"Unplugged"
Episode Summary
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Written by: Edgar Lyall, Therese Beaupre, and Rebecca Schechter
Directed by: Francis Damberger
Aired on Nickelodeon: March 11, 2001 at 8:00 p.m.
My Overall Opinion of the Episode:
A written blurb that scrolled during the airing of this episode on Nickelodeon declared, "BTW, this episode was such a pain to shoot that the director shaved his head in protest." However, this episode was well worth the difficulty. It was very entertaining and amusing.
The Cast:
Sean Amsing -- Jordan Clarke
Cynthia Belliveau -- Dori Lowe
Lindsay Felton -- Caitlin Seeger
Jeremy Foley -- Griffen Lowe
Alana Husband -- Nikki
Valerie Planche -- Ms. Resnik
Tania Saulnier -- Taylor Langford
Ken Tremblett -- Jim Lowe
Stephen Warner -- Brett Stevens
The Music:
"Wishing for a Sail" -- Dig Circus
"Dark is My Heart" -- Vancouver Nights
Episode Summary:
Caitlin, Griffen, Taylor, Brett, Jordan, and Nikki are scheduled to camp for four days in the wilderness without the benefits of modern technology. They are given only one cell phone to be used if there is an emergency. The intent is to experience life as settlers in 1847 would have experienced it. An expert guide named Joe Burns is supposed to meet them at the camp but he gets the dates mixed up and never shows up. Griffen mistakenly leaves the cell phone on too long and the battery dies. They have no way to contact the outside world. All of their food is eaten by wild animals. Their cow runs away. Griffen and Nikki are unable to catch any fish. They have no food and they are trapped in the wilderness. They make it through three days without food but they get weaker and dirtier. They mistakenly eat berries that could be poisonous but, to their own surprise, they don't die. Brett looses it on the third day and breaks down and cries. Jordan and Brett catch a baby deer in a trap but Caitlin convinces them not to kill it. They instead survive by cooking worms (65% protein!) and eating greens and wild carrots. Jim and Dori discover that Joe Burns never made it to the camp and they rush out there. Brett instantly gives a big hug to Dori. All are relieved that they are going to be okay. They make a pact to never tell anyone that they ate worms.
Episode Highlights:
1. Nikki and Caitlin are carrying wood for the fire when they begin to think about how their lives would have been different if it were really 1847. Nikki, an African-American, comments that she'd probably be carrying all of the wood. She says, "Jordan and I, we probably would have been slaves." She also adds that she wouldn't be dating Griffen and that she and Caitlin wouldn't have been friends. Caitlin says, "When my mother died, they probably would have stuck me in some orphanage." Caitlin adds that she probably would have been working in some factory by now or been dead from some disease. It's a sad commentary in one sense, but yet also a good commentary about how things have changed.
2. Jordan contemplates killing the trapped deer for food. Caitlin asks, "So how are you going to do it? You know, this isn't like the computer game, Jordan. You don't just press a button and wipe out the enemy!" Jordan reacts, "Lay off me, Okay?! I'm thinking!" Caitlin, having sympathy for the deer, pleads with Jordan, "Look at him!" Jordan says that he has to prove himself. Caitlin says, "Killing this deer is not going to prove your manhood."
3. Humor abounds in this episode, and Tania Saulnier (Taylor) steals the show. The laughs come early when Taylor literally trips and falls head first over Caitlin when they are getting out of the bus. Taylor later exclaims, "I hate feminism!" when she can't get Brett to carry her bag. She lets out a bloody murder scream on day two of the camping trip when she looks in a mirror and sees how bad her hair looks. All of the other characters eventually get into humorous moments as well. The characters (in a humorous and almost poetical style) inform Caitlin, "We have no food. The fire's out. The fish escaped. And the cow ran away." Caitlin responds, "What, is this a nursery rhyme?" And finally, Brett and Griffen quickly run out of their tent after Jordan lets out a gigantic fart. (All of this may not seem funny as you read this, but trust me! It's funny when you watch the episode!)
