The nice thing about The Wild Thornberrys is that you don't have to watch the episodes in any particular order. Granted, some things are nice to know from previous episodes and, for the most part, they do remain consistent in their mythos, but you don't have to have seen the rest of the series to start here. The first episode is about the Galapagos tortoise. Jake lives in the Yasuni National Preserve and he is the last one left, at least as far as the humans know. Eliza is determined to find another one so that the species won't die out. Eliza tells her parents that she saw one on the last island because a bird told her he saw one there, so they go to see if they can find it, leaving Debbie to babysit Donnie. Donnie runs off following a bug and meets a girl Donnie out there! Who knew that there would be another one? Eliza finds the female tortoise, Samantha, and they take her back to the reserve. Things go slow on their meeting, so Eliza decides to help them along. You'd think she would have learned by now not to mess with nature! Donnie is having a bit more luck on his end with his new friend.
In another episode in another part of the world way up north, Debbie thinks she's found aliens. Of course, we all know that there's no such thing as aliens, right? Later in the series, the group splits up to get two things done in one day. Eliza goes with Nigel to film the Great Barrier Reef. The comvee has a "submersible" mode, so they can use it like a submarine. I really think that the comvee can do anything! Once again, Eliza messes up and they end up stuck upside down on the ocean floor. She's going to have to figure out how to fix it before the comvee is stuck down there forever.
Later on, while stranded in the ocean, the Thornberrys find an uncharted island. When Nigel accidentally locks them out of the comvee, they are truly stranded! They have to build a shelter, find food, and keep a signal fire going so that when a rescue ships comes, it can see them. Of course, when people are under stress like that, the worst comes out in them, making it even more difficult for them to work together to get off of the island. In the desert, Debbie finds out Eliza's secret when Eliza has to talk to the dingos to save her. Eliza has to ask the aborigines for help to make Debbie forget what she saw because Debbie wants to tell everyone! I love the dream that the aborigines cause for Debbie. Donnie as a squirrel (who can speak English!) is hilarious. While the family is in Russia to find a sea eagle, Debbie spends her time in the hot springs, while Eliza watches the sea otters using tools. Kip and Biederman show up though and cause their typical mischief. Eliza has to stop them again to save the seals. This is the only time they make an appearance on this set of episodes.
I really do love The Wild Thornberrys and this collection of episodes is just as good as the previous ones. I love how they continually find new animals to introduce us to and new situations for Eliza to get into. If you're looking for a timeless cartoon, check out The Wild Thornberrys: Season Two, Part 2 today!
