12 June 2000 | Mister-6

Good work, "Gadget"!

Here's your assignment: find another animated policeman who could possibly match Jacques Clouseau for accidents per hour...and happens to be loaded with all kinds of mechanical props.



"Inspector Gadget" makes for the perfect kid's show: lots of slapstick, the kids are the smartest ones in the room, the bad guys are all lunk heads, good always wins over evil and the dog gets all the best scenes. And then, there's Gadget himself.



Logic would dictate that Don Adams should do the voice (after all, he WAS Maxwell Smart!). That sharp, snappy voice was the perfect accent for a character who thought himself right all of the time; no matter whether he was or not.



When searching for clues, foiling the plans of Dr. Claw and his MAD organization with a heroic declaration like "I'm always on duty", accidentally blowing up his Chief Quimby every episode and striking fear into all agents out to destroy him (usually, through no fault of his own), Gadget was always cool, on top of the situation and, even when his first guess was always wrong, his third or fourth guesses made up for them.



His niece Penny was the thinker of the family, though, with her computerized notebook and keen mind for deductive reasoning. She was the main reason her uncle stayed around every episode. And faithful pet dog Brain kept a close eye on Gadget and, even when mistaken for a MAD agent, helped him time and again out of very sticky situations.



Forever alive in syndication, nothing can ever dim the might and power that is "Inspector Gadget". Gadget is, quite simply, THE MAN (main emphasis on the "simply" part)!



Ten stars. Go, "Gadget", go!