Jonny Quest 01x04 Pursuit of the Po-Ho

Jonny Quest is one of my favorite cartoons but I've never seen all the episodes. Here I'll just be looking at the original series. I'm going to be sharing thoughts as I go.  

We start off in the rainforest with a man being held captive by tribal warriors in a canoe. That can't be good. Then we transition to Race Bannon and Hadji doing some parasailing while Jonny studies- apparently his grades need improvement before he gets to have fun. And good ole Bandit decides to mess with a crab and regrets it. Ah, Palm Key. Can I go there? Anyway Dr. Quest gets a distress call from a Dreena Hartman and she reports that Emil has been captured by the Po-Hos. Ah, that must be the captured guy in the canoe. 

Dr. Quest reassures Dreena that the Po-Hos usually hold their captives for their fire or water god ceremonies, so there's every chance he'll be alive long enough for Quest to get there. Gee, that's reassuring! Off they go and soon Jonny and crew are in Po-Ho land. Turns out Emil and Dr. Quest are old friends. Dr. Quest decides to use an amplifier to announce to the Po-Hos that he is an "air god", and that he is displeased that they took a captive. He speaks their language, after all, one of the few outsiders (naturally) that does so. They then land and Dreena fills them in on what Emil was up to. 

There's some nice atmosphere here. As they talk with Dreena they hear mysterious drums in the jungle, and she relates that the drums had announced Emil's capture. Dr. Quest asks her what the drums are saying now, and she says that they know you are here. Spooky! Bandit, meanwhile, as usual gets into trouble with an armadillo. He's not the smartest. Dr. Quest meanwhile puts his plan into motion. The drums are saying now that Emil is to be sacrificed to a fire god, so Quest is gonna portray an air god again. That doesn't go well, though, and he is captured. *Sigh* What did they expect? 

So now Race Bannon has to rescue him and Emil, and of course Jonny doesn't stay behind like he's told. Dr. Quest and Emil are being subjected to a test of nerves, where the Po-Hos throw poisoned spears at them as they're tied up. Nice. Race uses some purple berries to make himself, well, purple in order to impersonate the Po-Hos water god. I hope this works better. Oh, and they keep calling the Po-Hos savages. Which, I get- I mean, this was the '60's, and so in this sense it's not politically correct, I suppose, by today's standards. The portrayal of the Po-Hos is pretty much a caricature, too. Anyway, Race appears as the water god and the superstitious natives are suitably cowed. Not enough, though, I guess, as their leader continues with the ceremony. 

Race sabotages the Po-Ho canoes while Emil informs us that when the full moon rises hot coals will be dropped into the pit. He and Dr. Quest are now in the sacrificial pit of their fire god. Race puts his plan into action, but I'm wondering- why is the village asleep before they've conducted their sacrifice? No guards? Oh well, Race lowers a rope and soon has Dr. Quest and Emil out of the pit. Well, Emil anyway. A native wakes up and Race has to run for it, and once he gets back to the boat they gun it and pull Dr. Quest out with their outboard motor. Yes, Dr. Quest is pulled by rope through the village and halfway down the river. That looks painful. Good thing Race sabotaged the canoes, though, or they'd be toast. 

So... they are free. Poor Race though. Turns out that the berry juice doesn't wash out, it has to wear off. And it takes three weeks to do that. Jonny has a laugh at Race's expense when Race gets annoyed and Jonny and Hadji pretend to worship him as a water god. Cute. 

I give this one 2/5.