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Getting Energized |
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- "There's a big world out there loaded with energy; all you have to do is find it!"
- —Mikey
Getting Energized (Energy) is the tenth episode of the second season of The Magic School Bus. It first released on all PBS stations in the USA on November 11, 1995.
Plot[]
At the Walkerville carnival, the class is running the Double-Trouble Wheel of Wonder. However, it doesn't work for some reason. Carlos realizes that he is the chairperson of the power-up committee and puts the plug of the Ferris wheel, only for it to short out. Ms. Frizzle arrives via pogo stick and gets the bad news from the class. The optimistic teacher tells them that electricity isn't the only source of energy, for that the world is replete with all sorts of energy, and tells them to "find it, harness it, and put it to work". So Carlos attempts to call Mikey, his little brother who is wheelchair bound, to come to the rescue. But the class quickly rejects this, telling Carlos that Mikey almost burnt the whole class the last time he helped out with the marshmallow smoker, which Dorothy Ann ended up having a rash. The class later use a crank for the Ferris wheel. But it only budges a little, and the citizens are getting impatient. Wanda suggests a refund, but Phoebe rejects it because the money was for the benefit of the animal shelter. So the class reluctantly tells Carlos to call Mikey and the latter uses a mallet to slam the lever of the bell game with enough force to smack the bell high in the sky and cause a boulder from the edge of the overhead cliff to fall onto one of the seats of the Ferris wheel, which begins to spin. Mikey arrives just in time and suggests falling rocks as the source of energy to spin the Ferris wheel. If the people ride in one side and the rocks land on the other, then it will cause it to turn without hurting anyone. The problem is how to get the rocks to it. So Ms. Frizzle takes the class (with the exception of Carlos, who is told to stay to make sure the Ferris wheel doesn't get taken down) on a field trip to search for rocks. The Bus flies over a bunch of rocks in the form of a helicopter.
Their parachutes expand and they land on the ground softly. While Carlos stalls the impatient crowd, the rest of the class garner as many rocks as they can, only for wind to blow their way. When Ralphie's cap gets blown away, Phoebe suggest that the wind could possibly have enough energy to move the rocks. Mikey uses a pinwheel fan, as well as two cans and Arnold's belt, to demonstrate the idea of making a conveyor belt.
Meanwhile, Carlos tries to tell jokes to the spectators, but they yell and hiss at him. Carlos calls and tells Ms. Frizzle to hurry up.
Mikey showcases his conveyor model to the kids.
With Ms. Frizzle's help, the class make the conveyor belt to move the rocks uphill. Unfortunately, the class comes across a river, meaning that the rocks sink under. Although Mikey uses a raft to ride the rapids and successfully rescues the rest of the class, the raft gets snagged on a root protruding from the river, sending the class onto a tree. Ralphie suggest that they could harness the water to move the rocks since it had the energy to move the class. Mikey shows the class what the water did to the raft, which is caught to a tree branch and getting spun like a wheel by the surface of the water; this inspires a water wheel connected to a spoon-like catapult to fling the rocks up the mountain.
Ms. Frizzle arrives just in time on the Steamboat School Bus, and the class hop aboard. They make the water wheel along with a stick to hold the wheel, a spoon-like catapult, and pipes to roll the rocks through and onto the catapult to fling them up the mountain. Unfortunately, the tension bar of the stick becomes jammed. Wanda and Ralphie attempts to loosen it. While they succeed, Ralphie is launched into the air along with the rock.
Ralphie is saved by the Helicopter School Bus, which catches him with a net and lands onto the tip top of the mountain. The class then discover that the rocks only landed on that position and they have to fall onto the Ferris wheel. So Ms. Frizzle calls Carlos, who is failing to keep the crowd entertain as they grow even more impatient; with every attempt Carlos does, they keep jeering, hissing and throwing things at him.
On the mountain, the class is getting hot from the burning sun, Dorothy Ann suggests that the class should use solar energy to move the rocks. Using a rim of Mikey's wheelchair, the class reflect the sunlight to boil the water inside a water tank. The boiling process in a confined space builds up pressure, allowing the class to create a cannon. For their actual solar power rock launcher, the class uses a cannon, a large circular glass, and a large teapot for boiling water. The class' handmade energy system works and Carlos tells Mikey that he found a new source of energy: "Mikey Power!"
The Ferris wheel works thanks to the rocks, and the class raises $700 for the animal shelter. The crowd finally calms down and cheers as they enjoy the Ferris Wheel. Ms. Frizzle and Mikey are then seen taking a ride on the Helicopter School Bus to take a view of the wind energy system, the water energy system, and the solar energy system. Ms. Frizzle thanks Mikey for his endless energy and the power of his imagination.
Trivia[]
Original slate, captured from a U.S.A. Dubs VHS dub of the original master tape.
- During the trip to the International Space Station, each of the students are given "jobs". Arnold is the safety officer, which he also is in this episode when monitoring the Wheel of Wonder.
- This is the first of three appearances by Mikey. The other two are in "Gets Programmed" and ''The Good, the Bad, and the Gnocchi".
- This is the first episode to have a full-length slate on the master tape, and the only Season 2 episode to have a slate.
- Although the original slate states that it was from October 16, 1995, this episode was actually completed around mid-1995.
- This is the first episode in TMSB’s airing order where Ralphie's voice starts to fully mature.
- The phone caller in the Is This the Magic School Bus? segment happens to be Michael Caloz, who would later be known for voicing D.W. in the first three seasons of Arthur.
- In a close-up, Ms. Frizzle is animated with shadows, a rare occurence in this series. The scene is supposed to accentuate the presence of the sun, since immediately afterwards, the class starts thinking about solar power.
Goofs/Errors[]
When the class yelled "GET MESSY!" Keesha's leggings disappeared for a second.