In
“The Breeder Beast,” the Calico encounters a strange blob monster, “some strange poisonous substance” and “oozing mass of nitroglycerin.”
After
the creature feeds on a natural gas pipeline and grows to extraordinary size,
it heads inland to Washington D.C., where it wreaks havoc, nearly destroying
the Capitol Dome.
Quinn
and the others summon Godzilla to help defeat the creature, but if his laser
eyes strike the monster’s glowing nucleus, a nuclear explosion could wipe out
the whole coast-line.
In
this case, the Big Green Guy goes up against a “pollution mutation,” but must fight with one hand ties behind his
back, metaphorically-speaking, because if the creature explodes, millions of
humans will die.
Two
qualities elevate this episode above average fare.
First,
it’s cool to see Godzilla stomping through Washington D.C., and the episode
takes him to the Capitol, the Washington Monument, and the U.S. Mint. There’s
even a nice shot of traffic stopped-up on I-95.
Another moment sees the monsters throwing the Capitol Dome at one
another.
Beyond
the good location, the monster of the week is pretty neat too. It can absorb
objects (like an anchor) through its glowing red nucleus, and at one point,
Godzooky can’t extricate himself from the sticky, blob-like monster. For a
while, it looks like he could be absorbed.
Also
worthwhile here is the notion that only Godzilla can stop the monster but that
some powers (fire breath and laser eyes) must remain off-limits to him, because
their use could spark wide-scale destruction in the human world.
Godzilla
refrains from using either beam, but still saves the day. To me, this development
suggests he is pretty intelligent, and understands what the scientists tell
him, not just in general terms, but specifically. The key to the breeder beast’s
destruction is a shot straight to his nucleus, a shot that transforms the beast
into its component parts of rock, oil, gold, silver and – tellingly –
pollution.
Next
week: “The Sub-Zero Terror.”
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