The Middle of Nowhere is the twentieth episode of the second season, and the 46th episode overall, of the Jem animated series.
Synopsis[]
Jem and The Holograms visit Ba Nee's pen pal, Uto, in Alaska. It's up to them to stop The Misfits and Eric Raymond from ruining the trip, selling the island and destroying a natural seal habitat.
Plot[]
Harvey Gabor is sat in his office, surrounded by faculty members and dealing with incoming calls in accordance with his request to "get China on the phone". It is at that point Pizzazz demands her father's attention by mentioning she would like to talk business. This is an unusual occurrence for Mr. Gabor, and he is delighted his daughter appears to be coming to him with something interesting for once, so he puts his work aside for a few minutes. Once he is focused on her, she brings in Eric Raymond and Harvey is angry to see him again after all the money he cost during his time as a director at the movie studio. Eric proposes a plan to buy land next to an Alaskan oil pipeline, in order to build a refinery and make vinyl records at a cheap price, and he wants Mr. Gabor invest with the potential to earn a fortune. Harvey is unsure due to his past experiences with Eric and makes a deal to meet them both in Alaska to ensure everything is legitimate. He asks Pizzazz to make him proud.
Ba Nee is at the Starlight Mansion showing Shana a picture of her pen pal Uto Kenyak and her pet seal Naku. Uto had written to inform Ba Nee that people were attempting to purchase Attuk Island where she lived, only to build a factory on it. Unfortunately, this is the location of a large seal habitat, and if destroyed the seals including Naku could die. Jerrica overhears and mentions that one of their tour stops is Alaska, so Ba Nee could go along and visit her pen pal.
In Alaska, The Misfits and Eric are taken to their location via sleds pulled by huskies. Pizzazz complains about this method of transportation and Eric frustratedly tells her no planes would fly here. Coincidentally, a plane flies overhead at the same time, and Pizzazz scoffs at him for being cheap. Inside the plane, Jem and The Holograms, Ba Nee and Uto ask their pilot Mr. Sanders to show the girls some of the sights. Jem and The Holograms perform a song about the Alaskan scenery, "In The Land Of The Midnight Sun" as they fly through mountains and over the sea. They land in a beautiful quaint village with cozy lodges, and Uto's parents Mr. Kenyak and Mrs. Kenyak are waiting for them, along with her brother George Kenyak. Eric arrives not long after, introducing himself to the Kenyak family before realizing Jem and The Holograms are stood behind him. He questions their intentions on the island but George tells him not to worry and that his father might finally agree to sell the island. Uto worries about the seals, but George simply tells her that they don't matter; the only thing that does is if the land is sold, and he can finally escape from "the middle of nowhere". Mr. Kenyak then tells Eric he will discuss business tomorrow, and leaves with his family and guests.
Later on, Jem and The Holograms finish up a meal provided by the Kenyak family, showering them with compliments, but Uto is still distraught by the looming prospect of the island being sold. Raya suggests to go and see Naku, to cheer her up, but Uto politely says she has to do her chores. Shana and Kimber offer to take over her duties so she can go and have some fun. Jem goes along as an adult supervisor. At the dock, Uto pulls out a map and gives a brief guide of how to safely get to the island. Jem tells Ba Nee she can't get into a kayak alone, and that Uto is much more experienced which is why she is able to be in a solo kayak. At the airport, Harvey is on his way by private jet and phones up Eric to check if everything is ready. Eric stumbles over his words, unsure how to tell him the deal is currently on hold, but Pizzazz steps in and says Mr. Kenyak will be signing the land over in the morning. Mr. Gabor says he'll back in 24 hours to secure the deal. Back at the Kenyak lodge, The Holograms are chopping logs of wood as part of the chores they were assigned while George watches them hard at work from a tree. Aja is displeased with George's lackadaisical behavior and the amount of wood they have to chop. He says he can't wait to be rich and that the seals are useless. He says that he'll even make sure that Uto gets to go to college with the money.
Once at Attuk Island, Jem and Ba Nee are in awe of how amazing the seals and point out Naku, the darkest seal out of them all. He slides up to the girls and they show him love. Jem is convinced that if perhaps George came to the island he might change his mind about selling it, but Uto says she's tried and it didn't work. Meanwhile, Ba Nee sneakily gets into a kayak to prove to Jem she can do it by herself and Jem frantically tells her to come back as it's too dangerous. She is soon proved right as Ba Nee is pulled further from the island by a strong current. Uto and Jem hurriedly get into the double kayak to paddle after her as she drifts toward a whirlpool. The pair both use all their strength to pull Ba Nee out of her kayak, right before it's crushed and sinks down into the water and Jem thanks Uto for her help. However, they aren't safe, and their own kayak crashes into an iceberg which causes it to begin sinking. Jem yells that they will have to swim to shore, but as she stands up the boat rocks so heavily that it forces her to fall backward, her head colliding into the stern and she passes out before falling into the freezing water. Uto and Ba Nee are frightened now that they are all by themselves, worrying about how they'll ever make it back. Just in time, Naku and two other seals show up for Jem and the children to hold onto, and they're carried safely back to the beach.
Back in the village, The Misfits are completely bored and decided to make a little mischief by renting snowmobiles, where they perform Makin' Mischief and crash into various different places and people throughout. They stop at a mountainside, where Pizzazz spots Jem and the girls on the island in trouble. Stormer tells Pizzazz they should call for help, but she comes up with a plan to save the three stranded girls so that Mr. Kenyak would appreciate their help and sign the contract immediately. Pizzazz and Jetta go into a boat to save the girls. At the Kenyak house, all the chores are done and George apologizes for his behavior. They also state their concern that Ba Nee and Uto aren't home yet, who are actually still at the beach hoping that someone will find them soon. The Kenyak family and The Holograms decide to go out looking for them and split up into groups whilst Mr. Sanders searches in his plane. During their search party, things have taken a turn for Jetta and Pizzazz who are heading straight into icebergs and can't seem to control the steering due to the current. Suddenly, the engine stops working, and the icebergs begin to close in. Luckily they manage to squeeze through. Jem has regained consciousness and commends Uto for her quick and practical thinking.
At the shore, the coastguards pull in a broken boat and report to Mr. Kenyak of their findings. Up ahead in the sky, Kimber and Shana are with Mr. Sanders and spot Pizzazz and Jetta through the fog. They make an emergency landing, with Shana pulling the two Misfit girls out of the boat and flying away. Back with Raya and Aja, George regrets arguing with Uto and wishes she were safe. It is then that Naku and his companions pop out of the water, barking at the search party. Raya spots Ba Nee's hat in Naku's mouth and announces that he must know where the girls are so they follow him. On the beach, the girls celebrate about being finally found. They all reunite, and Ba Nee and Uto pay special thanks to Naku. The next morning, Eric meets up with the family to confirm the deal. Mr. Kenyak asks Eric if there is any way he can save the cove for the seals while he builds the factory. Eric firmly replies that the cove is needed as a harbor for ships, which only cements the Kenyak's decision on not to sell the island. Pizzazz rushes to the radio as her father asks her again if everything is ready, and when she tells him what happened, he tells her he is disappointed and leaves. As a final goodbye, Jem and The Holograms perform "Safe And Sound", and allow Ba Nee to stay for a week with the Kenyak's on the promise she would not try to kayak alone again. Pizzazz completely blames Eric for the deal falling through, and leaves without him on the dog sleds.
Songs featured[]
- "In The Land Of The Midnight Sun" - Jem and The Holograms
- "Makin' Mischief" - The Misfits
- "Safe And Sound" - Jem and The Holograms
Gallery[]
Goofs[]
- Despite the fact Ba Nee's hat fell off previously in the water, she is seen wearing it at the beach when she's stranded with Uto and Jem. In the next scene, the seals are playing with it.
Trivia[]
- This is one of the few episodes that have different animation. Some speculate this was because Marvel and Sunbow were trying to save money and those episodes were not made by Toei Animation. Other episodes with this type of animation are The Presidential Dilemma, Journey to Shangri-La and Video Wars.
- The name Uto can be both female and male, depending on the language. In the English version, Uto is female, while in the French dub, Uto is male.
- The song "In The Land Of The Midnight Sun" refers to Alaska, as there are 24-hour periods of sunlight experienced and the sun sets at 12:47 a.m. during summer solstice - a midnight sun.
- Raya's skin tone is lighter in this animation, and her facial features are slightly different.