Season 1; Episode 8: Buried Treasure

Season 1; Episode 8: Buried Treasure

Hoo-Hah! It's time for more Donkey Kong Country! This episode, the entire island goes bananas for a treasure. That's about it, really.

We open up to a secluded shore on the island.

This area pops up only a few more times in the series.

It is here, on this shoreline, that we can see that Cranky is taking a little vacation away from all the craziness. For a whole week, Cranky can finally relax in solitude. The silence is soon broken by the sound of buzzing bees.

They look more like flies. Actually, they just look like ovals.

Cranky buzzes off the bees, only to get barraged by an unseeable swarm of bees. Cranky is forced off his lounging chair in order to deal with his troubles.

Maybe he just imagined the swarm of bees.

Fade to the Banana Plantation, where we see Diddy and Donkey wondering how Cranky is doing on his vacation. Donkey Kong assumes that he's hating it, since he just loves to grouch at everybody. After that's said, we just get some awkward silence, and Diddy asks what Donkey Kong wants to do. Upon saying that, Funky Kong is heard from above them, where he is apparently wing-surfing and just having the time of his life.

First off, Funky would never be able to balance on that wing.
Secondly, who's driving the plane?

Seeing Funky's hectic display of daring, Donkey Kong gets pumped and starts bouncing around, repeating Funky's surfer lingo. Donkey Kong then steps and slips on one of the bananas that he finished, all the way into a banana tree.

Diddy goes up to DK and asks if he's alright. Donkey Kong tells him that he's fine, except that something is poking at his "vertebone". Vertebrae, ass, take your pick.

Donkey Kong gets the culprit of his pain, which is an old bottle, with a message inside. Funky Kong has also landed the plane while we weren't looking, and he then approaches the two, having heard what they were talking about. Funky jokes around, and DK opens up the bottle to reveal that the paper isn't a message, but instead a treasure map.

I'm pretty sure this map shows up again in the series.
Excluding all the trail marks, anyway.

Diddy incorrectly states that there are foot-prints on the map. All of which are leading to a large 'X'. Donkey Kong and Funky Kong take this as a literal letter 'X', and just start thinking of words that can be spelt with 'X'. Diddy catches onto the whole map spiel much faster than the two dimwitted apes, and points out the 'X', as a treasure. DK, still haven't caught on, laughs at Diddy's supposed illiteracy, and then Diddy gets his bananas in a knot.

Cool it, Diddy. You're acting like you just lost a bonus game, or something.

Donkey and Funky finally imbibe the big idea, and Diddy and Funky think of the fame and riches that would happen upon finding said treasure. Their little thoughts are cut short, once Donkey Kong says that he is unable to go, due to having made plans with Candy later.

And then, we get right into our first musical segment. Dear lord, what is that background music?

"Uhh, guys. Did you seriously need to break into song, just to convince me to break off my date?"

The song is about Diddy and Funky trying to convince DK to go on the search with them. The two tell him just how sweet it would be to have such riches in possession, but DK doesn't exactly care about that.

You know, if there's something that I like about Donkey Kong, it's that he's pretty laidback. Not just in this cartoon, but in the games, too. He's just a big, burly ape who wants his peace and bananas. That's pretty admirable in a way.

Once Diddy and Funky propose that Donkey could buy anything he wants for Candy, that is when DK is given into the deal. Donkey Kong tells Funky to fire up the plane, and the three go off screen, so that we can focus on Bluster, who just happens to be in the Banana Plantation. Bluster overhears Donkey Kong talking about the treasure hunt, and hatches his own plan to get in on the deal. That is, to beat DK and crew to the treasure, and become an even richer ape. Great.

Banana transition to the Bluster Barrel Works, where Bluster is preparing his barrelcopter to hightail on the DK crew's tracks. Funky flies above the Barrel Works, and before Bluster can lift off, Candy and Dixie approach Bluster. Candy asks where Donkey Kong is going, and Bluster accidently spills the beans on DK's objective. Candy gets peeved that Donkey would consider bailing on their date, just so that he could go on a treasure hunt.

Before Candy can complain even further, Dixie reminds Candy that Donkey is going on a treasure hunt. She puts emphasis on 'treasure', and Candy's greed shines through once more.

Y'know, I was going to defend Candy, and her being all upset over Donkey Kong ditching her without her consent, but that little snippet at the end just made me lose all respect for Candy. Right now, it looks as though Diddy and Dixie are the best characters in this episode, which concerns me.

Hurray! Dixie's tagging along!

Candy and Dixie hop onto the barrelcopter, and Candy threatens Bluster to fly and give chase. Bluster complies with her demand.

Cut away to King K. Rool and Krusha, who are in the golden room. K. Rool is playing a computer game, while Krusha spectates.

"Buahahahah! That'll teach those rapscallions not to mess with, 'KINGKRULEZ3000'!!!"

King K. Rool is very close to beating his highscore, only for the monitor to get static, and close the game that he was playing. The monitor is transmitting a signal from General Klump, and he pops right up on the screen.

This is Klump's only appearance in this episode. Hurrah for more Krusha screentime.

Klump notes that K. Rool is looking a tad distraught, and that's when K. Rool snaps.

"aaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!"

Infuriated, King K. Rool smashes the computer, off-screen, to relieve some of his stress. A phone-call is heard, and Krusha picks up a phone. Klump is on the phone, since he has no idea what exactly happened to his transmission, and he tells King K. Rool that he has excellent news. King K. Rool, still angry, demands Klump to spout out whatever fieldwork he has for him. Klump quickly says that the Kongs are currently looking around in the mountain mines.

King K. Rool is intrigued by this information, and ponders over whatever the Kongs could be looking for in the mines. Krusha suggests rocks, and K. Rool scorns him for such response. King K. Rool asks Klump for the target that they Kongs are after, and he replies with buried treasure.

You know, General Klump really is competent from time to time. To be able to get such information in such a small time-frame is pretty impressive.

King K. Rool asks Klump what kind of treasure it is, to which he replies...rocks...

"Ohh...Where have I failed?"

King K. Rool comes to the conclusion that treasure itself is most obviously a secret doomsday device, capable of destroying the entire island.

Huh? Of all the probable things that could be in a treasure chest, why would it be something so discrete as that? King K. Rool, you are a deranged, fat croc.

The sheer delusion of your thoughts is not making me like you anymore than Dixie or Krusha, but hey, as this episode goes, you're far ahead of Candy and Donkey in terms of likeablility.

K. Rool asks Krusha if he understands what would happen if the Kongs were able to get their paws on such a device, and Krusha actually makes a smart guess for once.

Sorry, Krusha. That joke's been done to death already.

King K. Rool agrees with Krusha's statement, in that the Kongs would destroy them, and tells Krusha that they will instead beat the Kongs to the treasure first, thus having the ultimate weapon to use against them all.

Something worth noting, that there has been no mention of the Crystal Coconut at all in this episode. That's because this is one of the few episodes in the series where the Crystal Coconut is not used as a plot device, and it is actually absent in this episode.

What is also worth noting, is that the Crystal Coconut is technically not being guarded at the moment. Donkey, Diddy, Funky, Bluster, Candy, and Dixie are on the treasure hunt, and Cranky is on vacation. Makes you wonder why K. Rool wouldn't opt out to steal the Coconut while the Kongs are away. I mean, he and Krusha are the only ones that go after the treasure, so he could've easily sent Klump and some Kritters to retrieve it.

I'll be sure to note this at the end. To cut it short, this plot-hole is brought to you by bad writing.

Anywho. King K. Rool sets forth to capture the treasure, and tells Krusha to deal with the blabber-mouth that is General Klump. Krusha glares at the celluar phone, and then we get treated to some 2D animation again. It is of the shadow of Krusha, stomping on the phone.

Makes you wonder how this show would've been if it were animated traditionally.

Fade to black for our first commercial break.

We return back to Donkey and crew, with Funky pulling off some stunts with the plane. Diddy tells him that they missed a turn, and Funky dives the plane down and goes upside down the correct direction. Donkey Kong's bananas fall out because of this, and Donkey is distressed.

"You are a dead ape, Funky!"

After flying high, still upside down, Funky notes the odd green clouds above them.

Cue the stoner joke:

"Woah! Check it out, dudes!"
"Never saw green clouds, before."

"Well. Maybe once."

Funky then notes the enormous amount of water below them, and that is when Diddy finally tells Funky he's flying upside down. Funky corrects the plane position, and they fly off screen. That is where we see the barrelcopter giving chase to the plane, below.

Candy exclaims that with her soon to be acquired fortune, that she will buyout the Barrel Works, to which Bluster is appalled at. Bluster reprimands Candy for thinking that she'll even get a share of the hoard, saying that the girls are only along for the ride. Candy and Bluster continue conversing, all the while Dixie is trying to get their attention.

"I knew I should've high-tailed Diddy and Donkey when I had the chance."

Dixie finally gets their attention, and tells them that Donkey Kong is heading the other direction. Dixie then hijacks the controls, and Bluster maneuvers the barrelcopter back on track.

Banana transition back to Cranky, who has gotten all the bees trapped inside the banana soda bottle.

That's right. Drown! Drown!
Also, what is with those tree's leaves?

With all that well and done, Cranky returns to his lounging chair, and relaxes for a bit. His relaxation is, again, cut short because of some invisible, laughing ants, making off with his sandwiches.

Yum!

Cranky gives pursuit of the quick insects, and we cut away to the White Mountains. Fade to King K. Rool and Krusha riding the minecarts underground. K. Rool adresses that although the Kongs may know the ins and outs of the jungle, that the Kremlings have a clear advantage in the underground routes.

King K. Rool instructs Krusha to make a left turn, and by doing so, they crash into something off-screen. K. Rool corrects his instruction.

It's a joke, people.
C'mon! Laugh! Laugh, I say!

Back with Donkey, Diddy, and Funky, they are above the White Mountains, and everything seems okay. That is until the plane actually runs out of gas, causing the crew to spirally plummet towards the mountain. Donkey and Diddy are panicking, while Funky continues to maintain his mellow mood.

"FUNKY YOU PIECE OF SHIT! WE'RE ABOUT TO DIE!"

Donkey Kong tells Funky to maneuver the plane towards a mine opening, and Funky tries to comply.

We also get some dialogue from Donkey and Funky. Just them discussing over a reserve gas tank or the brakes on the plane. Funky doesn't have either of them. Go figure.

After crashing the plane in the mine, the trio continue their search for the treasure on foot. Some rumbling sounds are heard from Donkey, who is hungry from not having a bite to eat, since all the bananas he had fell out earlier.

Diddy tells DK to hang on, and that the map says to veer left after 300 paces. Funky asks what they would do then, but Diddy is unsure himself.

Back outside the mine entrance, Bluster is telling the girls that he will protect them from any dangers inside the mine, only to see that the girls have already left. We get a shot of the cave opening, and hear Dixie talking about Funky's crashed plane. Candy is sure that they aren't far off DK's trail, and tells Dixie to come along. Bluster makes haste to follow them.

Have I mentioned how awkward this show's animation is?
I have? Oh.

Dixie and Candy are trotting away on the tracks, and we see from behind a corner, King K. Rool and Krusha. K. Rool will allow the apes to find the treasure, and then swipe it away from them so that he can use the device to control the island. They quickly hide from Bluster, who is following the duo, and after he leaves, K. Rool gives off an evil laugh. Fade to black, and cue our next commercial break.

We return back with Diddy reading the map, and it seems as though that they have reached the treasure's spot.

A cross-road. Hahah. Clever.

Donkey Kong is exhausted from the lack of bananas, and now has no muscle power left to even find the treasure. Sure enough, DK tumbles over a pile of rocks, which reveal the treasure: a small barrel.

This was underwhelming. Just what exactly could such a small barrel contain that sums up to a grand fortune?

Donkey Kong is delighted, and can now buy Candy the best gift ever. Candy Kong, who has approached from behind, thanks DK for his consideration, but tells Donkey that she can just buy her gift with the treasure. Bluster makes the scene, and tells them that he'll use the treasure to buy the entire island and make everyone his employees.

Funky then comes in the conversation, telling the Kongs that he'll use the fortune to repair his plane. The four then start to argue over their wishes, while Diddy and Dixie observe.

"It's been one of those days."

Enter King K. Rool, and cue the shocked expressions from the Kongs. King K. Rool explains that once he has acquired his Doomsday Device, he shall use it to threaten the Kongs and keep them in check, otherwise he will destroy the entire island. He then says he might just blow up the island regardless, just for fun!

Oh, K. Rool. It's truly entertaining to hear you speak.

King K. Rool orders the treasure from them, but Funky says that Candy and Dixie already made off with the barrel, while he was blabbing away. Donkey and Diddy notice that their respective gals are no longer by their side, and K. Rool orders Krusha to get the minecart. Krusha does so, and K. Rool orders him to go after the Kongs. Krusha does so, leaving K. Rool in the dust. The King then gives chase for Krusha, while Donkey and Diddy pair up to retrieve the treasure before the crocs. Bluster cowardly opts out of the chase, but is dragged along by Funky so that they can help DK too.

Incomes our second musical segment, with Candy, Donkey, K. Rool, and Bluster as our singers. Oh goodie!

The barrel treasure is getting swapped around between the Kongs and Krocs, with each respective singer singing about the treasure. After getting swapped around even more times, King K. Rool has gotten the barrel, which leads to this:

Well. That was lengthy.

However, after the Kremlings go through another gate, Candy and Dixie pop out from the same gate with the treasure in their possession. Thus ends our unneeded, but catchy, musical segment.

While Candy gloats over their success, Dixie tells her that they are reaching an opening. Said opening is actually a derailment of the track, and they stop the cart just in time.

I'm very curious as to why the tracks suddenly stop here.

Just before they catch their own breath, Donkey and Diddy follow up from behind them, and ram into their cart. Dixie and Candy fall below, and the barrel treasure lands in Donkey Kong's hands.

"Oh shi-"

"Waaaaahhhhhh!!!!"

"Oops. They died. I suppose now would be a good-time to tell DK my true feelings."

Another minecart is heard, and DK and Diddy look behind them to see Bluster and Funky heading towards them. They ram into their cart, and Donkey and Diddy plummet as well, with the treasure landing in Bluster's grasp.

"Holy Banana Fairies!"

"Aaaaaaarghhhh!!!!!"

The Funky and Bluster Show? Eh. I'd watch it.

King K. Rool's evil laughter is then heard, and it's shown that the two crocs are approaching their cart as well. Bluster tosses the barrel to them, K. Rool rams into their cart, and Bluster and Funky plunge downward.

"Deliberately giving in is what I do best!"

"Aaawahhhhh!!!"

"They're all dead? Well then. I guess I didn't need this doomsday device afterall!"

King K. Rool catches the treasure, but before anything else can be done, their cart collapses. Possibly from all of the weight the two have.

His fat would've been the end of him, regardless.

And everyone died. THE END!

We cut down to see that every Kong and Kroc is okay. Candy approaches DK and asks where he put her treasure. Donkey tries to tell her that it isn't a treasure, and K. Rool abrupts him to repeat for the umpteenth time, the treasure is a doomsday device.

Dixie then tells Donkey to get up and put up a fight, but DK can't due to how weak he is without bananas to power him up. Since the other Kongs aren't willing to actually put up a fight, King K. Rool does away with opening the barrel treasure. Thing of it is, the lid is shut pretty tightly, so he asks Krusha to open it. Krusha does so, and King K. Rool is about to bask in the glory that is:

A piece of paper!

King K. Rool assumes that it is just the instructions, so he reads aloud. The paper reads as told:

"Keep your paws off my treasure - Signed Donkey Kong"

Yep. As it turns out, the whole treasure was actually hidden by Donkey Kong himself! Diddy asks as to why he didn't remember this earlier, to which DK replies that he hid away the treasure and map a long time ago, during his youthful days.

Speaking of which, this show never explains the ages of Donkey and crew. I like to believe that Donkey Kong is around twenty, or so, and that Diddy is about fifteen, or sixteen. This is going off the assumption that the Kongs age just like humans.

Donkey Kong mentions that he liked to hide away his prized possessions, which prompt K. Rool and Krusha to look inside the barrel. They catch a whiff of what's inside, and start gagging and coughing. Donkey Kong tells the Kongs that the possessions are none other than: Bananas.

Dixie Kong questions as to how long the bananas have been in the barrel, and we get a far shot of the area, with the Kongs expressing their disgust over the decade old rotting mush of potassium.

How many more times can we use this shot?

Krusha drops the rotting barrel onto the sand, and King K. Rool tries to look on the bright side of this situation. He realizes that he can finally duel away with Donkey Kong, now that he's vulnerable. But before he get right to that, some crazed grumbling is heard from a submerged minecart. Krusha sees this, and lifts up the cart to reveal Cranky Kong.

It's an old ape! Quick Krusha! Drop the cart back on him!

Donkey Kong asks why Cranky is here, and Cranky fires back with the same question, to everyone. He then goes on to complain over his mess of a vacation, from bees, to ants, and to how everyone is now there with him. Y'know. Just in case you weren't paying attention to the B-Plot of this episode.

King K. Rool is just sick of this entire scenario, so he decides to give up and goes for a bottle of banana soda on a table beside him. Cranky allows K. Rool to take a sip of it, since he, and the viewers, know beforehand that the bees are still stuck in there. King K. Rool takes a drink and, shortly after, gets stung by the bees. In his mouth, mind you.

"Ain't I a stinker?"

King K. Rool runs off, across the shoreline, screaming in pain. Krusha follows soon after making this terrible wave gesture.

Oopsies. Someone didn't revise this scene very well.

Also, by the looks of it, he's heading straight into that tiny palm tree.

Bumpity bump bump bumpity bump.

Cranky walks past the Kongs, and Donkey asks where he is going. Cranky angrily answers that he'll be going back to his cabin to get some peace.

Candy then shrugs off the idea of buying of the barrelworks, since there was no riches in the first place. Donkey Kong also dismisses his dream of buying the barrelworks for Candy, and puts all their misfortunes aside to tell that they do have eachother. The two go in for a kiss, but before any contact is made, we cut over to Diddy and Dixie. Dixie fawns over such romance and puckers up, assuming Diddy to do the same with her. Diddy is repulsed with such display, and walks away.

"...Why do I go out with him, again?"

Diddy and Dixie are then seen walking the opposite direction, as to where Diddy was walking, and the two go past a buried minecart. As it turns out, Bluster and Funky are actually trapped underneath. Funky gives the assumption that the Kremlings have gotten control of the island, and Bluster asks just what they're going do. Funky tells him that they'll hang low until the whole situation settles out, and someone tells them. Seeing as that may take a long time, Funky suggests that they should get to know eachother better. Dismayed at this very thought, Bluster begins frantically banging against the cart, in hopes of someone letting him out. Seeing as how everyone has left, Funky and Bluster are left to rot, much like those bananas have. Pan away to the mountain, and fade to black. That's the end of the episode!

Hotboxing is imminent.

As for this episode, I would give it a solid OKAY.

There's nothing particularly bad about it. You know, excluding everyone's normally annoying and idiotic attitudes. I still have no idea how King K. Rool managed to get doomsday device out of a buried treasure. But besides that, this is just a decent, full-cast episode, with no glaring strengths or weaknesses.

That is, of course, if you ignore the whole situation regarding the Crystal Coconut. I mentioned this before, but the Crystal Coconut has no appearance in this episode, nor any mention. As far as we know, the Crystal Coconut is under no supervision, as all of the Kongs are off searching for a treasure. There was literally nothing stopping K. Rool from sending a lackey to Cranky's cabin and stealing the Coconut. That being said, there is no use of trying to argue against such plot-hole, since this entire story wouldn't have come to be. Don't get me wrong: I love having the main focus being on something other than the Crystal Coconut. But it truly is disconcerting if you take into account that the Coconut is so much of a plot device, that it can restrict many events, and create many loopholes, just by existing,

It just goes to show you that the makers of this show didn't really put too much thought behind the Coconut, amongst other things.

The next episode is mixed bag of good, and bad. Until then!