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Don't Drink the Water
Season 1, Episode 17
Don't Drink the Water Dr. Blight (17)
Dr. Blight using her perfume
Air date March 2, 1991
Written by Dan Di Stefano
Episode guide
Previous
Polluting by Computer
Next
Kwame's Crisis

Don't Drink The Water is the seventeenth episode in the first season of Captain Planet and the Planeteers. It was written by Dan Di Stefano.

Eco-villains[]

Plot Synopsis[]

Looten Plunder, Doctor Blight, Hoggish Greedly, and Verminous Skumm all team up to pollute a European city's water supply. They pump clean water to their own location and sell it at a ridiculous price to the people who have been left without clean drinking water.

The Planeteers hurry to stop the eco-villains, but run into a few snags along the way. First, Wheeler and Gi are taken hostage, and then Captain Planet faces his own destruction after being washed away in toxic flood-waters. It's up to the Planeteers to save him and stop the eco-villains.

Episode Summary[]

In a clean, tidy-looking European city, the Eco-Villains Looten Plunder, Doctor Blight, Hoggish Greedly, and Verminous Skumm all sit around a table in a high-rise building. Plunder thanks his "fellow polluters" for coming, before unveiling a plan that will ensure make them grow "filthy rich" - they're all polluting the Earth's water supplies, ensuring that nobody can drink from them, and then they'll sell pure, uncontaminated drinking water at a ridiculous price to needy citizens.

Greedly starts the process by blowing up a garbage barge, polluting a river. Blight then contaminates another water supply with chemicals and sewage from a treatment plant. Skumm steals barrels of toxic waste and, using his 'Skumm-o-copter', dumps them into yet another clean drinking supply - a lake.

Back in the high-rise building, Blight is applying lipstick. She kisses her reflection before stating that every drop of water within one-hundred miles of the city has been polluted. Plunder then says that as soon as people get thirsty enough, the Eco-villains can start raking in the cash.

On Hope Island, the Planeteers are working together to plant trees, but Gaia interrupts them with an eco-emergency. In the Crystal Chamber, she shows them images of the polluted water supplies. The images are appearing so rapidly, Linka thinks something is wrong with the Planet Vision. Gaia informs her that it is simply registering images of the worst water-pollution disaster in Earth's history. Having only the vague location of "Central Europe" to work with, the Planeteers hurry to discover the source of the problem, taking off in the geo-cruiser with Wheeler as the pilot.

The geo-cruiser's pollution-monitor alerts the Planeteers to high levels of pollution. Going in for a closer look, the Planeteers realize that the streets are abandoned - there aren't any people to be seen. Kwame suddenly spots them - everyone is lined up in a huge line, exchanging wads of cash for bottled water. Looten Plunder and Hoggish Greedly are seen on the Planet Vision screens working together. The Planeteers are surprised that the two eco-villains have teamed up, and the five split up - Wheeler and Gi decide to follow Plunder and Greedly, while the other three try and find out exactly what sort of contamination they're all dealing with. With that, everybody rides solar-powered motorbikes called eco-cycles.

Wheeler and Gi notice that Plunder is selling clean water. They decide to follow him and Greedly to find out where it is. Gi takes a sample from a nearby gutter, describing the contamination as being as strong as acid. She places the glass vial in her jacket pocket, and the two follow Plunder and Greedly to their base. They take the elevator, unaware that they are being watched on security cameras. A net then drops from the roof, trapping them, and when Wheeler tries to burn through it, it crackles with blue electricity. Bleak and Rigger are waiting for Wheeler and Gi as the elevator reaches its destination. The Planeteers are quickly over-powered and taken to the board room, where the eco-villains are all gathered. Wheeler is surprised and angered to find them all gathered together. He furiously tells Plunder he won't get away with it, but Plunder reveals that the eco-villains have the only clean water supply in the city, and orders Bleak and Rigger to lock the Planeteers in the holding room.

Meanwhile, the other three Planeteers are taking readings elsewhere in the city, and are discovering that all the water that has been tested is poisoned, with some puddles containing enough toxins to kill an elephant. Realizing that they are not finding answers quickly enough, Linka suggests to call Captain Planet. Ma-Ti contacts Wheeler and Gi, who help the others summon Captain Planet before trying to break out of their cell themselves. Greedly and Plunder are watching via a security camera. Greedly decides that he'll go and stop them from calling Captain Planet, but Plunder suggests letting them do so.

Captain Planet is summoned, and changes into water momentarily to pass through a street grate into the underground waterway where Ma-Ti, Linka, and Kwame are waiting.

Blight is painting her nails when an alarm goes off, indicating to her that Captain Planet is nearby. She runs to tell Plunder, who then organizes that toxic water be washed through that particular tunnel.

Captain Planet is flying through the tunnel with Linka, Ma-Ti, and Kwame on his back, but suddenly, they hear a noise. They stop, only to realize that a flood of polluted water is racing towards them. Linka is frightened, and exclaims that they're going to drown. Captain Planet quickly seals the Planeteers inside a giant pipe. However, once taking care of them, he has no time to get himself to safety, and is swept away by the toxic water. The pipe is also swept away, and the three Planeteers are rolling and tumbling around inside.

Greedly and Plunder briefly celebrate the fact that Captain Planet is "belly-up in the harbor" after the toxic waste has washed him away.

The sealed pipe drops into the harbor and is washed ashore. It seems that they have been shut inside for a while - Linka looks bored and angry. Ma-Ti then pushes the seal open, and the three find that they have washed onto a beach littered with clumps of toxic waste. Then Linka spots Captain Planet, who is washed up on the beach and unconscious from being weakened in the polluted water. They hurry to drag him up on the sand, but he is unresponsive. the globe on his chest was completely depleted. They try to remove the pollutants by frantically rubbing his body, but realize that they need clean water to pour the garbage off. Kwame and Ma-Ti go in search of a fresh water supply while Linka stays with Captain Planet. She holds his hand, begging him not to die.

The boys are beginning to worry that they won't find any clean water, but Kwame spots an old tanker ship. They both run towards it, hopeful that there is a water tank inside, and start to open some barrels with a crowbar for water, but they're all empty. Frustrated, Ma-Ti begins to kick them over. Kwame, however, has heard a drop, and they both stop to listen before they track the sound to an old over-head water pipe. They test the water with the water-tester Linka gave them, and are ecstatic to discover that it is clean enough. Kwame then uses the crowbar on the pipe's wheel to turn it, so that it starts to pour water, and they both take a bucket of clean water to Captain Planet. Ma-Ti washes him off and they all stand back, waiting with bated breath to see if the sun will recharge him, which it does, much to the Planeteers' relief. He quickly flies off in order to stop the eco-villains.

Meanwhile, Wheeler and Gi are still sitting in the holding room in Plunder's penthouse. Gi realizes that the others must have run into trouble, as they are taking so long to come and rescue them. Wheeler suggests to try and escape themselves, but Gi frets that they can't do so without their powers. However, she remembers the toxic sample in the vial in her pocket, then takes the vial and uses the toxic liquid to melt the lock on the door. After that, Wheeler throws his weight against the door, forcing it open. They then hurry to stop the eco-villains, returning to their eco-cycles. However, an alarm begins to sound, and they hurry into the elevator, knowing that the eco-villains have been alerted to their escape. The two then hurry to ride their eco-cycles out of the garage of the building, but Bleak and Rigger discover them. Rigger throws the switch to the door, which begins to lower, but Wheeler tells Gi to keep going, no matter what happens, before he speeds up, riding directly at Bleak and Rigger. They scatter, and Wheeler manages to throw the switch to the door. It allows enough time for Gi to escape, but Wheeler is caught and subdued by Bleak. Plunder then comes, demands to know where Gi is, and isn't pleased to learn that she got away. Blight and Skumm both start to add that Plunder's plan is terrible, and falling apart, but he tells them not to be foolish - Captain Planet and his "three other do-gooders" are believed to have been killed. Wheeler then cries out a denial and starts to fight Bleak and Rigger, reasoning that he will defeat Plunder. He is restrained, however, and Plunder orders him to be thrown into the back of the truck.

The other four Planeteers are all in the geo-cruiser, and are communicating with Captain Planet via Planet Vision. He is just above the water treatment plant, and tells Gi not to worry about the reason that Plunder has captured Wheeler - he tells the Planeteers to meet him at the treatment plant as soon as they can, and then confronts the eco-villains, telling them that he's going to stop their plan. However, Wheeler is still their prisoner, and the eco-villains threaten to hurt him if Captain Planet doesn't go away. He then sees the geo-cruiser nearby, and plays along, saying that he can't do anything. Bleak immediately starts to celebrate, jumping up and down shouting that the eco-villains have won. His actions cause him to accidentally knock Wheeler over the edge of the treatment plant, who falls towards the toxic water with a loud cry. However, Kwame is hanging from the geo-cruiser by a rope, and swoops in, catching Wheeler behind the knees. With him safe, Captain Planet immediately sets to stopping the eco-villains. He uses his powers to turn a truck into a water-sanitizing machine which sucks up all the toxic waste and cleans the water, allowing it to be drinkable again. He then changes the other trucks into pollution vacuums, ordering the eco-villains to clear up their own mess.

Kwame says that the villains' polluting company has just been shut down for good, and Captain Planet adds that the good guys need to work together as he returns to the Planeteers' rings.

Planeteer Alerts[]

Alert

Captain Planet: Every year, tons of toxic waste are dumped into rivers, lakes and streams.
Gi: Much of it comes from people's homes.
Wheeler: So to clean up Earth's water, clean up your act!
Ma-Ti: Do not dump chlorine, bleach, solvents, or other toxic materials down your drain.
Linka: And keep things like motor oil and batteries out of your trash!
Kwame: To find an appropriate site to dump these toxic materials, contact your local sanitation department.
Captain Planet: The power is yours!

Significant Moments and Facts[]

  • Blight appears throughout this entire episode, but MAL is never seen or heard. Blight does mention him briefly, however.
  • Plunder uses a world map to demonstrate his plan, indicating that they are located in Europe.
  • Skumm has a black rat sitting on his shoulder.
  • Greedly eats an entire pizza in one bite.
  • The geo-cruiser is fitted with something called a "pollution monitor", which can read pollution levels in the area.
  • The Planeteers ride eco-cycles in this episode - solar-powered motorbikes.
  • Kwame, Ma-Ti, and Linka all disappear without putting on their helmets. In fact, Wheeler and Gi do not have helmets until they try to make their escape from the eco-villains later in the episode.
  • Gi describes the waste levels in the water as being "as strong as acid", yet she handles the sample with no gloves or protective gear. Additionally, acidic strength can vary from very weak to very strong depending on pH of the acidic substance in question, so the statement "as strong as acid" means very little on it's own.
  • Plunder's penthouse has a jail cell in it, which is really kinda of awesome.
  • Captain Planet adds a "Yeah!" to his catchphrase, "By your powers combined, I am Captain Planet!"
  • Despite what happened to them the first time, Wheeler and Gi take the elevator again after they escape from the holding room.
  • Despite earlier bragging of Captain Planet being eliminated, Plunder doesn't seem shocked or surprised when Cap shows up to stop him.
  • Captain Planet doesn't allow the eco-villains to escape at the end of this episode - instead, they are forced to clean up their own mess.
  • The other eco-villains all blame Plunder for things going pear-shaped. Blight even swears to never listen to him again.
  • The episode name is taken from the saying "Don't drink the Kool-Aid" (do not partake in something that's clearly a bad idea.) The quote is based on the infamous Jonestown Massacre of 1978 where 900 people died from drinking a flavored drink mix containing cyanide.

Quotes[]

  • Plunder: My fellow polluters, I thank you for coming.
    Skumm: If we all stick together, we can stick it to planet Earth like it's never been stuck before!
    Greedly: Just tell us the good part Plunder! How we're gonna get rich...
    Plunder: The word is filthy rich, Mr. Greedly.
  • Blight: Hey Plunder, what are you trying to pull?
    Plunder: The plug, Dr. Blight! Of the world's water supply.
  • Greedly: Since these people are already polluting their water supplies...
    Plunder: We're just speeding up the process a bit... All in favor, say 'pollute'!
    Greedily: Now this water isn't fit for pigs to slop in.
  • Blight: What better place than a sewer plant to help a water supply commit sewer-cide? When Doctor Blight ruins a reservoir, it stays ruined.
    Skumm: One more mountain lake wasted.
    Blight: We've polluted every drop of water within a hundred miles of this city.
  • The Planeteers are planting trees.
    Wheeler: Here you go, tree baby!
    Linka: Ohoho, so now you flirt with trees, eh Wheeler?
  • Gaia: The last signal came from central Europe.
    Linka: That is not much to go on!
    Gaia: I know, but it'll have to do. You must find out what's behind this terrible problem, and quickly.
  • Linka: Do you notice anything funny about this city?
    Wheeler: Yeah - no people!
  • Kwame: Keep in touch through Ma-Ti!
    Ma-Ti: Yes, if you need us, drop me a thought!
  • Wheeler and Gi are watching Plunder and Greedly sell bottled water:
    Wheeler: I bet they polluted the city's water so they could sell their water! Cute.
    Gi: That means Plunder's got clean water! We need to find it!
    Wheeler: Yeah, when he finishes here, let's follow him.
    He turns around only to find Gi has disappeared. She is behind him.
    Wheeler: What are you doing?
    Gi: Taking a sample of this toxic waste. It's as strong as acid. This must be where they dumped it in.
    Wheeler: No time for that - Plunder and Greedly are leaving! Let's tail 'em.
  • Bleak and Rigger are in the process of taking Wheeler and Gi prisoner:
    Rigger: That's a fire-proof net! My boss thinks of everything, yep, yep!
    Bleak: Your boss? It was my boss' idea!
    Wheeler: Hey! Watch the threads!
  • Wheeler: All the eco-rats in one nest!
    Plunder: We prefer to refer to ourselves as a Water Pollution Syndicate.
    Blight: Soon the whole world will be thirsty and filthy and sick!
    Greedly: I'll drink to that!
  • Linka: The level of toxics in this puddle would kill an elephant!
  • Wheeler: Wouldn't you know? Plunder's penthouse comes complete with a prison.
  • Blight: My computer, MAL, traced down Captain Planet. He's in the city's water system with the rest of the Planeteers.
    Plunder: Well, let's not keep them waiting!
  • Greedly: The water system is flooded with pollution, just like you ordered!
    Plunder: What about Captain Planet?
    Greedly: He's belly-up in the harbor with the other sick fish!
    Plunder: Wonderful. With him out of the way, the world is our toxic oyster.
  • Linka: Oh, no! Captain Planet - he's hurt!
    Kwame: Pull him up on the sand!
    Ma-Ti: All that pollution in the water weakened him.
    Linka: Get this garbage off him!
    Kwame: That is not going to help. We need clean water.
    Ma-Ti: If we do not help him, soon he will -
    Linka: Do not even think it! We must find pure water. Here, you take the water tester. I will stay with Captain Planet!
    Kwame: Come, Ma-Ti. Let us search.
    Linka: Hang on, Captain Planet. Please hold on...
  • Captain Planet: Thanks, Planeteers!
    Linka: We are just happy you are okay!
    Captain Planet: But there's somebody who won't be happy. Excuse me, but I have some unfinished business to clean up...
  • Gi: Boy, those guys must have run into trouble...
    Wheeler: Then we'll just break ourselves out!
    Gi: Without our powers? Impossible! Then again... Maybe not. Maybe for once a little toxic waste might come in handy!
    Wheeler: Huh?
    Gi uses the toxic waste from the vial in her pocket to destroy the lock on the door.
    Wheeler: Is that the sample you took near that polluted stream?
    Gi: Yes! No wonder people aren't drinking the water...
    Wheeler: Allow me...
    He throws his shoulder against the door and it gives.
    Gi: You did it!
    Wheeler polishes his nails on his shirt.
    Wheeler: Are we Planeteers or what? Let's get to our eco-cycles and blow this pop-stand! We've got polluters to punish!
  • Gi: We'll never make it!
    Wheeler: You keep going, no matter what!
  • Gi has managed to escape, thanks to Wheeler.
    Plunder: Where's the other planet pest?
    Bleak: She got away.
    Rigger: It wasn't our fault, Mr. Plunder, nope, nope!
    Plunder: Got away? You fools! I told you to watch them!
    Wheeler: They did. They watched her escape.
    Blight: Plunder, this is not going well.
    Skumm: Yeah, your great idea is starting to come apart!
    Plunder: Don't be a fool. Captain Planet and his three other do-gooders have already been eliminated.
    Wheeler: No! I'll get you for this Plunder!
    Plunder: The only thing you're going to get is trouble. Throw him in the truck!
    Skumm: What about the girl?
    Plunder: Hahaha! Hey, I'm the guy who knocked Captain Planet out of his orbit! You think one girl is going to stop me?
  • Gi: Captain Planet, where are you?
    Captain Planet: I'm just above the water treatment plant, Gi.
    Gi: Looten Plunder has captured Wheeler!
    Captain Planet: Don't worry, Planeteers! Just get here as soon as you can. We're gonna put those villains out to dry!
  • Captain Planet: Your plot is all washed up, Plunder!
    Plunder: Cool your jets, Captain Planet - if you value the safety of your little errand boy...
    Bleak wrestles a bound Wheeler into place near the edge of the treatment plant.
    Captain Planet: I wouldn't hurt him if I were you!
    Skumm: He's in good hands, Captain Planet - so long as you go away and let us pollute in peace!
    Blight: Yeah - while we've got him, you've got trouble.
    Captain Planet spots the geo-cruiser behind the eco-villains and Wheeler.
    Captain Planet: Sorry, Wheeler. There's nothing I can do.
    Bleak: We won! We won!
  • Kwame has just swung on a rope attached to the geo-cruiser, saving Wheeler before he hits the toxic water. Ma-Ti watches from above:
    Ma-Ti: Hi, Wheeler!
    Kwame: Just thought we would drop by.
  • Captain Planet: I turned your pollution pump into pollution vacuums! Clean up your act!
  • Skumm: The pollution scheme of the century. Bah, skummbug!
    Greedly: You were gonna make us rich!
    Blight: I'll never listen to you again, Plunder! Never!

Gallery[]

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