"Cows & Effects"
Episode Summary
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Written by: Elizabeth Stewart
Directed by: Francis Damberger
Aired on Nickelodeon: February 11, 2001 at 8:00 p.m.
My Overall Opinion of the Episode:
I liked the strong environmental focus of this episode.
The Cast:
Cynthia Belliveau -- Dori Lowe
Lindsay Felton -- Caitlin Seeger
Brendan Fletcher -- Eric Anderson
Jeremy Foley -- Griffen Lowe
Alana Husband -- Nikki
Terry Lawrence -- Coach Lawrence
Ken Tremblett -- Jim Lowe
Stephen Warner -- Brett Stevens
The Music:
"Wishing for a Sail" -- Dig Circus
Episode Summary:
Eric has been put in charge of the cattle on his dad's ranch while his dad and brothers are away at an auction. The cattle suddenly become deathly ill. Eric attempts to find the cause of the problem and Caitlin offers to help him. Caitlin and Eric discover that a fence on the property is down. On the other side of the fence is property that has been abandoned by neighbors who recently went bankrupt. Eric and Caitlin investigate the abandoned property and discover that there are old barrels of DDT (pesticide) leaking into the water. The cattle have been crossing over to the abandoned property and drinking the poisoned water. Eric fixes the fence to prevent the cows from crossing over again, but not before one of the calves dies. Eric asks the mayor to get the poison cleaned up. However, the mayor refuses to take immediate action. Caitlin and Eric start a campaign to inform the public. Their hope is to force the mayor to act. The episode ends without the problem being resolved, but there is hope that Caitlin and Eric's campaign will be effective.
Episode Highlights:
1. Eric tells his dad what happened but his dad is not very understanding or forgiving. Eric's dad tells Eric that if he hadn't been so busy playing football he would have noticed that the fence was down. Caitlin tells Eric that it's not his fault that there were poisonous chemicals leaking into the water. Eric, however, is too discouraged by his dad's harsh criticisms to hear what Caitlin is trying to tell him. Eric tells Caitlin, "My dad's right. I was supposed to mind the calves. I was supposed to make sure the fence was okay. It's not like I failed to do the dishes or something!" Caitlin tells Eric that he shouldn't blame himself for everything.
2. Griffen wants everyone to know how beautiful his girlfriend Nikki is. He enters her into a rodeo queen competition without asking her permission. Nikki is furious with Griffen and says to him, "I don't care about being smarter or more beautiful than anyone!"
3. Griffen doesn't understand why Nikki is so angry. He tells his dad (Jim) that he just wanted everyone to know how beautiful his girlfriend was. Jim asks, "Why does it matter so much what the world thinks?" Griffen says, "Because it does. It's good to be popular, right?" Jim replies, "Maybe. Depends what you have to give up to get it."
Episode Image:
