EPISODE XLV | EPISODE XLVI


 
Airdate
August 23, 2003

Storyboarded and Written by
Bryan Andrews and Brian Larsen

Directed by
Randy Myers Genndy Tartakovsky
Samurai Jack / Vender #1 / Mate
Ancient Mariner / Gill King / Ticket Guy
Scotsman / Pedestrian / Vender #2
Siren #1
Siren #2
Hunter #1 / Chartman / Captain
Hunter #2 / Customer / Tango Beast
Siren #3

 
 Phil LaMarr
 Dee Bradley Baker
 John Dimaggio
 Jennifer Hale
 Janine La Manna
 Daran Norris
 Kevin Michael Richardson
 Tara Strong

On a boat, the Scotsman finds Jack, his sword missing, with a case of amnesia. To help his friend, he takes Jack on a journey, retracing his steps to find his sword and regain his memory. A series of clues leads them to an island in an unknown region of the ocean where they encounter the sirens that took Jack's mind. Thanks the the sound of the Scotsman's bagpipes, Jack returns to his senses and defeats the sirens. To determine who will row their boat on the journey back, Jack and the Scotsman challenge each other in a friendly contest.
 


 

 

 

 

 

 
Initially aired on one night as a special movie event, the program was split into two separate episodes on subsequent television airings
 
Episode XLV is littered with Star Wars references:
- At the start of the episode, standing next the Scotsman is a character resembling Boba Fett
- The bounty hunter punched out by the Scotsman resembles Greedo
- The lines "I've got a bad feeling about this", "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy" and the
  Scotsman and Jack's entire exchange with the ship's captain are all dialogue lifted from the film

The Scotsman mentions that Jack is the defender of, among other things, talking dogs, a reference to Episode II and Episode III


 
"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is a famous poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

 
The sirens are derived from Greek mythology
The cast of The Love Boat television series make a cameo appearance in the sirens' cave, captured by the sirens among Vikings, pirates, sailors and robots

When Jack suggests throwing large stones to determine who will row the boat, the Scotsman refuses, suggesting that Jack cheats, referencing Jack's unconventional way of stone throwing in Episode XVII



 
During Jack and the Scotsman's friendly contest, the duo competed in:
- Long distance stone throwing
- Foot racing
- Jumping to a tall branch (which Jack accomplishes by "jumping good," referencing Jack's training in Episode XIV)
- Javelin marksmanship
- Sword speed
- Catching fish
- Building sand castles
- Knocking bananas from branches
- Long jumping
- Tic-tac-toe
- Thumb wrestling

Jeremy's Review

A fun two-parter with the Scotsman taking center stage. It's entertaining but somewhat frustrating to see Jack completely helpless. The last sequence is amusing but doesn't really seem to flow with the rest of the hour-long episode. As a whole, it's a good episode but not great. B