[ We go from the general transformation-equipped helmet to a simpler gadget capable of transforming people into sharks. You can see the many uses for a way to make sharks as intelligent as any of the Neptunes, can't you? ]
Episode Number: JBJ-7
Title: "The Great Shark Switch"
Original Airdate: 23 October 1976
Production Code: 84-7
Plot: An evil shark-themed organization plots to take over the undersea world by abducting ambassadors to a conference. To beef up his Minion count Commander Shark uses a shark-transformation-booth on Shelly and Clamhead, who were trying to clear the Neptunes of complicity in the Ambassadorial abductions. The Neptunes force the unravelling of the conspiracy in short order.
Locations: Aquatania, Marine Springs,
Guest Characters: Commander Shark, Minions, Ambassador, Captain, Police Seargent, Police Robots, Clam, Drill Seargent, Lobster.
Songs: ``There's A Mountain Of Time'' (chase, fragment), ``You Gotta Believe In Love'' (performance, fragment)
Thoughts:
There's yet another group planning to take over the world, foiled by the Neptunes. Their frequent foiling of these plots implies they are impossibly lucky or there are many, easily foiled, plots to overthrow the undersea societ at every moment.
The Neptunes are working their way on the aqualiner through the restaurant. Biff lost the tickets.
The Ambassador doesn't look a thing like the Centauri ambassador on Bablyon 5.
Although the Neptunes make a fair attempt to hide the Ambassador, they are arrested for ``helping Commander Shark''.
The Neptunes are released for 24 hours on a ``we'll find the real criminals'' plan which I'm sure ever happens in real life.
The Ambassador claims the Shark will need more sharks than there are human beings to conquer the undersea kingdom, prompting Commander Shark to reveal his device able to turn human beings into sharks, thus allowing there to be sharks with the cunning of humans and ability to breathe out of the water that Jabberjaw already demonstrated.
Clamhead has an inflatable female shark with long eyelashes ready to deploy on a moment's notice. I make no value judgements.
Shelly and Clamhead, as sharks, still wear their old clothes and have hair.
Commander Shark expects the transformed Shelly and Clamhead and untransformed Jabberjaw to join his shark army and seems surprised they make a break for it at the obstacle course.
The shark Shelly and Clamhead, and Jabberjaw, are sent to Marine Springs to warn the world Council, rather than the human Ambassador, Biff, and Bubbles.
The World Council takes the intrusion of sharks babbling incoherently about an attack rather nonchalantly.
Jabberjaw claims to be an expert on evading shark-ejector robots, on what grounds I do now know.
Rather than stop Commander Shark's invasion, the Neptunes get Shelly and Clamhead back to normal first, making use of the luckily clearly labelled transformation-reversal buttons. I question the plausibility of such reverse-shark buttons.
Trivia: Edward Gibbon was Member of Parliament for Liskeard when he began writing The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Source: Redcoats and Rebels: The American Revolution Through British Eyes, Christopher Hibbert.
Currently Reading: No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front In World War II, Doris Kearns Goodwin.