The Worst Episodes of 3-2-1 Contact

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1. #1 Worst Episode
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   #1 - Noisy/Quiet: Production & Processing of Sound

   S1:E11/14/1980

   A sixty-second tease introduces the cast and previews some of their scientific adventures. This is followed by a four-minute film showing the recording of the 3-2-1 Contact theme. (See Quotes.) While Lisa and Marc talk on a steel-can telephone of the youth, Trini tries to fool them with ""Stan the Robot."" But nobody is fooled, thanks to a device that maps out sound patterns. Marc visits Bell Laboratories to see a computer that is programmed to speak.ANIMATIONS: Telephones; human voice.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Educated Pig,"" a one-shot mystery surrounding a pig that can supposedly answer multiple-choice questions.

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   #2 - Noisy/Quiet: The Ear

   S1:E21/15/1980

   Same 60-second tease as in first episode precedes an invasion of noises into Marc's world. Knowing that ""noise annoys,"" Marc illustrates (with a decibel reader) that loud noises can damage people's hearing. Lisa shows Trini that a cactus needle can be used as a record needle. When Marc returns, he gives a private message that Trini picks up on a parabolic microphone. Lisa visits the (White Plains) New York School for the Deaf.ANIMATION: Sound vibrations.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of Princess Tomorrow, Part One."" A professor introduces to a group of gamblers and The Bloodhound Gang a woman who seemingly predicts the future. She is hypnotized to write down the results of a future horse race, which the Professor seals and has mailed to The Bloodhound Gang the next day.

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   #3 - Noisy/Quiet: How People & Animals Use Sound

   S1:E31/16/1980

   Lisa goes to Hawaii to see how dolphins use sonar. Another segment sees sonar of bats. Trini sees an ultrasound apparatus at work. The Bloodhound Gang finds a wrinkle in The Case of Princess Tomorrow.

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   #4 - Noisy/Quiet: Music

   S1:E41/17/1980

   Dizzy Gillespie shows off his jazz talents. Trini checks out the behind-the-scenes work at a Kiss concert. The Bloodhound Gang cracks the Case of Princess Tomorrow.

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   #5 - Noisy/Quiet: Range of Vibration

   S1:E51/18/1980

   Lisa, Marc, and Trini are given a puzzle. They hear a bell ring and, as instructed, put the bell in a closed jar and take out some of the air with a vacuum pump. Since they don't hear the ringing, they begin to wonder: Is the bell broken?

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   #6 - Forces and Motion

   S1:E63/24/1980

   Trini becomes concerned when and where a hurricane is projected to strike. Marc visits Six Flags Great America to learn the mechanics and design of roller-coasters and talks to Frisbee-throwing champion John Kirkland. He also checks out a stuntman-in-training. Lisa rides in a glider.Film insert: animal force in motion.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the 264-Pound Burglar, Part One."" An old lady's life savings is stolen from her attic. Did the culprit weigh 264 pounds, as a found weight card suggests? (Concludes in next episode.)

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   #7 - Forces and Fields

   S1:E73/25/1980

   Hurricane Rufus is turning inland, heading toward the workshop. This prompts Trini to give a brief description of a hurricane. Jerome Barkum of the New York Jets visits the workshop to discuss human force of football. In turn, Trini shows everyone about how a lever can be manipulated. On location, Trini sees a ten-year-old figure skater. Marc trips up a weightlifter in a tug of war, thanks to a little smarts and a lot of grease. Kurt Thomas gives Marc a pointer on gymnastics.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the 264-Pound Burglar, Part Two."" Vikki reveals that the weight card reading 264 pounds, was designed to throw them off the scent. They discover the real culprits, both of whom faked the weight card in preparation for the heist.

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   #8 - Forces: Buoyancy and Gravity

   S1:E83/26/1980

   Hurricane Rufus is now abutting the workshop. Trini prepares herself with a lifeboat. She proves to Marc and Lisa that boats will float because of their shape. Trini gets a lesson in scuba diving and why some things sink or float. She also rides the Goodyear Blimp. Marc goes on his own underwater adventure at the Miami Seaquarium.ANIMATION: ""The Sinking Lesson"" on how submarines can sink and float.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Flying Clock, Part One."" A clock collector files an insurance claim that a precious clock has been stolen. (Concludes in next episode.)

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   #9 - Forces and Machines

   S1:E93/27/1980

   Hurricane Rufus strikes the workshop. Calmer discussion of the Earth's forces are seen at a circus, in the paths of satellites, and at the Bay of Fundy. The Bloodhound Gang teams up to solve ""The Case of the Flying Clock.""

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    #10 - Forces: A Spectacle of Forces

    S1:E103/28/1980

    REHASHED FROM THE PREVIOUS FOUR EPISODES: Roller coaster design; stuntman; orbiting satellites. Also: what forces propel a bicycle.

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    #11 - Growth/Decay: Sex and Seeds

    S1:E113/10/1980

    Marc learns about the growth of corn and pigs at the Bakers Akers farm. Trini sits in on an expectant mother's ultrasound. At the Bronx Zoo, Lisa goes on the rounds with a young veterinarian feeding baby animals.Film inserts: Time-lapse growth of peanut plant and pea plant; kids explain the birth of tadpoles and their growth into frogs; the human embryo develops into a baby; human birth.ANIMATION: Human from conception to birth. (Concludes in next episode.)THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Secret Message, Part One."" Vikki recovers a lady's purse, which contains only a message written in salt-water solution. (Concludes in next episode.)

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    #12 - Growth/Decay: Human Growth

    S1:E123/11/1980

    Lisa arrives at a hospital to see treatment for a premature baby. Trini and others at Staten Island discuss adolescent changes. ANIMATIONS: Einstein images; Human from conception to birth through growth; average life spans of various species; What if kids grew at the same rate all the time?THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Secret Message, Part Two."" Remembering the coded message, now surrendered to Mr. Big, the Gang heads out to Tennessee Bay to help thwart a diamond-smuggling operation.

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    #13 - Growth/Decay: Decay

    S1:E133/12/1980

    Lisa ventures into a sewage treatment plant in Chicago.Film inserts: Msima Spring in Kenya houses a massive food chain, and it all centers around hippos; the recycling of aluminum cans; leaf-cutter ants.ANIMATION: Gloria wants to be a mechanic.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Missing Bloodhound, Part One."" Mr. Bloodhound has been kidnapped prior to a trial, and he has sent a message which the gang deciphers. (Concludes in next episode.)

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    #14 - Growth/Decay: Human Cultures/Land Forms

    S1:E143/13/1980

    Lisa sees a volcano that is almost ready to erupt. Marc demonstrates a model volcano. Trini joins a group of young archaeologists uncovering fossils along the Illinois River.ANIMATIONS: The moving rocks of Earth; one billion years of Earth change is compressed into 1¾ minutes.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Missing Bloodhound, Part Two."" Mr. Bloodhound has left behind another secret message for the gang, which leads them directly to the kidnappers.

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15. 

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    #15 - Growth/Decay: Cycles Upon Cycles

    S1:E153/14/1980

    REHASHED FROM THE PREVIOUS FOUR EPISODES: Lisa sees a volcano that is almost ready to erupt. Marc learns about the growth of corn and pigs at the Bakers Akers farm. ANIMATION: One billion years of Earth change is compressed into 1¾ minutes; Gloria wants to be a mechanic; the moving rocks of Earth; average life spans of various species. Film insert: Leaf-cutter ants.Fresh items for end of week: Trini discovers how old car parts are reused. Lisa and Trini discover how Marc operates his volcano.

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    #16 - Fast/Slow: Speed Up, Slow Down

    S1:E161/28/1980

    Trini and Lisa stage a surprise birthday party for Marc. It revolves around a tape recording which Marc must play at various speeds. Features Harry Blackstone's complex magic acts (with one trick slowed down).ANIMATION: How cartoons are made.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Flying Clock, Part One."" (Recycled from Forces: Buoyancy and Gravity) A clock collector files an insurance claim that a precious clock has been stolen. (Concludes in next episode.)

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17. 

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    #17 - Fast/Slow: Rhythms of Nature

    S1:E171/29/1980

    Lisa gets some instructions on rhythms from a professional drummer and witnesses the wicked tides at the Bay of Fundy. Trini examines migratory birds. Marc learns about human heartbeats and how a pacemaker works. ANIMATION: Heartbeat. THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Flying Clock, Part Two."" Vikki sees through the clock collector's claim that he could identify the burglar. Ricardo recovers the precious flying clock.

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18. 

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    #18 - Fast/Slow: Lifetimes

    S1:E181/30/1980

    Recycled from Episode 12: Lisa arrives at a hospital to see treatment for a premature baby.A make-up artist transforms Marc into an old man, explaining human aging along the way. In a separate film sequence, members of a family remember the final stage of their grandfather's life.ANIMATIONS: Newborn baby to one-year-old; average life spans of various species.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Thing in the Trunk, Part One."" The gang discovers a stolen mummy in the trunk of a car – and are locked themselves in the back of a van. (Concludes in next episode.)

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    #19 - Fast/Slow: Speed and Racing

    S1:E192/7/1980

    Marc and Lisa give Trini a psychological boost prior to Field Day. Lisa checks out a professional motorcycle racer (filmed Oct. 1979). Marc gets a lesson on tennis serves from Arthur Ashe and visits Six Flags in Jackson, New Jersey to see a roller-coaster designed. A boy's bicycle race is also shown. ANIMATION: Speed of various animals. THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Thing in the Trunk, Part Two."" Using a pinhole camera effect with a piece of cardboard picking up light from a hole in the side of the van, the gang learns where the mummy is being stowed. They radio that information to the police after trapping the henchman.

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    #20 - Fast/Slow: Time and Time Again

    S1:E202/1/1980

    REHASHED FROM THE PREVIOUS FOUR EPISODES: Lisa checks out a professional motorcycle racer (filmed Oct. 1979) and witnesses the wicked tides at the Bay of Fundy. A make-up artist transforms Marc into an old man, explaining human aging along the way. ANIMATION: Speed of various animals.Fresh items for end of week: Karate is more than fights – it can be graceful dance called kata.ANIMATION: One billion years of Earth change is compressed into 1¾ minutes.

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    #21 - Communication: Human Communication

    S1:E213/17/1980

    Marc and Lisa discover too late that Trini is stranded in the desert with an empty gas tank, setting the stage for three episodes. At Shea Stadium, Marc observes the Mets' signals. Lisa visits the (White Plains) New York School for the Deaf to learn sign language. Mummenschanz performers (one of whom is called Dr. Rolls) provide messages Lisa doesn't understand.Film insert: ""Ways To Say I Love You"" song. ANIMATION: The history of communication.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Cackling Ghost, Part One."" Mrs. Fairbanks refuses to believe that the curse of the Darjeeling Necklace, which she owns, is related to the ghost that appears outside her window. Vikki suspects the necklace will be stolen.

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    #22 - Communication: Animal Communication

    S1:E223/18/1980

    Trini is still lost in the desert, despite several attempts to get messages across. Marc illustrates his expertise on bugs. He visits a researcher determining how bees communicate. More Mummenschanz performers appear.Recycled from Episode 3: Lisa gets a lesson in dolphin research at the University of Hawaii.ANIMATION: Moths use pheromones; fireflies.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Cackling Ghost, Part Two."" Townsend, Mrs. Fairbanks's gardener, is surprised that his bottle of pheromones, used to trap moths in the area, is empty. It is a key to determining what the ghost is. (Concludes in next episode.)

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    #23 - Communication: Machinery of Communication

    S1:E233/19/1980

    After two days and contact, Marc sends out the Goodyear Blimp for Trini. Marc visits Bell Laboratories to see a computer that is programmed to speak (intermixed with portion of Human Voice animation from Episode 1).Film insert: ""How A Television Works"" song (filmed at Connecticut Public Television with some stars of Sesame Street.ANIMATIONS: Sound vibrations; telephones.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The case of the Cackling Ghost, Part Three."" The gang discovers that Edmund had poured pheromones on a sheet to attract enough moths that would simulate the ghost.

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    #24 - Communication with Other Species

    S1:E243/20/1980

    Trini returns from the desert. She gets in her first segment of the week, visiting the University of Tennessee, where an ape named Chantek learns sign language. Trini also checks out a giant telescope in Puerto Rico intent on picking up sounds from the galaxy. Different Mummenschanz performers theorize the way alien beings might communicate. In the workshop, everyone listens to the soundtrack of ""Earth Sounds,"" sent aboard Voyager I in 1977.ANIMATION: Robots from outer space observe what they think are human beings.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Dead Man's Pigeon,"" a one-shot adventure in which a lawyer is trying to swindle a niece from her inheritance.

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    #25 - Communication: Feedback

    S1:E253/21/1980

    Trini recounts her attempts to send distress signals from the desert. Lisa and Marc remind her that her messages had to reach somebody for a good response.REHASHED FROM THE PREVIOUS FOUR EPISODES: At Shea Stadium, Marc observes the Mets' signals. He visits a researcher determining how bees communicate. In addition, Marc visits Bell Laboratories to see a computer that is programmed to speak (intermixed with portion of Human Voice animation from Episode 1). Lisa visits the (White Plains) New York School for the Deaf to learn sign language. Trini checks out a giant telescope in Puerto Rico intent on picking up sounds from the galaxy. ANIMATIONS: Moths use pheromones; the history of communication.

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