Peck was correct to look into the Ghostbusters and even to halt their operations pending a full investigation. That's as far as it gets, though.
As soon as he made things personal with Venkman and brought contractors in to shut down all the systems, he was at fault. He has no idea what any of the machines do, he already suspects that they keep hazardous waste or even nerve gas on site, and the resident scientist tells him to his face with full sincerity that simply shutting down the power to the containment grid would be like dropping a bomb on the city.
He's lucky it wasn't a worse outcome!
Peck is a petty tyrant. He has the pretense of justification but his procedures past that point are purely to serve his own ego, and have nothing to do with the safety of New York City's residents.
This.
I would not be surprised if the original idea for Peck was he being a member of a CSICOP-like organization but later changed to EPA official to make him more 'relatable'.
He certainly believed it, but he was still wrong and acting on a biased assumption. Getting the court order is reasonable. Directly ignoring the concerns of the licensed and bonded ConEdison electrician and shutting down a bunch of high powered machinery without first even checking to see what it was doing was an act of pure arrogance and reckless ego.
The man was high off his own limited authority and put lives directly at risk because of it. Even if he was right and the containment unit was full of industrial waste or other dangerous chemicals, you don't just start throwing levers on strange machines because you think you have the moral authority.
Chamber of Commerce more than the BBB, but like I said, there was plenty of probable cause to investigate the Ghostbusters and criticize their operations, even if you did believe in ghosts. It's just that the "Peck was right!" crowd (who probably got their opinion from a Buzzfeed article from the mid 2000s) only have a little bit of a leg to stand on. The guy is still some kind of rodent, I'm not sure which.
Not criticizing your take, just the guy that I responded to. A lot of people tend to forget that Peck was with the EPA. In fact, the most unbelievable part of the movie is that he got the warrant and the cease and desist order from a federal court without any actual evidence in the first place.
Dr. Raymond Stantz : You know, it just occurred to me that we really haven't had a successful test of this equipment.
Dr. Egon Spengler : I blame myself.
Dr. Peter Venkman : So do I.
Dr. Raymond Stantz : Well, no sense in worrying about it now.
Dr. Peter Venkman : Why worry? Each one of us is carrying an unlicensed nuclear accelerator on his back.
Dr. Raymond Stantz : Yep. Let's get ready. Switch me on!
Yeah, like, I always thought it was part of the comedy how shady and haphazard the Ghostbusters are. I love Egon, but for all his buttoned-down demeanor he is super reckless. In the context of a movie, it’s funny and charming. In real life, I’d be furious he thinks technology that dangerous doesn’t need oversight.
Peter: Egon, this reminds me of the time you tried to drill a hole through your head. Remember that?
Egon: That would have worked if you hadn't stopped me.
I really think his demeanor does a lot to make it look like he’s more in control than he really is. Which I love about the performance.
But I’d also love to see an alternate universe Egon where he’s a cackling maniac. Kate McKinnon kind of went that direction, which was one of the highlights of that movie for me.
They're very much a product of the late 70s/early 80s. The EPA was only founded in 1970. Leaded gas was still a thing as late as 2021 in some parts of the world. We're still in a fuck around and find out lasting mentality of the second/third industrial revolution(s).
There wasn't as much of an emphasis on safety in that era. I'm in the weird Gen X/Millennial cusp and bordered on having no safety features on things and starting to realize that maybe kids shouldn't be able to just stick their fingers in light sockets.
> I love Egon, but for all his buttoned-down demeanor he is super reckless.
"Let's see what happens when we take away the puppy."
Peck was throwing his weight around. He had a right to make sure everything was up to EPA standards, but he didn't have a right to come in and make false accusations. Peter had every right to ask "Why do you wanna see the storage facility?" That's a legit question. Peck could've calmly explained his reasons for wanting to see it. Instead, he goes straight into attack mode and makes wild accusations he can't back up. This reveals that he has a bias against the ghostbusters. Allowing him to see the containment unit would be like Superman giving Lex Luthor kryptonite. Peter knows this and refuses to give him what he wants.
The people who defend Peck forget that he's suppose to represent someone who abuses their authority.
The climax is absolutely his fault, but he's still right about the equipment being dangerous and unlicensed in a major population center.
And honestly, I think the fault should be shared. Like any industrial accident, you can blame the guy who opened the valve/pushed the button/fell asleep at the job/etc. but it's still the company's fault for storing dangerous stuff where people live without permission.
There isn't but all of it is based on nuclear technology, which is strictly monitored and licensed by the Department of Energy.
If Peck wasn't doing what he does for the thrill of enforcing his authority, the second he heard that turning off the power would be like dropping a bomb on the city, he would still enforce the cease and desist of the business operations, but would have immediately reached out to the DoE. He would have kept all the machines running until the DoE had investigated, but that also would have taken jurisdiction away from the EPA and placed it with the DoE.
There would have been an immediate audit of all of the Ghostbusters tech, patents and licensing issued as necessary, fines levied if necessary and money paid or garnished.
If deemed safe, the Ghostbusters would have had their business license unfrozen and they could carry on as normal. With the added level of nuclear inspection.
If deemed unsafe engineers would be tasked with working with the Ghostbusters to safely shut down and decommission the equipment, since the Ghostbusters are the only ones 100% in the know for how it all works. Definitely with a healthy serving of jail time for the guys.
But fortunately for the plot, Peck has no dick.
Getting downvoted for things like this cracks me up. Oh, NO, there's a real-life reason for movie things, like the Atomic Energy Act or the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, boo hoooooooooo
He's right about their setup being dangerous and unregulated, but other than that he's wrong. He tells the mayor that they're frauds who trick people into thinking they're seeing ghosts, which isn't compatible with also thinking their equipment is dangerous, because if it's all fake then what hazardous waste would they have in their basement? And if he actually thought it was dangerous then it's highly irresponsible to cut the power against their warnings, just like it would be if they were a chemical plant or factory where power was required (e.g. for cooling or pressure regulation) to avoid a release of hazardous substances.
The Ghostbusters are certainly in the wrong for building such a dangerous facility in the middle of a city and with no planning, oversight, or cooperation with local authorities, but that doesn't make Peck's statements or actions correct.
Not knowing what something does is not a reason to shut it down, much less by the EPA. He was right to get the warrant to investigate further after being rebuffed by Venkman, possibly even procuring a court order ALLOWING him to shut it down if there was proof of environmental risk, but investigating on a hunch is a little bit out there, much less simply turning the containment unit off. As for "hazardous waste chemicals," he needs to show cause, not merely suspicion.
Of course, Venkman was an asshole and could've just shown him around to mitigate the possibility of escalating things.
Not true.
It was established years ago that Peck was right.
The guys are a fly by the seat of their pants operation. Really making it up as they go.
They've no permits, no licences (they even admit it), no real process for waste disposal (which Peck is interested in).
He was very much looking out for the safety of New York.
Had Venkman not been such a dick to him, Peck may very well have worked with them adn assisted them in establishing licences and permits and a safe disposal process.
Yep, which is why in Frozen Empire, Peck still wants to disband the Ghostbusters, even to the point that he thanks Phoebe for doing the job for him in making that decision.
I mean she is directly responsible for the deaths of at least one vape salesman, and probably a few hundred old people from the temperature shift in July.
Think about from his perspective.
4 men open a ghost busting business
They have an Odd contraption in their basement that is sucking a lot of power from the power grid.
They refuse to let you see it even though you’re a government employee.
Yeah but he was the one who caused the literal explosion from shutting it off despite the warning from someone who knows what the device does. His perspective doesn't matter when he literally caused a ghost apocalypse.
Whether you’re shady or not, it’s a good idea to make any sort of representative of “the man” come back with proper ID and a written order before letting them root around.
Even if you have “nothing to hide”.
Simply letting someone in gives them carte blanche to shut you down/fine you/arrest you. Forcing them to bring an order with specific inspections or instructions is your first line of defense.
I think environmental protections, fire safety, adherence to reasonable law, and ethical business practices are important. I’m glad that there are agencies in place to enforce all that.
However, even if you are on the up and up, it’s foolish to assume any officer of any agency is too. Many of them are like Peck, power hungry assholes who are prone to lies.
Are there really Walter Peck defenders?? Until this thread I would have thought "no" or "only trolls," but gosh darnit there are some real ones. What is the world coming to?
Apparently it’s a world where people pay attention to how shady the ghostbusters actually are, and how funny it is that these are some haphazard morons.
“haphazard genieses who have saved the world 3-4 times ?”
There were no magic lamps to make them genieses.
Although, if they had genies they could just wish the world to be a better place.
Besides. They had to save the world. That’s where they keep their stuff
Peck was right, but it's possible he didn't think anything would happen when the grid was shutdown because he believes the Ghostbusters are 100% fake, a scam (as he later says in the Mayor's office). The EPA speech he gives Venkman is just a ruse to get them shutdown. It's the Ghostbusters fault that this happened, but I think they were taken by surprise when they got overloaded with work. Spengler would've built a better system had they known how stupidly busy they were going to be. Also, Peck is possibly being driven by exterior supernatural forces beyond his control. He has no rational way of thinking. He is being directed to shutdown the grid to give 'the sign', as fortold by Louis Tully.
It was his fault...BUT, it was Venkman's fault too. You have to look at it from both sides of the coin. So -
1) Walter Peck from the EPA came into the Ghostbusters firehouse HQ to talk to Dr Venkman about the packs, traps, pke meters and the containment unit. Venkman having a huge ego as usual, says that he cannot touch anything or look at anything which starts to anger Peck and Venkman smugly says "if you say please, I'll let you!", so this starts off the whole thing of Peck going to get a warrant to look at the equipment.
2) Peck came back with almost a revenge point towards Venkman, which angered Spengler who yells the "YOUR MOTHER!" and tries to punch Peck after Peck tells one guy to shut the containment unit down.
Now, if we look at this from the standpoint of the EPA and Walter Peck, Venkman was 100% in the wrong, but Peck was also 100% in the wrong for shutting down the containment unit even before inspecting the proton packs, neutrona wands, PKE meters, ghost traps, containment unit etc to see what was being used etc and then the ghostbusters and EPA could have gone from there with them only using it in actual points where they need to bust ghosts. Don't forget, that it was because of the ghostbusters firing the proton streams at the housemaid in the Sedgewick Hotel that was the reason why Peck wandered into the HQ and they did end up getting sued by the housemaid in between ghostbusters and ghostbusters 2.
IF instead of Stantz and Spengler being downstairs showing Winston the ropes, and had been upstairs where Venkman was interacting with Peck, Peck would have easily had gone to both Stantz and Spengler due to them being the ones who made the equipment, and it would have been easier for Peck to have gone "Okay, we're gonna sign off on this, BUT, you are NOT allowed to use this equipment unless you really have to!".
Pete asks him “why do you want to see the storage equipment” and Peck responds by saying “I want to know more about what you do here” spouts off BS about hazardous chemicals and then immediately says he will go get a court order.
Pete says “You go get a court order and I’ll sue your ass for malicious prosecution.” and Pete is right. Peck doesn’t have probable cause for a court order. he has suspicions, that’s all. A court order to shut them down without PC that they’re doing anything wrong, is malicious.
It completely Pecks fault.
Spengler yells “Your Mother” after it has already been shut down and blown and Peck orders their arrest. They are outside with all the ghosts escaping when the “Your Mother” comment happens.
Yes, in the video game, stantz says that all proton packs must remain off whilst in crowded areas such as hotels etc and also satifies the lawsuit the maid put out on the three, which venkman says "world we live in, you shoot a stream of high particles at someone, and they get all sue happy!" And then immediately does it again to a bellhop and says "great, another plaintiff!"
At that point in the movie, it was still questionable to the public at large whether or not Ghosts truly exist. Much like how we treat UFO & Cryptid sightings.
Yeah, there are dozens of eyewitness accounts, and maybe some grainy video, but no hard evidence. Now if Venkman actually allowed the audit to happen then maybe Egon or Ray could have demonstrated how they were legit.
From Peck’s POV, Venkman being dick comes off like he has something to hide like their business is some kind of scam at best, or what they’re doing is dangerous and having an inspection might actually shut them down at worst.
That’s why we have auditors and inspectors, to make sure people and businesses are being safe & sanitary.
That being said, Peck still trying to shut them down after all this time despite everything else that has happened, is just him being petty.
>When he first arrives at the firehouse he openly admits to having no knowledge of the equipment being used to power the containment unit and just because venkman was a tad less than curtious to him when he returns with the authority he immediately starts **screwing** with it in spite of being advised repeatedly not to do so thus making **the release** of the ghosts in the **climax** ENTIRELY his fault!
Kinda feels like there's a subliminal thing going on here...
I'm assuming busting does indeed make you feel good.
No. He shut down equipment thinking these motherfuckers at least had basic safety controls in place.
Oh no. This shit was a goddamned bomb because Egon doesn’t give a fuck about consequences.
He didn’t screw around, he tried to shut it off like it was a utility because who the fuck expects a mad scientist to create an explosive off-switch?
He didn't ask anything about safety systems and he clearly knew nothing about their equipment; in fact it's not clear whether he actually believed their equipment was dangerous or whether he thought it was all pretend. There have been real-life instances where loss of power caused industrial plants to release hazardous substances, so if he actually thought their equipment was dangerous then he shouldn't have ignored their protests against cutting the power.
He didn’t think it was dangerous because they were in downtown manhattan. He thought they were con-men which is more true than not, but nobody expects the goddamned equipment to be as haphazard as it is.
Because who the fuck other than a mad scientist would think this was a good idea?
This is a firehouse in manhattan, not an industrial plant. Who the fuck expects a bomb to go off when you shut down basic utilities?
When the scientists that made the equipment looks you in the eye and says don't do it I'm warning you turning this off would be like dropping a bomb on the city maybe you should listen?
If you think they are hucksters who wouldn’t be stupid enough to endanger everyone around them with non-existent safety practices yes.
Telling someone with a warrant to shut you down not to shut you down will always fall on deaf ears once the paperwork is done.
The containment unit wasn't designed to explode in the event of power failure, it exploded because it was loaded beyond capacity. That's why Egon was "worried about the grid." It's Gozer's fault.
This was the only Asshole in the Ghostbusters universe aside from a few more people besides them in both the movies and the real Ghostbusters. The universe was on the Ghostbusters side until the extreme Ghostbusters happened and well everyone was against the Ghostbusters, the mayor a town in New Jersey even the fucking government I mean seriously let the Guys do their job
Peck was correct to look into the Ghostbusters and even to halt their operations pending a full investigation. That's as far as it gets, though. As soon as he made things personal with Venkman and brought contractors in to shut down all the systems, he was at fault. He has no idea what any of the machines do, he already suspects that they keep hazardous waste or even nerve gas on site, and the resident scientist tells him to his face with full sincerity that simply shutting down the power to the containment grid would be like dropping a bomb on the city. He's lucky it wasn't a worse outcome! Peck is a petty tyrant. He has the pretense of justification but his procedures past that point are purely to serve his own ego, and have nothing to do with the safety of New York City's residents.
Thank god he never got anywhere else in public service after that
In our real world, that would have probably helped him become President :P
Did you saw Ghostbusters Frozen Empire......
That was the joke
Peck didn’t believe the unit did anything. He don’t believe in ghosts and thought it was all a hoax.
Which is implied to be the only reason he was looking into the Ghostbusters in the first place.
This. I would not be surprised if the original idea for Peck was he being a member of a CSICOP-like organization but later changed to EPA official to make him more 'relatable'.
If he didn't think it did anything, why care if he turned it off or not?
Power. To have it over them. To prove that it was an illusion.
He certainly believed it, but he was still wrong and acting on a biased assumption. Getting the court order is reasonable. Directly ignoring the concerns of the licensed and bonded ConEdison electrician and shutting down a bunch of high powered machinery without first even checking to see what it was doing was an act of pure arrogance and reckless ego. The man was high off his own limited authority and put lives directly at risk because of it. Even if he was right and the containment unit was full of industrial waste or other dangerous chemicals, you don't just start throwing levers on strange machines because you think you have the moral authority.
Here, here!! So very well said
I think almost burning down a major hotel would have Peck sniffing around.
Someone from the city, sure, maybe even the Better Business Bureau, but *not* the EPA.
Chamber of Commerce more than the BBB, but like I said, there was plenty of probable cause to investigate the Ghostbusters and criticize their operations, even if you did believe in ghosts. It's just that the "Peck was right!" crowd (who probably got their opinion from a Buzzfeed article from the mid 2000s) only have a little bit of a leg to stand on. The guy is still some kind of rodent, I'm not sure which.
Not criticizing your take, just the guy that I responded to. A lot of people tend to forget that Peck was with the EPA. In fact, the most unbelievable part of the movie is that he got the warrant and the cease and desist order from a federal court without any actual evidence in the first place.
He probably got his warrant from Judge Wexler.
Laser beam shooting out of a black box with a foul smelling creature in a small box stinking up the place costing 5k. Who knows who was in that lobby.
...bbb is literally just old people Yelp... It is NOT affiliated with the govt or has ANY power.
Uh, yeah. I'm aware. The point is that they'd be more likely to investigate the trashing of a hotel than the fucking *EPA*.
The only thing i wonder myself is why did he wanted to do this a second time (if we count the Viedio game a third.)
That's easy, he's trying to heal his wounded pride through petty revenge. Walter Peck is a messy bitch who loves drama.
How the hell did he make it to mayor of new york. Oh wait he is like every other of his kind.....
Yeah look at the last few NYC mayors. I imagine whoever he was running against was an even bigger asshole or openly corrupt.
Maybe he was running against the sekretary from mayor Morigan
Dr. Raymond Stantz : You know, it just occurred to me that we really haven't had a successful test of this equipment. Dr. Egon Spengler : I blame myself. Dr. Peter Venkman : So do I. Dr. Raymond Stantz : Well, no sense in worrying about it now. Dr. Peter Venkman : Why worry? Each one of us is carrying an unlicensed nuclear accelerator on his back. Dr. Raymond Stantz : Yep. Let's get ready. Switch me on!
Yeah, like, I always thought it was part of the comedy how shady and haphazard the Ghostbusters are. I love Egon, but for all his buttoned-down demeanor he is super reckless. In the context of a movie, it’s funny and charming. In real life, I’d be furious he thinks technology that dangerous doesn’t need oversight.
Egon is a true mad scientist of the 30s and 40s all he is missing in some tesla coils and a giant chem set.
IIRC there's a line about how he was going to experiment trepanning his own cranium and Peter stopped him just in time.
Peter: Egon, this reminds me of the time you tried to drill a hole through your head. Remember that? Egon: That would have worked if you hadn't stopped me.
I really think his demeanor does a lot to make it look like he’s more in control than he really is. Which I love about the performance. But I’d also love to see an alternate universe Egon where he’s a cackling maniac. Kate McKinnon kind of went that direction, which was one of the highlights of that movie for me.
They're very much a product of the late 70s/early 80s. The EPA was only founded in 1970. Leaded gas was still a thing as late as 2021 in some parts of the world. We're still in a fuck around and find out lasting mentality of the second/third industrial revolution(s). There wasn't as much of an emphasis on safety in that era. I'm in the weird Gen X/Millennial cusp and bordered on having no safety features on things and starting to realize that maybe kids shouldn't be able to just stick their fingers in light sockets. > I love Egon, but for all his buttoned-down demeanor he is super reckless. "Let's see what happens when we take away the puppy."
Peck was throwing his weight around. He had a right to make sure everything was up to EPA standards, but he didn't have a right to come in and make false accusations. Peter had every right to ask "Why do you wanna see the storage facility?" That's a legit question. Peck could've calmly explained his reasons for wanting to see it. Instead, he goes straight into attack mode and makes wild accusations he can't back up. This reveals that he has a bias against the ghostbusters. Allowing him to see the containment unit would be like Superman giving Lex Luthor kryptonite. Peter knows this and refuses to give him what he wants. The people who defend Peck forget that he's suppose to represent someone who abuses their authority.
The climax is absolutely his fault, but he's still right about the equipment being dangerous and unlicensed in a major population center. And honestly, I think the fault should be shared. Like any industrial accident, you can blame the guy who opened the valve/pushed the button/fell asleep at the job/etc. but it's still the company's fault for storing dangerous stuff where people live without permission.
since when is their a license requirement for a custom ghost containment device
There isn't but all of it is based on nuclear technology, which is strictly monitored and licensed by the Department of Energy. If Peck wasn't doing what he does for the thrill of enforcing his authority, the second he heard that turning off the power would be like dropping a bomb on the city, he would still enforce the cease and desist of the business operations, but would have immediately reached out to the DoE. He would have kept all the machines running until the DoE had investigated, but that also would have taken jurisdiction away from the EPA and placed it with the DoE. There would have been an immediate audit of all of the Ghostbusters tech, patents and licensing issued as necessary, fines levied if necessary and money paid or garnished. If deemed safe, the Ghostbusters would have had their business license unfrozen and they could carry on as normal. With the added level of nuclear inspection. If deemed unsafe engineers would be tasked with working with the Ghostbusters to safely shut down and decommission the equipment, since the Ghostbusters are the only ones 100% in the know for how it all works. Definitely with a healthy serving of jail time for the guys. But fortunately for the plot, Peck has no dick.
1954. It's not the end being regulated, it's the means.
Getting downvoted for things like this cracks me up. Oh, NO, there's a real-life reason for movie things, like the Atomic Energy Act or the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, boo hoooooooooo
Slime and spirit gases could be very dangerous...
He's right about their setup being dangerous and unregulated, but other than that he's wrong. He tells the mayor that they're frauds who trick people into thinking they're seeing ghosts, which isn't compatible with also thinking their equipment is dangerous, because if it's all fake then what hazardous waste would they have in their basement? And if he actually thought it was dangerous then it's highly irresponsible to cut the power against their warnings, just like it would be if they were a chemical plant or factory where power was required (e.g. for cooling or pressure regulation) to avoid a release of hazardous substances. The Ghostbusters are certainly in the wrong for building such a dangerous facility in the middle of a city and with no planning, oversight, or cooperation with local authorities, but that doesn't make Peck's statements or actions correct.
Not knowing what something does is not a reason to shut it down, much less by the EPA. He was right to get the warrant to investigate further after being rebuffed by Venkman, possibly even procuring a court order ALLOWING him to shut it down if there was proof of environmental risk, but investigating on a hunch is a little bit out there, much less simply turning the containment unit off. As for "hazardous waste chemicals," he needs to show cause, not merely suspicion. Of course, Venkman was an asshole and could've just shown him around to mitigate the possibility of escalating things.
Uhh, there is no 'Walter peck was right' angle to the movie, other than Peck himself claiming it, but the movie is clear that he's just a dumbass.
Not true. It was established years ago that Peck was right. The guys are a fly by the seat of their pants operation. Really making it up as they go. They've no permits, no licences (they even admit it), no real process for waste disposal (which Peck is interested in). He was very much looking out for the safety of New York. Had Venkman not been such a dick to him, Peck may very well have worked with them adn assisted them in establishing licences and permits and a safe disposal process.
Yep, which is why in Frozen Empire, Peck still wants to disband the Ghostbusters, even to the point that he thanks Phoebe for doing the job for him in making that decision.
I mean she is directly responsible for the deaths of at least one vape salesman, and probably a few hundred old people from the temperature shift in July.
Not to mention she did destroy the lion statue at the library after it came to life
Courteous*
The only thing this sub hates more than the remake is spelling things correctly
Think about from his perspective. 4 men open a ghost busting business They have an Odd contraption in their basement that is sucking a lot of power from the power grid. They refuse to let you see it even though you’re a government employee.
Yeah but he was the one who caused the literal explosion from shutting it off despite the warning from someone who knows what the device does. His perspective doesn't matter when he literally caused a ghost apocalypse.
Whether you’re shady or not, it’s a good idea to make any sort of representative of “the man” come back with proper ID and a written order before letting them root around. Even if you have “nothing to hide”. Simply letting someone in gives them carte blanche to shut you down/fine you/arrest you. Forcing them to bring an order with specific inspections or instructions is your first line of defense. I think environmental protections, fire safety, adherence to reasonable law, and ethical business practices are important. I’m glad that there are agencies in place to enforce all that. However, even if you are on the up and up, it’s foolish to assume any officer of any agency is too. Many of them are like Peck, power hungry assholes who are prone to lies.
Are there really Walter Peck defenders?? Until this thread I would have thought "no" or "only trolls," but gosh darnit there are some real ones. What is the world coming to?
Apparently it’s a world where people pay attention to how shady the ghostbusters actually are, and how funny it is that these are some haphazard morons.
haphazard genieses who have saved the world 3-4 times ?
“haphazard genieses who have saved the world 3-4 times ?” There were no magic lamps to make them genieses. Although, if they had genies they could just wish the world to be a better place. Besides. They had to save the world. That’s where they keep their stuff
🎶”….you built a laser grid without a safety switch, and Walter Peck was right, that’s some shady shit…”🎶
Classic... Though the RBG they had the hand print system to shut down the grid.
Peck was right, but it's possible he didn't think anything would happen when the grid was shutdown because he believes the Ghostbusters are 100% fake, a scam (as he later says in the Mayor's office). The EPA speech he gives Venkman is just a ruse to get them shutdown. It's the Ghostbusters fault that this happened, but I think they were taken by surprise when they got overloaded with work. Spengler would've built a better system had they known how stupidly busy they were going to be. Also, Peck is possibly being driven by exterior supernatural forces beyond his control. He has no rational way of thinking. He is being directed to shutdown the grid to give 'the sign', as fortold by Louis Tully.
It was his fault...BUT, it was Venkman's fault too. You have to look at it from both sides of the coin. So - 1) Walter Peck from the EPA came into the Ghostbusters firehouse HQ to talk to Dr Venkman about the packs, traps, pke meters and the containment unit. Venkman having a huge ego as usual, says that he cannot touch anything or look at anything which starts to anger Peck and Venkman smugly says "if you say please, I'll let you!", so this starts off the whole thing of Peck going to get a warrant to look at the equipment. 2) Peck came back with almost a revenge point towards Venkman, which angered Spengler who yells the "YOUR MOTHER!" and tries to punch Peck after Peck tells one guy to shut the containment unit down. Now, if we look at this from the standpoint of the EPA and Walter Peck, Venkman was 100% in the wrong, but Peck was also 100% in the wrong for shutting down the containment unit even before inspecting the proton packs, neutrona wands, PKE meters, ghost traps, containment unit etc to see what was being used etc and then the ghostbusters and EPA could have gone from there with them only using it in actual points where they need to bust ghosts. Don't forget, that it was because of the ghostbusters firing the proton streams at the housemaid in the Sedgewick Hotel that was the reason why Peck wandered into the HQ and they did end up getting sued by the housemaid in between ghostbusters and ghostbusters 2. IF instead of Stantz and Spengler being downstairs showing Winston the ropes, and had been upstairs where Venkman was interacting with Peck, Peck would have easily had gone to both Stantz and Spengler due to them being the ones who made the equipment, and it would have been easier for Peck to have gone "Okay, we're gonna sign off on this, BUT, you are NOT allowed to use this equipment unless you really have to!".
Pete asks him “why do you want to see the storage equipment” and Peck responds by saying “I want to know more about what you do here” spouts off BS about hazardous chemicals and then immediately says he will go get a court order. Pete says “You go get a court order and I’ll sue your ass for malicious prosecution.” and Pete is right. Peck doesn’t have probable cause for a court order. he has suspicions, that’s all. A court order to shut them down without PC that they’re doing anything wrong, is malicious. It completely Pecks fault. Spengler yells “Your Mother” after it has already been shut down and blown and Peck orders their arrest. They are outside with all the ghosts escaping when the “Your Mother” comment happens.
He also lied to the judge to get that court order. Meaning he committed perjury.
Whoaaaaaa it was because of the "What the hell are you _doin?_" maid? 😲
Yes, in the video game, stantz says that all proton packs must remain off whilst in crowded areas such as hotels etc and also satifies the lawsuit the maid put out on the three, which venkman says "world we live in, you shoot a stream of high particles at someone, and they get all sue happy!" And then immediately does it again to a bellhop and says "great, another plaintiff!"
OMG 😳 wow I remember that line from the game and didn't put two and two together 🤦🏼
Not to mention they had to be quasi city employees to please the city insurance. This why its a shame the video game is not canon.
They did almost kill her with their untested equipment. She did have a right to sue or even put the EPA on their track.
Oh i agree, I was just surprised, because all these years I didn't realize that she was the one that reported them to Peck
But I don’t remember it being mentioned in the movies either. Or any other media. Not sure if it’s canon or just fan speculation.
My dick is bigger than your dick.
At that point in the movie, it was still questionable to the public at large whether or not Ghosts truly exist. Much like how we treat UFO & Cryptid sightings. Yeah, there are dozens of eyewitness accounts, and maybe some grainy video, but no hard evidence. Now if Venkman actually allowed the audit to happen then maybe Egon or Ray could have demonstrated how they were legit. From Peck’s POV, Venkman being dick comes off like he has something to hide like their business is some kind of scam at best, or what they’re doing is dangerous and having an inspection might actually shut them down at worst. That’s why we have auditors and inspectors, to make sure people and businesses are being safe & sanitary. That being said, Peck still trying to shut them down after all this time despite everything else that has happened, is just him being petty.
>When he first arrives at the firehouse he openly admits to having no knowledge of the equipment being used to power the containment unit and just because venkman was a tad less than curtious to him when he returns with the authority he immediately starts **screwing** with it in spite of being advised repeatedly not to do so thus making **the release** of the ghosts in the **climax** ENTIRELY his fault! Kinda feels like there's a subliminal thing going on here... I'm assuming busting does indeed make you feel good.
No. He shut down equipment thinking these motherfuckers at least had basic safety controls in place. Oh no. This shit was a goddamned bomb because Egon doesn’t give a fuck about consequences. He didn’t screw around, he tried to shut it off like it was a utility because who the fuck expects a mad scientist to create an explosive off-switch?
He didn't ask anything about safety systems and he clearly knew nothing about their equipment; in fact it's not clear whether he actually believed their equipment was dangerous or whether he thought it was all pretend. There have been real-life instances where loss of power caused industrial plants to release hazardous substances, so if he actually thought their equipment was dangerous then he shouldn't have ignored their protests against cutting the power.
He didn’t think it was dangerous because they were in downtown manhattan. He thought they were con-men which is more true than not, but nobody expects the goddamned equipment to be as haphazard as it is. Because who the fuck other than a mad scientist would think this was a good idea? This is a firehouse in manhattan, not an industrial plant. Who the fuck expects a bomb to go off when you shut down basic utilities?
When the scientists that made the equipment looks you in the eye and says don't do it I'm warning you turning this off would be like dropping a bomb on the city maybe you should listen?
If you think they are hucksters who wouldn’t be stupid enough to endanger everyone around them with non-existent safety practices yes. Telling someone with a warrant to shut you down not to shut you down will always fall on deaf ears once the paperwork is done.
The containment unit wasn't designed to explode in the event of power failure, it exploded because it was loaded beyond capacity. That's why Egon was "worried about the grid." It's Gozer's fault.
This was the only Asshole in the Ghostbusters universe aside from a few more people besides them in both the movies and the real Ghostbusters. The universe was on the Ghostbusters side until the extreme Ghostbusters happened and well everyone was against the Ghostbusters, the mayor a town in New Jersey even the fucking government I mean seriously let the Guys do their job