Always Bring a Toothpick is the fourth episode of Gremlins: The Wild Batch, and the fourteenth episode overall.
Synopsis[]
Sam and Chang recruit help to rescue Gizmo from Noggin's Evil Mogwai gang, while Elle discovers that her mother is alive but facing her own magical problem.
Plot[]
Sam and Chang are observing the headquarters of the Chinatown Benevolent Society, where Chang is sure they will find Gizmo and Noggin. However, they will need help. With a spell his Grandfather taught him, Sam turns Chang’s toothpick into a compass pointing out other magical creatures in Chinatown. Chang is skeptical they will find one, but follows Sam anyway.
The toothpick brings them to another restaurant, where they find a guardian lion, who has seen better days as his forepaw is cracked. He tells Sam and Chang how he used to form a pair with his sister, but when one day Boss Chang came to buy the duo for his organization, his sister betrayed him and damaged the Lion so Boss Chang would lose interest in him and only buy the Lioness. Sam tries to convince the Lion to help them, and Chang backs him up by claiming that Sam is a legendary monster hero named “the kid in the hat”, supposedly protecting good monsters and fighting bad ones. The lion agrees.
In the headquarters of the Chinatown Benevolent Society, Noggin gives Gizmo a tour. He tells Gizmo how, ever since he rose to power, he has tried and failed to civilize his fellow Gremlins. He even hired teachers to teach them culture and language, but they were just too dumb and evil to change their ways. Gizmo is the only other Mogwai with intelligence and self-control, and Noggin is desperate for a new friend. So he hopes Gizmo will join his side. He also explains how he survived getting turned back into a furry Mogwai thanks to the Elicul Ring.
In the hotel, Elle talks with her mother, Margot. She tells Elle that the story about her and Vachel stealing so many lanterns that they were carried off into the air by them is true. However, they did not do this out of greed but in an attempt to raise enough money to buy Elle back from Riley Greene. Vachel died when he lost his grip over the streets of Shanghai. Margot held on until she was above the ocean, but fell too. Fortunately, a ship picked her up and brought her to America. Like Elle, she has been dreaming that the two of them would reunite. Elle wonders why her mom never came back for her. Margot claims she wanted to build a better life for Elle here in San Francisco first and then claims Elle needs to do something for her. Elle gets suspicious of this and believes her mom wants to use her again for her own gain. She angrily storms off, not giving Margot a chance to explain herself.
Elle joins up again with Chang and Sam, and with the help of the Lion, they break into the office of the Chinatown Benevolent Society, where the Lioness confronts them. The Lion angrily attacks his sister, who desperately tries to tell her side of the story. Sam interferes and breaks up the fight. The Lioness explains that when Boss Chang came for them, she immediately knew he was a criminal and knew her brother would never be comfortable serving such a man. So, to save him from the pain, she damaged him and convinced Boss Chang that he would be no good. The lion siblings reconcile, and both join Sam.
Together, the group finds Gizmo watching a movie with Noggin. Chang confronts Noggin, who tells him he did not kill Boss Chang but that Boss Chang willingly left Chinatown for Noggin. Noggin tries once more to befriend Gizmo, and for a moment, Gizmo actually seems conflicted about whether he should go with Sam or stay with Noggin. He ultimately chooses Sam, enraging Noggin. While the Guardian Lions hold off the Gremlins, Chang leads the kids and Gizmo into the old smugglers' tunnels underneath the city. This turns out to be a wrong choice, however, as Noggin had all the tunnels blocked off after he became the new boss in Chinatown. Noggin sends three human minions after the group, who soon find themselves trapped. Then, all of a sudden, Margot rises from the water in the tunnel and reveals she somehow has water-manipulating abilities, which she uses to attack the three gangsters.
Cast[]
- Gabrielle Green as Elle-Marie
- Yael Grobglas as Margot, Teacher
- Simu Liu as Chang
- A. J. LoCascio as Gizmo, Evil Mogwai
- George Takei as Noggin
- Izaac Wang as Sam Wing
- Eric Bauza as Bobo, Evil Mogwai, Gangster Lo
- Michael Paul Chan as The Lion
- Grey DeLisle as Evil Mogwai
- Kelly Hu as The Lioness
- Kari Wahlgren as Evil Mogwai
- Moujan Zolfaghari as Lucky
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
Revelations and significant events[]
- Noggin told Chang Jr about what really happened to his dad.
- Vachel fell from the paper lanterns and died.
- Margots reveals that she is a water spirit.
Continuity[]
- Elle mentions to Margot that she sacrifices herself to save Sam and Gizmo in Never Squeeze a Fox.
References[]
| Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai episodes | |
|---|---|
| Season 1 | 1. Never Get Them Wet · 2. Never Feed Them After Midnight · 3. Always Buy a Ticket · 4. Don't Drink the Tea · 5. Always Stab or Run · 6. Always Buy a God a Drink First · 7. Never Squeeze a Fox · 8. Never Hug a Mogwai · 9. Never Give Up · 10. Never Ever Expose Them to Bright Light |
| Season 2 | 1. Always Be Ready for Adventure · 2. Never Take the Tour · 3. Never Use Double Negatives · 4. Always Bring a Toothpick · 5. There's Always a Fortune in the Cookie Factory · 6. Never Get Out of the Truck · 7. Always Ask for Backstory · 8. Never Try the Cider · 9. Always or Never Make Wishes · 10. Always Make the Hard Choice |