The All-New Super Friends Round Up S2 Ep4B – “Drag Race”

Season 2, Episode 4, Storyline B – “Drag Race”

Original Airdate: October 3, 1977

Safety Segment

Batman and Robin are in their batjet and they notice a skateboarder rolling down a steep hill. They must have been flying pretty low to the ground. – isn’t that unsafe?

This young man has lost control and ended up in the middle of the street. Oh no! Who’s going to save him? Batman tells Robin to quickly get the “batrope,” and then, they drive up IN THE BATMOBILE and save him.

Short Synopsis: “As another day of study ends at Central High School.” – Narrator

As another day of study ends at Central High School, what, Narrator? He must have drifted off to sleep, that sweet, drunk old man.

We are introduced to Gary and his friends. Gary has a fast car that “will beat any car around.” Lo and behold, just when Gary is bragging about his wheels, another car that makes those sounds that fast cars make that also sound like they’re about to break down, rolls up.

“Think you can take me?” Gary says in that tone, you all know what I’m talking about. If you’ve seen Grease, you know what I mean.

“We’ll see at this Saturday’s Drag Meet,” says the unnamed guy. I didn’t know there were drag “meets,” like track and field or swimming. I don’t know anything about cars or racing, so it could either be my ignorance or Super Friends just making things up. Each are equally possible.

Gary, You Rebel!
Gary doesn’t want to wait until Saturday’s Drag Meet, he wants to have his own “unofficial drag meet right here.”

Say what? I would never drag race unless the results would be officially recognized by the NDMA – National Drag Meet Association (I made that up). I wouldn’t want to miss out in the annual “Drag Racers We Lost This Year” montage if I were to die in the unofficial race. The NDMA is very serious about that kind of stuff.

Then, the naysayer friend with an ascot butts in and informs them that “drag racing is against the law, AND you could get killed.” Ascot Doug, who does not look like a teenager:

It’s hard to take people seriously when they wear an ascot. The only exception is Michael Corleone – if he tells you not to drag race, don’t do it.

Gary doesn’t listen to Ascot Doug, and they decide to race anyway

WTF Screenshot
Did Gary just get rescued from a deserted island? The ragged cut-offs and missing shoes seem to suggest that. What an amazing attention to detail the writers and animators give to the back story of these characters.

Ascot Doug is a Snitch

How loud is a yelling bucket of water?
Zan and Jayna arrive after the race has already started, of course. They fly over the noisily racing cars and yell at them to stop. You know what may have worked? The sight of an eagle carrying a monkey with a yelling bucket of water, but they were above the cars and couldn’t be seen.

Gary’s car ends up in that classic bind – teetering over the edge of a canyon.

Zan and Jayna turn into an elephant and an “ice bridge.” Instead of just making the ice bridge right below the car, Zan lines himself up to the right of it. The passengers get out safely, but the car plummets into the “excavation site.” I’m sure this was solely done so that a lesson could be taught.

“Somehow winning the race wasn’t worth it, especially after losing my car.” – A humbled Gary, who still felt he needed to point out that he won the race.

De-Coder, Part One
Oh, boy, it’s Aquaman. He seems to be trespassing in a local swimming pool, here to give us the first part of the secret word.

“I’m just checking the swimming lines for the Super Friends Swim Event.”

Is this what they’ve come to? Creating swimming events for Aquaman to win just so he feels good about himself?

He says the first clue is one of the last two words in this sign. For those of us who can’t read, he even announces that it’s either “meet” or “today.” That’s not a clue, dude, that’s giving us a 50% chance at guessing. Aquaman can’t do anything right.

If you would like to see these shenanigans for yourself, Season 2 is available on DVD.