Tugs Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Main Page

""Quite a mess, isn't it? Captain Star will go mad!"/"Yes, well I did tell him, O.J. working with Z-Stacks just doesn't work."/"It wasn't my fault! Ask Zorran!"/"One of Zorran's little schemes? Hmm, I thought as much...""
O.J., Top Hat, Zug and Big Mac

Trapped is the third episode of TUGS.

Plot

While the Star Tugs and Z-Stacks are competing business rivals, there have been times where they have to take on a big job together. One job in particular was when timber and tanning bark had to be brought down from the sawmills upriver, and everyone must all work together.

On this day, Zug is pulling a large, rusty, old tramper to the breaker's yard. Zak and Zip pass by and ask where he was because Zorran was waiting at Mittsville. Zug explains that Captain Zero said to take it on his way and deliver it before working with Zorran on the timber and bark job. But this extra task has now made him very late. Zip just remarks him to believe it.

An alligator tug (called Billy Shoepack) works up river. He transports dangerous loads, notably dynamite, from Mittsville to the logging camp. Billy sees O.J. and Big Mac, who just want him to get away with his load.

Zug sees Zorran waiting impatiently. Zorran says how they are all supposed to be on log detail. Zug tells Zorran how Captain Zero told him to take the old rust bucket to the breaker’s yard on his way. Zorran jumps in to “help” Zug get it to the breaker’s yard faster. But Zorran pushes too hard, which causes the vessel to go out of line and jam right across the river with Zug trapped on the other side along with some of the Stars. Now no one can get past it either way. Zorran steams off and leaves Zug there. He is pleased, thinking that all the Stars are trapped Upriver, leaving the harbour entirely to the Z-Stacks.

Top Hat and Sunshine then find Zug and the jammed tramper on their way down. Zug explains the situation and confesses that it wasn't his fault. Sunshine goes back-up-river for help. Meanwhile downriver at Mittsville, Zorran is surprised to see Ten Cents. Ten Cents is pulled off log detail to deliver timber-cutting machinery to Mittsville. Zorran tells Ten Cents about the accident. Ten Cents goes to head up there, and he tells Zorran to inform Captain Star, Captain Zero and the salvage team. Unknown to him, Zorran intended to keep the Star Tugs trapped Upriver.

Sunshine meets Billy Shoepack and talks to him about the accident. Billy then offers to blast the tramper open with dynamite, much to Sunshine's dismay. At the scene of the accident, Ten Cents has arrived on the lower side. He calls out, and Top Hat raises his wheelhouse to talk to him. Ten Cents says he will fetch help. O.J. (also on the other side) comes up with a bright plan: To make a battering ram, using three or four barges, that Top Hat, Big Mac, and Zug would use to ram the tramper.

Back at Mittsville, Ten Cents finds Little Ditcher, of whom Ten Cents asks if he can help with the tramper.

At the site, the three tugs have the barge ram ready. They charge forward but only manage to buckle the tramper. Zug gets trapped between the barges and the tramper. Sunshine arrives with Billy Shoepack, all ready with his dynamite.

Zorran passes Ten Cents, and comments the tramper will crush Little Ditcher. Ten Cents sees Zorran has not fetched any help and realised his intentions to keep the Star Tugs trapped. Little Ditcher (nonetheless) offers to try his best to move the tramper and the two set off.

Sunshine pulls Zug clear, leaving Billy Shoepack ready to rig the dynamite and blast the tramper apart. After a tense countdown – nothing happens. Billy finds the fuse has become wet. Meanwhile, Zorran approaches the tramper and scoffs that Little Ditcher will not be able to shift it. Billy has fixed the problem, and the countdown begins once more, just as Zorran arrives on the lower side. The dynamite breaks open the tramper; the sudden flow of water sends Zorran downstream, and the trapped tugs escape down fast. After their ride down the rapids, the tugs find Zorran stuck on top of some rocks. The Star tugs find it a great joke. Sunshine encourages Zug to also see Zorran's situation as funny. Zug is worried, but he wants to, and he ends up laughing along with Sunshine. The tugs thank Billy, and soon Ten Cents arrives with Little Ditcher and jokes about Zorran's predicament.

Characters

Locations

Cast

Deleted Scenes

See: Deleted Scenes

Trivia

  • This episode's original plot revolved around a liner getting stuck in the main estuary leading into Bigg City.[1]
  • This episode marks the first appearance of Billy Shoepack.
  • This is Little Ditcher's first speaking role.
  • This is the first episode to take place Up River.
  • Warrior, Hercules and Zebedee do not appear in this episode.
  • Zebedee is the only Z-Stack to not appear in this episode.
  • During the explosion when Billy Shoepack blows the tramper in half, rails can be seen in the corner of the screen (indicating that stock footage from Munitions was used).
  • This is the only episode not to feature Warrior, and the first episode where Hercules is absent.
  • This is also the only episode where Bigg City Port does not appear.
  • This episode marks the second time a tug is (officially) seen out of the water, the first time being in Pirate.
  • The scene where Billy races past the tramp steamer after the explosion is filmed on a tilt.
  • The Japanese title of this episode translates to "Zorran's Devious Plan".
  • Zorran breaks the fourth wall at the end of the episode by having Captain Star saying "For once in his life, Shoepack had done a great job." Zorran then interrupts him by saying "Never mind him! What about me?"
  • This is the only episode where Billy Shoepack has a major role.
  • This is the first episode where neither Captain Star nor Captain Zero are seen (although Captain Star does narrate this episode).
  • Going by production order, this is the eleventh episode of the series.
  • This episode was edited and used as the "pilot" for a revival toyed around by Robert D. Cardona in the late 1990s.
  • The section where the tramper gets stuck has been likened to the Ever Given getting stuck in the Suez Canal in 2021.
  • The back cover of the single Japanese VHS release features a photo from the episode Munitions.
  • The episode workprint (which is the footage from the 15 minute episode runtime) is now owned by Star TUGS Exhibition. It lacks sound effects and all characters are played by Chris Tulloch. In October 2022, several video recordings were leaked online.

Goofs

  • When the tramper begins to slew, Zug almost tips over.
  • The barge full of timber-cutting machinery Ten Cents was pulling appears to be taking on water and is sitting low in the water.
  • When Ten Cents arrives at Mittsville, he appears to be sitting slightly lower in the water.
  • Sunshine is wearing his grinning face mask when he says "Oh no, not dynamite! Billy!" He would have obviously been displeased at Billy's idea.
  • It is claimed that all the Stars (except Ten Cents) are trapped. But this episode does not feature Warrior and Hercules, so they are not trapped either.
  • In the scenes with the tugs trying to ram the tramper, Top Hat and Zug's hulls both bang on the sets, causing the set to wobble a bit.
  • After the tramper explodes, only O.J., Top Hat, and Billy Shoepack start to move and Top Hat is in front of Big Mac. Three shots later, all the tugs are moving and Top Hat is behind both O.J. and Big Mac. However, when the tugs are passing the tramper, Top Hat is in front of O.J.
  • When Zorran is being pushed back by the rapids, a space can be seen through the area between his eyes.

References


Tugs

Series 1

Series 2 >>


#01 Sunshine #05 Munitions #10 Jinxed
#02 Pirate #06 Warrior #11 High Winds
#03 Trapped #07 High Tide #12 Up River
#04 Regatta #08 Quarantine #13 Bigg Freeze
#09 Ghosts
Advertisement