Mater Private Eye

Template:Infobox EpisodeMater Private Eye is the ninth episode of Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales.

Plot

Lightning McQueen's (Keith Ferguson) tires are flat, so he asks Flo for some air. Then, Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) jumps in and says that he thought he already solved that mystery. Then, he starts his story.

Mater was a private investigator solving mysteries. It was 7:15 on a Friday night, Mater was in his office reading different newspapers about counterfeit tires. Tia (Elissa Knight) comes in the room and Mater asks what she wants. Tia says that her sister, Mia (Lindsey Collins) has been carnapped. Tia says that she last saw Mia working for Big D (Torbin Xan Bullock) at his night club, the Carbacabana. Mater goes to the night club and asks a singer named Carmen (Carol Bach y Rita) if she's seen Mia anywhere. Carmen says that she saw her a few days ago with Big D and that she smelled salty, just like the ocean. Then, one of Big D's henchmen, Clyde (Danny Mann) , comes over and asks if Mater is bugging Carmen, and she replies with, "Not yet, but a girl can hope." and winks at Mater. Claude says that Mater is bugging him, and Clyde kicks Mater out and breaks one of his headlights for being too nosy. Mater then goes to visit a garbage truck named Stinky (John Cygan) and asks him what the dirt on the street is. He says he doesn't know, that he's just throwing out lots of flat tires. He says, "Yeah. It's odd though." because they all smell salty and that he hasn't smelled anything like that ever since he was working at the docks. Then, Mater takes off to the docks. After trying to sneak in by wearing boxes over himself, Big D's henchmen see him and dangle him over the ocean waters. Tia shows up, begging them not to hurt him. Mater now finds out that Tia double-crossed him. Tia claims that she only did it because it was the only way to save her sister. But just before they're going to throw him in the ocean, Lieutenant Lightning McQueen and the other police cars arrive. Tia then sets Mater free and he stops Big D by throwing a box on top of him. The box breaks, revealing counterfeit tires. The police then take Big D away to jail. Back in Radiator Springs, Lightning then says that that's the most ridiculous thing he's ever heard. But before either of them can say anything, Carmen shows up telling everybody to go Conga. Mater agrees by following them, and then dances away with them.

Characters

• Mater
• Lightning McQueen
• Big D
• Clyde
• Stinky
• Carmen
• Mia and Tia
• Claude
• Dock Pitties
• Mariachi Pitties
• The Dock Crane
• The Other Police Cars (do not speak)
• The Crane (cameo)
• Flo (does not speak)
• Luigi (cameo)
• Guido (cameo)
• Ramone (cameo)

Trivia

• Somehow, Tia told Big D (just so she could save her sister on her own) that Mater was coming to arrest him so he hoodwink Mater into helping one of the twins because at the end Mater was caught and lifted by a crane and said, "I'm being shanghaied!" Then he saw Tia and said, "Tia, you double crossing double crosser!" It was all a setup to carnap Mater so Big D could get his revenge, not get caught by the police by Mater, and he didn't want anyone to know that he was behind the fake tires.
• Mater used to have a deep emotional bond and relationship for Tia as it seems. They dated for maybe a few times before their relationship went downhill and ended because Tia was very selfish in the relationship, always got Mater in trouble and Mater didn't like where it was heading so, they broke up. She didn't seem really good for his taste anyways. He was mad at her when she entered his office, which means she's not over him, but he is still upset with her about something.
• Most of Mater's P.I. story could be true considering that right after the story, Carmen and her music band pitties showed up doing a conga while yelling out, "Rrrrrrrrrrrrr-ahhh! Come on Mater, everybody conga!" And Mater began dancing and followed her while leaving the scene saying, "Right behind ye'!", indicating that Mater and Carmen met each other before.
• In most episodes, Ramone is seen with his best known paint job, which is purple with flames. However, in this episode, he wears his green paint job (see image).
• When McQueen doesn't believe Mater's story, Mater replies with, "Yes way!" which is the same quote he said as in Tokyo Mater.
• This is the first Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales episode that has Mater's story in black and white. The second one is Time Travel Mater.
• At the end of Mater's story, Tia says, "I'm not bad, Mater. I just drive that way!" This is a switchblade of the quote, "I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way!" made famous by Jessica Rabbit in the 1988 film, Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
• The club Carbacabana is named after Rio de Janeiro's burgh Copacabana in Brazil (the country home of Carla Veloso).
• The scene where Clyde breaks one of Mater's headlights is a reference to a scene in the 1974 detective movie, Chinatown in which Jack Nicholson's character is caught snooping by two hitmen, and one of them (who is named Claude, also the name of Clyde's henchman) slices his nose with a switchblade. He says very similar words-"You're a very nosy fella kitty-cat! You know what happens to nosey fellas? Huh, no? Wanna guess? Huh, no? They loose them!"
• It is revealed that Carmen fancies Mater.

Goofs

• 

  Comparison shot between Flo's eyelids.

When Lightning McQueen goes to Flo's V8 Cafe, Flo's eyelashes on her eyelids are there, but when the camera cuts to a closer shot, her eyelashes disappear.

• The DVD and Blu-ray subtitles mistakenly refer to Carmen as Laverne in the scene when she says, "Thank you very much!" in Spanish after singing one of her songs.
• Mater asks Carmen where Mia went by saying, "Where did he go?" but Mia is a female.

Gallery

Stinky, the garbage truck.

Big D.

Mia and Tia being "carnapped" by Big D.

Carmen The Carbacabana Girl and the Mariachi Pitties.

The Dock Pitties.

Clyde.

Mater being held by Crane.

Ship at the docks.

McQueen and police cars.

Mia and Tia.