The Alchemist

The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
"The Alchemist"
Episode no.	H00616-94014
Airdate	September 10, 1996
Chief locations	San Francisco 37.48N, 122.24W (3,684 miles)
Vehicle(s)	PBY Catalina
Writer(s)	Peter Lawrence Kip & Kern Konwiser (Story)
Guest roles	Michael Benyaer (Guard) Frank Welker (Eagle / Monk) Mayim Bialik (Lucy) Michael des Barres (Merlin) Quinton Flynn (Ben / Policeman) Ken Mars (Faust / Police Captain) Haunani Minn (Old Woman) Marc Singer (Montegue)
Episode sequence	Ezekiel Rage <--> Return of the Anasazi
Other episodes

Dr. Quest is commissioned to find the Philosopher's Stone, which is reputed to turn dross to gold. But when he succeeds, the stone is later stolen from a museum by Quest's partner, who wants to try it out for himself.

Plot Summary

Teaser

The Asian monk

High upon a stark cliffside, an Asian mine climbs up to reach a massive tree, atop which lies a great eagle's nest. The Asian man finds the eagle's egg, which glows when he touches it. The mother eagle returns and transforms into even greater size, dropping the man and the egg off the cliff. He's killed by the impact, but the egg survives the fall and seems to become angular and golden. The eagle carries off the egg, and a narrator explains that it's the Philosopher's Stone, with the power to change any base metal into gold.

Act One

One thousand years later, Dr. Benton Quest, Hadji Singh, and Dr. Montegue uncover the Philosopher's stone beneath rock and snow in a remote location. Montegue wishes to try its legendary powers out, but Hadji and Dr. Quest feel it belongs in the museum that commissioned their exploration. Some time later, two masked bandits steal the egg-shaped stone from a museum. As the female thief waits for her getaway car, the shadow of an eagle approaches, becoming the form of an old woman who commands her to replace what she has taken. The elderly woman tells her that the power of the stone isn't meant for the material world, but she disappears when the getaway car arrives. The thieves take the egg to Dr. Montegue, who tries it out with loose nuts and bolts. Its activation causes the Asian to appear and warn him that those using the stone who are not pure of heart will be destroyed. Montegue declares that he's only interested in knowledge, not money, causing Dr. Faust to appear and warn him of obsession.

Montegue starts the process

Meanwhile, at the museum, Jonny Quest finds a bird feather and sees the eagle's shadow. He climbs the scaffolding to find an old woman who wishes to recruit him for some cause. Jessie Bannon climbs up, and the two go to the roof to follow the old woman after Hadji saves Jessie from falling. Jonny and Jessie see the eagle swoop over the city, and pursue with Hadji on the ground. The eagle leads them to the window of a building; inside, Merlin chides Montegue for his alchemy, but Montegue celebrates when his process produces two bars of pure gold.

Act Two

The abducted Quests

Jonny, Jessie, and Hadji alert the police, but by the time they arrive, Montegue has departed with his equipment. Some time later, he's shown arriving at a mansion with a massive laboratory for his alchemy; he delivers a soliloquy on the power of gold and money. Merlin and Dr. Faust appear and tell him he's lost his soul and cannot produce more gold, prompting Montegue to plan to capture someone with a pure heart. He calls his two thugs and offers them $2 million to abduct the Quest kids from the Quest Compound. They succeed, and Montegue asks Hadji to run the program while Jonny and Jessie ask for water. Hadji uses the distraction to send an e-mail for help. Montegue threatens to kill Jonny and Jessie, but when Hadji complies with his demand, the stone unleashes the eagle, which starts destroying the lab equipment. The thugs try to kill it, but it splits into several smaller birds, starting a fire and overwhelming Montegue and the thugs. The lab explodes as Jonny, Jessie, and Hadji run to safety.

Notes

Quotes

The eagle over the Quest Compound

• Hadji - "Sometimes we have to stand on our heads on order to see things right-side up."

~

• Hadji - "Oh, are you okay Hadji? Not hurt or anything, my friend? Oh no, Jonny, I am absolutely fine! Several iron pipes have played Big Noise from Winnetka upon my head, but fortunately, I wear a turban."

~

• Jonny - "There she is!"
• Jessie - "You can tell it's a 'she' from this distance. You must have telescopic eyesight."

~

• Montegue - "In less than an hour, I'll be able to buy and sell the Dr. Quests of this world, all day and all night!"
• Hadji - "Not if I refuse to make your gold, Dr. Montegue. And I do refuse! I would rather die than betray whatever gifts I have."

Goofs

• The cop car delivering Race and Dr. Quest to their kids in San Francisco is the same as the one stopping by the Quest Compound in Maine, as is the police officer. Did they really make a cross-country trek?

Trivia

• The Quest Byte features a circuit overload and system breakdown in Questworld.
• The Italian Stickerbook confirms the teaser took place in 960 A.D.

From: Episodes