Oops! I skipped one. Last week’s was episode 5, so this week will be episode 4. God, I hope I can follow what’s going on.
Season 1 Episode 4: The Weather Maker
Airdate was September 29, 1973.
The Super Friends consist of Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Batman, and Robin. Wendy, Marvin, and Wonder Dog are the “Junior Super Friends.” They haven’t made partner yet. They also have no super powers other than Wonder Dog’s ability to almost speak.
Short Synopsis: Icebergs are drifting into the Atlantic Ocean and Wendy and Marvin’s pool froze over. Both equally important clues suggest someone is tampering with the weather. Seaweed becomes overgrown in the ocean, “creating a tangle,” etc. A Dr. Thinkquick is to blame. He’s from a country called Glacia, located in the North Pole. It’s so cold (how cold is it?) that he’s shifting the Gulf Stream so that it will be warm there and they can grow crops and livestock. Weirdo.
Important Super Friends Acronym: WWH – World Weather Headquarters. They also go to “The United States Government Building.”
This Episode Was Made Before the Internet
Batman, Marvin, Wendy, and Wonder Dog spend an eternity in The United States Government Building, which seems to be the only place anyone can get a map. When the “last” map of the Gulf Stream is stolen by a minion, there’s a big chase, because, boys and girls, in the early 70’s, if you couldn’t get your hands on a map in the USGB, you were shit out of luck.
WTF Screenshots
This is a train hitch Superman and Wonder Woman made out of two icebergs to help a trapped battleship.
Aquaman enjoys a buttermilk biscuit (made by Wendy) in the middle of the crisis.
And this, ladies and gentlemen, is how you keep a secret:
My Parents are Swimmeth Paltrow and Fish Martin.
Aquaman “talks” to a whale named Globey, or Globie, or Glow Bee – I don’t know how’s it’s spelled. How in the hell did this whale get named that? Is he the son of celebrity whales? These are the kind of hanging plot threads that drive me nuts.
Keep Telling Yourself That, Wendy.
“If they left us, then it must be perfectly safe.”
For the second episode in a row, Wendy, Marvin, and Wonder Dog end up stuck on a boat with the villain.
Batman and the USGB, Like a Moth to a Flame
Batman and Robin end up at the United States Government Building again. They need to get from the 10th floor to the 60th, and, I swear to God, they decide to take the stairs because it would be good exercise (and because the elevator would be too “noisy”).
“Just enough to tone our muscles,” says Batman. Shut up, Batman.
If you would like to witness these shenanigans in all their glory, the first season of Super Friends is available on DVD. This is an affiliate link.