Our Top Episodes of The Real Ghostbusters.

As a kid, The Real Ghostbusters was my go-to cartoon, and The Transformers was a close second. I'm sure I've seen every episode of The Real Ghostbusters at some point, and I've started to binge on the series again with the advent of Netflix.

In this article, contributing writer Luke Worle will expound on his favorite episodes of this beloved '80s TV classic. For a brief moment, this is Dave, the founder of Retro Injection. A good chunk of my life has revolved around Ghostbusters in its various incarnations; check out the menu at the top of the page to see my various ghostbusting exploits.

Some things which you held dear as a child do not hold up to adult scrutiny; the aforementioned Transformers series is one of them. However, as Luke will allude, The Real Ghostbusters was not initially written for kids. Adults who watched the cartoon in their youth for its action and adventure, can appreciate it now for its more subtle (sometimes adult) nuances and deadpan humor. I feel like the show grew up with me. The Real Ghostbusters aired as a time capsule, waiting for a generation to fully appreciate it. That time has come, and many lifelong fans are now sharing the episodes with their kids, continuing the cycle. The Real Ghostbusters is a legacy.

If you've never seen this cartoon, you're in for a great time. The Real Ghostbusters is completely canon, with continuity to the films weaved into the new animated adventures. The most clever, insane part about the whole thing? According to The Real Ghostbusters episode "Take Two," the live action 1984 film is actually based on the characters in the 1986 cartoon! The series is a flat-out work of genius, and the overwhelming odds are that you're already familiar with it. I wish there had been a feature-length The Real Ghostbusters movie, and I'm sure I'm not alone in that.

I wanted to pull the webmaster card, and add an entry which Luke did not include in his list: "The Collect Call of Call of Cathulhu" (below), written by Michael Reaves. Incredibly dark and intense, it could serve as an introduction to the lore of H.P. Lovecraft, one of the greatest horror writers ever.

Let's get pumped with the intro to this classic show, and I'll leave the rest to Luke. The article was his idea, anyway!

Hello, fellow '80s lover. I thought I'd slightly spice up each episode's review. Many sites featuring their own top ten Real Ghostbusters episodes seem a bit poorly constructed, click-baited or written by Millennials who seem to value today's prime-time adult cartoons as the formal benchmark for entertainment. Most people know of The Real Ghostbusters, but many don't really appreciate the genius of it, simply because it either eclipsed them as '80s kids, or they had the misfortune of growing up in the '90s. Well kiddos, The Real Ghostbusters is quite simply, the greatest cartoon of the 1980s. Sure, there are a number of spotty episodes, and even a few that are an acrid offering to the nostrils of good taste. However, this was and remains the scariest show ever produced for children's programming, and very much so the most emotionally deep. 

You'll notice on the list that a majority of the episodes were spearheaded or written by story editor-writer J. Michael Straczynski. To his credit, he never bowed to censorship or ABC's insistence on making a dumbed-down, goofy kids show. When the network brass decided to make Slimer (the Urkel of the cartoon universe) the star of the show, they realized that Straczynki's darker treatments and scripts weren't going to cut the ghoulish mustard. Thus, after steadfastly adhering to its kid-centric, money-milking principles, the network lost the great Straczynski in the process. 

In all things ironic, the show began to tank with viewers after the network neutered the show. We '80s kids were wise to the suits' intrusion, and didn't much dig the cast shakeups, Slimer spin-off or fake "mommy" Janine.

As mentioned, when Straczynski left the show after the first two seasons (returning to write a few more for seasons three and four), the remainder of the series woefully lost its way, although a few classic episodes are peppered in. Nonetheless, the nobility of the first two seasons can't be disputed. J. Michael Straczynski was the creative atom bomb of the show, crafting its finest moments. It is no surprise that half of these twenty episodes were penned by him. I left number ten blank, faithful Ghostbusters fan, so that you can choose your own adventure and fill it in. You've gotta jot that childhood nostalgia somehow! 

Now, hyperbole aside, here are the very best The Real Ghostbusters episodes! 

1. MR. SANDMAN, DREAM ME A DREAM

A knockout episode, this ethereal romp through a sleep-induced playground turned upside-down, is the perfected synthesis of The Real Ghostbusters in its prime. This artistic feat is even more impressive when you consider that it was one of the earliest episodes produced! 

The plot involves an original show-canon creation, derived in part from bedtime folklore, wherein the formerly gentle giant who helps kids sleep is re-imagined as a nefarious creature with a sinister and over-aching plot to put the world to rest... permanently. 

The Sandman stands as one of the most fiercely terrifying and complex characters dreamed up (pun intended!) by the great scribe J. MIchael Straczynski, and he wastes no spare moments nor pulls any punches in showcasing The Sandman's primal blend of imp and monster, punctuated by a Napoleon complex that rivals only President Trump! 

Featuring the dark underbelly of nightmares and the liberating power of dreams, this classic must-see episode features mice-drawn chariots, twenty five-foot Easter rabbits, a surprisingly poignant cameo by Albert Einstein and incredibly layered emotive storytelling that cements this as the finest of all episodes. A Picasso for the kiddies.

2. THE BOOGIEMAN COMETH

Another ace in the hole, this episode also introduces an original Real Ghostbusters canon character, once again derived from folklore, but certainly parading itself with a headstrong arrogance in front of ABC censors. It's incredible that this episode and aforementioned character made it through the development stage, due to the insurmountable amount of skin-crawling creep factor. The plot is relatively simple, wherein we meet two precocious kids who are visited nightly by the titular character. 

The Boogieman is another character who terrifies on sight, even in the confines of cell- drawn animation. Grotesquely proportioned, with a voice that is a hybrid between broken glass and eternal nightmares, the Ghostbusters gang must spring into quick thinking action to outsmart the Boogieman on his own turf, a nocturnal carnival from hell. Key scenes involve his twisted and multi-layered labyrinth, weaving through the closets of all the world's children.

Once again, it's up to our ghostbusting pals to save the day... and night. This splendid episode brings tension, intelligence and high-octane excitement to the proverbial table. It's a feverish fusion of terror and remembrances of our childhood imaginations, navigating through the billowy shadows in our closets. There's much to be said about taking a familiar character in folklore and completely reinventing the villain. The storytelling paints the darkness with shades of light as the kids and Egon confront fear, once and for all. 

3. THE THING IN MRS. FAVERSHAM'S ATTIC

One of the most poignant episodes (once again penned by the great J. Michael Straczynski), the storyline takes us through the life of an endearing but troubled elderly woman who wins Peter's heart. She's tormented by the sinister noises coming from her attic, and thereby we learn of a terrible miscalculation done to give her a wonderful life long ago.

This episode boasts almost Lovecraftian elements in its storytelling composition. Most telling though, is the emotionally-charged denouement.

This is when the show wasn't about gimmicks or dumbing down emotional and terrifying content. It was about good overcoming evil, with a ragged trail of cartoon razor wire wrapped around our hearts. OK, so maybe it's not Hamlet, but for a children's cartoon, the show could be incredibly deep. This is one of the very finest of those episodes. That, and horror. Lots of inexplicably ABC censor-approved horror. 

All in all, the final minute of this episode is one of the most beautifully-constructed scenes ever in a children's TV show. Perhaps it's one of the most touching moments in TV, period. 

4. RAGNAROK AND ROLL