Ep 6. Whatever Happened to Moby Dick?
- October 29, 1971
The Partridge Family season 2 episode 6 titled "Whatever Happened to Moby Dick?" begins with the family getting ready for a concert in Boston. During their travels, they come across a small fishing town in New England. Keith, who is an avid reader, is excited to visit this town as it is the setting for his favorite book "Moby Dick".
After settling in, Keith meets an old fisherman who tells him a story about how he lost his boat, the "Whale", to a wealthy man named Archibald Pemberwick. It turns out that Pemberwick is a descendant of Captain Ahab, the character in "Moby Dick", and he has been collecting boats in the area to create his own personal fleet. The Partridge family decides to help the fisherman get his boat back.
Meanwhile, Laurie and Shirley are taking a walk and come across Pemberwick's mansion. They sneak in and find a room full of memorabilia from "Moby Dick". Pemberwick catches them and invites them to dinner that evening. At dinner, Pemberwick reveals that he is obsessed with the book and believes that he is the true heir of Captain Ahab, destined to catch the white whale. He also shares his plan to recreate scenes from the book with his own fleet of ships and crew.
Back at the hotel, the family comes up with a plan to retrieve the "Whale" from Pemberwick. Danny and Tracy dress up as pirates to distract Pemberwick while the rest of the family sneaks in and takes the boat. However, their plan goes awry when Pemberwick catches them and locks them in his dungeon.
The family manages to escape and commandeers the "Whale" with the help of the fisherman. They race to the dock where Pemberwick's fleet is waiting to start their recreation of the famous whale hunt scene. The Partridges manage to outrun and outmaneuver Pemberwick's ships and escape with the "Whale".
In the end, Pemberwick realizes the error of his ways and offers to buy the "Whale" from the fisherman as a gesture of goodwill. The family performs their Boston concert and Keith, inspired by the adventure, dedicates a song to the great white whale.
Overall, "Whatever Happened to Moby Dick?" is an exciting and humorous episode that showcases the Partridge family's adventurous spirit and willingness to help others in need. The episode is a fun homage to the classic novel and is sure to entertain both young and old audiences.
