01x04 - First Fish/A-Maze-ing Snow

[bunniefuu]

Hey, everyone-- it's me, Molly!

♪ Molly of Denali ♪

Let's go!

♪ She's Molly of Denali ♪

(laughing): Whoo!

♪ By plane or sled or snowshoe ♪

♪ She is ready to explore ♪

♪ From Kaktovik down to Juneau ♪

♪ Always wanting to learn more ♪

Yeah!

♪ Together with her best friend Tooey ♪

♪ Always by her side ♪ And Trini!

♪ Discovering the outdoors ♪

♪ On adventures day and night ♪

♪ Come along with Molly ♪

♪ Molly ♪

♪ Through fields of fireweed ♪

♪ Come along with Molly ♪

♪ Molly ♪

♪ From tundra to the sea ♪

Mahsi'choo-- let's go!

♪ Molly of Denali ♪ Yeah!

♪ She's Molly of Denali ♪

♪ Come on ♪ ♪ Let's go! ♪

♪ Molly of Denali ♪

♪ She's Molly of Denali ♪

MOLLY: "First Fish."

♪ ♪

(people laughing)

(straining): Big one...

(laughing)

That's the honest truth.

Ah, that's nothing.

My first fish had fangs-- great big chompers.

Grandpa, salmon don't have fangs.

This one did, like a saber-toothed tiger.

(roars)

Fish don't roar, either.

I love this story, Dad.

It gets wilder each time I hear it.

Anyway, there I was on the riverbank.

I got this salmon on the line, and he is one mighty fish.

(reel zipping)

Well, I braced my feet on the rock,

and this fish comes chomping up the line.

(yelps)

(chomping)

(yelps)

♪ ♪

(chuckles defiantly)

(chomping)

(clangs)

(chuckles)

Well, I had to eat it before it could eat me.

(all laughing)

The skillet is a nice touch, Nat.

(chuckling): I like it.

My first fish was so big,

it pulled me right out of the boat.

♪ ♪

(reel zipping)

(fish splashes)

(yelping)

I went bouncing across the water,

like a little skipping stone.

So I leaned back, got my feet underneath...

Woo-hoo! And pretty soon,

I was waterskiing behind that fish.

(reel rattles)

The fish was weaving around rocks,

trying to shake me loose.

But I held on.

Woo-hoo!

♪ ♪

Ha!

♪ ♪

I landed on that fish and carried him home for dinner.

(laughing, cheering)

That was some celebration.

(chuckling): That's some story.

And we'll have a whole new batch of stories very soon.

The luk choo, the salmon are running.

Why do they say that salmon run?

Luk choo don't have legs.

That's a great question.

And if you could find the answer,

I'll take you fishing tomorrow.

Wha...?

You mean me?

Really?

Why not?

It's time you caught your first fish.

Yes!

♪ I'm going fishing ♪

♪ I'm going fishing ♪

You have to find out why salmon run first.

I'm on it.

Aren't you forgetting something?

(humming tune)

♪ La la la la la la ♪

(laughing)

(panting)

Okay, so, "What does salmon run mean"?

The meaning of salmon run...

(whines)

So salmon running

just means they swim upstream.

I made this diagram to show Dad what I learned.

See?

You just follow the arrows.

Molly hopes to catch her first fish today.

Salmon start out as eggs.

Then they hatch.

And when the luk choo are big enough,

they swim downriver to the ocean.

And then, when they're bigger,

they leave the ocean and swim back up the river

against the current.

That's when they run.

Then what happens?

If they make it past all the birds and bears

waiting to eat them,

they lay eggs.

And then the cycle starts all over again.

Fantastic diagram, Molly.

I especially like how you drew a mustache

on that mean-looking bird.

Mahsi'.

I don't know if learning so much about salmon

will help me catch one,

but I hope it will!

♪ ♪

(sighs)

(groans)

(grunts in frustration)

We've been waiting all day, Dad!

How long does it take?

The fish gives itself to you, Molly, in its own time.

TOOEY: Hey, Molly!

Catch your first fish yet?

No!

Do you want some help?

My dad can always find fish.

That's a.... ♪ yes ♪

We'll find out where they are, and get word back to you.

Thanks!

Hai' choo!

♪ ♪

(engine grinding)

AUNTIE MIDGE: Engine trouble?

That's why I like muscle over machine.

(chuckles)

(gasps)

Look at all the fish you caught!

They're about a mile down by the bridge.

Can you tell that to Molly and her dad?

They're at Big Rock Bend.

I'll get the word to them.

And call you a tugboat!

(laughs)

Here, fishy, fishy.

Here, fishy.

(reel zips)

(gasps)

Dad, it's happening!

My first fish!

Hang onto it, Molly!

Keep reeling it in!

(reel zipping)

(straining): It feels like a really big one!

What?

I recognize this.

Tooey lost it when he caught his first fish.

(chuckles)

Which was a whopper, by the way.

Ugh, great.

At least I could say my first boot was a whopper.

AUNTIE MIDGE: I've got to get these fish in the smokehouse.

Molly's over at Big Rock Bend.

What?

Big Rock Bend!

Molly!

Yeah, I heard, trying to catch her first fish.

What dish?

Fish!

Tell Molly that Tooey said

there are salmon down by the bridge.

Say that again?

(faintly): Salmon are running down by the bridge!

Ham and onions down by the ridge?

♪ ♪

(engine revs)

Nina!

Hey, can you get a message to Molly?

She's over at Big Rock Bend.

Sure!

It's from Tooey.

He wants to tell Molly there are ham and onions by the ridge.

Yams are drowning the fridge?

(engine starts)

Huh, must be some kind of code?

♪ ♪

NINA: Hey, Molly!

Oh, good, you're still here.

I have a message from Tooey.

Yay, fish news! Hi, Nina.

Tooey says, "Yams are drowning the fridge."

What does that mean?

I don't know.

I thought you'd know.

I don't care about yams.

(sighs)

Tooey was supposed to find out where the fish are.

(sighs)

I've spent the whole day out here,

and all I caught was a lousy boot.

You know... tall tales aside,

not everyone catches a fish on their first day.

You're just saying that to make me feel better.

(birds squawking)

Hmm, where'd all those birds come from?

(squawking)

(gasps): Birds!

(exclaims)

Birds mean fish!

It's just like in my diagram!

Let's go!

(squawking)

Come on, come on, come on!

♪ ♪

(squawking continues)

Be careful, Mol.

Don't slip in the...

Whoa!

(grunts)

Mud.

(squawking continues)

(reel zipping) Woo-hoo!

Oh, I really hope this isn't a boot!

(straining): Or... a... tire....

DAD: Yeah!

NINA: Go, go, go, Molly! Hold on tight, Molly!

Reel it in!

Go, go, go! (laughs)

This is gonna be a really good first fish story!

Mm-hmm.

♪ ♪

MOLLY: It was probably the biggest first fish ever.

(zipping)

That fish pulled so hard.

(straining, cries out)

I went cartwheeling down the river after it.

Pretty soon, I caught up.

And...

Whoa!

(splashes loudly)

A-ha!

Hello, Mr. Fish.

(laughing) Hey, all right.

Good story, Molly.

(chuckling): It'll be even better the next time I tell it.

Oh, and...

(laughing)

(object shifting)

My first fish is for you, Grandpa.

Setseye go ees gaa noho desdloh.

Oh...

What an honor to receive your first fish, segoya.

Biggest first fish I ever held!

Dinner at my house tomorrow night!

(all laughing)

Hey, everyone, Molly here

to answer your questions about life in Alaska.

Tanisha in Rhode Island asks, "Can you tell me more

about the salmon life cycle?"

Sure!

♪ ♪

We're in Anchorage, Alaska!

GIRL: And we're visiting a hatchery.

ALL: We're learning about salmon life cycles.

GIRL: Indigenous people have been fishing for salmon

for over , years.

I mean, in Alaska,

it's like you can't even live without salmon here.

This diagram shows the order of the stages in the life cycle.

GIRL : The first stage of a salmon life cycle

is a fertilized egg.

Then they turn into a sac fry or alevin,

but they still have the food sac attached.

GIRL : There's tanks down there

that have baby salmon.

These fish are growing into adults.

♪ ♪

GIRL : Then out in the wild,

they go all the way to the ocean.

Adult salmon are eating in the ocean.

And then, when they're ready to spawn,

they return to their home streams.

The last stage of the cycle is spawning.

GIRL : Spawning means they return to their home river and reproduce.

They lay these eggs again and it starts the cycle over,

all over again.

Look!

(kids exclaiming)

GIRL: Look at that, whoa, look at that!

GIRL: I see one!

So it has to be a circle because it's just gonna keep

going and going.

Diagrams are really helpful

when you're learning about something new.

ALL: We love salmon!

(taps)

Mahsi'choo.

Thanks for asking, and see you next time.

"A-maze-ing Snow."

Hey, there, it's Molly, and Tooey, and Trini.

Hi! Whoop.

(Trini laughs) Hey!

So this is our school

in Qyah, Alaska.

We love school,

but we also love...

ALL: ♪ Snow days ♪

Yoink. (sighs)

So, last night, there was a huge blizzard.

School's closed, which means I get

to play with my friends all day.

Got it!

Only Speedy Boy Tooey got it first.

Trini Mumford has the ball!

Nothing can stop her really, really good awesomeness.

Whoa, nelly! Whoa, nelly!

TRINI: The stadium goes wild!

Listen to that roar!

(rumbling)

(roof cracks, kids cry out)

(basketball bounces)

Oh, no.

Gwizuu t'sa'.

Did I break the roof?

Uh-uh.

It broke from the weight of all the snow.

Good thing no one was inside.

Without a roof,

this snow day could turn into a snow year.

I'm pretty sure that's not a thing.

Come on, let's go tell someone.

♪ ♪

(people talking softly)

I won't sugarcoat it.

We've got a hole in our roof and no money to fix it.

We used up our funds on the new snow plow.

We either come up with some dough,

or this snow day turns into a snow year.

Told you.

AUNTIE MIDGE: So, any suggestions?

We could have a bake sale.

Good idea.

But my salmonberry pie

isn't going to bring in the bucks we need.

(gasps)

Tooey, I have an idea!

A carnival with all sorts of... carnival-y stuff,

like snowshoe races, and fiddling,

and hot chocolate and...

A blanket toss contest!

(laughing, talking)

GRANDPA NAT: Good idea.

Done.

A carnival this Saturday.

That gives us two days to pull this thing together.

(people exclaiming, laughing)

This will be the most fun fundraiser ever.

Hey, we can call it a...

Fun-raiser! Fun-raiser!

♪ ♪

Yesterday, this was a field of snow.

Tomorrow,

it'll blow your socks off.

MOLLY: Mr. Patak is selling whistles,

Mom is setting up for the cook-off,

and there's a trophy for the blanket toss contest.

TOOEY: Hey, Molly, check out the hot chocolate stand.

Coming!

TOOEY: Are you coming?

I'm trying.

There's all this snow in my way.

Follow my voice.

Molly!

Over here!

Brilliant, huh?

I just had an even brilliant-er idea.

Brilliant-er isn't a word.

A maze!

Made of snow!

We can charge admission!

I like it.

Yay!

Let's start building!

You can't just build a maze.

You have to design it.

You need a plan.

You need rulers and stuff.

It's still gonna be fun, right?

Totally.

♪ ♪

TOOEY: There, the entrance to our maze.

The entrance to our maze is a line?

Two lines.

Ooh, look at this one!

"Hampton Court Maze in England."

It's got all sorts of twists and turns and dead ends.

Dead ends are good.

And check this out.

World's largest snow maze, in Poland.

I like the high walls.

It's cool when you can't see where you are.

♪ ♪

It's done!

Our amazing maze.

That looks excellent!

Now we just have to build it.

Dad!

♪ ♪

DAD (on walkie-talkie): Okay boss, tell me when to turn.

Right about... now.

Now, Dad!

♪ ♪

By the way, I love it when you call me boss.

Sure thing, boss doodle.

TOOEY (on walkie-talkie): Okay, Mr. Mabray,

go about five yards, then a sharp left.

DAD: Gotcha.

♪ ♪

(crashes)

Uh, we've got a situation.

(engine idling)

Oh, no!

The rock!

I thought it was closer to the library.

DAD: No worries.

I'll just go around.

TOOEY: The map is all wrong now.

The rock's in the way of the path I drew.

We'll fix it later, Tooey.

It's still gonna be

the most amazing maze ever!

Step right up and enter the amazing maze!

(coins clatter)

Quyana!

Enjoy the maze.

(speaker feedback squeals)

GRANDPA NAT (on speaker): How does this... Ow!

Ooh, ooh, attention carnival-goers!

How does the...

Oh, the blanket toss contest

will be starting in ten minutes.

(chuckles, feedback squeals)

(groans)

That is all. (microphone clicks)

♪ ♪

Hi, hi, hi. (coin clatters)

Hi, Trini.

Wait, I thought you wanted to do the blanket toss.

I do!

This will only take a couple of minutes.

I'm great at mazes!

♪ ♪

This is so easy.

♪ ♪

Ah.

♪ ♪

(coin clatters)

Getting a lot of customers?

So many.

Hey, Dad, would you mind taking over

so Tooey and I can go see stuff?

Sure thing.

That's right, folks, check out the amazing maze

made from % real Qyah snow.

(playing fast tune)

(stomping, clapping)

♪ ♪

(playing notes)

(repeat notes)

♪ ♪

Hey, kids, I gotta bring another blanket to the blanket toss.

Can you cover the maze?

I'll be right back.

Uh-huh-- thanks, Dad.

GRANDPA NAT (on speaker): The blanket toss is about to begin.

TRINI: Wait for me!

I'm still in the maze!

BOTH: Uh-oh.

Trini, it's Molly!

Are you okay?

No!

I'm gonna miss the blanket toss!

Tell us where you are!

I'm stuck in the maze!

We know that.

Do you see any people?

TRINI: No!

They're probably all at the blanket toss!

We'll get you out!

Stay where you are!

Say my name, so I can follow your voice.

TRINI: My name!

Trini?

Over here!

Trini?

Tooey?

Trini?

Tooey?

Woo-hoo! Yes! Yay, you did it!

I found Trini!

MOLLY: Hurry!

They just started the blanket toss!

Okay.

We're here, the exit's there.

First we'll have to take a left turn

and then a right turn.

BOTH: Left...

Right!

I don't get it.

Where's the exit?

Oh, no.

Oh, no.

The map's wrong!

Remember when the rock was in your way,

so you made a different path?

Yes.

Well, Tooey and I were going to fix the map

to make it accurate, but...

You forgot? Uh-huh.

Maps are great, except when they're wrong.

And this is a wrong map.

GRANDPA NAT (on speaker): Blanket toss ends in five minutes.

Final contestants, make your way to the blanket toss.

I'm sorry, Trini.

That's okay.

(sighs)

It's only a little your fault.

You know,

what would help is if we had someone

to sniff them out.

(panting)

(gasps): Oh, my gosh, yes!

Suki can find anything!

Come on, girl.

(barks)

Tooey!

Call Suki's name!

(sniffing)

TOOEY: Suki!

Suki!

Suki!

Good dog.

Lead the way, girl.

♪ ♪

And the winner of the blanket toss contest is...

Wait!

Can I get tossed?

Please?

(laughing)

Of course, young lady.

Make room for our final contestant,

Trini Mumford.

♪ ♪

Atausiq!

(laughing, cheering)

Malguk!

Whoa!

Pinasut!

(laughing): Whoa!

The carnival was a monster success.

They're already fixing the school roof.

And speaking of fixing things,

we fixed the map.

We added the boulder, because the maze won't melt

for at least a month.

(bell jingles, door opens)

(door closes)

Hey, Mol.

Best thing of all, for now,

we're holding school at the trading post.

(bell jingles, door opens)

Can we start with show and tell?

(groans)

This thing's heavy.

(all laughing)

♪ ♪