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Episode Studies by Clayton Barr enik1138-at-popapostle-dot-com |
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A self-proclaimed god demands
tribute from the Sleestak or he will flood the tunnels of the Didja Notice? Cha-ka says he doesn't like "kuba juice." I guess kuba is the fruit he and the Marshalls are squeezing for Holly's juice while she's sick. Earlier we see Cha-ka, in the background, eating an orange fruit; I assume this is the kuba fruit. Will tries to cheer up Holly by telling her to imagine she's at Jake's Pub slurping down one of his famous rainbow slurpees. "Slurpee" is actually a trademarked name for an icy fruit-flavored beverage sold by 7-11 convenience stores. The scene of Jack and Will searching for the old survival kit is the first time we see where the Marshall's raft landed outside the opening credits of the first and second seasons. There is some nice animation of Lulu (including blinking eyes) at 6:05 on the DVD as the two heads fight over the bamboo stick the creature grabbed from Will's hands. After breaking the stick in two, each head swallows its half! I guess Lulu's not solely carnivorous. From the pond Jack retrieves: a small plastic-covered package; a large, black water-proof pack; and a small hatchet. Jack also comments that there is still some more gear down in the water that they will have to come back for later. Yet, earlier, Will says he and his father had dived for the lost equipment a couple of times and couldn't find it; how could they have missed so much? Jack and Enik act as if they have met before. There must have been an encounter between them in-between "After-Shock" and this episode. Maybe Will and Holly introduced Jack around! At 6:28 on the DVD, we see the moon Speedy on it's normal course. But at 8:47, Speedy has frozen its orbit in between the two larger moons. Enik comments that the Sleestak must pay tribute to Malak during the season when the moons are in line. This may explain why we see the moons in slow orbits in the first season and early episodes of the second season and then in a "speedy" orbit later. But what would cause such drastic fluctuations in the lunar orbits? Is it a natural or artificial condition? If artificial, to what purpose? (Presumably, Malak has chosen this time for tribute because the slower cycle of the moons changes the tidal forces of the Land and causes the underground river to rise, allowing him to control the flow of it into the Lost City caverns with his block and lever.) Malak has a pretty damn strong set of lungs. At 10:44 on the DVD, he blows out two fully lit torches! Malak apparently understands that the Land of the Lost is a nexus for many different times, asking Jack, "Of what age and time are you?" Despite Enik's turn this season towards logic and selfishness, he does seem to show some emotion toward the ill Holly as he watches over her while Jack, Will, and Cha-ka are gone. He is seen patting her head gently and caressing her hand. Jack seemingly leads Malak to his death by trapping him in his hovel with the revolting Sleestak. However, Malak did still have weapons such as a sword...and he is seen in the later episode "Flying Dutchman". Still, on the following morning some Sleestak are shown returning their supplies to the storage cavern in the Lost City and one of the Sleestak even seems to raise his arms in victory just before the scene cuts, perhaps suggesting not only success at retrieving their supplies but also victory over Malak. Unanswered Questions How is it that Malak, a Cro-Magnon, apparently speaks English? Did he learn it from someone in the Land? Even if he did, why would he choose to use it rather than his own language? How did Malak learn the term "Sleestak"? Did he meet Peter Konik or Harry Potts who first started calling the lizard beings by that name (see "Follow That Dinosaur")? Memorable Dialog
flesh and cravings.wav
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