Favorite Episodes – Daktari TV Show

Happy 50th Anniversary, Daktari!

What are your favorite episodes?

Mine are:
Season One: Return of the Killer (Parts One and Two–this is the episode that introduced me to Daktari), Wall of Flames (Parts One and Two)
Season Two: Return of Clarence, Cry for Help, House of Lions, Countdown for Paula, Terror in the Bush (#1 favorite), A Bullet for Hedley

What’s your favorite episode of Daktari?

Mine is from Season 2, called “Terror in the Bush.” This is why I was so excited when the announcement came from Warner Archives that they were releasing the complete second season on DVD (see here for more information).

First of all, “Terror in the Bush” featured my favorite character front and center: Paula Tracy. In the episode, she and Marsh are out on a training run. He is determined to teach his daughter to be responsible when all she really wants is to just be like every other girl her age. He reminds her that no every girl lives in Africa. Paula has not prepared well for the trip and many vital supplies are missing. She even scolded Judy unfairly for emptying out the medical kit when in fact Marsh had done it to teach her the necessity of check and double check.

All a hint that something bad was about to happen …

As Paula, Marsh and Judy started for home, the jeep struck a log and flipped over. Everyone was knocked out but Marsh was the most seriously injured with a concussion and a badly broken leg.

What few supplies were on hand had been destroyed in the crash and Paula had to rely on her wits, strength and resourceful thinking to bring her father to safety.

As a kid and as an adult

When I was ten, I loved this episode because it made Paula a heroine. It was exciting watching her do everything she could to save her father.

I still love this episode, perhaps even more now, because of the wonderful messages contained therein:

A young woman comes of age, showing incredible guts, self-control and quick thinking.
A daughter risks her life to save her beloved father
A father cares enough for his daughter to teach her to be strong, independent and responsible.
A father and daughter share a close and loving relationship.

Getting the message across

These are simple but important messages and the best part is, the writers use the story to impart them rather than pontificate about them. This is Daktari’s charm to me – in its gentle and unassuming way, the show conveys wonderful themes that are beneficial to children and good reminders for adults.

Sure, Daktari’s story lines are simplistic, the show’s pacing is very slow and the characters can be two-dimensional. But the scenery is beautiful, the themes universal and timely, the graphics in the opening sequence still cool and the music, cutting edge for that time.

In comparison with other popular shows

My husband and I have had a hankering lately for 60s shows since he got The Invaders with Roy Thinnes for Christmas. We traded in a bunch of DVDs and bought the second season of Bewitched starring Elizabeth Montgomery and Dick York, and The Adventures of Superman with George Reeves. We also have I Dream of Jeannie starring Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman.

For the sake of laughs

Bewitched is still just as funny as it was in the 60s. I must say though that it is horrifying to see Samantha continually give up her identity as a witch just because her husband demands it of her, and often he is not appreciative of the difficulty of her task or the effort she makes. I’m no militant feminist but I do believe that each person, man or woman, deserves to be accepted for who they are.

This storyline is essential to the conflict in Bewitched that creates the funny situations. And the same is true with I Dream of Jeannie – goodness, a genie in a sexy costume is a slave to Tony, her master who doesn’t even want what makes Jeannie unique! Sets back the accomplishments of the women’s movement back fifty years. 🙂

Why Daktari ages well

The only point I’m trying to make is this: shows from the 60s often don’t age well and it’s not just the clothes, cars and the ancient technology. Daktari remains timely for me because it promotes themes that never age. I will be more than happy to save these DVDs for the days when I have grandchildren to share them with.