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Vacant Lot is the eighth episode of The Wild Thornberrys's first season which was first broadcast on September 22, 1998.

Summary[]

As animals flee their homes and run for their lives, Eliza discovers that Kip and Biederman are destroying part of the rainforest.

In an all-out war against the evil duo, Eliza must convince the animals that with everybody's help, they can stop the destruction and save the forest.

Synopsis[]

In the mighty Amazon Rainforest, Eliza is getting some great pictures of the local wildlife, including a majestic egret bird. Suddenly she and Darwin are beset by three cougars. Fortunately, they are not interested in the duo and race right on by. Eliza notes this oddity, and that they seemed scared, while Darwin sarcastically remarks next time he'll make himself more noticeable to the predators by wearing ketchup.

At the ComVee, Marianne is editing their latest episode while Nigel takes care of the housework. With the AC out, Debbie is trying to stay cool with a paper fan and ice water. Donnie of course ruins this by dumping the bowl of water on her head. Frustrated, Debbie checks out the local radio guide. As it turns out, international radio channel Rock Talk's Billy Hutton is hosting an interview at 4 PM with New Generation's rockstar Dess Brodean, one of Debbie's favorite musicians. Suffice to say, Debbie is very excited.

In the forest, Eliza and Darwin observe hundreds of animals of all types fleeing from one direction. A nervous ant-eater tells her that a giant "thing" is destroying the forest. Eliza and Darwin head in the direction the animals fled from and all sounds of the forest have gone quiet. Continuing on, she sees a truly disheartening sight. She quickly gets her parents and shows them the sad picture. A large patch of the Rainforest is just GONE, as if a giant monster had come through and eaten a path through the thick trees miles long, leaving only a strip of scorched earth in its wake. Nigel is enraged, given this segment of the Amazon is a nationally protected forest. They race back to the ComVee to put a plan into motion.

At the ComVee, Debbie is prepping for the radio show with a sandwich and soda. However the radio is commandeered by Nigel as he tries to raise the Brazilian park service. Unfortunately the radio gets no signal, having its wire chewed by an Amazonian climbing mouse that had gotten into the ComVee. Debbie is enraged that her radio show is now in jeopardy, and Eliza is terrified that the Rainforest is too. Nigel plans for him and Marianne to hike to the nearest ranger station outside Rio Branco. While Marianne instructs the Girls to stay put, Debbie is optimistic she can repair the radio before showtime.

Eliza is sitting despondent outside when she spots a distant unsettling sight. On a hill across the valley, a line of trees are steadily disappearing. The "Monster" eating the forest has been marked. Darwin asks what it could possibly be, to which Eliza attests they will soon find out, much to Darwin's chagrin. Inside the ComVee, Debbie is busy trying to fix the radio using tape. Donnie being Donnie, reaches for the severed cord in interest. Debbie's not having it today, and tells Donnie with the upmost clarity that should he prevent her from hearing Dess on the radio, he will not be leaving the Amazon alive! She then tosses him out of the ComVee. Though he's despondent for a moment, he soon happily joins Eliza on her adventure to find the Monster.

In the rainforest, Eliza becomes convinced the Monster is a machine. She instructs another group of panicking animals to head for the stream where they'll be safe. The heed her warning. Meanwhile Nigel and Marianne cross a ravine by rope. Marianne is afraid of heights, and this is not helped when a sandwich falls from her bag into the river below, only to be instantly consumed by pirañas. Marianne hurriedly pushes Nigel (who seems oblivious to the danger) across the rope to the other side of the chasm.

At camp, Debbie has successfully repaired the radio and tunes into Rock Talk just in time. Billy introduces Dess, referencing his article on giving a voice to disaffected teens, but right before Dess can speak, ZAPP! Debbie is horrified as the radio shorts out. She sees a fuse has burned out and screams in such rage that all birds within a mile of the camp fly away.

TO BE CONTINUED

Animals[]

  • Four-eyed Fish (Anableps)

Trivia[]

Goof: It is unknown how Darwin's shirt gets fixed or replaced sometime after this episode.

Marmosets from Bad Company (note: they might appear after this episode due to the production order) appear among the other animals in the forest albeit different ones.

Gallery[]

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