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Smog Hog
Season 1, Episode 15
Air date February 16, 1991
Episode guide
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Meltdown Syndrome
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Polluting by Computer

Smog Hog is the fifteenth episode in the first season of Captain Planet and the Planeteers.

Main Characters[]

The main characters featured in this episode are:

Plot Synopsis[]

Hoggish Greedly gets his son, Hoggish Greedly Jr., a new car for his birthday: a Road Hog, a non-environmentally friendly, gas-guzzling, exhaust-generating monstrosity. He then gets the idea to mass-produce the new cars to make big money, which causes the entire town to be full of car exhaust. The Planeteers go to stop the production of the smoke generators before the town gets completely smogged. Unfortunately for Linka, Hoggish Jr. develops a crush on her.

Episode Summary[]

Hoggish Greedly has manufactured a custom-made car for his son, Hoggish Greedly Jr.'s sixteenth birthday, named the Road Hog: a large automobile with multiple functions (like a dance floor and hot tub) but consumes a lot of gas and produces clouds of choking smog. Junior, pleased with the gift (as opposed to the bicycle he received the previous year), drives off. The sight of the Road Hog has passers-by asking to buy their own from Greedly, and this gives him an idea - to mass-produce Road Hogs.

Greedly and Rigger go to the factory of Jane Goodair, an engineer who designs low-emission automobiles, where she is about to unveil the first of her new Goodair Sedans. Rigger sabotages the first sedan to come off the line, which debuts horribly as people are shocked to see Goodair's vehicles making a lot of black smoke. The surprise of this catches Goodair off guard, allowing Rigger a chance to subdue then kidnap her. The news of Goodair's disappearance is received by Gaia, who puts the Planeteers on alert. They arrive to see a billboard saying "Only wimps care about pollution and smog; don't be wimpy, drive a Road Hog!"

The Planeteers stake out the factory where Greedly has begun production of the Road Hogs. To the Planeteers' dismay, demand for the Hogs is hot. As the group moves out, Linka trips on an emission-controlling device Greedly discarded, sending her on an encounter with Junior as he drives by the factory. Junior flirts with Linka much to her disgust. The Planeteers decide to use the opportunity as a distraction while they search for Goodair.

Having split into pairs, Wheeler and Gi locate Goodair, but are discovered by Rigger and captured. Rigger activates the alarm, prompting security to find and apprehend the other Planeteers. Greedly has all of them imprisoned with Goodair in the same basement, which Goodair had heavily fortified in order to protect her designs from intruders. Shortly after, Junior removes Linka from the basement and forcibly ties her into the passenger's seat of his Road Hog, intent on going on a date with her.

Driving around the smog-choked city, Junior eventually orders a burger which comes with a free plastic ring, calling it an engagement ring; in his attempt to put it on Linka, he ends up throwing her Planeteer Ring into a a sewer drain. Linka admonishes him just as Junior succumbs to a fit of choking from the smog, falling unconscious. Linka wheels him back to the factory on a shopping cart, passing by other citizens who have likewise fallen ill from breathing the smog. The sight of his unconscious son has Greedly begging Linka to summon Captain Planet, but she informs him that without her ring, it can't be done.

In the factory, Greedly pleads with the Planeteers. Goodair rationalizes that the only solution is to find Linka's ring, which Ma-Ti volunteers to do with his Heart power. Goodair adds that she'll need to design a vehicle capable of navigating the sewers quickly. Wheeler orders Greedly to return the factory to Goodair, in exchange for helping Junior. Goodair builds a hybrid skateboard and surfboard, which Ma-Ti and Gi pilot in the sewers, successfully finding the ring.

Together, the Planeteers summon Captain Planet, who creates a static electricity aura around himself to remove the solid particles from the smog, leaving clean air behind. Another blast of electricity combines the particles into a heavy, black lump. Junior wakes up, able to breathe again, and thanks Captain Planet for saving his life; Greedly grudgingly gives his thanks as well. To Greedly's dismay, Junior offers to trade in his Road Hog for a Goodair Sedan, now convinced of the errors of his father's ways. The Planeteers agree to make Junior an honorary Planeteer.

Planeteer Alerts[]

Alert

Captain Planet: Some people want to drive the biggest car on the road.
Gi: And large cars use up large amounts of gas, and that means more air pollution.
Wheeler: But no matter what size a car is, it's important to keep it tuned up.
Kwame: Cars that are not cared for make the smog problem even greater.
Wheeler: Avoid the hog and the smog.
All: The power is yours!


Significant Moments and Facts[]

*Jane Goodair seems to be a spoof on the name of the chimpanzee naturalist Jane Goodall.

*This is the only time Hoggish Greedly Junior appears or is even mentioned in the series. He and his father appear to have a good relationship; Greedly Sr. had the first Road Hog custom-made for him, and later returned control of the factory to Jane Goodair without debate or complaint so the Planeteers could help Junior. There is no mention of Junior's mother; it may have been likely that she died prior to the series debut and Hoggish Greedily Sr. is a widower..

Quotes[]

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