'Teers in the 'Hood

'Teers in the 'Hood
Season 4, Episode 22
Air date	14 May 1994
Episode guide
Previous No Horsing Around	Next Twilight Ozone

'Teers in the Hood is the twenty-second episode in the fourth season of Captain Planet and the Planeteers.

Main Characters

The main characters featured in this episode are:

• Kwame
• Wheeler
• Linka
• Gi
• Ma-Ti
• Captain Planet

Plot Synopsis

The Planeteers go undercover as gang members of two warring gangs to uncover the culprit who shot one of Gi's close friends.

Episode Summary

After an opening of an inner city school teacher explaining the civil rights movement and the peace messages of Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy, and Mohandas Gandhi, the scene cuts away to a shoot out in a parking lot at night, where Ronnie, the brother of one of the head gang members, is caught in the center. The same school teacher pulls up in a car to save him, although it seems neither side wants to hit him or the teacher, an unknown figure shoots the driver, and they crash.

The teacher, turns out to be Gi's friend, David King, who is now in critical condition at the hospital. The Planeteers must find the culprit behind the shooting, but while at school, they can't use their rings' powers, except to summon Captain Planet after a chemical fire/explosion following a fight in school. Wheeler, used to gang violence, feels he understands why kids join gangs, and is first to warm up to some gang members who bring him and Gi to get weapons at a local arcade.

As they return to the High School, Ronnie (who also happens to be in Special Education classes, worsening his reputation) is exiting the school, before being harassed by Clayton, the man who bought Wheeler a gun. After being chased through the school, there is a slight altercation that escalates to Wheeler being demanded to 'take out' Ronnie. Between Gi, Wheeler, and Kwame, they manage to defuse the situation until later.

At night, it is discovered that both Ma-Ti and Ronnie have gone missing. They had been kidnapped by the man who shot Mr. King, who overheard Ronnie bluffing a threat to expose who it was that shot him. The man leaves the two, tied up, in an abandoned shack, and sets fire to the building with the two still inside.

Soon after, at an abandoned water park, the two gangs face off. As the remaining four Planeteers try to keep the tension from escalating, the sister of the rival gang leader (who is very close to Ronnie) exclaims she knows who shot Mr. King. Both Wheeler and Gi use their powers, after the sister pinpoints the killer as one of the gang members, Zap. Gi, overcome with vengeful anger, particularly torments him until Wheeler tells her she's reacting like the gangs, whom she's been extremely critical of, would react. She stops using the water ring, and breaks down crying.

Both gangs turn on Zap, demanding to know where Ronnie is. He says it doesn't matter, as it is too late, while he points to a fiery glow on the horizon. Ma-Ti calls out to the four, and they all summon Captain Planet, who then saves the two from the burning building. The fire quickly spreads to other homes, but he douses the flames with the water from the water park. The two gang leaders clash, and draw weapons, but as the quotes from civil rights activists play intertwined with images of violence and rap music, the civil rights voices and with gunshots. As they realize this, their attitudes change, and a truce is made. At the end of the episode, it is revealed that David King is going to live.

Planeteer Alerts

First Planeteer Alert

Wheeler: Environments aren't just where plants and animals live. Wherever you are is an environment, whether it's your bedroom, or school yard...and your environment is more than the physical things around you; it's also about people, and how they interact. People who sell drugs and fight create a negative environment, but if those same people change their attitudes, they can help create a healthy environment.
Captain Planet: Don't be part of the pollution, be part of the solution. The power is yours!

Second Planeteer Alert

Ma-Ti: Today's wasteful habits can become tomorrow's problems.
Kwame: But there are easier ways to conserve our planet's limited resources.
Wheeler: Mop up spills with sponges instead of paper towels.
Gi: Save paper that's used on one side, and use the other side for phone messages.
Linka: Pack your lunch in a reusable container; in a year, you will save hundreds of bags!
Kwame: See, you and your friends can come up with other ways to reduce, re-use, and recycle.
Group: The power is yours!

Significant Moments and Facts

• Hanna-Barbera took over animation of the Captain Planet series in the fourth season. In the background of some of the scenes in this episode, you can see Shaggy and Velma from Scooby-Doo, one of Hanna-Barbera's most popular cartoon series (example on the right).

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