Season 1 – Jonny Quest

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Jay B @Jayson145 06/16/2021 Jonny Quest is one of the most groundbreaking shows of its time. Blending together some of the most high budget detailed animation ever put to use with a vibrant cast, interesting selection of villains, and one of the best and underrated scores of all time Jonny Quest is something to be appreciated. While it is held back by white ignorance and unflattering portrayals of various nationalities ultimately if you can forgive that aspect and treat it as a product of its time while still enjoying it this is a crazy imaginative adventure to watch. I have a deep appreciation for this show despite its failure to reach the level of quality it set out to reach and I frequently re watch this show every year especially on Christmas. Jonny Quest follows the titular character a privileged and neglected son, his genius scientist father, his more primary father figure and body guard Race, adopted brother Hadji, and their bulldog bandit. They travel the world and find themselves under threat in various situations oftentimes by foreign military operations. I'm going to break this show down episode by episodes just because I love it that much and point out the flaws and strengths in each. Mystery of the Lizard Men: A Hispanic military division dressed in Scuba gear designed to blend in with the green seaweed of the native waters test a prototype laser on various ships in preparation of sabotaging the launch of the first man to the moon mission. This is a pretty good introductory episode overall but it's missing the character of Hadji who just kinda appears in the next episode. Additionally some of the dialogue is clunky especially from Jonny still I was mesmerized by the lengths this show went to to be entertaining especially when it came to how far it went with the violence and just effort in telling a fast paced story with detailed animation. Solid foundation. Worth the watch. Arctic Splashdown: Considerably less entertaining than the first this episode adds the character of Hadji to the mix who is unfortunately plagued by many stereotypes of Indian people however at his core Hadji is a fun, clever, and kind hearted character. He fits right in. The villains are far more boring than the Lizard Men and despite some hilariously bad accents and quotable lines are super forgettable one dimensional villains. Additionally the danger doesn't feel very engaging. Overall a bland episode that really could just be skipped. Curse of Anubis: Some laughably bad displays of Egyptian mythology particularly Anubis being a pharaoh not a god but overall an improvement over episode two. Decent villain who's motivation seems a bit cooked up by White perception but overall the motivation of Patriotism is a fair one. The Hadji racist moments are kicked up a lot more here and it's definitely more cartoony than previous episodes but it's pretty good especially for the setting. But the made up accents and gibberish as well as portrayal of Egyptian people as superstitious fools is really ignorant even if the superstitions they fear in fact turn out to be truth. This one is considered one of the best but not in my book. If you enjoyed the first episode it's worth the watch if not there are many better episodes. Pursuit of the Po Ho: The most racist episode of the show. Several slurs had to be cut from the show but are on full display online. Pretty much ruins the character of Race if you don't chalk it up to the way he was written. Additionally the morals of this story are awful. The researcher spying on the native people of the "Po Ho" is captured and somehow the Po Ho are the villains because someone intruded on their land. So we as the audience watch as the technologically advanced main characters try and scare them by manipulating their religion, infiltrating their home, destroying their property, insulting them, and killing them. Enough said about this one. Riddle of the Gold: Pretty poor introductory episode for my favorite villain Dr Zin who really just has an overarching presence in the episode. The actual main villain is Kassim who essentially acts as Zin's enforcer. The whole episode centers around a false gold money making scheme. Pretty bland but some cool hi-jinx ensue and this episode showcases just how cool Hadji is. Pretty decent but slightly less so than the pilot. Worth a watch. Treasure of the Temple: An episode that simultaneously reinforces that every colored person will betray you as well as an alliance between a banished native and the quest team against a snide racist treasure hunter. The villain is annoying and this episode is pretty boring probably the worst one so far. It just fails to keep my attention as the arrogant treasure hunter isn't fun to watch and the stakes don't feel as high as any other episode. Honestly it's super forgettable and worth skipping. Calcutta Adventure: Pretty great episode that tells the origin of Hadji in a flashback. Worth a watch but has little replay value. The scheme is pretty boring but the characters especially the character of Pasha Peddler steals the show. Pretty decent episode overall and worth a watch. Robot Spy: Literally the best episode. The music heighten just how creepy and iconic this one is. So much so that it was actually featured in the Incredibles 2 Film. I cannot praise this one enough. It established Zin as a formidable threat to be taken seriously. I don't want to spoil too much but essentially Zin creates a robot to infiltrate and steal the plans to an EMP ray gun that can disable whole armies. We follow this robot as it quietly and creepily makes it way around the lab and base taking out guards and then makes a climatic getaway. Watch this even if you don't care for the rest of the show. If you can appreciate cartoon history give this a watch it's a classic. Double Danger: Introduction to one of my favorite characters Jade. Although it does portray her as a greedy extortionist who is quick to partake in actions that would have been deemed indecent she is a cunning and charismatic female character. One who is seen actually participating in the action and it treated not as a dainty damsel but a capable fighter. This episode is another Zin plot in which he hires a man called Korchek to impersonate Race and steal a drug Dr Quest is creating that deals with psychological control of the mind. We see a cool contrast between the ways in which Zin and Quest would intend to use the drug highlighting their characterizations. Unfortunately as present in all episodes Zin is pretty one dimensional like many of the villains. Watching Korchek interact with the boys is genuinely unsettling as they begin to realize something isn't quite right. All the characters shine in this one and it's definitely worth a watch. Shadow of the Condor: Essentially the quest team encounter the Red Baron who is living alone in seclusion with his dog and what is presented as a butler but is clear is basically a slave. Obsessed with reaching an 100 confirmed kill count which he failed to accomplish during WW1 we learn slowly that the friendly Baron is actually manipulating Race into getting into a plane so the Baron can shoot him down. Features some of the best animation of the show but unfortunately not one of the strongest stories. Still a decent episode but pretty skippable. Skull and Double Crossbones: Once again a person of color betrays the quest team. See a running theme. Anyway this episode is fine. Basically there's some cool sea life imagery. But the plot is pretty lackluster. Some Hispanic pirates want some sunken treasure. So they take over the Quest boat after learning Jonny saw the treasure. Hold them hostage and make Jonny recover the treasure. Are saved by their bulldog. The Pirates get blown up by the police. The end. This one is give or take. More rewatchable than most but not great overall. Dreadful Doll: This episode grew on me a lot. Mostly because one of the villains looks like my step dad which just makes me laugh. First of all the "Voodoo" in this episode is ignorant and offensive to the actual practice of that religion. Just dumb white people having no clue about the origins of Voodoo or the actual beliefs and practices. The villain Korbay is pretty laughably racist and honestly just a pathetic character. The other villain Harden is an American mercenary tasked with overseeing an illegal military construction. He's a formidable villain almost like a parallel of Race which is pretty cool. But he's super surface level and very little stands out about him. This episode is definitely worth a watch in my book. A Small Matter of Pygmies: Awful episode. Awful portrayal of Pygmies and indigenous people less technologically advanced. Boring and offensive easily the worst episode overall besides one I'll get to later. Skip. Unless you want to watch some White people literally massacre a tribe of Pygmies. The Dragons of Ashida: Jesus Christ these might be the best villains of the whole show. This episode is a masterpiece of unsettling concepts and executions. The Quests are invited to visit an island where a former friend of Quest has been continuing his research for very long time. They quickly discover something is extremely off about Dr Ashida and the island he lives on. We first see that he has not only named the island after himself but all the natives believe him to be a god of the lizards that inhabit the island. His research has been to take a near extinct creature and speed up the evolutionary process through breeding and diet. Creating giant man eating lizards. His body guard a one eyed ex sumo fighter named Sumi is a psychotic and strong man who essentially functions as the alpha lizard. Then Ashida begins a demonstration where he shows Dr Quest that the diet of these lizards is each other using cannibalism to feed the lizards in a survival of the fittest arena. The reason is to mimic the laws of nature but Dr Quest is disgusted and refuses to watch so Dr Ashida postpones the dual. But then we realize that Dr Ashida is essentially worshipped by the natives out of fear and feeds those against him to the lizards. Dr Ashida who has amassed a great ego and warped sense or reality wishes to assert his strength and challenges Race to a duel. Losing the duel Ashida who can't take the loss plans his revenge. The Quests try to make a getaway but are chased by the cackling Sumi with two Lizards on a leash. Captured Race is forced to fight Sumi for their freedom but is able to win and make a daring escape. Dr Ashida furious with his bodyguard begins to beat him with a cane. Sumi tired of his constant abuse lifts up Dr Ashida and throws him into the arena of his own Lizards. We hear him scream and cut to the Quests reflecting on their experience. What an unsettling episode. Who comes up with plots like these. Their so imaginative and keep you invested. The disturbing revelations and creepy designs as well as characterizations keep you hooked in and this is easily one of the best episodes of the entire show. This is an episode where the characters motivations are in a way beyond our comprehension because he isn't sane and that's fascinating. Watch this episode for sure. Turu the Terrible: Another crazy plot for an episode but this time it's just not as creepy or unsettling. More wacky. Essentially a disabled man living in the mountains with a Pterodactyl enslaves a group of natives to mine what he thinks is silver but Dr Quest who is after the mineral for humanitarian reasons comes across an native he knows who's sibling was kidnapped by the dinosaur. Recognizing the shape of the dinosaur but doubting it's existence Dr Quest plans to investigate the mountains but encounters the Dinosaur. The Quests must rescue the natives and obtain the mineral. My biggest complaint is just how clear it is they Dr Quest cares more about the mineral then saving the people. Certain lines of dialogue kinda hint that he was happy to save them but also imply that his primary focus was the mineral. The villain was super cool and I would've loved to have had a backstory to go with him but what we got was super creative. Worth the watch but not super rewatchable for me. The Fraudulent Volcano: Marks the last time we see Dr Zin in season one. We get a relatively cool plot with a really odd intro sequence but the villains of this episode the Simon division who give more identity to Zin's henchmen don't really have much compelling about them. They are fine. The plot is essentially another Zin money making scheme but the action and vehicles are pretty cool. This is a solid episode overall. Very rewatchable. Worth the watch. Werewolf of Timberland: Once again some mild racism, a Native American character is able to talk to animals, all the villains have thick French accents. The scheme is pretty boring and bland. So much so that it's only accidentally stumbled on by the Quest team. Best part of the episode is when the villain dresses up in his fursona and try's to scare the quests as a Werewolf only to be borderline mauled to death by an actual wolf before he can even do anything. Lamest villain ever but in a very memorable way. This episode is alright. If you like this show it's worth a watch but nothing special for causal viewers. Pirates from Below: Another episode that's just pretty bland. There's nothing special about the villains and half the main characters aren't even in the episode for most of it. I haven't watched this one much and I rarely revisit it. Skippable in my book. Attack of the Tree People: This episode combines the annoying-ness of the hunters in Treasure of the Temple with literally just the most boring plot ever. Jonny and Hadji are stranded on an island and meet some primitive humans. Very little about this episode is memorable and I remember just kinda zoning out during this one. Skip it because your not missing much. The Invisible Monster: The sound effects of this episode, the striking design, inspired plot, and fear factor all contribute into making this a top tier episode. A friend of Dr Quest has an experiment go horribly wrong and creates an evil energy monster bent on feeding. We see literally a body charred from the explosion ( albeit in a super Pg way). But the monster who is invisible creepily leaves footsteps as it wreaks havoc and almost kills Hadji and it's up to the Quests to stop it. Theres also some cool ingenuity and striking designs towards the latter half. A super cool episode with plenty to love and a favorite among many. It is no surprise why. Definitely worth a watch. The Devils Tower: This episode is a personal favorite of mine. The scene is set with a peaceful sky as the Quests let off a weather balloon. But unfortunately it gets caught atop a giant geological landmark and because of its value to science they must fly up and get it. The whole thing is that no one has every been atop it so when they go up there after Dr Quest they discover he is missing. So I'm expecting some kind of animal or the usual native and that's basically what we get some Cavemen. Who start speaking German? I'm sitting there confused. Just like the Quests who ask the same questions I'm asking. Then we discover that a terrifying bald German officer is inhabiting the tower of stone mining for diamonds with the help of the cavemen. He has been trapped for years and plans to escape on the Quests plane. However the Quests came up in two planes so why does he needs to leave them up there? We learn something absolutely bonkers that I honestly wouldn't have expected to be in this kids show. Something I won't spoil for first time watchers. This deranged Lunatic spends the rest of the episode trying to kill them as they try and escape down the basically unclimbable tower creating a super tense climax that only fails in its reused animation which takes a bit of punch out of the scene. Watch this one for sure. One of the best in my opinion. The Quetong Missle Mystery: Another of the best episodes this one follows the Quests as they investigate why the fish from a local lake have been dying. The fish which feed and finance many in the city of Quetong are discovered to be irradiated. They uncover a rogue general who is using the lake as a secret missile base. He's one dimensional but has a nice presence onscreen. Additionally the portrayal of the calculated rogue sect of soldiers in their tactics and designs are super interesting. Once again though the Quests are betrayed by a person of color close to them. But overall classic episode definitely worth a watch. The House of Seven Gargoyles: This is a fan favorite but I've never loved it. On the good aspects of it we literally see a character get sniped and fall off a ledge and die. We have two conniving villains one cowardly and pathetic the other boisterous and unhinged. Similar to the dynamic in Dreadful Doll with those villains. The plot is fine once again someone trying to steal an invention. It also features one of the worst Swedish accents I've ever heard. Overall it's a fine outing for the Quest team and you should watch it but it's not my favorite. Terror Island: A fun monster movie style episode with a one dimensional mad doctor. Wish we got more development with him because he feels like a watered down more cartoony Dr Ashida. Love to see Jade back and this time she took a more prominent role in the plot which was awesome to see. Her character is established even better here to be a person of power and capability. I also really appreciated the shows self awareness of its characters and their interactions. The plot is straight forward enough and pretty enjoyable. This isn't the highest quality episode but it's worth a watch and for me even a rewatch from time to time. Monster in the Monastery: This is once again a fan favorite episode that I've never loved. Upon rewatch I appreciated it a lot more however. The plot is straightforward, the motivations while pretty basic are believable and provide a clear threat. Having an hyper detailed animated yeti appear was also super cool. The ending is truly one of the most creative to finish on as typically the endings are a cliche laughing between the Quests making light of a mission. This time it's more unsettling and ends on a moment of general shock. It's alright overall for me. There's certainly some racist moments and a gruesome death but actually one of the comments made by Jonny is genuinely a funny dark humored race joke. It's an alright episode but it dwindles a lot at times, struggling to drive the story forward but also stall for the twenty minute run time. Definitely check it out because from what I know it can be hit or miss. I think it's decent but it's not one I'll put on too often. Sea Haunt: While a Racist Asian character holds this one back the overall horror of this episode is one of the best in the series. The tone is eerie and while the monster is designed in a way that's too cartoony for there to be much fear the atmosphere and storytelling are genuinely well done. This one is a fun episode but it doesn't feel like a good finale. I don't treat it as one. The ideas are cool and so is some of the execution but ultimately it's held back by it's inability to heighten its animation to the level it set out to. Worth a watch if you enjoy the show but not one of its best. Overall don't skip out if you made it this far but definitely don't watch this one first. Those are my overall thoughts. Poor character writing and intolerance holds this show back from being very accessible today but the creativity and imagination this show brings as well as some of the best animation put to TV for its time makes it into something worth remembering. For its flaws and it's successes it's easily one of my all time favorite shows. Someday I hope it gets a modern adaptation that does Justice to these characters. See more 11/26/2019 The 1964 version of Jonny Quest was innovative, original and every episode was created with great attention to every detail. The soundtrack, voiceover work, stories, and beautiful art were not only first-rate, but ground-breaking and impossible to imitate. After 50 years, this cartoon series still holds up as probably the greatest cartoon series ever made. Definitely worth a look. 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Jonny Quest — Season 1

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