Bloodlines

The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
"Bloodlines"
Episode no.	H00616-94051
Airdate	December 12, 1996
Chief locations	Calcutta - 88.37E, 22.65N (10,751 miles)
Vehicle(s)	Dragonfly Jet Quest SUV
Writer(s)	Glenn Leopold
Guest roles	Ed Gilbert (Hakim / Salim / Haresh) Nick Jameson (Sultan Vikram / Cop) Maurice La Marche (Pasha / Arun / Deepak) Richard Libertini (Commissioner) Nancy Linari (Neela)
Episode sequence	Rock of Rages <--> Race Against Danger
Other episodes

Following clues of disturbing childhood memories, Hadji flies to Calcutta to find Pasha Peddler. They discover that his shop has been trashed by thugs, and the resulting pursuit reveals the truth about Hadji's lineage.

Plot Summary

Act One

The episode begins with images of Hadji Singh's first memories, recalled through the help of Questworld and Dr. Quest's VR Memory Probe in the lighthouse. As Jonny watches, Hadji views his mother and father for the first time. The scene soon changes to Hadji's running through the palace as a young boy to escape someone. The pursuer turns out to be Pasha Peddler, who calms young Hadji before raising a knife and plunging it towards him. Hadji leaves Questworld screaming, which alerts Race Bannon and Jessie. She reveals that Benton has not yet perfected the probe, and suggets Hadji call Pasha to learn more about the incident. An attempt to do so ends in failure when a scarred man tells Hadji to "come and get [Pasha]" before ripping the phone from the wall at his shop. Concerned, the gang take the Dragonfly Jet to Calcutta, where they find his shop closed on a busy market day. Inside, the shop has been ransacked, though no money has been taken. As the team search for clues, four thugs burst in, the leader commanding the others to seize Hadji. Race smashes one before being knocked out himself, and despite Jonny and Jessie's efforts, Hadji is wrangled.

Act Two

Race regains his composure and leaps into action. Before a showdown can occur, the police rush in as the thugs flee. A man fingers Race as the perpetrator, noting that his credit card allowed entry. The others plea otherwise, and after checking his passport, the Calcutta police commander decides that he is genuine. That night, an assassin present at the shop climbs the wall of the Hotel Ranchipur and stabs what appears to be a sleeping Hadji. He uncovers the supposed body to find pillows; Race flips on the lights and rushes at the assailant. He overpowers him by breaking his wrist and tries to pry answers, but Hadji doubts he will talk due to a code of silence. The assassin uses the distraction to break free and escape in a jeep. Jonny is disappointed with his getaway until Race pulls out one of Dr. Quest's tracking scanners, as a beacon has been placed on the thug. They pursue in the Quest SUV when Jonny notices that the beacon is no longer on the road.

Race heads for the airport and takes control of the Dragonfly Jet; he fails to notice that another henchman has been hanging on beneath the Quest SUV, loaded in the plane's cargo bay. The thug on the plane ahead discovers the homing device and destroys it. Meanwhile, the trespasser on the Dragonfly unleashes a deadly cobra in the cockpit. The cobra spits venom in Race's eye; he immediately loses control of the jet, which careens toward a mountain.

Act Three

Race leaves the cockpit while Jonny takes controls, shakily assuring himself that flying is just like his computer flight simulator. The cobra appears in front of him and bites the captain's chair as he dodges to the side. Hadji quickly grabs it as Jonny regains control of the plane. In the cargo bay, Jessie treats Race's eyes. As she moves forward to help Jonny fly, the covert thug tries to stab her. Race confronts him, though his fighting moves are hampered by his vision problems. As the man nearly gets the upper hand, Hadji walks in and throws the cobra, which bites him in the face. He accidentally releases the bay doors and is swept out into the night sky. Ahead, the team see a landing strip; it lies adjacent to the palace of the Sultan of Bangalore, and armed guards escort them to an audience. He invites them to spend the night; as Hadji mentions that he remembers the palace, the Sultan reveals himself to be Hadji's cousin and promises to kill him. A trap door opens, depositing them in a jail cell across from Pasha Peddler's. Hadji's old caretaker confides that he tried to bribe the guards and warn Hadji, but they would not accept the cash.

Hadji inquires of his memories, and Pasha remarks that things should be set straight before they die. He relates that Bangalore was once a happy place, but its Sultan, Hadji's father Haresh, was a sickly man. His brother Dipak had coveted the throne for many years, and wanted to kill Hadji so that his line would inherit—specifically, his son Vikram. Pasha could not go through with it, and stole Hadji away, living city to city to avoid Deepak's wrath. Hadji asks of the fates of his mother and father. Pasha tells him that his father soon passed away, and that his mother is still alive. Immediately, his mother reveals herself from within the cell adjacent to Pasha's; the two reach out in joy from behind bars. Neela explains that she used her mental powers for years to try and find Hadji, but missed him each time when Pasha moved on. Vikram initially tried to stop her search, but feared that the Bangalore constituency, who viewed him as a despot, would revolt. He allowed her, but apparently shadowed her with thugs. She continued searching until a few days prior, when she found Pasha's shop. Vikram interrupts the story to take Hadji from his cell and forecast that the other three will die tomorrow as victims of a staged plane crash.

After they leave, Race produces a lockpick and escapes the cell with Jonny and Jessie. In the center of the dungeon, Vikram begins lowering Hadji, Neela, and Pasha into a pit of cobras. Neela reminds Hadji of his childhood training, and the two bend open the bars of their cage. Back in the jail, Race plants a small plastic explosive onto the huge metal door and takes cover in a cell. The door blasts open just as Vikram prepares to shoot Hadji with a crossbow; it kills two henchmen instantly. Race shoves another into the pit, and afterwards he and Jonny grab the other one as Jessie struggles to life the heavy cage. Race finally subdues the giant bodyguard as Vikram is nearly knocked into the pit. He almost recovers when the first henchman, drooling venom, holds him down. Hadji tries to rescue him, but his grip is too loose, and Vikram meets his end with the cobras. Neela remarks that Hadji is now Sultan, and the following day the new ruler addresses the people. He declares that he'd still like to spend time with the Quests, and that Neela shall rule in his absence, as the male royalty rules are dissolved.

Quotes

• Race - "Think Pasha takes credit cards?"

~

• Race - "Sorry; I'm his personal secretary, and you're going to have to make an appointment—with a good dentist."

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• Race - "Keep it; it's way over the limit anyway."

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• Race - "Pasha, if you can't wheel and deal your way out of here, we must be in trouble."

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• Hadji - "Me? Sultan?"
• Pasha - "It's your destiny, man. The male line of succession."

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• Pasha - "We're okay, kid. It'll take more than a couple of snakes to finish old Pasha off."

~

• Hadji - "Yes, it's true. There has been sadness in the past. But I want the future of Bangalore to be a happy one!"
• Hadji - "Power in Bangalore shall no longer be a male prerogative!"
• Jessie - "Right on, Sultan!"

~

• Pasha - "Hey, Race, about your jet. I can get it patched up, wholesale!"
• Race - "Uh, let me think about it...okay. No thanks."

Goofs

• Jennifer Hale is credited as "Jesse".

Trivia

• Jonny's remark that the city is more crowded than he remembers is probably an allusion to an episode of the classic series.
• Race's credit card, used to break in to Pasha's shop, is a 'NISA'.
• The "Hotel Ranchipur" may be an allusion to "The Rains of Ranchipur", a 1955 film set in India.
• If absent in the first season, Hadji's "mystical skills" are definitely back with the fork bending in season two and the trademark "Sim sim salabim".
• This episode does not feature a Questworld teaser.

From: Episodes