Beyond the Mirror's Reflection

Beyond the Mirror's Reflection is episode twenty-five in the Smurfs Season 10. It runs for approximately 24 - 28 minutes.

Synopsis
It begins at the hovel where Gargamel is found inside reading one of his spell books while his apprentice sweeps the floor. He sneers and closes the book, announcing that his latest plan will surely bring in Smurfs for dinner (and naturally the boy has his doubts), and holds up a square object covered by a cloth. Scruple asks what it is and his master says, "This is a mirror I've just enchanted, my boy, and when the Smurfs look at their reflections they'll be turned to stone!" They head out into the forest to plant it somewhere they know the Smurfs will find it and soon come across a small cave near the River Smurf; Gargamel sets it down and uncovers it, and then they return home.

Soon after it is left alone, the mirror is knocked over by a passing badger and recieves a large crack in the glass which warps the power it contains - it is altered and weakened to some degree. An hour later, Smurfette and Clumsy approach the edge of the river to collect water and when Clumsy leans down with his bucket, he falls in. Smurfette quickly reaches over and pulls him out, but she notices something glinting on the other side and wonders what is in the little cave. Curious, they cross the river safely and discover the damaged mirror. Smurfette picks it up and looks at her reflection and smiles: she suggests they show it to Papa Smurf, and so they head back to the village.

Once there, Papa examines the mirror and props it up in a chair as he tells them, "This is a Tracing Mirror, my little Smurfs. It has the ability to determine what past life you most recently lived by smurfing into your soul." Smurfette questions the mirror since she saw her normal self, so Papa clarifies that because she was magically created, she does not have a verifiable past life; Clumsy, on the other hand, sees a butterfly in place of his reflection and muses over it. He leaves the lab to tell the other Smurfs about their discovery and soon everyone wants to see it. In the midst of the Smurfs taking turns looking into the mirror, Papa asks Smurfette where she found it with the thought of it belonging to someone who may be missing it. When he learns this, he connects it to their friend Woodsprites and insists that they show Ripple and Karma to make sure it's not their mirror.

He, Moxette, Clumsy, Sassette, and Hefty approach the Woodsprites' Hollow and cross paths with Mystico and Hethera along the way. Intrigued by the mirror, Mystico sees his reflection and snickers before flying away with his mate - when Hefty asks what's so funny, Moxette tells him that she caught a glimpse of his past life revealing a red-headed genie in puffy black and blue clothes. They shrug it off and continue along their way and soon come upon an oak tree with a door and round window built into the base of the trunk. Karma answers and tells Ripple to come outside, and they are shown the mirror; they confirm that it's not their's (although she wishes it was).

While Papa explains what it does, Moxette looks at her reflection only to be disappointed by seeing her normal self just like Smurfette and Sassette. She crosses her arms and frowns, muttering, "Guys have all the fun around here," just as he hands it to the Woodsprites. Karma looks first and beams at the sight of a lovely Imp with thick brown hair and orange decorative clothes, and then she gives it to her boyfriend. His reaction is starkly different: a hideous green-skinned genie stares back at him and scares him so much that he drops the mirror and races back inside. Alarmed, Karma follows and quickly apologizes to the Smurfs as they exchange confused glances. Papa suggests they return to the village and he keep the mirror in his lab until they fully understand what has happened.

During the night, Moxette sneaks into Papa's lab to take the mirror (accompanied by Clumsy when he catches her leaving her house) so she can "fix" it - she confesses to her friend, once she has it, that she wants to make it give her an alternate reflection and believes that by repairing the broken glass, it will do so. With some glue and a paintbrush she manages to seal the crack, but her reflection never changes. To prove that it didn't work, Clumsy takes a look - to her frustration, he sees the butterfly from before, and so she leaves it by her nightstand and readies for bed after Clumsy leaves.

Meanwhile, Ripple and Karma are asleep in their home, but Ripple is tense and fidgety. His dream reveals a day in the life of the strange genie he saw in the mirror: he wants to be free from his lamp, but no matter what he tries or how long he stays outside at a time, he's always subjected to return at his master's saying. He has a best friend whose lamp was destroyed, making him powerless and mute, and he remindes Ripple of his own best friend, Mystico. The last thing he learns in this dream is that he knows the Smurfs through the explanation of the Mystic Magi, but a wish he granted for Clumsy resulted in them never crossing paths, but the Magi was unaffected by such a wish. Ripple awakens before sunrise feeling inexplicably feverish and weak.

The afternoon arrives and Papa Smurf and Smurfette pay a visit to the Woodpsrites - wanting to follow up with Ripple, hoping the shock has worn off from yesterday - and when they knock on their door, a paler Ripple answers. The Smurfs gasp and ask if he is okay, to which he says, "I'm in over my head trying to understand my dream," so Papa Smurf suggests he tell them about it. He complies and invites them inside, but warns them that he may tune in and out of the conversation; with that, they sit down (Karma sides with him) and he summarizes his dream. When he finishes, Papa says, "I believe you are experiencing memories from your past life, and the mirror resmurfed them from your deep subconscious," and suggests that he not worry too much over it, assuring him it's a phase that will pass in due time.

Ripple thanks him and offers to shake his hand before leaving; when Papa takes it, he is zapped by a little buzzer. The Woodsprites giggle, and at first Papa isn't amused, but remembering that pranking is their nature, he and Smurfette laugh along as they depart. The make their way back to the village and suddenly Papa realizes that he didn't see the Tracing Mirror in his lab earlier, so he asks Smurfette to keep an eye out for it (although he has a few Smurfs in mind whom he thinks may have taken it). Sure enough, Moxette approaches him shortly after Smurfette leaves and returns the mirror, admitting she tried to fix the broken glass during the night. He examines it and is curious about what affects it may have changed about its properties, so he conducts a few experiments when she leaves too.

That night, Ripple is plagued by past-life memory dreams again: this time, the genie is revealed as Tebuli and his best friend, Ernie. He notices a beautiful Imp in this session and realizes that Tebuli wishes to be with her, but feels insecure about his appearance compared to hers. He is also concerned about his imprisonment in his lamp getting in the way of any relationship they could have and works harder to earn his freedom, but the only way to do so would be his master wishing it upon him, or someone else would take his place in the lamp. Luckily he manages to pursue her when his master makes her first wish; immediately he approaches the Imp and asks for her name. Right before he learns it, Ripple wakes up by Karma who says he was shaking horribly, and again he feels exhausted. He decides to take a walk in an attempt to clear his mind and leaves her with a quick kiss.

Part 2
The afternoon drags on, and eventually Ripple comes across Gargamel and Scruple by the River Smurf who are looking for the mirror. Gargamel is irritated because he finds no trace of it, nor are there any stony Smurfs - he curses the Smurfs, blaming them for something going wrong with his spell, and Scruple admits he's not surprised. Remembering them from somewhere before, Ripple hides in a nearby berry bush; he notices the raspberries and thinks of a prank. He picks one and rubs the red juice around his eyes and another one on his back. Then he snaps a sharp-edged twig and breaks off the point, sticking it into his back to replicate a stab wound.

Gargamel turns around, but Scruple stops having heard rustling in the bush and pushes away the branches. Ripple crawls out, coughing and covered in what looks like blood to the humans, and asks them, "Is it bad? Give it to me straight, kid - will I ever walk again?" Terrified by the sight, Scruple screams and runs away only to crash into Gargamel and send them both tumbling into the river. When they sit up, Ripple stands and removes the twig, laughing heartily: "You should've seen your faces! What a great prank!" He dashes into the bushes again when the wizard gets up and yells at him, still chuckling when they leave. Then he approaches the water's edge and begins washing the raspberry juice away - he is just about to head home when he notices his reflection.

Instead of his own face, he sees the green genie and almost jumps out of his skin. He worries about his condition and tells himself, "Before I know it, that might be my real face unless I see Papa Smurf," as he races to the Smurf Village. Luckily he isn't far and reaches it in no time at all, so he goes directly to Papa's lab.

Papa Smurf is a little surprised to see him, but welcomes him inside when he sees the distraught look in his eyes. Ripple tells him what happened at the river and begs him to lift the curse of the mirror however possible. The elder Smurf considers the request and shows him the mirror: "Perhaps if you look again, the dreams will come to end," he suggests earnestly. He takes it and sees the genie like before, but he can't stand the sight of him and lowers it, so Papa admits that he isn't quite sure how he can help. With a heavy heart, Ripple returns home as Moxette and Clumsy enter, also concerned for him. Papa locks the mirror in a trunk by his bookshelf and tells them to smurf their chores and let him work on the problem - they comply, but Moxette is noticably rebellious as she leaves.

The night, Ripple sits with Karma and decides to tell her about the dreams he's been having when they hear a knock at the door; he answers it and finds Moxette and Clumsy. They express their interest in his dreams, so he lets them in to hear about it. As he explains what he's seen, his girlfriend asks him to describe the Imp he saw - much to her delight, he describes the reflection she saw in the mirror, so she hugs him and says, "I knew I knew you from somewhere! I just didn't know I knew you before!" The Smurfs laugh merrily and Moxette adds, "I guess you were meant to smurf each other," and Clumsy agrees with, "Gosh, that's mighty smurfy!"

Ripple smiles and feels better about sleeping tonight, so the Smurfs say good-bye and head back to the village; as soon as they're gone, Karma convinces him to lay with her. He rejects the offer and hangs up his hat, but smirks and assures her he's only joking when she looks disappointed. With that she pulls him onto the bed and lets her hair down as he gets comfortable...

From what sleep he gets, he learns that the Imp is named Maeve, and Tebuli feels better about himself knowing she can't see him. Unfortunately, he is still bound by his lamp and is returned to it when his master wants her second wish which saddens both of them. He hears her calling for him outside, but he's trapped like a rat in a cage with dismal hope of his master being generous enough to use her third wish on him. Ripple awakens to the sound of rain and Karma getting dressed, so he gets up and bids her good morning. When he glances at the mirror by the door, he sees Tebuli and Maeve, so immediately he turns away.

Just outside the Smurf Village, Brainy, Smurfette, Jokey, and Hefty are collecting smurfberries for Greedy and discussing Ripple's reaction to the mirror. Brainy and Jokey find it strange and interesting, but Hefty thinks he's just being dramatic: "I only smurfed a bullfrog when I smurfed my reflection and I'm fine." Smurfette sympathizes for Ripple, and at that moment they hear a familiar cackle come from behind a tree that announces, "You'll all be fine once you're cooked to perfection, you little blue pests!" Gargamel steps out and chases them with a large butterfly net, catching Jokey and Smurfette with a good swing. Hefty and Brainy rush back to the village to tell Papa Smurf while the wizard heads back home.

In the village after hearing what's happened, Papa organized a rescue party and they take Feathers to the hovel; along the way, Ripple and Karma see them in a hurry and decide to offer a hand. They teleport to the limits of the broken-down house and meet up with the Smurfs outside the window. Inside, Gargamel boils a vat of water and is adding sliced vegetables when Scruple notices one of the Woodsprites sneaking across the floor. He alerts his master who tells him to chase her out, so he chases her around with the net; Karma keeps him distracted while Ripple tackles Gargamel, leaving the Smurfs free to save Smurfette and Jokey. They leave and the Woodsprites are on their tails until Scruple catches Karma, prompting Ripple to go back for her - it lands him right into Gargamel's hands.

They are put in the cage with Scruple watching them while his master tries to figure out what to do with them; he searches through his spell book and finds a potion that will brainwash them into becoming his minions. Desperate to escape, they repeatedly shove themselves against the bars until the cage falls over the side of the table and smashes on the ground. They make a mad dash for the window and make it out, but right before they reach the safety of the forest, Gargamel throws a rock that strikes Ripple on the back of his head. He manages to disappear into the underbrush right before falling unconscious.

While he's out, he becomes Tebuli like in his dreams and realizes that his master doesn't plan on wishing for his fredom - to make matters worse, Maeve's master is also preparing to take her with him to the next city across the desert. Feeling utterly defeated, he begs his master to let him say good-bye before it's too late, but she wouldn't hear of it. He is about to give up all hope when, that night after granting the third wish, Ernie enters his lamp - Tebuli is tossed out and surprised, but eternally grateful now that he has his freedom. He thanks him and Ernie gladly tells him he'd do it again if he had to, but Maeve won't be with them much longer. Without a minute to spare, he runs to the vagabond the snake charmer is ready to leave behind and calls out for Maeve.

She hears him and peeks her head out of her master's basket, returning the call happily. Her master steps between him and the basket and demands to know what he's doing with his little Imp, so Tebuli explains how he wants to free her to which the Snake Charmer laughs and says, "She'll need a mountain of gold to earn her freedom!" Tebuli accepts the challenge and bargains with him to stay one more day, which he accepts after a minute, and so he assures Maeve that he'll return to save her very soon before going back to his old lamp to come up with a plan with Ernie.

The next morning, Tebuli leads Maeve to the lamp to bring it back to her master as a form of payment - he says this with a wink and click so she understands his plan. With that, they present it to the Snake Charmer who looks it over and claims it's worthless. Frustrated by this, Tebuli tells Maeve to rub it, so she does and Ernie hops out with the promise of three wishes; the Snake Charmer is amazed. Maeve immediately wishes she had "a mountain of gold" for her master, so Ernie grants it and suddenly gold coins spill out from the basket and gradually bury the man. Her friends demand she be freed since her debt is paid, so her master agrees as he fights his way out of the growing gold mound. They cheer and Maeve kisses Tebuli, thanking him for caring enough to save her from the Snake Charmer's contract and they walk away hand in hand.

Finally Ripples wakes up to the sight of Karma and the Smurfs standing over him, and he is in one of Doctor Smurf's patient beds. They ask him if he feels okay, and he assures them he's never been better; then he sits up and tells Karma, "Everything turned out great, especially for you and me." She pulls him into a warm embrace and the Smurfs rejoice at his recovery.

Papa Smurf enters with the Tracing Mirror and announces that he has found out to stop the memory dreams: it must be destroyed once and for all. Ripple happily obliges and jumps out of bed, snatching it from him with a bounce in his step. He goes outside - instantly surrounded by the other Smurfs and his girlfriend - and reels back, raising one foot off the ground as he chucks it through the air. It hits the trunk of an oak tree and smashes to pieces, making him feel very relieved. Papa Smurf smiles and says, "You shouldn't have any trouble sleeping now, Ripple," to which he replies, "Good - now I can get back to pranks." Everyone laughs, ending the episode on a positive note.

Trivia

 * Ripple and Tebuli were voiced by the same actor; their similarities otherwise were due cause for this episode's plot.
 * This episode reveals two things about Ripple and Karma: (1) they live together, and (2) they seem to have a balance of power, although most times Karma holds superiority over Ripple.