End of Take
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"End of Take is the eighth episode of the French animated television series Code Lyoko. It premiered in France on October 22, 2003 and in the United States on April 28, 2004.
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[edit] Summary
After the principal shows a movie about aliens made director named James Finson, Finson announces that he plans to make a movie in the city, using the factory as the prime location. The group would rather not have people setting up shop in their factory, so Ulrich tries to convince Finson that making a movie there would be a bad idea. All his efforts achieve the opposite result, and he's even given a part in the movie, but the prinicipal won't let him miss school. Sissi, who wants to be in the movie, convinces her father to let Ulrich miss school so she'll get a part. While Ulrich is guarding the lower levels, XANA possesses the alien monster prop and uses it to capture Ulrich (as well as Sissi) and use them as bait for the others.
[edit] Recap
The episode starts with a movie being shown to the students of Kadic in the Auditorium. It involves an evil alien attacking a young woman in a destroyed complex of some sort. The alien is shot down by the main protagonist of the film, and the movie ends with the two humans in each other's arms. The gang debates the film amongst themselves and each shares their opinions. Jeremie claims the film to be "totally ridiculous", Ulrich thinks it was cool, Odd liked the special effects, and Yumi thinks it was scary. Then Headmaster Delmas comes up to the podium and announces that the director and writer of the movie, James Finson, is present. Finson approaches the microphone and informs the students that he will be using an old factory nearby for his newest movie, also a blend of science fiction and horror. Jeremie immediately equivocates and says to himself, "A factory?...Oh no, not our Factory!"
Jeremie, scared that the Supercomputer will be discovered, talks to the gang about it. Ulrich says he'll talk to Finson.
Meanwhile, Finson is autographing pictures of himself to the students in the Cafeteria. Julien Xao gets his souvenir and heartily thanks Finson, who moves off to give another autographed photo to Paul Gaillard. Sissi then comes up and tells Finson to autograph a photo to her, telling him to write: To Sissi, who has a lot of talent, is an upcoming star, and should have a role in his latest film. Finson says he will just autograph the photo: To Sissi, who has a lot of nerve. He denies her request, citing the fact that the cast roles have already been filled. Sissi huffs off and Ulrich approaches the table. Finson reaches for a photo, but Ulrich instead says that he knows the Factory inside out and can guide Finson there. Finson says a lot of people at Kadic have nerve, but agrees to let Ulrich take him around.
Outside, Odd, Jeremie and Yumi are listening to the conversation. Odd is told he has nothing to worry about, but he says, "How come every time I'm told not to worry, I worry? And I mean worry?"
Ulrich and Finson go on a scouting trip to the Factory. On the barren floor of the Cathedral Hall, Finson observes the rusting columns, cracked floor and dinginess of the place while Ulrich describes the dangers of the old building. He tells Finson that the place has a danger of falling apart, to which Finson enthusiastically says he loves a dangerous shoot. Ulrich tries to dissuade the director, telling him the Factory is infested with mice. Finson gets more zealous, saying he has plans for many scenes involving mice. Ulrich also says that the previous owner had Uranium stored in an undisclosed location in the manufacturing complex. Finson still is not deterred. The rest of the gang are observing from the barren gallery above the Factory Floor and Odd says he had good reason to worry. Finson notices the freight elevator, and asks Ulrich where it leads. Ulrich says that it has been offline forever. Suddenly, the building shifts and metallic banging is heard in the shaft. Ulrich sees an opportunity and tells Finson that the Factory is haunted. Finson, however, is not scared in the least, and asks Ulrich to be his technical advisor for the film. Jeremie, Odd and Yumi see this as a good chance, and silently pray that Ulrich gets the job. Ulrich is surprised, but pleased with the offer and says he'd be happy to. The gang cheers until the realize this could give away their position, so they shush themselves. Ulrich adds that the Headmaster may not let him miss school.
When Finson and Ulrich return to the school, Sissi sees the chance to manipulate Ulrich to let her play a part in the movie. Hervé tells her the Headmaster would not allow it. Finson comes out from the Administration Wing into the marble lobby, accompanied by Ulrich. He is shocked that the Headmaster would not allow Ulrich to go shoot with him. Sissi tells the director she'll tell her father to let Ulrich go if she gets a part in the film. Finson reluctantly agrees, and Sissi gloats to her gang about it.
The next day, Sissi and Ulrich go to the Factory. She and Ulrich stroll past the sewer access hatch on the bridge and Sissi gloats to Ulrich about how glorious it will be for him to watch her acting career get off the ground. Ulrich sarcastically comments that that will be a real privilege. At the bridge entrance a female filming assistant and two guards are posted at a small foldout table. She asks the two youngsters if they have cell phones, and Sissi responds in the affirmative in a matter-of-fact tone. The assistant demands that the cell phones be handed over immediately. The children are forced to comply, and their phones are put into a metal lock box along with a number of others.
On the Factory Floor in the Cathedral Hall, another filming assistant is leading Ulrich and Sissi around while the gaffers, key grips and electricians prepare the site for filming. Ulrich asks why they can't have cell phones, pointing out that they might need to contact their parents. The assistant says that Finson demands no contact with the outside world for fear of media leaks to the nation's major newspapers. After Sissi excitedly compares her and Ulrich's experience to being on a desert island, Ulrich is thoroughly bothered by the fact he has to be there.
Finson then has his crew gather around a shrouded object hooked up to a computer terminal. He removes the shroud and reveals the alien designed for the film, which is tied to a partial crucifix. Finson proudly announces that he specially designed the alien to shoot goo from its mouth. After Ulrich points out it is similar to the alien in the film Alien by British director Ridley Scott, Finson gets annoyed, says that his work is wholly original, and stalks off. Sissi follows him and asks for her script, saying that professionals need to learn their lines. Finson pulls a piece of scrap paper out of his pocket, scribbles something on it and hands it to Sissi. She says, "Aaaah!" It is soon revealed that that is all the paper says: "Aaaah!" Finson tells Sissi that she will be the alien's first victim and will be on camera for 20 seconds at the opening of the film. He leaves her thoroughly depressed with her 20 seconds of stardom.
During the night, the crew sets up a number of identical purple tents on the Factory Floor. Some are sitting in a group, discussing technical aspects of filming. Ulrich sneaks out of his and Sissi's tent to go to the Lab. Sissi stirs and wakes at Ulrich's departure. Ulrich sneaks between the rows of tents and disappears into a maintenance shaft.
The computer screen at the alien's data terminal lights up with the Eye of XANA. A ghost leaks out and flies across the wires linking the computer to the alien.
Ulrich ends up in the Lab where he contacts Jeremie. The latter of the two had been previously talking to Aelita. Sissi emerges from the maintenance ladder and asks Ulrich what's going on. Ulrich tells Sissi that she won't understand, and that she must leave. Sissi retorts, only to get goo sploched on her head like bird droppings. She looks up and the alien is crawling the walls, as it has been possessed by XANA. Ulrich grabs the screaming Sissi and throws her and himself into the elevator. It closes its doors and electromagnetically locks just as the XANA-Alien is about to enter. As the elevator ascends, the XANA-Alien presses the attack. Just as Ulrich and Sissi believe themselves to be safe, the XANA-Alien starts breaking through the elevator's floor. It makes several dents before Ulrich tells Sissi to escape through the roof hatch. The elevator grinds to a stop in its shaft. Ulrich supports Sissi on his hand and she opens the hatch and climbs onto the elevator's roof. Sissi gives Ulrich and hand just as the XANA-Alien breaks through the floor and makes a swipe at Ulrich. It succeeds only in taking one of his sneakers. Safe on the elevator roof, Ulrich tells Sissi that they must escape. He finds a vent cover in the wall next to him and removes it. Ulrich and Sissi attempt to escape to the Upper Machine Room via the ventilation shafts.
Finson wakes up his staff in the morning by blaring the movie's theme music outside several tents. As the staff sleepily emerge, Finson claims to have composed the score last night. He tells his groggy staff to wake up, before being told that there is a problem. He sees the alien prop missing and flies into a rage. He wonders if the younsters took it, since they have been reported missing. He tells his staff to spread out and find them.
Ulrich and Sissi have made it the the Upper Machine Room (seen from the front of the Factory as the area with the triangluar slat roofs and long vertical windows). Sissi and Ulrich sneak through the massive chamber, past rusting mechanical gear, corroded columns, broken walls and offline cranes. They are soon trapped by the XANA-Alien on one of the room's upper stories. It shoots the two with its gooey goo shooter. They are splotched to the wall of a partially collapsed hallway and trapped. Before walking off, the monster lovingly lick Sissi's face, which causes the little girl to cry a bit.
Yumi, Jeremie, and Odd sneak past the snoozing security guards to try and save their friends from the XANA-Alien. They discuss their plan of action in the Turbine Room below the Machine Rooms. They reach consensus. Yumi strikes out for the Upper Machine Room whilst Jeremie sends Odd to Lyoko to assist Aelita.
Finson's minions have spread throughout the Factory. In order for Yumi to achieve the Upper Machine Room, she has to track through the Hydroelectric Power Center below the Factory foundations. Two of Finson's filming assistants are combing this particular chamber. Yumi attempts to evade them, but accidentally knocked a steel rebar into one of the two intersecting canals. She avoids the two alerted assistants by climbing up a concrete barrier and prostrating herself against a steel beam.
In Lyoko, Odd virtualizes and makes various sexually suggestive comments to Aelita, who takes the sentences too literally and is therefore confused. They are attacked by Hornets, however, and begin a long run towards the activated Tower.
Yumi reaches the Upper Machine Room where she frees Sissi and Ulrich with her jackknife by cutting off the dried strips of slime with the blade. Sissi says she never thought that she would be indebted to Yumi. Their joy is killed when Finson appears at the intersection of the hallway and a catwalk.
On Lyoko, the Hornets are chasing Odd and Aelita down the snowy paths of the Ice Barrier Sector. Odd finds a steep slope and convinces Aelita to follow him. Odd slides down it on his feet as if he were snow boarding. Aelita slips and is forced to ride the slide on her buttocks. The two enter a winding cave system. Odd comments on how exhiliarating this is, while Aelita just screams.
Finson and two of his assistants are interrogating Ulrich, Sissi and Yumi in the Factory's Operation Center. The XANA-Alien barges in and attempts to take the three kids hostage. The two assistants attempt to stop it, but they are shot with the slime. The force of the impact sends them flying out of a door and sticks them to the windowed gallery outside. Ulrich, Yumi and Sissi escape the room and the XANA-Alien pursues. Finson grabs onto the possessed model's legs, saying, "I created you! You must obey me!" The XANA-Alien responds by gooing Finson to the windows along with his hapless assistants.
After sliding down many twists and turns Aelita and Odd are dumped out of the end and scream as they fall a good distance onto an icy plateau. Jeremie tells them that they are not far from the Tower. Odd says that that feels good. When they arrive, however, there are two Towers. Aelita must chose one of them, and points out that this is a confusion tactic employed by XANA. The situation is not helped by an incoming squadron of Hornets. Odd attempts to fight them off, while Aelita stands in a quandary about which Tower to pick.
In the real world, Ulrich has blocked the Control Room door with desks, file cabinets and chairs, hoping that will hold the XANA-Alien. He joins Sissi and Yumi, who are backed up against the curving wall. The three managed to escape into the Executive Office Corridor (seen from the front of the Factory as the "ship's bow" full of bay windows). Sissi babbles about being too young to die while the XANA-Alien furiously bangs at the blockaded door.
Odd is killing off Hornets, but misses some. Aelita stands confused as to which Tower to pick. Odd tells her to hurry up and just pick. Aelita meditates while Odd uses up his last Lazer Arrows. She enters the lefthand Tower as Odd is knocked flat and devirtualized.
The XANA-Alien has given up on breaking the blocaked of office furniture. Instead, it burrows through the ceiling and emerges into the Office Area. It crushes Yumi's cell phone underfoot and corners the three. It forces them to back down the curved corridor, over the wires and discarded papers and into the very far corner full of utiltiy pipes. The XANA-Alien uses its head tentacles to choke Ulrich and Yumi while Sissi cries from shock.
In Lyoko, Aelita choses a Tower. As she enters the Code: LYOKO she tells Jeremie that if she chooses the wrong Tower, it will be all over. Jeremie tells Aelita that he has faith in her. The Code is entered, but nothing happens.
Ulrich and Yumi are sweating while being choked. Sissi, still crying, reaches out and moans, "Ulrich!"
Aelita apologizes for choosing the wrong Tower. Jeremie seemingly resigns in the Lab, and Ulrich and Yumi continue to be throttled to death. Aelita then says, "No! Wait!" The binary code screens surrounding the interior platforms drop into oblivion and the white bubble signifying a deactivated Tower emerges from the point where the binary screens disappeared. Jeremie gratefully activates a time reversion. The bubble engulfs Yumi, Ulrich, Sissi, the XANA-Alien and the Factory while the time stream is set back a day.
Time reverts to the time when Finson is signing autographs. Instead of suggesting to give a tour of the Factory, Ulrich this time tells Finson that another alien movie had been filmed at the Factory some time ago. Ulrich adds that it was a stunning picture for further deterrent. Finson calls his producer, saying he has given it some thought and decided that the Factory was ill-suited for filming. He tells his producer to pull out. The episode ends with Finson yelling at his producer, who claims there was no motion picture made previously at the site.
[edit] Memorable Quotes
- Odd: How come every time Ulrich tells us not to get worried, I worry, and I mean WORRY!
- (Jeremie in the dorm, communicating with Ulrich, who is in the Lab)
- Jeremie: Pleeeeease tell me that wasn't Sissi's voice I just heard.
- Jeremie: Odd---
- Odd: I know what you're gonna tell me; "Hurry up!" Well for your information, we're not exactly having a tea party here!
- (Just before it actually happens)
- Sissi: Or else what? A monster's going to squirt goopy goo all over my face! Huh, Ulrich?
- Yumi: (preparing to cut Ulrich and Sissi free) Whatever you do, don't move a muscle!
- Ulrich: (unamused) Boy, aren't you funny!
- Sissi: Can I see my script, we professionals have to get our lines memorized!
- Finson: Okay. (writes something) Here you go.
- Sissi: Ah! (as she turns her script around to reveal that her only line is "ah!")
- Finson: Wow, you got it already!
- (right after the finson movie)
- Jeremie: Totally ridiculous.
- Ulrich: Wow! That was neat!
- Odd:I thought the sound effects were pretty good but, well, it just wasn't scary enough.
- Yumi: Your kidding! How come your teeth were chattering, for the sound effects?
[edit] Trivia
[edit] Cinematic Notes
- In this episode, the Hornets fire much faster than they are able to, firing rapidly without whipping their stingers, simply holding their stingers where they want to shoot and firing rapidly with no recoil.
- Ulrich, Yumi, and the Alien freeze when the Tower is deactivated. Then they resume moving again along with Sissi until the return to the past occurs.
- When Finson is talking to Yumi, Ulrich, and Sissi, there is a clear shot of Yumi's cell phone, which is deep vermillion. When they are later cornered by the Alien, Yumi drops the phone. There is again a clear shot of the phone, but now it's black instead of vermillion.
- When the XANA-alien goos Sissi and Ulrich to the wall, it licks Sissi's face. In this shot, Sissi's forearms are down. In all remaining shots, her forearms are up.
- Two of Finson's assistants, a man and a woman, try to help him catch the XANA-Alien; and are immediately gooed against the wall for their troubles. The woman is on the left (as the camera face them) and flat against the wall. The man is on the right and is bent at the knees and waist. They switch places and postures when viewed through the doorway.
[edit] Character Notes
- Sissi's father is revealed to be the principal of Kadic (the man that appeared in the previous episodes, like Teddygozilla) in this episode.
[edit] Allusions to the Real World
- Ulrich: Looks like that Alien from that movie (says coyly), I can't remember it's name..."
Alien is a 1979 science fiction/horror/thriller movie directed by Ridley Scott and written by Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett. It starred Tom Skerrit, Sigourney Weaver, John Hurt and Bolaji Badejo, among others. The movie was remade in 1992, but the episode's Alien resembles that of the 1979 film, imagined by H.R. Giger
| Preceded by: "Image Problem" |
Code Lyoko episodes | Followed by: "Satellite" |
