Contact (Code Lyoko episode)
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"Contact" is the fiftieth episode of the French animated television series Code Lyoko and the third installment of the five-part Season 2 finale. It premiered in France on February 1, 2006 and in the United States on November 25, 2005
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[edit] Summary
During a short film made by Odd and starring Sissi, Sissi seems to be possessed by a ghost. She does not act as expected, however. Instead, she starts speaking in some strange language, focusing on Jeremie as she does. She is taken to the Infirmary as a result. Later on, she walks into Jeremie's room and writes some code on a piece of paper. Jeremie translates the code, revealing a message stating a desire to help. Sissi is sent to the Hospital after this, forcing Odd and Yumi to go there and collect her. On a trip to Lyoko, Aelita and Ulrich discover a white Tower. XANA isn't happy about the Tower, and sends Megatanks to shut it down forcibly. At the same time, it activates a Tower and possesses a nurse at the Hospital to do the same to Sissi. Odd and Yumi are able to prevent the nurse from doing so. They bring Sissi to the Factory to finish the message she started earlier. She manages to type most of it out before XANA succeeds in shutting down the white Tower. After XANA's Tower is shut down, Jeremie translates the message, revealing that Franz Hopper had activated the white Tower.
[edit] Recap
The episode starts in the Factory. Jeremie is working on the anti-virus program. He's hitting a number of roadblocks, however, hindering his progress. Ulrich says that he should take a break by watching the first screening of Odd's short film. Odd hasn't told anyone what it's about yet.
At the Junior High School, Milly and Tamiya are interviewing Sissi about her role in the stop-action film. When asked for a short description of the movie, Sissi names almost every single type of movie genre. Milly and Tamiya shorten her speech to the simple statement "You don't know." Sissi makes a poor excuse and takes off. In the Gymnasium, a temporary theater has been set up with folding chairs and a projection screen. The MC for the evening, art teacher Gustave Chardin welcomes everyone to the Cinema Club's film festival. He gives the incoming students a talks about the various films that will be shown. He speaks in a very thick French accent. He eventually introduces Odd's film, first in the evening's lineup. The title is Natural Grandeur.
The film itself isn't very long, but is found to be rather funny by the students in the room. It starts with Odd backing down the Boy's Hall, apparently scared of something. He bumps into Jim, who is being played by another student, Romain Le Goff. The real Jim doesn't find the parody too funny after he notices it, despite Romain's almost spitting image of the campus supervisor. The scene continues to suggest that there's someone outside who's as big as their ego, presumably Sissi. Romain dismisses it as impossible as takes Odd to the Infirmary. Outside, the two find Sissi, portrayed as a giantess. She speaks in an artificially-lowered voice and says that she broke a nail. The real Sissi isn't amused and shuts off the movie.
As Sissi is about to let Odd have it for the film, a Ghost appears and possesses her. Instead of becoming an evil minion bent on destroying the group, she just starts speaking irrationally. She tries to tell Jeremie something, but can only gets the words "Aelita" and "XANA" out clearly. Jim begins to take her to the Infirmary, using the exact same wording as the scene in the film. This prompts more laughter from the students. The Headmaster, Sissi's father, takes over and has Jim clear the room.
In Jeremie's room, he scans for an activated Tower while the group huddles around his desktop computer. Finding nothing, they accept the explanation that Sissi is in shock from an electrical surge. Odd and Ulrich are happy that they get to sleep in tomorrow and head off to their room.
Later that night, Sissi shows up in Jeremie's sanctum and tries to talk to him again. She is still speaking the same enigmatic language. Using a piece of scrap paper on the desk, she writes out a note for Jeremie. It's in a code. Jim shows up and takes her back to the Infirmary.
The next day, Odd and Ulrich's much anticipated sleeping-in never comes to pass. Jeremie shows up, waking them and telling them about his experience the previous night. He shows the the note, explaining that he previously scanned it into his computer and ran a translation diagnostic on it. It comes out as mostly nonsense, but "I can help" is clearly heard. They think it might be XANA at first, but dismiss it since it's doesn't fit his normal pattern of behavior. Aelita, Jeremie, and Ulrich head to the Factory while Odd and Yumi go to get Sissi.
At the Factory, Ulrich suggests that they explore Lyoko to find anything out of the ordinary. Jeremie agrees and sends them to the Forest Sector. As they begin to explore, Yumi calls. The Headmaster has sent Sissi to the Paul Doumer Memorial Hospital in the middle of the city. Jeremie insists that they retrieve her. Odd has an idea as to how to do that.
On Lyoko, Aelita and Ulrich find an activated Tower. They are confused, however. Instead of XANA's characteristic red glow, or Jeremie's trademark green glow, this Tower is emitting a white shimmer. As they head for it, two Megatanks roll up behind the pair. Ulrich floors it on his Overbike, but the Megatanks are faster. It is only through Aelita's Creativity that they avoid being crushed. Instead of continuing their pursuit, the Megatanks roll up on the white Tower and start attacking it with their shockwave lasers. Aelita and Ulrich move to defend it. Seeing that they have company, the Megatanks shift their focus. Ulrich uses the Tower as a platform to run up and lands on top of a Megatank. He destroys it easily by stabbing his katana through the monster's Eye of XANA. As he does, XANA activates another Tower. Ulrich says that they'll head for it as soon as the other Megatank is dispatched, but the arrival of two more ruins that plan. Aelita takes off for the Tower anyway, riding Ulrich's Overbike.
At Paul Doumer Memorial Hospital, Sissi's condition hasn't changed. Her father is there and asks to be informed of any alteration in his daughter's condition. The on-duty nurse agrees to do so. Odd and Yumi arrive to get Sissi. As they gain proximity to her room, they hear a scream. The nurse has been possessed and is attacking Sissi. Yumi moves to intercept the possessed medic. Because of the powers XANA grants to a possessed minion, Yumi fails. However, she provides enough of a distraction for Odd to electrocute the XANA-nurse with two AED defribillators. They take off with Sissi before the XANA-nurse can come to.
Back at the Factory, Jeremie gets the news about Sissi and the XANA-nurse. He tells Ulrich to hang on while Odd, Yumi and Sissi get to the Factory from the city center. Ulrich is in Super Sprint mode so the Megatanks can't draw a bead on him. He eventually stops between two of them. A shot from one tank knocks its comrade off of the sky plateau. Ulrich jumps onto the second one and stabs it, but it closes shut and traps his sword. However, the Eye of XANA was still pierced. The tank explodes and sends Ulrich flying. Once he lands, he rolls out of the way juts as his katana lands where his head was.
At the bridge entrance to the Factory, Odd and Yumi are rolling Sissi in using a wheelchair stolen from a hospital service niche. The XANA-nurse, however, is one step ahead. She has commandeered a SAMU ambulance to chase after them. Odd pulls Sissi out of the chair as the nurse runs it down with the vehicle. She crashes the ambulance onto the Factory Floor below, disabling it in the process. Sissi immediately knows where to go and heads for the freight elevator. Odd and Yumi follow somewhat dumbfounded. They get in the elevator as the XANA-nurse punches a hole through the electromagnetically locked door.
Once they reach the Lab, Odd and Sissi exit the heavy duty elevator. Yumi remains behind to distract the XANA-nurse. Sissi walks over to the Lab Interface and starts typing into the program. As she types, a display shows that Aelita is being chased by a monster in the Ice Barrier Sector. Jeremie tells Odd to get to the Scanners.
In the Forest Sector, Ulrich is dealing with the last Megatank. Now that Sissi is at the Lab Interface, it decides to ignore him and turns on the white Tower. Ulrich blocks the shot for a time, but it eventually overcomes him. The blast breaks through his katana into shards and him. It then continues until it whacks the Tower. The shot proves enough to overwhelm the hapless Tower, and it shuts down completely.
Back on Earth, Sissi collapses. Jeremie takes the controls back and sends Odd to help Aelita. The XANA-nurse is still chasing Yumi through the Cathedral Hall and Machine Rooms at this time, but hasn't managed to catch her.
In the Ice Barrier Sector, three Krabes arrive and take out the Overbike, leaving Aelita surrounded. The Scyphozoa arrives to steal her memories. Odd arrives on his Overboard and scares the jellyfish-like monster off before it reaches her. He also takes out a Krabe in the process. He picks up Aelita and takes her to the Tower, sustaining a few hits along the way. Once he drops her off, he turns tail to fight the Krabes. They promptly devirtualize him.
On Earth, the XANA-urse catches up to Yumi in the Machine Rooms. Ulrich arrives to assist as the possessed nurse is about to electrocute Yumi. As he tries to hold her arm back, Aelita deactivates the Tower via the Code: LYOKO.
Back at the school, Jeremie arrives at his room with a compact disk in hand. Sissi is there for some reason. After she leaves, Odd explains that he offered her a part in his next movie. The plot is based on the events that happened earlier. Jeremie starts talking about all the information Sissi typed up in her cryptic programming language. It contains information about the anti-virus. It also contains a message: "I can help. I want to enter into contact with you. I am Franz Hopper." Aelita repeats the last line in an astonished tone.
[edit] Memorable Quotes
- Odd: Lets get out of here! Here comes Doctor Doom!
- Odd: No sweat! I’ve got an idea.
- Yumi: Are you thinking what I think you’re thinking?
- Odd: Yeah! Good thinking!
- Ulrich: Odd just offered Sissi a role in his next film.
- Odd: It's the story of a girl driven by a mysterious being who tries to make contact with humans, all of which takes place in a virtual universe full of danger.
- Jeremie: What did she say?
- Aelita: That no one would ever believe such a ridiculous story.
- Milly: Can you sum up the story for us in a just few words for the Kadic News?
- Sissi: Uh... well... that is its a love story and at the same time a thriller with suspense, and of course its got a good dose of psychology and... and its very funny, a real comedy and quite satirical.
- Milly: So you have no idea?
- Sissi: Uhhhhh...... I've got to go, someone’s calling me.
- Jeremie: Everything okay Sissi?
- Sissi: How do you expect everything to be okay when I am surrounded by big fat losers!
- Yumi: Anyone care to join me?
- Odd: I will! I'm your man Yumi! I mean… you know what I mean.
- Hervé: Relax. I’m sure you’re gonna be great!
- Sissi: Thanks. That's sweet. Uh… but move your hand, or lose it at the elbow.
- The Message: I can help you... I want to enter into contact with you...
- Odd: Wow! I can't believe it!
- The Message: I am Franz Hopper...
- Ulrich: Feel like a little game of bowling?
- Aelita: What?
- Jeremie: Forget about it. It's a bad joke.
- Ulrich: Sometimes I really crack myself up!
- (A reference to Sissi in Odd's short film)
- Odd: She's as big as her ego!
- Romain: (as Jim) That's impossible. Do you know how big that would make her?
[edit] Trivia
[edit] Cinematic Notes
- After the XANA-nurse crashes the ambulance into the floor and Odd refers to her as Doctor Doom, his undershirt disappears for a brief second.
- The strange language Sissi speaks in is word-for-word the same lines Jeremie translates into Franz Hopper's voice played in reverse (Backmasking). They recorded Jodi's line in normal speech and reversed the sound after the session.
[edit] Allusions to the Real World
- Title: Contact
The title, premise of this episode and Odd's planned short film share some minor similarities to Carl Sagan's 1985 novel, Contact. The novel would later be adapted to the big screen in the 1997 film starring Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey. Odd and Sissi's voice actors are, similarly and coincidentally, named Matthew Géczy and Jodi Forrest.
- Odd: Look out! Here comes Doctor Doom!
Odd is referring to Victor von Doom, the dictator monarch of the imaginary European superpower kingdom of Latveria and the main villain of the Fantastic Four, as well as a minor villain in other Marvel Comics.
[edit] Character Notes
- After Jeremie asks Sissi if she's okay, she calls the group "big fat losers" out of anger and walks off in a huff. This demeaning insult is also used by Mindy, a character from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. It's also interesting to note that she would call Ulrich a loser when she constantly obsesses over him.
| Preceded by: "Franz Hopper" |
Code Lyoko episodes | Followed by: "Revelation" |
