History Recap / TintinTheSecretOfTheUnicorn

* HisNameIs: Barnaby is shot before he can tell Tintin the name of his employer.

* OffModel: The screaming old woman at Sakharine's appartment has a dark green coat in the first panel she appears in, but the coat is blue in every other panels.

** The BBC radio drama gives Red Rackham a typical piratical West Country accent, but also gives Sir Francis a similar accent, with the Captain mentioning beforehand that Sir Francis was “one of the West Country Haddocks.” Interestingly, the Xaptain doesn’t have a West Country accent himself.

** The Nelvana adaptation gives Sir Francis [[ViolentGlasweggian a Scottish accent]].

* ViolentGlaswegian: The Nelvana adaptation gives Sir Francis a Scottish accent.

* BerserkButton: Haddock does ''not'' take it well when Thomson and Thompson accuse him of murdering Mr. Sakharine.

* StabTheScorpion: Haddock saves Tintin from Gustav Bird in this manner (with a thrown whiskey bottle).

When Tintin returns to his apartment, he finds that the model has been stolen. Upon further investigation, Tintin and Haddock discover that the model ship is one of three models that Sir Francis made of his ship that each contain a parchment with a clue to the location of a sunken treasure that Sir Francis got from a ruthless pirate named Red Rackham.

* ClearMyName: A very brief example when the Thom(p)sons accuse Haddock of murdering Sakharine. In truth Sakharine isn't even really dead and Haddock had nothing to do with the attack on him.

* KnightsArmorHideout: Subverted. The Bird brothers are looking for Tintin and suspect him inside a suit of armor so they shoot at it and it falls apart. Turns out, Tintin hid behind a desk.
* Leave No Survivors: In the flashback, after being hit by a broadside, the pirate ship hoists the red flag, signaling that they would not take prisoners. They do capture captain Sir Francis Haddock when a golden opportunity presents itself, but plan to execute him slowly the next morning.

While browsing a flea market, Tintin comes across and buys an old model ship, thinking it would make a good present for Captain Haddock. He is immediately approached by two men who both want to buy it back from him, though Tintin adamantly refuses. One of them even follows him to his home and gives Tintin his business card, which lists him as "Ivan Sakharine, Collector". Tintin once again refuses and sends him on his way but unfortunately Snowy knocks the model over during this distraction, breaking the ship's main mast.

Haddock arrives and Tintin shows his the ship. The former is incredibly surprised and he takes Tintin to his house to show him why: a portrait of his IdenticalAncestor, Sir Francis Haddock, with the exact same ship in the background. Tintin notices the name ''Unicorn'' on the ship's hull and returns home to check if the model has it as well. However, he returns to find the model gone. He immediately suspects Sakharine and runs off to confront him. Tintin's suspicions are apparently confirmed when he finds the model in Sakharine's home but the latter claims he had owned it for over ten years: the reason why he wanted Tintin's model so badly is because he thought it was odd that two identical models existed. Tintin confirms this is not his model since the main mast is still intact. Tintin returns home and finds the place completely ransacked yet with nothing missing, meaning the intruders were looking for something in particular.

While cleaning up the mess, Tintin finds a small piece of parchment with a cryptic message and some numbers. Tintin concludes that it must have been lodged under the broken mast and that this parchement must be what both his flat's intruders were seeking. Tintin puts the parchment in his wallet and runs off to talk to Haddock and finds him wearing Sir Francis' hat and cutlass: Haddock had gone over his ancestor's sea chest and found these items along with his diary, detailing the story of the ''Unicorn'':

In the year 1676, the Unicorn had left Barbados to set sail for home when it was intercepted by pirate ship captained by the ruthless Red Rackham. After a fierce battle, Haddock found himself captured as the sole survivor of the ''Unicorn's'' crew. Since his pirate ship was heavily damaged, Rackham ordered all of its cargo to be loaded onto the ''Unicorn'', including a chest full of precious gems plundered off a Spanish ship. While the pirates got drunk during the night, Haddock slipped away and lit a fuse to the powder kegs in the hold, only to be interrupted by Rackham himself. After a tense battle, Haddock killed Rackham and escaped just in time to escape the explosion. Haddock made his way back home and built three identical models of the ''Unicorn'', each bequeathed to one of his three sons. According to the diary, if the mast of each is moved, "the truth will come out".

Tintin concludes that the parchment he found is what Haddock meant and that it's one of the three keys to finding Red Rackham's treasure. Unfortunately he then notices that his wallet was stolen (Tintin's having the worst day). Tintin and Haddock then make their way to Sakharine's place to look at the second parchment and find him chloroformed on the floor, the mast of his model broken and the parchment gone: clearly Tintin and Haddock are not the only ones looking for the treasure.

Tintin and Haddock return to the former's home and find the other man who tried to buy the model off of Tintin waiting for them, wishing to speak to Tintin. However, a car then does a drive-by and the man is repeatedly shot. Before falling unconscious he says "Be careful...they will kill you too..." while pointing at...some sparrows.

After receiving news that the man is still alive but in a coma, Tintin is contacted by Thompson and Thomson who have recovered his wallet with the parchment, which had been stolen by a pickpocket that had been causing quite the ruckus recently (though he managed to escape). The joy is shortlived, however, as Tintin is chloroformed and kidnapped. He awakens in a cellar where a voice on a speaker accuses him of having stolen two of the parchments. Tintin of course denies this but is disbelieved. Tintin manages to escape and finds a letter explaining why the wounded man pointed at the sparrows: he is in Marlinspike Hall, the home of Gustav and Max ''Bird''. Tintin manages to call Haddock with his whereabouts though he is eventually interrupted by the Bird brothers' butler Nestor. Tintin escapes again and manages to evade the Bird brothers and Nestor long enough for Haddock and the Thompsons to arrive. Max manages to escape but Gustav is cornered, who proceeds to reveal everything: the Bird brothers found the third ''Unicorn'' model after purchasing Marlinspike and found the parchment while restoring the former. They concluded it was the key to a treasure and used their contacts as antique dealers to find the other two. The wounded man, Barnaby, was one of their spies and was also the one who ransacked Tintin's apartment twice to find his parchment. Unsuccessful, he then stole Sakharine's parchment. However, Barnaby then got into a disagreement over his payment and then went to Tintin to spill the beans, prompting the drive-by shooting. The Bird brothers' two parchments were then stolen, which prompted them to kidnap Tintin, believing him responsible. The Thompsons then take Tintin to finally arrest the pickpocket, Aristides Silk. In Silk's impressive wallet collection, Tintin finds the parchments stolen from the Bird brothers and later on Max is captured along side Tintin's parchment, giving the latter access to all three.

All three parchments, when placed on top of each other and facing the light provide a latitude and longitude: obviously the location where the ''Unicorn'' sank. Tintin and Haddock plan to find the treasure, a quest detailed in the second part of the story, ''[[Recap/TintinRedRackhamsTreasure Red Rackham's Treasure]]''.

Hergé once cited it as his personal favourite Tintin story, though he would later come to prefer ''[[Recap/TintinTintinInTibet Tintin in Tibet]]''. Along with ''[[Recap/TintinTheCrabWithTheGoldenClaws The Crab with the Golden Claws]]'', it is the basis for most of the plot of Creator/StevenSpielberg's [[WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfTintin 2011 film adaptation]].

Haddock arrives and Tintin shows his the ship. The former is incredibly surprised and he takes Tintin to his house to show him why: a portrait of his IdenticalAncestor, Sir Francis Haddock, with the exact same ship in the background. Tintin notices the name ''Unicorn'' on the ship's hull and returns home to check if the model has it as well. However, he returns to find the model gone. He immediately suspects Sakharine and runs off to confront him. Tintin's suspicions are apparently confirmed when he finds the model in Sakharine's home but the latter claims he had owned it for over ten years: the reason why he wanted Tintin's model so badly is because he thought it was odd that two identical models existed. Tintin confirms this is not his model since the main mast is still intact and the name ''Unicorn'' is on the hull. Tintin returns home and finds the place completely ransacked yet with nothing missing, meaning the intruders were looking for something in particular.

Having bought a model ship, the Unicorn, for a pound off a flea market Tintin is initially puzzled that the sinister Mr. Sakharine should be so eager to buy it from him, resorting to murder and kidnapping Tintin - accompanied by his marvellous dog Snowy - to join him and his gang as they sail to Morocco on an old cargo ship. Sakharine has bribed the crew to revolt against the ship's master, drunken Captain Haddock, but Tintin, Snowy and Haddock escape, arriving in Morocco at the court of a sheikh, who also has a model of the Unicorn.

Haddock tells Tintin that over three hundred years earlier his ancestor Sir Francis Haddock was forced to scuttle the original Unicorn when attacked by a piratical forebear of Sakharine but he managed to save his treasure and provide clues to its location in three separate scrolls, all of which were secreted in models of the Unicorn. Tintin and Sakharine have one each and the villain intends to use the glass-shattering top Cs of operatic soprano the Milanese Nightingale to secure the third. With aid from the bumbling Thompson Twins our boy hero, his dog and the captain must prevent Sakharine from obtaining all three scrolls to fulfill the prophesy that only the last of the Haddocks can discover the treasure's whereabouts.

* BigBad: The Bird brothers.

* CoolShip: The ''Unicorn''.

%%* PirateBooty

%%* RansackedRoom* RedHerring: Sakharine the ship model collector is accused by Tintin of stealing his model, but he is actually innocent.

%%* StickyFingers: Silk.

%%* RansackedRoom
* NonchalantDodge: Tintin dodges the fast-approaching AngryGuardDog who then bumps into the Bird brothers.
* OminouslyOpenDoor: Tintin is startled when he finds the door to his apartment open. On entering he sees that the flat has been [[RansackedRoom ransacked]].
* RedHerring: Sakharine the ship model collector is accused by Tintin of stealing his model, but he is actually innocent.

* BigDamnHeroes: Snowy comes flying in to save Tintin when the Bird brothers are about to off him.

* LeaveNoSurvivors: Red Rackham won't...

* ViolentGlaswegian: The Nelvana adaptation gives Sir Francis a Scottish accent.

While browsing a flea market, Tintin comes across and buys an old model ship, thinking it would make a good present for Captain Haddock. He is immediately approached by two men who both want to buy it back from him, though Tintin adamantly refuses. One of them even follows him to his home and gives Tintin his business card, which lists him as "Ivan Sakharine, Collector". Tintin once again refuses and sends him on his way but unfortunately Snowy knocks the model over during this distraction, breaking the ship's main mast.

Haddock arrives and Tintin shows his the ship. The former is incredibly surprised and he takes Tintin to his house to show him why: a portrait of his IdenticalAncestor, Sir Francis Haddock, with the exact same ship in the background. Tintin notices the name ''Unicorn'' on the ship's hull and returns home to check if the model has it as well. However, he returns to find the model gone. He immediately suspects Sakharine and runs off to confront him. Tintin's suspicions are apparently confirmed when he finds the model in Sakharine's home but the latter claims he had owned it for over ten years: the reason why he wanted Tintin's model so badly is because he thought it was odd that two identical models existed. Tintin confirms this is not his model since the main mast is still intact and the name ''Unicorn'' is on the hull. Tintin returns home and finds the place completely ransacked yet with nothing missing, meaning the intruders were looking for something in particular.

While cleaning up the mess, Tintin finds a small piece of parchment with a cryptic message and some numbers. Tintin concludes that it must have been lodged under the broken mast and that this parchement must be what both his flat's intruders were seeking. Tintin puts the parchment in his wallet and runs off to talk to Haddock and finds him wearing Sir Francis' hat and cutlass: Haddock had gone over his ancestor's sea chest and found these items along with his diary, detailing the story of the ''Unicorn'':

In the year 1676, the Unicorn had left Barbados to set sail for home when it was intercepted by pirate ship captained by the ruthless Red Rackham. After a fierce battle, Haddock found himself captured as the sole survivor of the ''Unicorn's'' crew. Since his pirate ship was heavily damaged, Rackham ordered all of its cargo to be loaded onto the ''Unicorn'', including a chest full of precious gems plundered off a Spanish ship. While the pirates got drunk during the night, Haddock slipped away and lit a fuse to the powder kegs in the hold, only to be interrupted by Rackham himself. After a tense battle, Haddock killed Rackham and escaped just in time to escape the explosion. Haddock made his way back home and built three identical models of the ''Unicorn'', each bequeathed to one of his three sons. According to the diary, if the mast of each is moved, "the truth will come out".

Tintin concludes that the parchment he found is what Haddock meant and that it's one of the three keys to finding Red Rackham's treasure. Unfortunately he then notices that his wallet was stolen (Tintin's having the worst day). Tintin and Haddock then make their way to Sakharine's place to look at the second parchment and find him chloroformed on the floor, the mast of his model broken and the parchment gone: clearly Tintin and Haddock are not the only ones looking for the treasure.

Tintin and Haddock return to the former's home and find the other man who tried to buy the model off of Tintin waiting for them, wishing to speak to Tintin. However, a car then does a drive-by and the man is repeatedly shot. Before falling unconscious he says "Be careful...they will kill you too..." while pointing at...some sparrows.

After receiving news that the man is still alive but in a coma, Tintin is contacted by Thompson and Thomson who have recovered his wallet with the parchment, which had been stolen by a pickpocket that had been causing quite the ruckus recently (though he managed to escape). The joy is shortlived, however, as Tintin is chloroformed and kidnapped. He awakens in a cellar where a voice on a speaker accuses him of having stolen two of the parchments. Tintin of course denies this but is disbelieved. Tintin manages to escape and finds a letter explaining why the wounded man pointed at the sparrows: he is in Marlinspike Hall, the home of Gustav and Max ''Bird''. Tintin manages to call Haddock with his whereabouts though he is eventually interrupted by the Bird brothers' butler Nestor. Tintin escapes again and manages to evade the Bird brothers and Nestor long enough for Haddock and the Thompsons to arrive. Max manages to escape but Gustav is cornered, who proceeds to reveal everything: the Bird brothers found the third ''Unicorn'' model after purchasing Marlinspike and found the parchment while restoring the former. They concluded it was the key to a treasure and used their contacts as antique dealers to find the other two. The wounded man, Barnaby, was one of their spies and was also the one who ransacked Tintin's apartment twice to find his parchment. Unsuccessful, he then stole Sakharine's parchment. However, Barnaby then got into a disagreement over his payment and then went to Tintin to spill the beans, prompting the drive-by shooting. The Bird brothers' two parchments were then stolen, which prompted them to kidnap Tintin, believing him responsible. The Thompsons then take Tintin to finally arrest the pickpocket, Aristides Silk. In Silk's impressive wallet collection, Tintin finds the parchments stolen from the Bird brothers and later on Max is captured along side Tintin's parchment, giving the latter access to all three.

All three parchments, when placed on top of each other and facing the light provide a latitude and longitude: obviously the location where the ''Unicorn'' sank. Tintin and Haddock plan to find the treasure, a quest detailed in the second part of the story, ''[[Recap/TintinRedRackhamsTreasure Red Rackham's Treasure]]''.

* ChekhovsGunman / ChekhovsGag: Aristides Silk the pickpocket becomes vital to the plot when he [[spoiler:steals Max Bird's wallet, containing the last remaining parchment]].

* PirateBooty
* RansackedRoom

* StickyFingers: Silk.

* VillainExitStageLeft: One of the Bird brothers escapes, but Tintin got his car's license plate number and the Twins were able to arrest him at the border.

After receiving news that the man is still alive but in a coma, Tintin is contacted by Thompson and Thomson who have recovered his wallet with the parchement, which had been stolen by a pickpocket that had been causing quite the ruckus recently (though he managed to escape). The joy is shortlived, however, as Tintin is chloroformed and kidnapped. He awakens in a cellar where a voice on a speaker accuses him of having stolen two of the parchments. Tintin of course denies this but is disbelieved. Tintin manages to escape and finds a letter explaining why the wounded man pointed at the sparrows: he is in Marlinspike Hall, the home of Gustav and Max ''Bird''. Tintin manages to call Haddock with his whereabouts though he is eventually interrupted by the Bird brothers' butler Nestor. Tintin escapes again and manages to evade the Bird brothers and Nestor long enough for Haddock and the Thompsons to arrive. Max manages to escape but Gustav is cornered, who proceeds to reveal everything: the Bird brothers found the third ''Unicorn'' model after purchasing Marlinspike and found the parchment while restoring the former. They concluded it was the key to a treasure and used their contacts as antique dealers to find the other two. The wounded man, Barnaby, was one of their spies and was also the one who ransacked Tintin's apartment twice to find his parchment. Unsuccessful, he then stole Sakharine's parchment. However, Barnaby then got into a disagreement over his payment and then went to Tintin to spill the beans, prompting the drive-by shooting. The Bird brothers' two parchments were then stolen, which prompted them to kidnap Tintin, believing him responsible. The Thompsons then take Tintin to finally arrest the pickpocket, Aristides Silk. In Silk's impressive wallet collection, Tintin finds the parchments stolen from the Bird brothers and later on Max is captured along side Tintin's parchment, giving the latter access to all three.

* KitschCollection: Silk the pickpocket has a huge collection of stolen wallets, sorted alphabetically. Every single wallet under "T" belongs to the Thom(p)sons!

* SpannerInTheWorks: Silk the pickpocket, for both Tintin and the Bird brothers.

* InformedAbility: Tintin notes that Max Bird is the more dangerous of the Bird brothers at one point. There isn't really much to back this up at that point, and in fact, it's Gustav who held him at gunpoint and almost shot him from behind mere minutes before.