Changing Nature

"Changing Nature" is the 7th episode of the 4th season of Dinosaurs as well as the final episode of the series before its apparent cancellation. It originally aired on ABC on July 20, 1994, as the series finale.

"Changing Nature"
Dinosaurs episode
Episode no.	Episode 58
Directed by	Kirk R. Thatcher
Written by	Tom Trbovich
Original air date	July 20, 1994

The final episode deals with Nature being thrown out of balance due to the extinction of a bug species called Bunch Beetles caused by the corrupt company WESAYSO. To fix the problem WESAYSO has formed a task force with the main character of the series, Earl Sinclair as chairman in charge of the task force. After trying multiple attempts to fix the problem Earl only winds up making the problem worse and causes the Ice Age.

Plot

On the news, news anchorman Howard Handupme is announcing the arrival of the Bunch Beetles who come to Pangea once a year on May 14th to eat a vine plant know as cider poppies. In the park, the Sinclair family is having a barbeque in celebration of the Bunch Beetles, Earl is trying to cook a steak with some new fancy high tech grill but it doesn't seem to work so he turns it up high which winds up burning the steak. Ethyl then drives everyone's attention to the TV which is showing the arrival of the Bunch Beetles countdown. Everyone counts down to 0 but the Beetles are nowhere to be seen, as Charlene wonders where they are Earl brushes it off claiming that they're just bugs and that they won't make any difference. While the Sinclair family is eating a cider poppy plant coils around a chair.

4 days later the cider poppies have completely grown out of control and are overtaking Pangea. As the Sinclairs and Earl's best friend Roy try to deal with the situation a Bunch Beetle named Stan arrives who was late because he left the stove on. He takes a liking to Charlene and explains that Bunch Beetles have a short lifespan so they go to their mating ground swamp every year to mate in order to lay eggs and produce baby Bunch Beetles who will eat all the cider poppies. Charlene volunteers to help Stan get to the mating ground swamp since he's lost and discover to their horror that the company WESAYSO has torn the mating ground swamp down and built a wax fruit factory on top on it. One of the workers at the factory also reveals that they sprayed all the Bunch Beetles who arrived at the factory thus killing the entire species and throwing the ecosystem out of balance.

Back at the Sinclair household Earl and Fran are trying to get rid of the cider poppies when the news appears on the TV, interviewing Charlene and Stan about the missing Bunch Beetles. When they say that WESAYSO is responsible for the missing Bunch Beetles and the cider poppy crisis. Earl rushes over and takes over the interview claiming that it was all in the name of progress which he claims is good. B.P. Richfield is also watching the news and gets a call from his boss about them being responsible for the cider poppy crisis is a public relations nightmare. Richfield then gets an idea to make Earl the answer to the problem, claiming he's dumb enough to volunteer.

Now entering week 2 of the cider poppy crises, Howard Handupme reports that WESAYSO has formed a task force to take care of the problem by spraying the entire continent with a powerful chemical defoliant. Earl and Roy are interviewed about the defoliant which the reporters claim is another word for poison. Earl and Roy assures the reporters that the defoliant is safe even though it was donated to them by B.P. Richfield who prefers to remain anonymous. Back at the Sinclair home Robbie questions Earl about spraying the continent with poison and asks if there is a safer alternative, which Charlene suggests that they trim back the vines as much as they can and live with a little discomfort hoping that nature will eventually restore the balance. Earl refuses, claiming it will take too long, but Robbie asks if he tested the poison to make sure it's safe, which Earl claims Mr. Richfield has told him that it is safe. Robbie then prepares to leave the house but Earl stops him saying that WESAYSO is spraying the poison tonight, suddenly the helicopters arrive to spray Pangea.

The poison is sprayed which gets rid of the cider poppies, however, the next day it is revealed that the poison worked too well. Not only are the cider poppies gone but all pant life on Pangea has been killed, thus destroying the global food chain because no plants means no food at all. Earl states that there are tons of commercial-free snack foods that have no natural ingredients but Fran says that they can't live on snack foods but Baby states he can. Earl then reassures his family that Mr. Richfield has found a way to bring back the plants.

In Richfield's office he, Earl, and Roy try to figure out how to bring back the plants. Richfield states that they have to make it rain and to get rain they need clouds which he thinks come from volcanoes (which actually produce smoke). Richfield states that in order to make clouds they need to set off a bunch of volcanoes by dropping bombs in them. Earl isn't sure about the idea claiming that they would be declaring war on nature and that they should think things through since their last idea backfired on them. However, Richfield convinces Earl that this is no time to lose faith in progress and they all go with the plan.

Bombs are dropped into volcanoes which create giant thick black clouds that cover the entire planet. Earl is happy because the clouds will create rain but the rest of the Sinclair family disagrees and watches the news. Howard Handupme reports that the clouds are blocking off the sun and causing global temperatures to drop precipitously. Earl tries to look on the bright side, claiming that even though they might get snow instead of the rain the sun will come out and melt it all away making the plants grow. However, Howard Handupme reports that due to the thickness of the clouds scientists have predicted that it will be tens of thousands of years before the sun shines over Pangea again thus creating the Ice Age. Earl tries to call Mr. Richfield about the problem but he claims it's good because everyone everywhere is flooding the stores buying WESAYSO blankets, heaters, and hot cocoa mix and that it might be the best third-quarter in history. Earl tries to point out that the world may be coming to an end but Richfield refuses to listen claiming it to be a fourth-quarter problem and that his only problem is figuring out what to do with all the money he has made which he plays with, completely blinded by his greed to see the impending doom.

Later, Earl apologies to Stan for the destruction of his mating ground and the extinction of his species. Stan thanks Earl but then asks to be comforted by Charlene who slaps him down, which he takes. Earl then apologizes to his family for bringing forth the end of the world and that he put too much faith in progress and technology and not having any respect for nature. He claims that it's so easy to take nature for granted because its always there and that technology is just so flashy, shiny, and new. Fran and the others understand but Baby doesn't, Earl explains to Baby that he was put in charge of the world and he didn't take good care of it and now because of him there won't be a world left for Baby, Robbie or Charlene to live in. Baby asks if they're going to move but Earl says no because there is nowhere to move to because it's the only world they got. Baby then asks what's gonna happen to them which Earl answers that he doesn't really know. But Robbie and Charlene assure Baby that whatever happens nobody is gonna leave him and that they'll all stay together as a family. Earl also assures that it will work out okay, stating that dinosaurs have been on Earth for a hundred and fifty million years and it's not like they're going to just disappear... Outside, the Sinclair home is being buried in the snow along with the wax fruit factory which caused all the problems to begin with.

Howard Handupme after taking a look at the long-range forecast which calls for snow, darkness, and extreme cold signs off for the last time by saying "Goodnight... Goodbye."

Reception

Response

Stuart Pankin stated that the ending "was a simplistic and heartfelt social comment, yet it was very powerful" with "subtlety" being a defining aspect.[1]

The television series creators decided to make this finale as a way of ending the series as they knew the show could be canceled when they created season 4. Michael Jacobs stated that "We certainly wanted to make the episode to be educational to the audience", and as people knew dinosaurs were no longer alive, "The show would end by completing the metaphor and showing that extinction."[1] Ted Harbert, president of ABC, expressed discomfort at the ending in a telephone call but allowed it to go forward.[1]

Jacobs stated that correspondence from parents revealed that "They understood the creativity in the final episode, and they were sad at the predicament we presented in the story."[1] Pankin stated that "Everybody was at first shocked, but I think it was more of a reaction to the show ending."[1] Pankin stated that "understood the creativity in the final episode, and they were sad at the predicament we presented in the story." did not remember a significant number of audience members being angry about the ending.[1] In 2018 Jacobs stated that the episode would have trended on social media had it been released that year.[1] In fact it has trended multiple times on social media.

Noel Murray of The A.V. Club stated that the episode "delivered as blunt an environmental message as any major network TV broadcast since The Lorax."[2] Brian Galindo of Buzzfeed described it as being shocking for children.[3]

References

2. Murray, Noel (2011-07-21). "Dinosaurs, "Changing Nature"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
3. Galindo, Brian (2013-05-14). ""Dinosaurs": The Most Traumatizing Series Finale Ever". Buzzfeed. Retrieved 2020-06-28.