.  He proclaims, “I knew it” and walks in as Goblin is taking his mask off only to see the Goblin is Harry.  Harry denies he’s the Goblin and Norman Osborne walks in not limping.  Norman sees the Globular Green and yells at Harry saying that what he did was dangerous and stupid and while yelling asks why he did that.  Harry picks Norman up and throws him against the wall saying he did it for him to become the son and man he always wanted him to be. 

Harry then comes out of it and says he must have blacked out and looks around and says he can’t be the Goblin.  We hear sirens and Harry keeps going on about being sorry.  Spiderman asks Norman why Harry would go after the Big Man.  Norman says that he has had dealing with the Big Man and was threatened when he tried to get out of the dealings and that Harry must have overheard.  He says that under the influence of the Globular Green Harry’s subconscious must have taken over.  Norman then begins to speculate about why Harry attacked him when a wide eyed Harry holding the Goblin mask proclaims he has anger issues. 

Mr. Osborne begs Spiderman to not turn Harry in and says he’ll take the blame since he came up with the serum and that he drove Harry to this.  Mr. Osborne also says that if the Big Man figures out that Harry was the Goblin that even in jail he wouldn’t survive.  Mr. Osborne says Harry is his only son and Spiderman thinks to himself that Harry is his best friend.  Spiderman then says he won’t turn them in but Goblin must remain an unsolved mystery that is never to return and that Mr. Osborne needs to get Harry help.

Next we see Mr. Jameson being told that the Globe’s story about Spiderman (with Peter’s pictures) outsold them on newspapers since the Bugle ran the shuttle story.  Mr. Jameson then said to get Peter and his pictures and to get Peter on an exclusive deal. 

Peter is walking around moping and sees Mary Jane and she tells him she is now going to school there.  Gwen approaches and tells them that Harry is taking a leave of absence to travel abroad and then whispers to get help. 

Last scene is Col. Jameson looking at the space shuttle and he sees the black symbiote on the shuttle and it flinches when he touches the shuttle near him.

**End of Episode**

Review

As I’ve stated before, I never read the Spiderman comics.  What I know of Spiderman lore is from the previous cartoons and the movies.  Personally I like how they handled the Goblin in this inception of Spiderman.  I also like how Mary Jane isn’t shoved down our throats as Peter’s love interest.  I like how Big Man is the big baddie of the show at this point with all of the other Spiderman villains showing up as well but none dominating the show.  Also enjoyable are the cameos of characters that will be used in future shows like the Black Cat was a cameo here.