Cool Barbie IV - The Uprising
Cool Barbie IV The Uprising | |
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![]() Colin's forces confront the King and his guards. | |
Written by | HIH Crown Prince Jonathan |
Original air date | 6–7 September 2009 |
Runtime | 19:15 |
Production code | CB.IV |
Episode chronology | |
Previous | Cool Barbie III - Prisoners Freed |
Next | Cool Barbie V - Stepping towards the Sky |
Cool Barbie IV - The Uprising, released in a Part 1 and Part 2 and abbreviated as CB.IV, is the fourth episode of Cool Barbie produced by Austenasian Television Productions. It is the only episode of Cool Barbie to have been split into two parts due to length, the first not to have been based on an already existing home movie, and the first not to feature any extraterrestrials on-screen. The first part was released 6 September 2009, and the second part the following day.
Plot
Part 1
In February 2007, a human burglar sneaks into the Land. The burglar speaks to Colin over the phone, who instructs him to kidnap his mother, Queen Emily. The burglar destroys a toy camp and is attacked by a toy soldier, who tells the Queen to run away from the "giant". The burglar kills the soldier and picks up Queen Emily, but is then confronted by Ken the Elder, Xeaphon, and the Protectors of the Realm. Pointing a gun at the burglar, Ken warns him to leave before they call the police; the former runs away, still holding on to the Queen.
In June 2009, Colin - now firmly in charge of the government - inducts three Trolls into the Doll Senate. He uses the meeting to appoint the Troll Leader as the Land's new Minister of Defence, blackmailing the Barbie Countesses into voting in support of the motion. Ignoring the rest of the business that the meeting was meant to address, Colin wraps up the Senate early, and takes the Troll Leader to inspect the armies which now fall under his command.
Colin shows the Troll Leader each of the toy armies: the First Army, which are loyal to him; the Golden Arrows, the Land's elite troops and his most faithful followers; and the Third Army, which being loyal to Xeaphon must be got "out of the way". The Troll Leader asks if they should begin "the Plan", to which Colin replies that he must first call a meeting of a secret council.
Meanwhile, Cool Barbie is driving to the Senate, due to be knighted for her services in helping to combat Bubbles in previous episodes. Upon arrival in the Senate meeting place, she is met by the Chancellor, who explains that Colin has dismissed the Senate for the day. They hide as Colin arrives with his followers, and calling a meeting of the "Secret Council" to order they discuss a plot to take over the Land. Cool Barbie sneezes and is chased out of the room by Golden Arrow guards while the Chancellor remains hidden. Worried that they will be exposed, Colin announces that they will begin the Plan. He orders the Troll Leader to send away the Third Army while using the rest of the military to subdue the house, the other Trolls to lock away the Protectors of the Realm and hire the "giant" burglar Colin used before to help, and orders the Captain of the First Army to assassinate King Ken II and the Chancellor. As they disperse to carry out the uprising, the Chancellor pulls out a phone and contacts Spectrum.
Pursued by two Golden Arrows, Cool Barbie trips one up, and grabbing his gun forces them both into a corner. She demands to know what's going on, but is interrupted by Sergeant Grey, who stuns both the Golden Arrows with his electron gun upon arriving. Spectrum, having received word that a rebellion is underway, has sent him to assess the situation. He accompanies Cool Barbie as they go back to the Senate room to confront Colin.
The Troll Leader, as Minister of Defence, instructs the Third Army into the Garden with orders to execute any exiles out there. Despite his moral objections, the Captain of the Third Army reluctantly accepts his orders and moves the Third Army out of the house, upon which the Troll Leader locks the door behind them.
As the Captain of the Golden Arrows makes a broadcast instructing the residents of the Land to surrender, the Captain of the First Army arrives at the Royal Hospital with four elite soldiers, killing the King's Royal Guard when they refuse to leave their posts. The gunfire awakens the now near-comatose King Ken, who is informed by the Captain that Colin has declared himself Emperor of Colin's Land and will institute a military dictatorship. Declaring himself "a martyr for democracy", the King is shot dead by the Captain.
Part 2
In the Senate room, the Chancellor finishes telling Sergeant Grey and Cool Barbie all that he heard of Colin's plans. They try to get to the Royal Hospital to warn the King, Cool Barbie insisting that the Chancellor drives. They arrive to find the Captain of the First Army and his men leaving the hospital, and lament that they are too late to save the King. Recognising the Chancellor, the Captain orders his men to open fire, but Cool Barbie activates her car's ejector seat, saving the Chancellor as he is launched clear from the driver's seat.
Sergeant Grey confronts the Captain, who declares that Colin's Land rejects Spectrum jurisdiction and orders the Sergeant killed. Sergeant Grey shoots dead two of the Captain's men, but is shot himself and collapses to the ground, requesting reinforcements from Spectrum over his radio before passing out. The Chancellor drops down from the ejector seat but is able to quickly shoot dead the Captain and his other two men. He tells Cool Barbie that they will give first aid to the Sergeant and then call together an Emergency Senate.
Downstairs, the Trolls lock Rose and Edd, the Protectors of the Realm, into their "hutches". One of the trolls goes to hire the "giant", while the other decides to go back to Colin to inform him of their progress. Before setting off, he hears the sound of gunfire and artillery in the distance, and realizes that "it's started".
The Newsreader sends out a broadcast, anxiously informing the residents of the Land that Regent Colin has declared himself Emperor and is using the armies to take over the house while Xeaphon and his family are away. Back in the Senate room, Colin declares to his followers that the take-over of the house is nearly complete. The Troll Leader informs him that the Captain of the First Army was unable to kill the Chancellor and is now dead, and that the Chancellor has assembled an Emergency Senate which has appealed to Spectrum for help. Colin orders the Land's artillery to prepare for the incoming Spectrum air force, and rallies his followers to confront the Chancellor in person.
Hiding under the dining table downstairs, the Chancellor and Cool Barbie relate the events of the day to the assembled Emergency Senate, noting that absent members have probably been arrested or killed by Colin's troops. Colin arrives with his followers, who easily overpower the Senate's guards. Colin orders the Senate executed, but is held at gunpoint by the Chancellor. In the stand-off, one of the Trolls starts to shudder before shooting a blast of magic at the Chancellor, throwing him to the ground. Just as Colin's victory seems inevitable, the table shakes as it is hit by a missile. A Spectrum helicopter outside announces that Colin's armies have surrendered, and orders him to come out before they shoot. Sounds of a commotion outside are heard, and everyone emerges from under the table to see the helicopter under attack by another "giant".
The troll sent to hire a burglar approaches Colin, explaining that he couldn't find the previous hired "giant" and had to make do with another. Colin exultantly orders the burglar to kill his enemies, and the latter picks up Cool Barbie. Before he can harm her, Xeaphon and Moonita run into the room and force the "giant" out at gunpoint.
Xeaphon explains that the First Army switched sides back to him upon learning that Colin had hired a "giant", and had let him, Moonita, and the Third Army into the house. Colin desperately orders one of the Trolls to "do something!", upon which the latter simply teleports away. First and Third Army soldiers rush into the room and surround Colin and his followers, who under Xeaphon and Moonita's direction surrender and are exiled out into the Garden. While out there, Colin and his followers lament their defeat. Colin is asked if he has a plan to return and defeat their enemies when suddenly the noise is heard of a teleport off-screen. As his followers react with fear and shock to whatever has arrived, Colin announces that now, he does have a plan...
Continuity notes
- The introduction to the film takes place in February 2007, placing it roughly halfway between CB.II and CB.III in the chronology of the series, whereas the main body of the film takes place in June 2009, ten months after the previous episode.
- The character of Spectrum helicopter pilot Lieutenant Green in Part 2 shares the name of a character in Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, a series from which Cool Barbie has often borrowed elements.
- Some viewers have expressed confusion over who or what teleports into the garden in the final scene. The off-screen arrival is intended to be a Uranian, with whom Colin goes on to plot the events of CB.VIII.
- Throughout the episode, the term "giant" is used to refer to unfriendly and/or unknown humans. This term is only used one more time in the series, when the Supreme Allied Commander sarcastically refers to humanity as "us 'giants'" while speaking to Spectrum agents in CB.V. Even characters who use the term during CB.IV do not re-use it; for example, Colin refers to NATO as "that big human army" in CB.VIII. No explanation is given for this change of terminology; a line was originally included in the script of CB.IX explaining that the term has become seen as "politically incorrect", but this was not featured in the final edit of the script.
- As the dogs are locked up, a picture of a man eating a burger briefly flashes up onto the screen. This was included at the suggestion of a viewer who felt that the series had begun to take itself too seriously and required some more absurd elements, but it only confused viewers and similar intentionally ridiculous elements were not used again in the series.
Production
Filming and editing took place over the summer of 2009, from June onwards. Some short clips had also been filmed in April earlier that year to make a trailer to go at the end of CB.III.
CB.IV is the first film in the series to feature Xeaphon and his family, the former having been mentioned in CB.II. Rose and Edd play themselves as the Protectors of the Realm, with Edd having already played a part in the climactic scene of the previous episode. Rose would not be seen again in Cool Barbie except in a picture in CB.IX (2015), an episode in which Edd also briefly appeared again.
Cast
- Sir Glenn Allen, KVJ as:
- "Giant" burglar
- HIH Crown Prince Jonathan as:
- Colin
- Elite Guard
- Xeaphon
- Chancellor (Yellow Bear)
- Minister of Defence (Troll Leader)
- Captain of the Golden Arrows
- Action Man 1
- Action Man 2
- Sergeant Grey
- Captain of the Third Army
- Third Army soldiers
- Elite Soldier
- King Ken II
- Troll 1
- Troll 2
- Newsreader
- Golden Arrow 1
- Golden Arrow 2
- "Giant 2" (Chav burglar)
- HIM Emperor Terry I as:
- Ken the Elder
- Royal Guard 1
- Royal Guard 2
- Edd as:
- Himself
- Rose as:
- Herself
- HIH Princess Caroline as:
- Barbie Countess
- Cool Barbie
- Doll Mayor
- Emergency Senate Guard
- Moonita
- Lord Timothy, KOM, SCP as:
- Lieutenant Green