Saturday Morning Cult-TV Blogging: The Secrets of Isis: "The Outsider"

In “The Outsider,” Mrs. Thomas (Joanna Cameron) is worried about a bright new student, Wayne Moss (Mitch Vogel), who the other students bully and call a “hillbilly.”

Wayne spends most of his time away from school, exploring old Wilson’s Pond, and learning more about the wild life there.  He says he hates city life and the “pavement, concrete, and smog” of urban living.  Meanwhile, two bullies decide to steal the raccoon mascot of a competing sports team, and blame the theft on Wayne.

When Wayne learns that a land developer plans to dynamite and drain Wilson’s pond, he steals a bull-dozer, but soon loses control of it.

It’s Isis to the rescue!

“The Outsider” is a charming but totally fantasy-land installment of Isis.

In this episode, an “outsider” boy attempts to stop contractors and land developers from destroying a beautiful and precious natural habitat. 

Andrea gets a great (but odd idea) to help: “Let’s file an environmental impact report!” 

But, alas, it’s too late for the grinding wheels of bureaucracy to slow the project down.

Desperate, Rick Cutler goes to Mr. Winstead (Harry Hickox), the land developer -- while he is playing golf, no less -- and tells him about the white owl and other wild-life that will be destroyed by his actions. 

Horrified, Winstead calls off his multi-million, environment-destroying project right then and there. 

The dynamite fuses are already lit, but fortunately Isis can help.

If only life were really like this episode of Filmation's Secrets of Isis.

There is no land developer in the world, I fear, who would change course -- even if it is the right thing to do -- on the cusp of creating a multi-million dollar project (a new suburb). 

Indeed, this idea, of a millionaire businessman actually caring about the environment, is the most “fantastic” or fantasy element of the episode.  I would sooner believe in Isis, a near Goddess superhero, frankly. 

Still, this 1970s idealism is quite a wonderful, if innocent thing.  Too bad more children didn’t learn the lesson of Filmation’s “The Outsider,” that when we destroy the environment, we contribute to our own destruction.