The episode begins with the arrival of our three friends at the ultra-modern pavilion on Terracosti Island: Akio the former professional athlete, Paola the solitary scientist, and Billie the uniquely talented singer. The small group is greeted by Greta Tunebird, the eccentric scientist in charge of this ecological reality show.
Their first challenge: Feed themselves by their own means! Akio suggests starting a rooftop garden to be self-sufficient in food. Paola has brought seeds and shares her knowledge of beneficial associations between plants (companion planting) and pollinators. In a magical moment, Billie makes the plants grow through song, enabling the group to quickly harvest vegetables. Meanwhile, a mysterious character named Slinky prowls the island, voicing his doubts about the “Amazing Earth” project, which he describes as a conspiracy.
Transcript of episode 1 of The Amazing Earth
Narration
Warning :the episode you're about to listen to combines rigorous science WITH… a few playful twists, all to enrich your listening experience with a dash of whimsy and a spark of magic. Use your judgement — We believe in you!
Narration
Stop everything, it's time for The Amazing Earth! Your one true tree-saving emission-free reality TV. Where we do whatever it takes. To make the Earth a better place.
Musical punch
Chapter 1: Arriving
For our three companions, the adventure begins today on Terracosti Island in the middle of Quebec's majestic St. Lawrence River: After receiving an official invitation from Tunebird Productions, leaving their loved ones behind, and sailing here from the four corners of Québec (or should I say three corners?), here they are, disembarking at their meeting point, with no idea what this odyssey has in store for them.
Dramatic punch
Ding-Dong!
Robot
Welcome to Terracosti Island, Akio.
Akio
Thank you! Well… Looks like I'm the first one here… Wow, this pavilion is so… White…
Ding-Dong!
Robot
Welcome to Terracosti Island, Paola.
Akio
Ahhh, sorry, you alright? I was so caught-up, I left all my bags in the entrance! Let me help you with your stuff…
Paola
Uh, no thanks it's… Whoa! You can carry all five of my super-packed bags on one shoulder! You're seriously strong!
Ding-Dong!
Robot
Welcome to Terracosti Island, Billie.
Billie
THANK YOUUUU!
Akio
Hellooo!
Sound of suitcases hitting the ground
Paola
My bags!
Billie
What an incredible place… Everything is so… White…
Akio
Hey, I said the same thing when I got here! I'm Akio!
Billie
Billie… A first name very popular among singers.
Paola
And my name is Paola. I may not know a thing about music, but I know lots of things that will come in handy on this island.
Billie
Nice to meet you, Pao-la. La-la-la! I love when people have music in their names! Greta Tunebird had me at Tunebird.
Paola
Mind if I take the room that's much bigger than the others, the one with lots and lots of light?
I'm only asking because I'm going to set up a temporary lab for the duration of the challenge, and I'm pretty sure it's going to be of great use to us.
Akio and Billie
Uh,yeah, sure... Fine by me…
Musical punch
Robot
Amazed Earthlings, please give a warm welcome to world-famous scientist Greta Tunebird!
Sounds of applause
Greta Tunebird
Welcome to my island. I hope you had an amazing trip.
Akio, Paola and Billie
Yeah! Not too bad… It was a bit long, but…
Musical punch
Greta Tunebird
You were invited here because you're three hard-working individuals with exceptional skills, talents and knowledge. Now, when you signed the release form, you agreed to abide by Terracosti'slaws and regulations. You know the broad strokes of the mission that awaits you (musical punch) …You know that if you succeed in living in harmony with one another and with nature in this place far from everything... I and the entire team at Tunebird Productions will grant you one of your wildest wishes.
Joyous music
Akio
Uh, I have a very achievable food-related dream right now. Just out of curiosity… when's dinner time--
Intense music
Greta Tunebird
Amazed earthlings:: Your first challenge begins… Now!
Intense music
Akio, Paola and Billie
Whoa!
Greta Tunebird
Surprise! Behind this wall that just dematerialized is a kitchen with no fridge, no pantry… If you want to survive on this island, you'regoing to have to… achieve food autonomy.
Dramatic musical punch
Akio
She's joking, right?
Dramatic musical punch
Greta Tunebird
This is the first in a long series of challenges that you must meetin order to accomplish your mission. There's no time to waste!
Musical punch
Akio, Paola and Billie
Whoa!
Billie
And she disappeared.
Paola
You mean, her hologram disappeared.
Billie
Oh yeah, that'strue. She just seemed so real…
Mysterious music
Narration
The sand slowly sifts through the hourglass, as the tension rises among the new in habitants of Terracosti Island. We'll see them back on the terrace in a few hours.
Sound of leaves rustling in the wind
Paola
Great. Now I too am starving.
Billie
What are you doing, Akio?
Akio
I'm making a rooftop garden! That should give us food autonomy, right?
Billie
What's food autonomy?
Akio
Food autonomy is when a person or a group produces their own food... so that everyone has enough to eat, and you do that by starting a garden together and eating the fruits and vegetables that yougrooo-ow! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!
Billie
Youokay? Wait,I'm coming to help you! (mystical music) Paola, you should check this out!
Paola
Woooow…
Akio
This little thing? I just moved some of the stuff that was on the roof and I picked up some fallen wood, then I made a few modest garden planters with it. But I was super careful not to smush any insects, I promise!
Paola
Wait, I think Ihave seeds in my bed-lab! These seeds are good candidates to sow in planters like yours, Akio, because their roots don't take up much room, compared to other plants.
Akio
I made an even bigger one, too—look!
Billie and Paola
Wow!
Paola
Now that's, that's fantastic Akio! Three medium planters and two large ones. Let's have a look at the labels on my seed packets… Tomatoes, peas, lettuce, peppers and hot peppers, cucumbers, radishes, fine herbs, arugula, and the list goes on. They grow pretty fast and they're edible! Let's see, I also have corn, squash and beans… AND I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO!
Akio
What? What? WHAT?
Paola
The three sisters technique! It's an ancestral method passed down to us from Indigenous traditional knowledge. In one of the large planters, let's plant corn, squash and beans together… That way, they will help each other thrive and survive!
Billie
Oh gosh, I'm so excited! And I just can't hide it!
Paola
Look, we have five planters in total, and we're gonna try to create winning teams. (sound of seeds falling to theground)…Tomatoes and basil… Carrots and onions, the Three Sisters of course… these are winning teams, that means plants that can be partnered.
Akio
Plants that help each other?
Paola
Precisely! Either because they have similar needs… or because they grow better or faster when they're close to each other… or because they produce more fruits and vegetables when they're together. It's called companion planting… Or plant partnerships. :Oh! And here's some borrage I'm tossing in…
Billie
Borage, haha… Now there's a word I've never heard…
Paola
It's for the pollinator insects… When you grow nectar- and pollen-producing plants like borage, you attract pollinators like bees and that's the guarantee to end up with some great harvest: amazing fruits and veggies.
Akio
All that's left is to water it… and wait for it to grow…
Billie
Now that's something I can help with! GROW, MY FRIENDS GROW
Intense and mysterious music
Akio
Whaaaat… What in the Jack and the Beanstalk! Look how fast they'regrowing!
Paola
How is this even possible?
Billie
You see! My singing can come in handy on this island too!
Akio
We're gonna eat tonight! Come on, Billie, keep singing!
Billie
Paola
We've got so many veggies now, we'll have to be careful not to waste any!
Akio
Good thinking: I could build us a composter too, for our food waste! And we'd use the compost as natural fertilizer so that the soil in our planters stays fertile!
Billie
This time, I'll give you a hand. I want to know how to build one for myself back home.
Paola
You do that. I'll make us a big salad.
Akio, Paola and Billie
Oh yes! Yes-yes-yes...I'm starving… Phew, thank you, with everything going on, I forgot how hungry I am!
Narration
And while our three companions find their team chemistry at the pavilion,...someone… is lurking on Terracosti.
Slinky
What'sup, followers? Welcome back to my channel: it's your boy Slinky, always chasing the stinky to keep y'all in-the-know! At the moment, I… Oh… OhhhhOuch… Are you still there? I'm currently on Terracosti Island, where, as youprobably know, the big Amazing Earth challenge is in full swing… When I first heard about it, and their “let's come together to fight against climate change, blah-blah-blah…” I thought to myself: this projectdoesn't smell right. They say it's an initiative to improve life on Earth, the environment and what not… But let me tell you, it's just one big CONSPIRACY! It all smells fishy… Besides, all you hear about is global warming nowadays, but right now, I'll tell you, it's amazingly cold on the set of The Amazing Earth! Hmm, what's that smell…Ew, nature… Makes me wanna teleport straight to my couch, back home! Ah! Okay Slinkers, I gotta go, I think I'm being followed. I'll give you an update as soon as I get closer to the main pavilion and learn more about what's going on here. 10-4.
Narration
And thus ends the first chapter of The Amazing Earth. Our three companions rose to the initial challenge, but what further mysteries await them in next week's episode?
Stay tuned to find out!
But don't feel blue: Life goes on… And this amazing Earth we live on will keep spinning with the stars!
Until next episode, stay green, and stay amazed! …
Credits
- Production: la Puce à l'oreille for Espace pour la vie, a service of the Ville de Montréal
- Text: Véronique Pascal
- Voices: Florence Blain Mbay, Francesca Barcenas and Vincent Kim
- Co-direction: La puce à l'oreille and Bakery Studios