"Ride Along" is the thirty-second episode of the Disney Channel and Marvel Animation series Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur.
Synopsis[]
Eager to bond with her dad, Moon Girl takes James on a ride-along.
Plot[]
Lunella is happily back assuming her role of Moon Girl alongside Devil Dinosaur and no longer being grounded. After another night of crime fighting, Lunella reunites with her family to watch action movies together and joke about the physical inaccuracies, comparing them to Lunella's adventures. Everyone comments on their moments with Moon Girl, with the exception of Adria who is still emotionally distant, until James Jr. realizes that he has never had an adventure with Lunella. He tries to hide his emotions, but it is obvious that he is saddened by this. When Lunella has a nightmare about James sharing Adria's distancing, Lunella resolves to change that.
Lunella takes James to her lab and sets up a series of tests to determine what is best for him. With Casey's help, they transform James into Jazzy J, Lunella's new sidekick. Together the two of them fight crime, but it is very obvious that James still lacks the talent or skill to pull off any real heroics. While chasing down speedster Rockin' Rudy in their small personal ship, James accidentally causes them to crash into S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ and release the Beetle, much to Maria Hill's ire. With no other option, Lunella hires Geri's improv group to pretend to be villains, giving James the confidence he needs to feel appreciated by Lunella.
Soon, the Beetle returns in a giant mech. Lunella is forced to admit the fabrication to James and they are both captured by the villain. Lunella tells James that she did not want to cause a rift between them like Adria, but James admits that he appreciates the small moments at home with her. They manage to escape and using what they picked up from the movies they watched, manage to defeat and recapture Beetle. James gets a handshake from Hill, allowing him to boast at home to Mimi and Pops. While Adria is still distant, they agree that they still need to give her more time and proceed to watch more action movies.
Cast[]
- Diamond White as Lunella Lafayette/Moon Girl
- Fred Tatasciore as Devil Dinosaur
- Alfre Woodard as Mimi Lafayette
- Sasheer Zamata as Adria Lafayette
- Gary Anthony Williams as Pops Lafayette, Rockin' Rudy
- Jermaine Fowler as James Lafayette Jr.
- Libe Barer as Casey Calderon
- Carol Kane as Bubbe Bina
- Chuck D as Beetle
- Tajinae Turner as Geri
- Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill
Song[]
- "It Takes Two" by Diamond White and Jermaine Fowler
Trivia[]
- This episode briefly features the return of characters Garko the Man-Frog, Torg the Abominable Snow-King, and Andy (Geri's boyfriend), the latter two of whom are part of Geri's improv group.
- The action movies that Lunella and her family watch are clear parodies of the Mission: Impossible films, with the lead actor Tom Bruise, a reference to Tom Cruise.
- The fake intro of Lunella and her father fighting criminals is a parody of the intro for the 1960s Batman television series, starring Adam West.