TV: Jonny Quest, Disc 4

Episode 22: The Quetong Missile Mystery

The police in Quetong have summoned Dr. Quest to investigate mysterious goings-on in the nearby wetlands, where ninjas have been assailing the unwary to cover for, yes, missile launches by a rogue element in the pseudo-Chinese government.  Following the usual JQ outline, the boys are abducted.  Race and Benton (with the latter doing most of the shooting!) easily infiltrate and destroy the operation.

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Pros: Go-to asian voice Keye Luke as honorable police commissioner. And others.
Cons: Lurches from scene to scene with poor connective tissue.

Grade: B-

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Episode 23: The House of Seven Gargoyles

While Jonny Quest features many "Scooby Doo" plots, there's none fitting the mold as pefectly as this: a haunted castle,  presently occupied by one of Benton's scientist chums is menaced by a thief dressed as one of the castle's seven gargoyles.

Pros: Cavorite!

Cons: Jonny, never known to lie and who has seen an awful lot of stuff by this point is not believed when he reports seeing moving gargoyles, submarines, etc.

 Grade: C

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Episode 24: Terror Island

Giant crabs, lizards, and spiders are loose in Hong Kong, and just in time for the new year!  In a sign of poor JQ writing,  there's ample time for the Quest team to enjoy the celebrations (their actual purpose for the trip isn't stated) until Benton is abducted by the creator, a kaiju otaku.  This time around, the yellow peril wishes collaboration with his idol, but will settle for murder.

But this is Hong Kong, where not much happens without Jade knowing.  One of the series' best dialogue scenes follow as she and Race negotiate her finder's fee.


Pros: A few minutes with Jade makes any episode better.

Cons: Even this retread of the Dragons of Ashida.

Grade: B

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Episode 25: Monster in the Monastery

The Yeti! The Yeti! The Yeti have returned to the Old Palace.  That is not good: the Yeti could cut the remote village off from the outside world, leading to slow death.  Luckily, the village happens to boast an old friend of Benton's, and the elder Quest has decided to drop in while the passing through Nepal.

Race and Benton jump on the problem, but make little headway until Jonny and Hadji stumble upon a group meeting of the (obviously) fake Yetis who are Using Local Superstitions To Scare People Away.  What's worse than an infestation of Yetis? Yetis with guns! For all that, the Yetis are unable to corral the two boys and a dog.  Then the REAL Yetis arrive to resolve the infringement on their likeness rights.

Pros: Found a new, inventive means of Yellow Peril.
Cons: Scooby Doo, resolved off-camera by the Real Yeti.

Grade: C

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Episode 26: The Sea Haunt

With the word 'haunt' in the title, you would assume this will be yet another Scooby Doo plot.   It's not: A fish-man creature has trashed a Dutch transport (said to be carrying a load of gold, but turns out to be full of herring).  The team lands their new VTOL jet on the now-abandoned ship.  The captain's abruptly-terminated log paints a disturbing picture of an impervious, super-strong creature.  While Benton reads, the creature trashes their plane.

Resolved to spending at least the night on the haunted ship, the team turns up the ship's cook (Keye Luke again), and enough makeshift weapons to eventually force the creature off the ship.

Pros: A "real" creature! Also, Race makes an disparaging comment about imperialism in the 1960s.

Cons: Bandit has lost his comic relief cachet; instead Chinaman stereotype Charlie the Cook gets more screen time than the creature and Bandit combined.

Grade: B

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