Always Stab or Run is the fifth episode of Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, and the fifth episode overall.
It aired on June 8, 2023 on Max.
Synopsis[]
Everyone's nerves are tested as Sam, Elle, and Gizmo follow Grandpa's map through a dark, dangerous forest.
Plot[]
A henchman tells Riley that the mogwai had escaped, except for the one in the jar, so he is ordered to search the ship. Meanwhile, the mogwai start moving through the air ducts and getting themselves wet in order to multiply into even more mogwai.
Fong and Hon work on the henchman's arm, trying to sweet talk them in order to trick them into telling them about the ship. Fong secretly tells Hon that they would not attempt an escape until they got Sam.
Meanwhile, Sam tells Elle and Gizmo that his grandfather's map should take them straight to Ghost City after crossing the forest they were in. They mention that the forest is scary, which Sam's grandfather also wrote down. Looking at his notebook, Sam also reads that his grandfather suggested stabbing or running when encountering creatures in the forest.
Sam, Elle and Gizmo start hearing things, so they run until they stumble upon a man, who tells them to give him everything they have. The man holds a small blade and points it at them, so Sam tells Elle to do what the thief says. However, Elle kicks the blade out of the man's hand and says that the bandit is weak. When they turn around, another creature runs up to the bandit and kills him with its claws, turning the man into another creature just like him. They realize that they are being chased by many identical creatures, so they start running way from them until they reach a small cabin, which they go into and shut the doors.
On Riley's ship, the mogwai reach the captain's cabin and shut the ship's lights off. The captain finds out and is attacked by a mogwai, who then takes control of the helm.
Fong tells the henchmen to not check what was happening, as she would be doing it herself along with Hon.
Sam and Elle struggle to hold the creatures out of the cabin and they are now completely surrounded. Elle falls through a hole on the floor, where she is followed by Sam. However, Elle pints out that they are not alone and a kid pops out, greeting them and introducing himself as Radish. He presents his best friend which is a radish he calls Theodore. Radish tells them that he grows carrots and had run away from the orphanage. The monsters break in through the door and start looking for the children.
Riley tells his henchman that they are dealing with creatures that were good at chaos, so they begin to sound the alarm, which has been taken control of by the mogwai.
Fong and Hon run, but Hon wants to run away from Greene, while Fong says that the ship is taking them straight to Sam, so they need to fight magic with magic. In Greene's office, Hon and Fong look for anything that could be magical or deadly.
In the cabin, the hopping monsters wait for the children to come out as Sam reads his grandfather's book and Elle asks Radish if he never thought to dig another way out. Radish says that he had a perfect life there, so he had no need to do so. He reveals that a man had called for his help calling the monsters Jiangxi, which makes Sam remember when his grandfather told him about the history of the Jiangxi and how using a talisman would freeze them right where they hop, but he needs to place it on its forehead.
The Jiangxi begin to attack the children and manage to grab hold of Theodore. Radish yells at them, telling the monsters that they could not have his friend, but he is told to let the radish go by Elle. However, Radish says that he is Radish, and his friend is Theodore. He bolts out of the house and goes after the Jiangxi, so Elle tells Sam that their new acquaintance would not make it out there. Sam looks for for the talisman and draws the symbols, going after the Jiangxi. Gizmo and Elle go after him as well.
On Riley's ship, the mogwai begin to attack everyone and take control of everything. Meanwhile, Fong and Hon are also surprised by the appearance of a mogwai in Greene's office. The mogwai starts throwing things at them until they make it disintegrate in a liquid. Another one comes in, and Fong manages to kill it with the ceiling fan. They are approached by many more, but Fong eventually finds a wand that is able to kill them instantly.
Sam and Elle grab the Jiangxi's attention, so Radish is able to grab Theodore. The Jiangxi begin to chase them, while Gizmo calls for Radish's attention so they can take care of a few as well. Sam places a talisman on one of the Jiangxi, which makes it freeze, but he is approached by some more. Working as a team, Elle and Sam manage to place more talismans on the Jiangxi while Radish and Gizmo throw carrots at the monsters, which also allows them to place talismans on their foreheads. Eventually, all Jiangxi have talismans on their foreheads, after which Sam invites Radish to join them on their adventure. Radish asks Theodore and says that they are both in.
Sam, Elle, Gizmo, and Radish all walk until they reach the end of the forest and look down upon Ghost City. Sam is excited that his grandfather's directions were correct, but Elle gives Sam the credit he deserves for getting them through the forest.
Hon and Fong walk through Greene's ship until they enocounter Riley himself. Fong points the Wand of Sunlight at him, which holds a bright light, which Riley says means instant death to a mogwai, but does nothing to him. They run away from him, but stop when they see mogwai attacking a henchman. Since they stop, Riley approaches them from behind and freezes them.
Using the wand, Riley kills many mogwai at once and demands a parlay with their leader. The lead mogwai pops out, so Riley says that he could take them out easily, but since they took out his crew, he needs to get to the Valley of Jade. He asks the mogwai, whom he names Claw, what she would like in return, to which the mogwai responds the ship so she can travel. Riley agrees to her terms and they become allies.
Cast[]
- Gabrielle Green as Elle
- James Hong as Grandpa
- A. J. LoCascio as Gizmo, Acid Mogwai, Snout Jr.
- Matthew Rhys as Riley Greene
- Calvin Shen as Radish
- Izaac Wang as Sam Wing
- Ming-Na Wen as Fong Wing
- BD Wong as Hon Wing
- Eric Bauza as Captain, Henchman #1, Toad Mogwai
- Keisuke Hoashi as Bandit, Jiangxi, Evil Mogwai
- Zach Galligan as Henchman #2
- Grey Griffin as Claw, Duckface
- Keone Young as Henchman #3, Henchman #6
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The title refers to a quote Grandpa Wing always told Sam.
References[]
Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai episodes | |
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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 |