Jonny Quest "The Dreadful Doll" #1.12 (1964) (TV)

A case of voodoo, 20 December 2008

As in the previous episode, The Dreadful Doll begins with Dr. Quest doing some underwater research. His research is, however, put on hold when he is summoned to the bedside of a girl under a voodoo spell. Dr. Quest soon discovers that the girl has actually been poisoned. Meanwhile, Jonny and Hadji spot a mysterious submarine. Could the voodoo and the submarine be related?

In some ways, this episode of Jonny Quest reminds me of later Scooby Doo episodes in the way it's structured. You know, bad guys up to no good who use a local legend to scare off anyone who gets too close. The Dreadful Doll came first, so I'll give it a little credit on this front. And even though the main bad guy isn't all that memorable, Korbay, the voodoo practitioner, is a creepy enough foil for the Quest's. Weaknesses in the episode include too much time and focus spent on Bandit and the boys doing nothing remarkable (I guess this is a problem I have with many of the Jonny Quest episodes). Another big problem I have with The Dreadful Doll is the quick announcement from Dr. Quest that it's not voodoo, but a drug that's affecting the little girl. Kind of took all the mystery out of things way too early.

6/10