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Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Back To The Future - The Future Is Now (Though Not Always Accurate)

Shhh...be very very quiet.  I'm hunting for a doctor driving a DeLorean and his teenage companion.

Only, I'm not going to shoot them.  That could really destroy the future.



Yes, today is October 21, 2015, and at 4:29pm Hill Valley Time, Doc Brown and Marty McFly are supposed to be arriving from the year 1985!  I'm definitely keeping my eye on them! 



Well, okay, I know that's not really going to happen.  After all, the "Back To The Future" series was a fictional production.  A great series of movies, mind you, but totally fictional.

Of course, back when the original movie came out in 1985, the future was not known.  I was only four years old in 1985, so I had absolutely no idea what the world would be like thirty years down the road.

Of course, we all know that in the thirty years since "Back To The Future" was released, the world has definitely changed.  In the thirty years, we've seen the first African American President elected, the first African American woman to win an Academy Award, and the first time the Boston Red Sox won a World Series in almost a century!

Of course, the more things change, the more they stay the same.  After all, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are still trying to stop Shredder, Madonna is still releasing albums, and Donald Trump still has the same exact hairstyle.

So, it got me thinking...how accurate was "Back To The Future" in predicting certain events?

After all, in "Back To The Future II", Marty and Doc Brown travel to today's date!

Now, keep in mind...the second film was released in 1989, so it was absolutely impossible for the cast and crew to know what would have worked and what wouldn't. 

But I've watched that film and made a few notes.  So, what did "Back To The Future" get right, and what did it get wrong?

Let's find out.



PREDICTION #1:  The Cubs win the World Series

Okay, so if you want to get technical, the answer is NO.  According to the film, the final game in the world series was either held the day of October 21st, or the day before.  As of October 21, 2015, the Series is still going on, and four teams are still playing.  Though, interestingly enough, one of those teams is the Cubs...



PREDICTION #2:  Jaws 19 will be shown in theatres on 3D

I know there's been a lot of Jaws movies made, but I'm pretty sure that there haven't been nineteen of them made!  And, check out who made this movie!  Yes, Max Spielberg, the son of Steven Spielberg.  Though he hasn't made his directorial debut yet, I can tell you that this prediction did get one thing right.  Over the course of the last few years, 3D movies have become a big thing.  Not just that, but no longer do we have to wear those red and cyan glasses!  3D technology has really evolved.  Not quite to the levels of "Back To The Future", but it's getting there!

Though if they wanted to really blow people's minds, they should have made the marquee Star Wars themed!  Did anyone believe that in 1985 they would still be making those films?



PREDICTION #3:  We will be able to make phone calls via video

And, thanks to Skype and other various forms of online messaging, we can definitely do all this and more.  Although, the method in which the movie shows us seems a bit unorthodox.  I mean, yes, you could use a television screen (and bonus points for making the televisions flat screen even though the clarity of the image isn't quite there)...but why not just use an iPad or tablet?  Oh, wait.  Back in the planning stages of the movie, the crew never considered the power of the smartphone.  Though, I guess it could be overlooked when you consider that the smartphones back then were Zack Morris phones.  And speaking of which...



PREDICTION #4:  We will have phone booths that look like this

I really wish we did.  My god, those things are gorgeous.  Unfortunately, thanks to smartphones, pay phones are being used less and less, and some places have even got rid of them!  Before you know it, phone booths will become a part of history.  Nice flyer posted on the wall there, by the way!



PREDICTION #5:  Fax Machines will become a part of everyday communication

Only, they didn't.  I mean, finding dot matrix paper in 2015 is almost as hard to locate as finding typewriter ribbon!  These days, if you want to get a message out, we have e-mail, social media, and Snapchat.  Fax Machines are so 1990s.



PREDICTION #6:  We will all dress like THIS.

And more power to you if you do!



PREDICTION #7:  We will be able to purchase a product called Pepsi Perfect

And, as part of a social media contest, you can enter to win a Pepsi Perfect bottle much like this one!  Though, the closest that we can get to getting Pepsi Perfect is to drink a 710mL bottle of Pepsi Max.  And for some, Pepsi Max is an acquired taste.

Fortunately, my taste buds have given Pepsi Max the A-OK!  Though, I wonder if this was meant to poke fun at the New Coke disaster of 1985.



PREDICTION #8:  Mattel will come up with their own version of the Hoverboard and it will be sold in toy stores all over the world!

Only, Mattel didn't come up with the idea.  If anything, that credit goes to Lexus, who came up with a design this past summer.  So, while hoverboards are technically around in 2015, they don't look or perform anything like the one that Marty uses. 

Though one thing the movie did get right?  Neon colours!  They were big in the 1980s, and they seem to be getting a second wind as of 2015!

And, here are some other predictions courtesy of the newspaper of the future.



Sadly, there is no Queen Diana...she died in 1997.
And, it talks about a female president...but we're not quite at the right year for that one.  The closest year we can expect is 2016 - and that's only if Hillary Clinton gets the Democratic nomination.



So, there you have it.  Eight predictions from Back to the Future.  Some came true, some sort of came true, and some missed the mark altogether.  Can you guys and gals add any more that I may have missed?

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

October 20, 1977

Welcome to another edition of the Tuesday Timeline portion of this blog!  Before I go any further though, I will extend my congratulations to Justin Trudeau for winning the majority government in the Canadian federal elections.  I'm not entirely convinced that he was the right person for the job, but I will say that Canada did need a change.  Thankfully, he's got the next four years to prove himself.

For now, we should take a look at other events that took place on this date in history on the twentieth day of October.

1803 - The United States Senate ratifies the Louisiana Purchase

1818 - The United States and the United Kingdom sign the Convention of 1818, which permanently fixes the U.S./Canada border along the 49th parallel

1873 - Politician/activist Nellie McClung (d. 1951) is born in Chatsworth, Ontario

1882 - Actor Bela Lugosi (d. 1956) is born in Romania

1883 - The Treaty of Ancon is signed by Chile and Peru

1904 - Chile and Bolivia sign the Treaty of Friendship

1913 - Singer/banjo player Grandpa Jones (d. 1998) is born

1927 - American psychologist Dr. Joyce Brothers (d. 2013) is born in Brooklyn, New York

1931 - Baseball player Mickey Mantle (d. 1995) is born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma

1935 - Actor Jerry Orbach (d. 2004) is born in The Bronx, New York

1941 - The Kragujevac Massacre takes place in German occupied Serbia, killing thousands of civilians

1944 - 130 people are killed and a portion of Cleveland is destroyed following a natural gas explosion

1947 - The House Un-American Activities Commission investigates communist activity in Hollywood which spawns the infamous Hollywood blacklist

1951 - The "Johnny Bright" incident takes place in Stillwater, Oklahoma

1968 - Jacqueline Kennedy marries Aristotle Onassis

1973 - The Sydney Opera House in Australia opens to the public

1982 - Sixty-six people are crushed to death at a UEFA Cup match in what would come to be known as the Luzhniki disaster

1991 - Out-of-control wildfires consume portions of Oakland, California killing 25 people and causing over two billion dollars in damage

1994 - American actor Burt Lancaster dies at the age of 80

2014 - Fashion designer Oscar de la Renta dies at the age of 82

And for celebrity birthdays, we have the following people turning one year older; Robert Craft, Colin Jeavons, Timothy West, Sandra Dickinson, Tom Petty, William Russ, Melanie Mayron, Keith Hernandez, Bill Nunn, Steve Orich, Thomas Newman, Danny Boyle, Jane Bonham-Carter, Mark King, Viggo Mortensen, Eric Scott, Mark Little, Julie Payette, Elizabeth Carling, Susan Tully, Snoop Dogg, Dannii Minogue, Dan Fogler, John Krasinski, Katie Featherston, Jennifer Freeman, and Hunter King.

Okay, so let's take a look back through time and see what date we'll be looking at this week.



Ah, October 20, 1977.  A date that...I wasn't around for.  But for someone who is a huge fan of music as I am, maybe it's a good thing I wasn't around to experience it.  After all, it was the year that one band had the ultimate tragedy happen.

You know, just doing a quick Google search, 1977 was a year in which many musical legends passed away.  I mean, in one year we lost Bing Crosby, Guy Lombardo, and of course, Elvis Presley.  I know people cite that day in February 1959 as the day the music died, but 1977 seemed to be the year that music died.

And in the case of this band that originated out of Jacksonville, Florida, the band had to deal with losing three of their members in a fiery plane crash on this date thirty-eight years ago.

I'm sure you know which band I'm taking about.  If not, have a listen to this.



ARTIST:  Lynyrd Skynyrd
SONG:  Sweet Home Alabama
ALBUM:  Second Helping
DATE RELEASED:  June 24, 1974
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #8



Yes, we're talking about the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd.  And let me tell you, I had to actually look up the proper way to spell Lynyrd Skynyrd for this piece, I'm ashamed to say.  But then again when I was little, I couldn't even pronounce the band's name.  For years, I kept referring to the group as "The Lanyard Band". 

Getting back on topic, the song above could be easily considered the band's signature song, released a little over three years prior to the plane crash.  And at the time of the plane crash, the band was at an all-time high.



Three days earlier, on October 17, 1977, the band released their fifth studio album, "Street Survivors", and the word on the street was that it was set to be the band's best effort yet.

It was the band's first album featuring their brand new guitarist/vocalist Steve Gaines, who was hired to replace departed member Ed King.  At that time, Steve's sister, Cassie, was one of the backup singers for Lynyrd Skynyrd - a group affectionately nicknamed "The Honkettes", had put in a good word for Steve and insisted that he was perfect for the group's sound.  Of course, the band would have to be in complete agreement, and lead vocalist Ronnie Van Zant would have the final say.

Well, the time for Steve Gaines to prove himself came on May 11, 1976 when the band asked Gaines to join them on stage to play.  And when he got up on stage that night, his guitar picking and playing skills blew everyone away, and he officially became a member of the band not long after.

Gaines' abilities certainly got the attention of Ronnie Van Zant, who was blown away by his talent.  Privately, he once remarked that the band would be in HIS shadows one day.  Van Zant believed in Gaines' abilities so much that for the first time since the band got together, Van Zant let Gaines take lead vocals on the song "Ain't No Good Life" - one of the few songs that featured someone other than Van Zant on lead vocals.

When "Street Survivors" was released, it was the first time that Gaines would be featured on an album, and it seemed as though his future, as well as the future of the band would be unstoppable.

The band had already embarked on a tour five days prior to October 20, 1977, and on that day, the band had just finished performing in Greenville, South Carolina and was due to arrive in Baton Rouge, Louisiana that same day for the band's next gig.

They never made it.

The plane that the band chartered had run out of fuel midway through the flight, and while the crew of the plane tried to make an emergency landing, it wasn't enough to stop the plane from crashing in the middle of a forest near McComb, Mississippi.

The news was grave.  The pilot and co-pilot were dead.  The band's assistant road manager, Dean Kilpatrick was also deceased.



And three of the members of the band - Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and Cassie Gaines perished in the crash.

The rest of the band and crew survived the crash, but all of them had serious injuries.  And without a lead singer and guitarist, the band was essentially finished.  The group broke up shortly after the crash, likely not feeling up to playing concerts following the deaths of three of their members.

Eerily, Ronnie Van Zant seemed to have a premonition about his death.  He always talked about mortality and how he felt his time in the world was limited, which creeped those who knew him best out.  He even predicted that he would not live long enough to see his thirtieth birthday.

At the time of the plane crash, Van Zant was 29.



The album that the band promoted at the time of the crash, "Street Survivors" had to be re-released.  After all, the original cover showed the band standing in a fiery background with Steve Gaines in particular covered in flames.  The record company released the album with a solid black background instead, to make it more respectful.  And in spite of the tragedy, the album's sales skyrocketed and the lead single, "What's Your Name", reached #13 on the Billboard Charts.

But the band didn't release any more music - at least not for another ten years anyway.

In 1987, Lynyrd Skynyrd reunited for a tour with many of the band's original members (including original guitarist Ed King) coming back to release and record new material.  As for the lead singer role, Ronnie Van Zant's brother, Johnny took over.  And while the band has gone through several personnel changes as members left or passed away, Lynyrd Skynyrd still performs and records music - their last album, "Last of a Dyin' Breed" was released in the summer of 2012.

Still, I don't think anybody who was around that time will forget October 20, 1977 - the day that Lynyrd Skynyrd was changed forever.


Monday, October 19, 2015

Rules of Voting

Hey, everyone!  And, to all my Canadian friends out there, Happy Election Day!



Yes, today is the day that we get to make our voices heard, today's the day we get to have our say in who we want in office, and today's the day that those election ads will FINALLY disappear!

Sorry, America...you still have to wait until November.  Of next year.

So, in Canada, we have four choices to choose from.  Stephen Harper of the Conservative Party, Elizabeth May of the Green Party, Thomas Mulcair of the New Democratic Party, and Justin Trudeau of the Liberal Party.  And, as of 10:45 this morning, my vote has been cast.

Now, I don't believe it's in good taste to reveal the person who I support in this election (and by support, I mean electing our own local constituents), but I will say that I think my country could use a little bit of change.  That's all I'll say about it though.

The truth is, this time around it has been hard for me to pick a candidate.  Usually, it's fairly obvious who I want to vote for, but this year has been very difficult.  Just when I think I made my mind up, something happened that made me switch my way of thinking.  I'm sure I'm not alone.  After all, this has been the longest campaign period in well over half a century.  There certainly was a lot of time to debate what person I wanted to support.

So, while there is still time to cast your vote (polls close at 9:30pm), I thought I'd give you all a few rules to consider when casting your vote.

1.  Do NOT mark an X next to every candidate.  Spoiled ballots help nobody, and make everybody consider raising the voting age to 35.

2.  Do NOT let negative ads prevent you from casting a ballot, and don't get suckered into the "vote for the lesser of four evils" philosophy.  Just vote for the candidate that does the least negative polling.  I did.

3.  Voting is NOT like Survivor.  Don't use strategy when voting for a person.  There's a good chance your strategy could lead to your favourite candidate getting their torches snuffed.  Vote with your heart.

And finally...



4.  VOTE!  You can't make a difference if you don't have your say!  Remember, there was once a time in which certain groups of people weren't ALLOWED to vote.  Don't take it for granted!

Saturday, October 17, 2015

The 7-Day, 5-Minute Facebook Challenge!!!

October 17, 2015

If you had told me four years ago that I would be much happier and stress-free if I cut back on writing, I'd tell you to take your opinions and stick them where the sun didn't shine before grabbing the nearest ball point pen and attempting to stab you with it.

I know, I know.  That escalated quickly.

Of course, now that I have reduced my blog posts to 3-4 a week, I'm surprisingly okay with it.  In fact, I don't feel pressured to deliver new product every day.  And, I really don't feel any stress when it comes to feeling a need to do this every day.

Instead, I save my stress for work, as I'm sure 99% of us who do have a job will agree.

I have been noticing that I've developed a new love for writing by not doing it as often.  No longer does it seem like a chore.  More than often, it's become fun again.  And, I'm finding that I'm coming up with better topics to talk about when I can research them at my own leisure.

So, I thought to myself...why not do the same with social media?

I was offline for two weeks while I was moving into my new place.  It wasn't planned that way...it just happened that way.  And you know what?  I really didn't miss it at all.  I didn't have any withdrawal symptoms from being away from Facebook or Twitter.  Truth be told, it was quite nice not being around.

I mean, seriously, what was I missing?  10,000 cat memes?  Stories about the Kardashians that had me scratching my head over why they could even be considered news?  The fact that Kanye West and Lindsay Lohan have announced that they want to run for President of the United States of America in 2020?

(I'm not kidding about that last one either.  Lord help the American people if either one ever becomes President.)

So, the obvious solution is to deactivate all methods of social media for good and just go on living life happily, right?

Well, no.  Not exactly.

I can see the good things that social media can bring.  Without it, not many people would be directed to read this blog.  And granted, my blog may not be as popular as say Perez Hilton's, but it IS a true reflection of who I am as a person.  And for someone who is very much an introvert, I find writing in words to be much easier than trying to start up a spoken word conversation.  I'm sure there are others who would agree.

But that being said, I think it's time for me to challenge myself, and cut WAY back on how much time I spend on social media.  And believe me, it's very easy to find yourself checking it when you're not even aware that you are doing it.



So, I'm going to take part in the 7-Day, 5-Minute Facebook Challenge.

And, yeah.  I made up the name.  Not very catchy, but it gets the job done.



What that means is that for the next seven days (beginning tomorrow), I will be checking into social media for FIVE MINUTES each day, and ONLY five minutes.  This gives me enough time to post birthday greetings, post links to my blog, and respond to any messages that I might get.  After the five minutes are up, NO MORE SOCIAL MEDIA.  Instead, I would use that time for other things that I have been putting off forever, and getting them done.

After all, it doesn't seem like we waste that much time on social media, but when you add it all up over the time frame of a year...well...it's enough to stop your heart!

Who knows?  After the seven day period is over, I could find a way to make it last 14 days...then 21. 

I'm taking the 7-day, 5-minute Facebook Challenge.  Are you?

Friday, October 16, 2015

New Archies Reviewed - Episode 7A: Red To The Rescue

It's time for another edition of The New Archies Reviewed.  And while last week's episode made me incredibly frustrated and angry, this week's episode makes me feel all happy and warm inside.  It is easily my favourite episode of the whole series - well, at least the first half of the seventh episode is anyway.

And believe it or not, the star of the show is one that isn't even human.  It's Archie's beloved pup, Red.



It's Episode 7A:  Red To The Rescue!

Now before I go on with the discussion, I promised all the way back in July that I would set the record straight when it comes to the number of pets that Archie owned.



As far as I can tell, Archie has owned three dogs.  The first one just happens to be Spotty, and it's the dog that most Archie comic fans recognize.  Spotty was the beloved pet of Little Archie, and he tagged along with the little red-haired kid everywhere.  Spotty was incredibly loyal, which leads me to believe that poor Spotty crossed the Rainbow Bridge sometime prior to the events of The New Archies.



Recently - in books dated 2013 and later - Archie acquired a new pet named Vegas.  And while some of the newer stories feature Vegas in a sidekick role much like Spotty, if you have read the Afterlife With Archie series, Vegas plays a key role - he sacrifices himself so that Archie can escape the zombie hoard.  I like Vegas, but I need to see more stories with him.

Now, Red...Red is the dog that Archie had during his junior high years, and much like Eugene and Amani, Red just disappears from the scene.  It's too bad too.  I mean, Hot Dog managed to last through all three incarnations of the series (which makes me wonder how old Hot Dog is in the teen years), so why did Red have to disappear?



Whatever the case, Red is the star of this episode, and after Red gets in trouble for eating Jughead's science project, Archie and Jughead are giving Red and Hot Dog a bath.  Betty and Veronica are assisting them.  It's good to know that Veronica holds no hard feelings towards Jughead for bankrupting her during the "Hamburger Helpers" episode.



Ah, but the joyous scene is soon interrupted by Archie's evil neighbour Mrs. Schweckner.  And, right off the bat, you can tell that they've made Mrs. Schweckner to be a 1980s version of Miss Gulch from the Wizard of Oz right down to the bicycle.  I guess it's no coincidence that Red happens to be the same exact breed of dog that Toto was either.

And sure enough, Mrs. Schweckner hates Red because she claims that Red is terrorizing her cat Muffin to the point where she refuses to go outside.



Oh, man...I can see what the crazy old bat means.  Just look how vicious Red is to Muffin!

Of course, Archie argues the very obvious.  Red and Muffin are BFF's, and Red would never do anything to harm her.  But Mrs. Schweckner is determined to prove that Red is a mad dog and threatens to take Red away from Archie leaving Red to drown himself in the bath sigh in frustration.



Wow...this episode really must have taken a lot of inspiration from the Wizard of Oz!  Muffin escapes Mrs. Schweckner's clutches the same way Toto flees from Miss Gulch.  If a tornado picks up Riverdale Junior High and drops it in Munchkinland, we're in big trouble!



Well, no tornado.  But the skies did seem rather dark outside.  Sure enough, storm clouds gather above Archie's house, and Archie and Jughead are working with Eugene on some sort of infrared sensor camera.  Apparently trash cans are being knocked down all over Archie's neighbourhood, and Mrs. Schweckner is determined to prove that Archie's demon dog is the one responsible.  So, Archie decides to recruit Eugene's help to get proof as he trusts Eugene's brains.  That, plus he doesn't meet Dilton Doiley for another couple of years at least.



The clouds burst open and torrential rains pour all over Riverdale.  And while Archie and Jughead are having a sleepover in Archie's house, something suspicious happens.  Thanks to the flashes of lightning that happen periodically, we can make out the silhouette of a cat and a dog that look a lot like Muffin and Red.  Uh-oh.  This doesn't look good.



Seconds later, the trash cans outside of Archie's house get knocked over, and we can see that cords are attached to each one.  Each time a can falls, the camera takes a photo.  I hope this doesn't mean what I think it means.



The noise is enough to wake up Archie and Jughead, and both of them head outside to see what is going on - well, after Jughead manages to grab enough pancakes to serve 20 customers at the IHOP.  I guess Archie's mom wakes up at 2:30 in the morning to start breakfast.



So, problem #1.  Red has broken free from his chains because Archie is horrible at tying knots (Spoiler Alert: at least in THIS episode, he is).  And problem #2:  The garbage cans are all upset.



Which leads to problem #3.  Mrs. Schweckner must have woken up early from all the commotion and this time she's brought a friend with her - the friendly neighbourhood dog catcher.  And this time, she has a warrant to lock up Red for good after she (probably) embellished a story about how Red has rabies and how he wants to decapitate Muffin with his foaming mouth. 

Archie insists that Red is innocent and that Red and Muffin are pals, but Mrs. Schweckner is determined to find the dog so that she can teach him a thing or two.



Luckily, Archie and Jughead have some allies.  Betty and Veronica have heard about Red being missing and they are offering to help find him.  Now, I must say, this is nothing new for Betty to be helpful, but Veronica is willing to walk in the pouring rain to search for Archie's dog?  Why, I do believe our spoiled rich girl is softening!



After a few minutes of looking, Archie spots something red sticking out of a bush that looks like Red's tail, and all four kids run toward it thinking that they've found him.  Unfortunately, it just happens to be a beat up old chair.  Fortunately, Mrs. Schweckner makes the same mistake, jumps in the bushes, and the chair ejects her out of the bush, bruising her...dignity.



And our friendly neighbourhood dog catcher just laughs, not only revealing his true allegiance, but proving that not even dog catchers like Mrs. Schweckner!



While all this is going on, Eugene is in a darkroom trying to develop the photos taken at Archie and Jughead's place.  Keep in mind that back in 1987, cell phones and digital cameras were not around, so photos had to be processed the old-fashioned way.  And needless to say, we see Eugene try and fail several times to get any clear images.  And THIS is who Archie entrusted to help with the investigation?  Sigh...

Someone else who HAS joined the search for Red is Hot Dog, Jughead's faithful, but dopey four-legged companion.  After all, just as Jughead and Archie are best friends, Red and Hot Dog seem to be pals as well. 



But again, Hot Dog isn't exactly the sharpest tool in the hardware department.  Archie thinks that Hot Dog picked up Red's scent, but really, all Hot Dog does is lead Archie and the gang to a butcher shop where he's almost as much of a celebrity as Lassie. 

And Mrs. Schweckner arrives at the butcher shop just as the butcher prepares to give Hot Dog his daily treat.



See, this is why people HATE you, Mrs. Schweckner.  First you accuse a dog of scaring your cat, and now you steal Hot Dog's lunch?  What are you going to do next, knock off a liquor store?



Soon after, Betty and Veronica have spotted a set of footprints that appear to be from a dog.  But Veronica cleverly deduces that the footprints are too big to match Red's paws.



And as Betty and Veronica follow the trail, they soon discover that the prints belong to Hot Dog, who happens to be running around in a circle, tying up Jughead and Archie in the process.  This prompts Betty to remark that they should stick together if they want to find Red, and Veronica to call Hot Dog a nuisance.  Ah, there's the old Veronica coming back!

Mrs. Schweckner has also found the tracks, and she comes across Betty, Veronica, and Archie, and she is determined to find out where Red and Muffin are.  She notices movement in the bushes, grabs the dog catcher's net, and screams "I GOT HIM!"



Who she's got is Jughead eating a sandwich.  At least Jughead offers her one.



And Eugene continues to wish it were 2015 instead of 1987.  If it were, he wouldn't continue to have so much trouble developing the photos that could clear Red's name.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Schweckner is on her bicycle, and she is determined to find Red so she can skin him for her new fur coat...or to get answers as to where Muffin went.  Or both perhaps.  The dog catcher is trying to warn Mrs. Schweppner that she is approaching a swamp and that it is dangerous to proceed, but the acid-tongued Mrs. Schweppner blasts him, screaming that he has been on the kids side from the moment he joined the investigation - which, you have to admit, he kind of is.

But Mrs. Schweckner's monologue is quickly silenced as she screams and we see mud splashing out of the bushes.  I'm guessing dog catcher was right about the swamp after all.



The sudden noise grabs Hot Dog's attention, and Jughead, Betty, Archie, and Veronica follow Hot Dog down the hill where Jughead sees Mrs. Schweckner's straw hat next to the swamp and makes the remark that she melted.

Wow...this show really DID borrow a lot from the Wizard of Oz, didn't they?  Now I expect flying monkeys to come by and grab all the kids to lock them in a tower.



Instead, the dog catcher grabs a rope and pulls Mrs. Schweckner from Quicksand Swamp before Mrs. Schweckner drowns and the show really has to plan a funeral storyboard.



Back at Eugene's - after what seems like the 16th attempt to get somewhere, Eugene's final photo reveals the truth.  The garbage can vandal is none other than Mrs. Schweckner a raccoon!  The raccoon framed Red for the crime.  Red is completely innocent!  So, this leads to the next mystery.  If Red didn't do the deed, then where did he disappear to?  And what happened to Muffin?

Well, as the sun sets, the kids will soon have their answer.  Archie faintly hears a dog barking in the distance, and Archie runs towards a farm and...

...HOW THE HELL DID THEY GET TO THE FARM?  The show started in the middle of suburban Riverdale!  You mean to tell me that they walked all the way to the boonies in a single DAY?  Wow...that's either sheer will power or stupidity.  Maybe the dog catcher gave them a ride? 



Anyway, the source of the barking is coming from a pile of hay, and after Archie jumps inside to look around, he emerges from the hay with a Cheshire Cat like grin on his face, which causes Mrs. Schweckner to blow a gasket...



...at least until Archie reveals the real reason why Muffin went away.



See, what the show didn't reveal until the end is that Muffin was pregnant and Maury Povich determined that Red was the father...

...no wait.  Let's try that again.

Muffin was pregnant and due to deliver her kittens any day now.  The father of the children took off for Albuquerque months ago, and Red stepped in to be Muffin's Lamaze coach.  That's why Red was so concerned for Muffin, and that's why Muffin and Red left.  Muffin wanted a quiet place away from raccoons upsetting garbage cans, screaming little old ladies on bicycles, and pre-teens who attend junior high to give birth to her babies.

And the last frame of the show is probably one of the sweetest endings that I've ever seen.

Okay, so aside from the Wizard of Oz references, I really loved this episode.  For one, it allowed us to get to know Archie's dog better.  It's nice to see Red having as big a heart as his owner. 

It was also refreshing to see Veronica act less like a brat and more like a human being.  And Reggie was barely in this episode at all.  Perhaps Veronica should stay away from Reggie more often.

Finally, the whole plot itself was sweet and surprisingly realistic for a cartoon series.  Granted, the plot could have easily been used in an episode of "The Littlest Hobo", but I digress.  It's going to be tough to find an episode to beat this one as my favourite of The New Archies.


Coming up next week, Jughead believes that he is cursed.  This ought to be good.