Ocean Girl: Episode guide ========================= 1. Strange Encounters --------------------- *Written by Peter Hepworth; Directed by Mark DeFriest* Dr. Dianne Bates and her two sons, Jason and Brett, arrive at the underwater ORCA research centre for a six month stay, during which time Dr. Bates will be studying whales with the help of her assistant Winston Seth. Her youngest son Brett takes to the station immediately but Jason cannot wait to leave and is not shy about making his feelings known. Dianne’s first job at ORCA is to place a transmitter on a whale to monitor it’s brain waves. Out on the ocean, Jason is selected to “tag” the whale with the transmitter but as he prepares to do so a girl rises up out of the ocean pleading with him not to harm the whale. Jason freezes, unable to do anything, and Dianne is forced to shoot the transmitter onto the whale. Back on ORCA Jason tries to tell his mother about the girl but she doesn’t believe his story. 2. Badberry Dreams ------------------ *Written by Peter Hepworth; Directed by Mark DeFriest* Brett and his friends welcome new arrival Vanessa Lane to ORCA with a practical joke. Quick to get revenge for her embarrassment, Vanessa sets Brett adrift in a boat. When a tropical storm rolls in, the search for Brett is halted leaving Brett alone to face the elements. When the storm lets up, Brett finds that his boat has washed up on an island. He wanders ashore looking for help but instead he comes across Neri, the girl Jason saw in the ocean. When a search party approaches the island, Neri takes Brett back to his boat and asks him not to tell anyone about her, he agrees but once back on ORCA he reveals to Jason that he too has met the mysterious girl. 3. Secrets ---------- *Written by Neil Luxmoore; Directed by Mark DeFriest* After receiving his boat license, Jason’s first assignment is to go out and mark the location of a drift net. Neri meanwhile, responding to calls from Charlie, goes out to the net herself but gets entangled in it. Jason and Brett arrive in time to save her and after explaining to her that the net isn’t theirs, she promises to show them her island. The next day, when Neri takes the boys to her island, Brett wanders off while chasing a tree frog and becomes stuck up to his neck in quicksand before Neri and Jason come to pull him out. Back on ORCA, Froggy and Zoe find themselves in possession of a storeroom full of chocolate bars when Froggy hacks into HELEN, the station’s computer, to get access to restricted food items. 4. Hell ’n’ High Water ---------------------- *Written by Neil Luxmoore; Directed by Mark DeFriest* Having first fooled Damien into performing an embarrassing chicken dance in front of everyone, Vanessa then gets herself paired up with Jason on a diving task hoping to find out what he and Brett have been getting up to when they’re away from ORCA. Out on the ocean, Neri appears from beneath the waves to warn Jason that an earthquake is coming. When they return to ORCA, Commander Lucas is angry at Jason for abandoning their project as there is no sign of any geological activity. When an earthquake does strike, Damien and Lee become trapped in a compartment that quickly begins to fill with water. Froggy tries to work around HELEN to get them out but when that fails, Damien is left to rescue himself and Lee. 5. Past Imperfect ----------------- *Written by David Phillips; Directed by Mark DeFriest* Brett’s birthday party proves to be a big hit with his friends but Brett is disappointed when he doesn’t receive a gift from his father (his parents are divorced). Following a heated argument between Dianne and Commander Lucas over the acquisition of new equipment for Dianne’s research, Winston suggests that they should make an effort to be nicer to one another. Talking with Froggy and Zoe about divorce and stepparents, Brett gets the idea that there may be a relationship at work between his mother and Commander Lucas, especially when he sees how nice they are being to each other of late. Brett’s belief seems to be validated when he finds himself being given a private tour of the bridge by Commander Lucas, during which he decides to casually mentions some unsettling details about his mother hoping to disinterest the Commander. After saving Jason from a shark while swimming near her island, Neri tells Jason her life story—that which she remembers. 6. The Real World ----------------- *Written by Michael Joshua; Directed by Mark DeFriest* Jason’s frequent use of the boats results in Commander Lucas banning him from using them for a period of one week, effectively cutting him off from Neri. A pair of eager developers arrive on ORCA expressing an interest in a nearby island—Neri’s. Jason volunteers to be their guide on their visit to the island and once on the island he and Neri are able to scare off the developers keeping the island safe. When Jodie takes forty dollars from a lost wallet, Vanessa forces her to spy on Jason and Brett in order to keep the theft a secret. 7. Remember When ---------------- *Written by Alison Niselle; Directed by Mark DeFriest* Neri brings Jason’s attention to a toxic dump in the ocean that is making Charlie sick. When Jason is reprimanded for leaving an important project, it is up to Lee, Brett, Froggy and Zoe to prove to Commander Lucas that the dumping of waste in the ocean is occurring. A barrel is recovered and dramatically revealed during a presentation on ORCA by Zenco, a major sponsor of ORCA research and the company responsible for dumping the waste. Neri once again expresses her desire to see the inside of ORCA. 8. Behind Enemy Lines --------------------- *Written by Ian Coughland; Directed by Brendan Maher* Reluctantly, Jason agrees to show Neri his and Jason’s home on ORCA. After steeling one of Vanessa’s uniforms and obtaining a fake ID from Froggy, Brett begins a long-winded tour of ORCA that he hopes will bore Neri into making her visit a short one. Neri however is quickly captivated by ORCA—just as Damien seems to be with her. Getting separated from Jason and Brett, Neri wanders into Dianne’s lab where she encounters both Dianne and Commander Lucas. Meanwhile Vanessa discovers that one of her uniforms is missing and has an idea of just who is wearing it. Fortunately Jason and Brett are able to get Neri away from an insistent Vanessa and off of ORCA before any more trouble arises. 9. Breaking Away ---------------- *Written by Shane Brennan; Directed by Brendan Maher* As the kids are preparing for their shore leave to Port Jackson, Neri makes a surprise visit that forces Jason and Brett to take her with them. Damien invites Neri to see a movie but the experience frightens her and she runs off. On her own, Neri meets a young boy and helps him retrieve a stolen bracelet. Returning to ORCA, Jason and Lee find themselves alone but Commander Lucas’ arrival makes for an awkward moment. Neri asks Brett what kissing is like and when he suggests she try it, she does—with Damien. Dianne and Winston come to the conclusion that Charlie is actually communicating with the small animal that accompanies him (Neri) but Dianne is not happy by Jason’s lack of interest in the success of her research. 10. In The Deep End ------------------- *Written by Jenny Sharp; Directed by Brendan Maher* New monitoring equipment allows Dianne and Winston to hear Neri’s communications with Charlie but when the tag on Charlie stops working Dianne must go out and replace it. Using the songs of Charlie and Neri, Dianne and Winston are able to attract Charlie to their location. Dianne runs out of oxygen while diving but is rescued by Neri who is forced to reveal herself to Dianne and Winston in the process. When Dianne’s research is faced with being shut down, Neri replaces the lost transmitter on Charlie enabling her research to continue. 11. The Girl Who Fell From The Sea ---------------------------------- *Written by Neil Luxmoore; Directed by Brendan Maher* Dianne asks Neri to help with her research on whales, Dianne is especially curious as to how Neri is able to communicate with Charlie. Arrangements are made for Neri to stay on ORCA but as Dianne’s work with Neri continues, Jason accuses his mother of “monstering” Neri when all Neri wants is to be a part of their family. Brett, Froggy, and Zoe chase after the spy who has been steeling Dianne’s whale recordings. 12. The Running Tide -------------------- *Written by Peter Hepworth; Directed by Brendan Maher* The spy takes the stolen whale recordings back to Dr. Hellegren at UBRI—Hellegren wants to be the first person to communicate with whales. Dianne’s tests on Neri reveal a remarkable telepathic ability. Dr. Hellegren uses the stolen recordings to lure Charlie into an isolated bay bounded by an electrified net. Dianne readies Neri for her first dance but upon hearing Charlie’s calls for help, Neri rushes out midway through. Curious as to why someone would steal recordings of whales, Commander Lucas decides to look into Dianne’s research and discovers all about Neri. 13. Siren Call -------------- *Written by Neil Luxmoore; Directed by Brendan Maher* Jason and Brett round up their friends to help rescue Charlie, but Jason must also tell them the truth about Neri. Dianne destroys all of her research on Neri after Commander Lucas tells her that he will have to file a report on Neri. The kids infiltrate the UBRI command post and are able to release the net and free Charlie. A blood test done on Neri indicates that she is not human. Dianne convinces Commander Lucas not to file his report. Leaving with Charlie on his annual migration, Neri tells her friends to watch for her return.