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Ben 10 Season 2 Episode 1

Truth

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Aired Saturday 10:00 AM May 29, 2006 on Cartoon Network

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Episode Summary

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AIRED: 5/29/06

After the battle with Vilgax, Grandpa Max retells his story to Ben about his past. He was with an organization that was not known to exist, referred to as "The Plumbers," a group of people who track down extraterrestrial life. Meanwhile, they meet Phil, an old partner of Grandpa Max. But they soon find out that he steals a device, called the Null Void Projector, to selfishly use it to make money by appearing to capture aliens that he alone released himself. Can Ben and Grandpa Max defeat him, or will he be too strong and skilled for them?moreless

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Fan Episode Reviews (8)

Pretty decent.

7.5

By ZaleIsBackAgain, Jan 02, 2011

The story continues off from where the season finale takes off, and that's with Grandpa Max's past coming back to him and the history that him and Vilgax shared. Though the antagonist here is not an alien, but a human. Not just any human, but an alien fighter, and also Max's partner in his plumber days. Season two already starts off with what season one lacked; variety. There was some tension in Phil being the episodes enemy and a bit of excitement. Though despite all this, the episode still feels a bit way too ordinary and in the gist of it all, it's nothing really that special.moreless
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Looking at the number of allusions the Plumbers can be made to shows like Men In Black, Ghostbusters and the sheer unoriginality of the story, I must say this episode was done really bad.moreless

6.6

By herculehastings, Jun 28, 2008

I expected the beginning of a new season of such a smashing show as Ben 10 to be more creative than this. The title, Truth, holds no suspense and the idea that Grandpa Max was one half of a team of alien-busters feels too unbelievable to me. What's more, the story of heroes purposely releasing monsters to fight them again and gain credit has been replayed multiple times in many other cartoon shows. Undoubtedly the tale is a cool one, that not all good guys can be trusted, but that idea has been repeated so many times that it is far from impressive now. I hope future episodes show more originality and effort on the part of the writers, or else this season shows signs of going way down.moreless
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good episode

10

By tenn99_23, Mar 23, 2008

After the incident with Vilgax, Max tells Ben and Gwen about his secret past. He really was a plumber, but not the garden variety version. He was part of a secret government organization known as "The Plumbers," that dealt with extra-terrestrial and paranormal phenomenon that others couldn't. The organization was disbanded after he defeated Vilgax for the first time. During one of Ben's regular acts of heroism, they run into Max's old partner, Phil. Phil is still in the business of hunting aliens, though he is now a freelance agent. He suggests that they remake The Plumbers, but Max is against the idea. Ben, however, is much more enthusiastic about the idea. During another alien battle, Ben reveals the secret of the Omnitrix to Phil, and Phil is even more determined to get him as a partner. Phil ends up taking them to an expensive hotel, which he is able to pay for thanks to rewards for capturing the aliens. The frequency of the alien attacks, as well as the familiar aliens themselves, raises Max's suspicions, and he heads to Mount Rushmore to check on something. There, he finds the Null Void Projector – a weapon that can trap things in, or release them from, an alternate dimension – missing. Phil has been abusing it to scam various hotel owners into paying him to remove the aliens that he sets free. Phil releases an alien to deal with Max, but Ben is able to rescue him and eventually trap Phil in the Null Void.moreless
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Ben and Gwen finally learn the truth about Max's strange past.

10

By trm6, Jan 20, 2007

This episode was pretty good. My favorite scenes would have to be the beginning scene where Ben is tantalizing Gwen about not being able to restart the Plumbers, the scene where Ripjaws and Phil meet for the first time, the scene where XLR8 grabs Gwen and runs off to the Plumbers headquarters, and the scene where XLR8 is fighting the alien that Phil set loose as a distraction. What I love about this episode, is that we learn Max and Vilgax knew each other long before Ben and Gwen were born. I think it's really cool how Ben acquired the Omnitrix and now Vilgax is after him for it and it's funny that Ben is the grandson of Vilgax's enemy. What are the chances of that happening?moreless
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Absolutely the "Truth" that tells it all.

10

By arukun14, Jun 14, 2006

After the final showdown with Vilgax and the Tennyson family, they were able to take him down. But Grandpa Max's mysterious knowledge of alien technology and advanced weaponry is what intrigues his two grandkids whom joined up with him for a normal summer camping trip. But when Ben finds the Omnitrix, Max immediately becomes well aware of the situation, though he doesn't not bring it out...until now.

Grandpa Max Tennyson was once an extraterrestrial hunter, in a group that refer themselves as "The Plumbers." They were an organization dedicated to fight anything out of the ordinary. And he reveals that he has met Vilgax before with his partner, Phil, and was able to stop Vilgax's plans to destroy the major cities. His plan of destruction failed, but he survived Max's methods of bring down alien life forms.

Years later, the Tennyson family find Phil again, and Max is happy to see an old partner whom he hasn't seen in a while. While the reunion of old friends is great, little did Grandpa Max know that Phil has stolen the Null Void Projector from Mount Rushmore, a device that is capable of storing life forms into a molecular level, respectively.

With Max's suspicions about Phil is right, he decides to stop him, before he may do something more drastic and more dangerous. Phil claims that it is "easy money," but releasing aliens that were once caught is more dangerous than you least expect it.

As with Ben, he is glad to learn about his grandfather's mysterious past, and how interesting it had been. And who knows? The Omnitrix holds an even greater mystery.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Meagan Smith	Gwen Tennyson
Paul Eiding	Grandpa Max
Tara Strong	Ben Tennyson/Upgrade
Jim Ward	Diamond Head/XLR8
Richard Horvitz	Grey Matter
Dee Bradley Baker	Stinkfly/Wildmutt

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Robert Patrick	Phil	Guest Star
Steven Jay Blum	Vilgax/Vulpamancer #1	Recurring Role

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (9)
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- Look Hard: The sign that the RV knocks over states the speed limit of 65.
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- Look Closely: Before Ben activates the Omnitrix to turn into Ripjaws, there is a small green cloud floating above the face of it.
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- Pay Attention/Look Closely: In the Plumber's HQ, XLR8's Omnitrix insignia is rather large.
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- Look Closely: When Wildmutt transformed back into Ben, look closely at the Omnitrix. The dots on it are green and not red, indicating that it needs to recharge, and at the next scene, the dots on the dial are red.
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- After Grandpa Max defeats the alien in the Plumbers' HQ, both he and Ben ask, "Where's Gwen?" at the same time. But Max could not have known Ben brought Gwen with him. And plus, Ben knew he left her outside, because she didn't come in with him.
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- Why did Phil start asking Ripjaws who he was? He is an alien, it's illogical that he starts a conversation with an alien instead of shooting him.
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- Why didn't the man and the fireman freak out when they saw Ripjaws?
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- Once Ben and Gwen discover that Max and Phil are missing, Ben becomes XLR8, heads directly to Mt. Rushmore, and manages to get inside the base to surprise Phil. This is odd, considering that every other time a person entered the facility, they did it using a button in their vehicle.
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- Gwen knows what the Null Void Projector does, despite not being around for it to be explained. This is displayed as she assumes possessing it puts Phil out of business.
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QUOTES (18)
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- Ripjaws: (to Phil after trapping the alien) Not bad for a fish stick, huh?
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- Ben: (after seeing the flying alien) Something tells me that's not the state bird of South Dakota!
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- Phil: Kids, order anything off the room service.
  Ben: Oh, yeah, that's what im talking about!
  Gwen: There's something that Grandpa's not telling us. Let's go.
  Ben: And miss out on the free service? Nope.
  Gwen: Okay, but I guess there's a plumber mystery to solve. But we better not get in the way.
  (Ben looks up; scene changes; Ben is dragging Gwen out the front door)
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- (after the alien spits water at Ripjaws)
  Ripjaws: Ahhh... that's nothing but a breath of fresh air to me!!!
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- (Ben turns into XLR8)
  Gwen: Hey!
  XLR8: Hold on. Pedal to the metal!
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- (after Phil is trapped in the Null Void Projector)
  Gwen: See ya.
  Grey Matter: And I definitely wouldn't want to be ya.
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- Grey Matter: Triggering the correct sequences of synapses should allow me some rudimentary motor control. Uh, sure wish I knew what I was talking about.
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- Ben: We need some muscle to stop this thing. Four arms of muscle. (activates Omnitrix; transforms into Grey Matter)
  Grey Matter: Grey Matter? I said muscle, not miniscule!
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- XLR8: (to Phil) You're no Plumber. You're nothing but a big drip.
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- (Phil & Ripjaws bump into each other)
  Phil & Ripjaws: (in unison) Aah! Who are you? Who am I? Who are you?
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- Ripjaws: Okay, who's the punk giving us creatures a bad name?
  (small, red alien creature appears and growls; Ripjaws laughs; small alien throws rock at Ripjaws)
  Ripjaws: You picked the wrong day to be an alien, pal!
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- Ripjaws: (using a fire hose to spray water on himself) Sorry, just needed to moisturize.
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- Ben: Time to XLR8! (activates Omnitrix; transforms into Ripjaws)
  Ripjaws: (looks at himself in the RV's side view mirror) Ah, Ripjaws. What a rip-off!
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- Grandpa Max: My hero days were over a long time ago.
  Ben: Well, mine are just getting started!
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- (police sirens are heard)
  Ben: All right! Could be a chance for The Plumbers to go back to work.
  Gwen: Ugh, you should start by unclogging that hairball from your brain, Mr. Plumber.
  Ben: Ah, you're just jealous 'cause you're not part of the family business. (sticks tongue out)
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- Ben: Whoa, you were a hero?
  Grandpa Max: I was just a guy doing a job.
  Gwen: Excuse me, but exactly what was that job?
  Grandpa Max: We called ourselves The Plumbers. Officially, we didn't exist. We were the guys who fixed the problems no one else could. Extraterrestrial, extrasensory, extraordinary.
  Ben: So all this time I've been going hero, I've really been following in your footsteps. I'm a Plumber in training!
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- Gwen: (referring to Ripjaws) Anybody happen to see a giant talking fish come by here?
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- Grandpa Max: (searches for a weapon to stop the alien) Where is it, where is it?
  (XLR8 continues fighting)
  XLR8: Grandpa, could you pick up the pace?
  (Omnitrix powers down; XLR8 gets hit by a piece of large rubble; reverts back to Ben)
  Ben: 'Cause I sure can't.
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NOTES (26)
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- This is the last time Ben only has ten selectable aliens.
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- Omnitrix malfunction(s):
  XLR8 - Ripjaws
  Four Arms - Grey Matter
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- It is revealed that Grandpa Max destroyed Vilgax's ship in the past.
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- This episode takes place at Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota.
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- Cartoon Network (UK) airdate: Saturday, June 3rd, 2006.
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- This is the second time Ben meets an alien of the same type as the one on the Omnitrix. He meets Wildmutt's species, Vulpamancers.
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- The RV has a rocket on top of the roof.
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- Ben refers the Omnitrix by its name for the first time.
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- It is interesting to note that Ben turned into Ripjaws when he wanted to become XLR8. The same thing happened in "The Krakken," except vice-versa.
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- Main Villain Bio: Phil - Grandpa Max's old partner when he was a Plumber. After Vilgax was orginally defeated, and The Plumbers went out of business, Phil stole the Null Void projector to release more aliens to have someone pay him to get rid of them. In the end, he himself was trapped in the Null Void projector.
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- Main Transformation(s): Wildmutt.
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- Grandpa Max reveals that at the time when he used to be with The Plumbers, the Omnitrix was known only by rumors and suspicions, until the day it ended up on Ben's wrist.
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- This episode takes place the same day/night as the previous episode, "Secrets."
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- Phil mentions that Grandpa Max used to drive an RV during his evil fighting days.
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- Outside of a flashback, Vilgax is not seen, leading us to believe that he has been destroyed. Though Grandpa Max thought he was destroyed in their last encounter, possibly to make us believe he is still alive.
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- Grandpa Max's secret base at Mt. Rushmore is seen again.
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- Compared to the Vulpamancers, Wildmutt's body structure is the same, yet their facial features seem to differ. The wild Vulpamancer seems to have its teeth to protrude out of its mouth more.
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- It seems that Phil also knows about the Omnitrix's existence.
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- Grandpa Max worked alongside with Phil to stop Vilgax's plans.
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- Grandpa Max's appearance in the older days had orange-brownish hair and a well-built body.
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- Overall throughout the series, Ripjaws debuts with longer lines and catch phrases, to make up for his absence previously.
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- Grandpa Max's organization is referred to as "The Plumbers," a group who track down extraterrestrial life and capture them. This explains why his grandkids thought he was a plumber.
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- Wildmutt's alien race is referred to as the Vulpamancers.
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- Alien Form(s) Used:
  1) Ripjaws.
  2) Wildmutt.
  3) XLR8.
  4) Grey Matter.
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- Main Villain(s): Phil.
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- This episode premiered on a special day and time: Memorial Day, Monday, May 29th, 2006 at 7:00 PM EST/PST. Right before a special live-action presentation of the 2002 movie, Spider-Man.
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ALLUSIONS (5)
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- Null Void Projector: Appearance
  The Null Void Projector looks much like the Swingshot from the Ratchet and Clank video game series.
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- Plumbers: Ghostbusters
  The Plumbers also seem to be much like the Ghostbusters: learned individuals handling non-human crises others aren't equipped to deal with. The similarities continue when Phil explains he gets payed for his services. Also, the Ghostbusters was a very small group of four. The Plumbers seem to have been limited to just Phil and Grandpa Max.
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- RV: Features
  Furthering the similarities the Plumbers had to the Men in Black, Grandpa Max's normal-looking RV has added features to enhance its perfomance, like the LTD experienced Agent K always drove.
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- Plumbers: Men in Black
  Grandpa Max explains that the Plumbers fought off aliens, and did so using advanced technology. This is very much like the Men in Black.
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- Null Void Projector: Phantom Zone Projector
  The Null Void Projector has many similarities to the Phantom Zone Projector seen in the various DC animated shows with Superman. Both are designed to store things too dangerous to hold in regular prisons and both use an alternate dimension to accomplish it.
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