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Episode Studies by Clayton Barr
enik1138-at-popapostle-dot-com

Land of the Lost: Sorceress's Apprentice "Sorceress's Apprentice"
Written by Janis Diamond
Directed by Ernest Farino
Original airdate: November
28, 1992

Annie is entrusted with Keela’s book of spells.

Didja Know?

The title of this episode is inspired by the 1797 poem "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" by Goethe, which has been interpreted in music and film a number of times since.

Didja Notice?

At 6:07 in the episode, we get one of the rare occasions when Stink is actually referred to in the proper singular form for his language, "Paku" instead of Pakuni (plural).

At 7:53 in the episode, we get our best look at the spell book. The symbols bear some resemblance to ancient Germanic and Scandinavian runic alphabets and to the Sefer raziel segulot from Sefer Raziel HaMalakh (Book of Raziel the Angel), a Kabbalistic book of magic from at least the 13th century, written mostly in Hebrew and Aramaic.
Cover of Keela's spell book. Pages of Keela's spell book. The Sefer raziel segulot from Sefer Raziel HaMalakh

When Annie hides the spell book in the tree stump after trying out a few spells, she doesn't even re-buckle the strap on it. Not much of a caretaker of the book!

Notice that Annie doesn't even need the book in hand while performing many of the spells she attempts in this episode. This may be an indication that she has a natural talent for magic.

Walking through the jungle, Tom suddenly sniffs the air and says, "Whew, something sure smells ripe." Possibly it was Nim and Keeg who smelled so bad since they jump out and grab him just a moment later.

Magic Spells
8:08 Eco eco kernunos. Nothing happens when Annie attempts this spell.
8:16 Eco eco da da midar. Nothing happens when Annie attempts this spell.
8:32 Eco eco da midar. Spoken by Annie: A lavender flower suddenly sprouts from the ground at Annie's feet (though it only lives for a few seconds).
9:29 Herbe adure adayo. Spoken by Annie: Several yellow bolts of light shoot out from the spell book and strike Scarface; this startles Scarface away and also seems to have the effect of temporarily causing him to belch frequently.
10:46 Lamac aka bama. Spoken by Annie: Light bolts shoot out of her hand and create a small secret door in a tree stump.
10:56 Adura! Spoken by Annie: The hidden door in the tree stump seals itself again.
  Lamac aka bama. Spoken by Nim: red bolts of light shoot from Nim's hands and the hidden door in the tree stump opens. Presumably the difference in light color is due to the Sleestak's evil nature.
13:43 Luna laska lopa laria. Spoken by Annie: Again, light bolts emit from her hands, causing Kevin's hair to stand on end and his voice to become high-pitched. It also seems to make items fly away from him as he approaches.
15:17 Lamac aka bama. Spoken by Annie: the hidden door in the tree stump is reopened.
15:59 Kademos a kabar. Karelos a kebo. Spoken by Shung: A red bolt of light is emitted from his hand to blow apart a stack of bones nearby. The effect does not appear to be what Shung wanted.
16:44 Azi bak! Spoken by Shung: A red bolt of light turns a stone into a horny toad.
16:59 Lamac kahi akar. Spoken by Shung: A red bolt of light turns Tom into a tortoise.
17:09 Aka sha abeya. Spoken by Annie: the spell book floats away from Shung and over to Annie.
17:19 Lamac kahi aka... Spoken by Shung, but he does not finish the spell before Annie counters it with one of her own below.
17:21 Karelos! Spoken by Annie: a yellow bolt of light smacks Shung back into his throne.
17:34 Batemos kahi aka babar. Spoken by Shung: this seems to make a high-pitched noise that causes Annie to clutch her head in pain.
17;45 Herbe aduro adayo ademos! Spoken by Annie: a yellow bolt of light strikes Shung and throws him to the ground, then a shimmering force field seems to hold him in place.
18:26 Herbe katemo kadeo! Spoken by Annie: turns Tom from a tortoise into a Paku, but with his own voice. (The Paku form happens to look just like Stink.)
18:40 Herbe katemos kadeimos! Spoken by Annie: turns Tom from a Paku into Kevin, but with his own voice. He's even wearing Kevin's clothing of this day.
18:59 Herbe kernunos kadeo katremos! Spoken by Annie: turns Tom from Kevin into the cyclopean Magas beast (from "The Sorceress"), but with his own (modified) voice.
19:06 Herbe pakote kadermo katreso! Spoken by Annie: turns Tom from the cyclopean Magas beast back to his own self.
19:54 Herbe saduro sadeo sademo! Spoken by Annie: turns Kevin's hair red, but seems to remove the effect of objects flying away from him when he approaches.

Unanswered Questions

Is Annie really Keela's apprentice now? Or was that just a term used by Keela to impress the amount of responsibility needed to guard the spell book?

Will the spell that gave Scarface the burps wear off or does it have to be removed?

Memorable Dialog

a sorceress's apprentice.wav
it's not like some comic book.wav
main Paku you want to see.wav
thanks a load.wav
that doeses it.wav
we know you're smiling.wav
I hid it in the mall.wav
I hate Shung.wav
your magic is weak.wav
I'm glad to see me.wav
you've gotta do something about your daughter.wav


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