Animal X: Natural Mystery Unit the Complete Season 2

Episode 2: The Devil's Curse

2. The devil's curse

Featured Cryptid: Jersey devil

Our episode opens up in the pine barrens of New Jersey where we see a former scientist named Dr. Rylander running through the forest from a large flying beast who's shadow casts over him. the beast then lands in front of Rylander which turns out to be the Jersey devil. Rylander starts whimpering in fear as the Jersey Devil starts salivating while staring down the hapless scientist with its glowing yellow eyes before running off deeper into the pine barrens trying to escape followed by the beast speaking telling Rylander that he can't run from the mighty Jersey Devil as he can smell his fear from a mile away. we then see Rylander stopped in his tracks by a blind man in a black and red suit, Rylander recognizing the man as Blake Leeds asking how he's still alive as he thought he died in the Honey island project. Blake turns away from the good doctor, telling him that he may have survived but his daughter didn't and that he wants revenge, taking his shades off to reveal milky white pupil-less eyes underneath. Doctor Rylander then tries to contact the Animal X Natural Mystery unit but the Jersey Devil shows up and lands on top of Rylander to prevent him from escaping. Blake then rips the communicator off Rylander's wrist and crushes it in his hand telling him that Animal X can't hear his call for help anymore all the while Rylander slips out from underneath the jersey devil's grasp and runs off again before hiding behind a nearby tree. Blake then orders the Jersey Devil to find and kill Rylander by any means necessary. we then cut to Daniel testing out a new invention for Tony in Helena's lab while Rodney watches, this time being a pair of shock gauntlets (we saw Helena use one in "the lost world" part 3 to close of the door to the lost world but that one was just a prototype) Daniel firing a pair of shockwaves from the two gauntlets that causes the whole room to shake which freaks out poor Rodney who hides behind Tony along with causing a framed photo on Helena's desk to fall and shatter the frame. Daniel and Tony then both look at each other and realize what they've done followed by Daniel picking up the photo to see an image of Helena with her daughter, Daniel asking Tony who this girl is. Tony explains to Daniel that that's his older sister Nina White who was an Animal X Agent and was a brilliant inventor just like his mother, saying that Bill told him stories about her when he was little which is why he dreamed about be an animal X agent, because he wanted to be just like her. Daniel tells Tony that he had no idea he had a sister and asks why he never met her, followed by Tony telling him that she's dead. Daniel then asks what happened, followed by Tony explaining that she died before he was born so he doesn't know the details but according to his mom there was a lab accident that resulted in an explosion that killed her and a bunch of other scientists and that it was her death that split up mom and dad which is why Tony never got to know his father. Daniel then tells Tony that's sad, saying that he would have liked to have met her. Natalie then enters the room to inform Daniel that Bill has a mission for them. we then cut to Daniel and Natalie entering Bill's office where Bill tells the two that Animal X has received a distress call from Dr. Rylander who went missing in the pine barrens of New Jersey. Daniel then asks who the heck this Rylander guy is, and Helena then enters the room to inform the two that Rylander was one of the 13 scientists who worked on the Honey Island project, a top-secret project conducted by Animal X in an offsite laboratory in the swamps of Louisiana that went horribly wrong, the explosion took the life of her daughter Nina who was one of those 13 scientists along with many others. Bill then tells the two to go to the pine barrens and find Rylander and bring him home. after the two leave Bill's office, Bill tells Helena that he's surprised she didn't mention Blake. Helena then tells Bill hearing that name brings back too many painful memories for her. we then cut to Daniel, Natalie, and Rodney hopping in the X-Jeep followed by Natalie activating flight mode followed by the X-Jeep blasting off. we then cut to the X-Jeep landing in the pine barrens of New Jersey where Rodney comes across Rylander's broken communicator and picks it up in his mouth to show it to Daniel and Natalie. Daniel examines the broken communicator wondering what could have happened to Dr. Rylander, and Natalie tells Daniel that she thinks she found their answer pointing to poor Rylander stuck in a tree hanging on for dear life asking the two if they've come here to save him before clumsily falling out of the tree and hitting the ground with a thud before apologizing to our heroes for not exactly "sticking the landing" back there. Daniel asks Rylander what the heck he was doing all the way up there, and the good doctor explains that he was trying to hide from this big monster with wings and horns and hoofed feet, all the while Natalie flips through the Cryptozoologicon to find a cryptid that matches Rylander's description and comes across a page depicting a beast that's the perfect match: the Jersey Devil. Daniel contacts Bill and informs him that they found Rylander, Bill and Helena both relieved to know he's alive. Rodney then hides behind Daniel who asks the little skyfish what's wrong before Rylander points to the Jersey Devil perched atop a pine tree looking down on our heroes menacingly Daniel telling Natalie, Rodney, and Rylander that they should probably run. the Jersey devil then leaps off the tree branch and swoops down to grab Rylander in its clawed hands and carries him into the air, the creature speaking telling Rylander that his master still has unfinished business with him, the poor scientist screaming for help followed by Natalie telling Daniel that they've got to do something. Daniel then whips out his grappling gun and fires the grappling hook at the Jersey devil which wraps around the beast's hoofed leg followed by Daniel yanking the cable slamming the beast back onto the ground causing it to drop Rylander followed by Daniel and Natalie rushing to his aid, Rodney nuzzling against Rylander to wake him up. The jersey devil then breaks free of its restraints and roars at our heroes, the frightened Rodney hiding behind Natalie followed by Blake arriving on the scene telling the Jersey devil to stand down. the beast then kneels before Blake and apologizes to his master, followed by Blake petting the beast's furry mane before telling him that they have no beef with these two. Rylander hides behind Daniel who asks the blind man why him and his pet are after Dr. Rylander, followed by Blake telling them that Dr. Rylander was one of the scientists behind the honey island project that resulted in the death of his beloved Nina and left him permanently blind and that he won't stop until all of those responsible suffer for taking both his daughter and his eyesight away from him. Rylander begs for Daniel and Natalie not to let that maniac kill him followed by Daniel asking who he is and if he's part of the Black Dot. Blake then tells the two that he's not with the Black Dot and introduces himself as Blake Leeds, descendant of the Leeds family and half-brother to Bill Kerr of the Animal X natural mystery unit. Natalie is shocked to hear his, uttering the words "Uncle Blake?", and we cut to a flashback to Natalie's childhood where we see a younger Bill introducing 8-year-old Natalie to his half-brother Blake who takes a liking to little Natalie, Blake telling the little girl that she reminds him of his own daughter and tells Bill that he had no idea he had a child as his brother never struck him as the type that would settle down and raise a family. Bill then tells Blake that she's adopted, saying that her parents were Animal X agents that died during the Congo incident. Blake then tells Bill that he's sorry for his loss, followed by Bill asking how Blake's family is doing. Blake then tells Bill that Helena is at home taking care of Nina and that Nina's recently been taking an interest in Cryptozoology ever since her uncle Bill showed her that book the Cryptozoologicon, and she keeps saying that she wants to be an Animal X agent when she grows up. little Natalie then tells Bill that she wants to be an Animal X agent when she grows up too, just like her parents followed by Blake patting little Natalie on her head telling her that he thinks she'll be a great Animal X agent. we then cut back to present day where Blake finally recognizes Natalie telling her that he hasn't seen her since she was a little one, telling her that he didn't recognize her at first because she's grown so much. Natalie asks Blake how he can even tell if he's blind. Blake then tells Natalie that he may be blind but he can see through the Jersey Devil's eyes explaining that the two are telepathically linked before asking her nicely to hand over Rylander. Natalie then tells Daniel to get Rylander to safety while she deals with Blake before whipping out her electric batons and combining them to form a bo staff to smack Blake upside the head electrocuting him causing the Jersey devil to share the pain followed by Natalie following Daniel, Rodney, and Rylander back to the X-Jeep. Blake then gets back up to see that they've escaped and he orders the Jersey Devil to go after them. the Jersey Devil then gets back up on its legs and spreads its wings before taking off. we then cut to the X-Jeep driving through the pine barrens until Natalie notices the Jersey Devil flying after our heroes from the rear view mirror which scares little Rodney who hides in the back of the X-jeep. this is made worse when the little skyfish finds Tony hiding in the back of the vehicle followed by Tony popping up from behind the back seat and asking Daniel and Natalie what's going on and who's this guy (referring to Dr. Rylander). Daniel then asks Tony how he got in here, telling him that he's supposed to stay at Animal X HQ. Tony tells Daniel that he stowed away in the back of the X-jeep because he thought it would be fun to go on another adventure with Daniel and Natalie, followed by both of them facepalming. our heroes then hear a loud THUD! noise coming from the roof of the X-jeep which freaks out poor Rylander as it means that the Jersey Devil has caught up to them. Tony then whips out his shock gauntlets and assures our heroes that he can take that devil on. Natalie tells Tony to wait as it's too dangerous, however Tony doesn't listen and climbs out the window and onto the roof of the X-Jeep to confront the Jersey Devil. the Jersey Devil then laughs at Tony, telling him that he's just a feeble child who has no chance against a full-blown demon. however Blake seeing through the Jersey Devil's eyes recognizes Tony and telepathically tells the Jersey Devil to spare the kid's life. the Jersey Devil then asks Blake why suspecting that he's gone soft. Tony noticing that the beast is distracted fires a shockwave from his shock gauntlets that knocks the Jersey Devil off the X-Jeep saving our heroes (and Rylander) in the process, Tony climbing back in the X-jeep where Rylander thanks the kid for saving his life, introducing himself to Tony as Dr. Alex Rylander, one of the scientists behind the honey island project. Tony then introduces himself as Tony White, Helena White's son and intern at the Animal X Natural Mystery Unit. Rylander is shocked to learn that Helena had a son, telling him that he thought she only had a daughter. Tony is shocked to learn that Rylander knew his sister, followed by Rylander telling him that Nina and him both used to work together, telling Tony that he misses her too. the X-Jeep then comes to a stop followed by our heroes stepping out of the vehicle to come across an old abandoned town in the middle of the pine barrens. Rylander then explains to our heroes that New Jersey's pine barrens are home to several ghost towns, saying that he's been living in New Jersey for years. our heroes then walk around the ruins of the abandoned town where they come across a trail of hoofprints, Tony saying that he hopes those are moose tracks. Daniel then comes across a pair of claw marks on a wall, telling the other that he doesn't think those are moose tracks. Daniel then closes his eyes and places his hand on the claw marks, Rylander asking Natalie what the heck her friend is doing. Natalie then tells Rylander that Daniel has the ability to communicate with animals telepathically, which she says comes in handy when dealing with cryptids. Daniel then suddenly has a vision of the Jersey Devil terrorizing the town in the 1700s, followed by Daniel opening his eyes and telling the others that he just found out why this town is abandoned, saying that the Jersey Devil was here. the mention of the Jersey Devil freaks out Rylander, saying that he's tired of hearing that name as he's been hunted by that creature for weeks on end. Daniel then puts his hand on Rylander's shoulder, telling him that it's going to be alright as they'll get him out of here soon. Natalie then looks at the Cryptozoologicon's page on the Jersey Devil and tells Daniel, Tony, and Rylander that they should hear this. Natalie then tells the others that according to legend the Jersey Devil's origins trace back to 1735 with a woman named Jane Leeds who had 12 children and was pregnant with her 13th and frustrated with the child wished for it to be a devil, and on a dark and stormy night the 13th child was born a demon. upon hearing this story Daniel remembers his vision and puts two and two together and realizes that this abandoned town must have been the Jersey Devil's birthplace. Rylander then brings up the fact that Blake is a descendant of the Leeds family which explains his connection to the Jersey Devil. however Tony points out that it doesn't explain why the beast spared his life. we then cut to Blake in the old Leeds family home sitting in front of the fireplace while looking at an old photo of him and his daughter with the 13 scientists behind the honey island project. we then cut to a flashback to the honey island project where we see a massive explosion that destroys the entire lab followed by Blake emerging from the rubble holding his daughter's lifeless body while screaming "NOOOOOO!!!!!" before we cut to young Blake returning to his home in the pine barrens of new jersey where he performs a ritual to summon the Jersey Devil, followed by the beast emerging from the fireplace to ask Blake why he summoned him. Blake tells the beast that he came to make a deal, offering the beast to help him kill those responsible for the death of his beloved daughter. the Jersey Devil then asks Blake what he gets in return, followed by Blake telling him that he gets the opportunity to feast on as many hapless humans as he wants. the Jersey Devil then sniffs Blake and recognizes the scent of Leeds blood. the Jersey Devil then discovers that Blake is a descendant of his bloodline and agrees to the deal. we then cut to a montage of Blake and the Jersey Devil hunting down and killing each of the scientists who were part of the Honey island project one by one before we cut back to the present day where Blake tosses the photo in the fireplace before stepping outside to see the Jersey devil perched in a pine tree. the Jersey Devil then asks Blake why he made him spare the child, as he was dying for some fresh meat and that kid looked extra appetizing. Blake then tells the Jersey Devil that they're only after Dr. Rylander, as he is the last Honey island project member that they have left to eliminate and that he doesn't want anyone else harmed or caught in the crossfire. the Jersey Devil then tells Blake that he can smell fear from a mile away and he smells much fear in Blake. out of options Blake decides to come clean to his demon partner and tells him that he believes Tony White is his son. after that, we cut to our heroes camping out in the ghost town ruins where Natalie contacts Bill to inform him that uncle Blake is the one who's hunting Rylander and he's using the Jersey Devil as some sort of attack dog. Bill then tells her that he's not surprised, Bill telling her that his half-brother hasn't been the same since he lost his daughter, informing her that he's held a grudge against those who were part of the Honey island project blaming them for her death. we then flash back to Bill and Blake attending Nina's funeral, Bill noticing Blake's milky white eyes asking what happened. Blake then tells her that he was blinded by the same explosion that took his precious Nina from this world, clenching his fist with anger telling his brother that he will never forgive those behind the Honey island project for the loss of both his eyesight and his firstborn child. Bill then begs for his brother not to go down this dark path, as he already lost his best friend when Don Amino turned to the side of evil he doesn't want to lose his only brother too. Blake then tells Bill to spare him the speeches as he's already turned his back on Animal X for what they did before walking away. Helena (who was still pregnant with Tony at this point) apologizes to Bill for her husband's behavior telling him that their daughter was Blake's pride and joy and that losing her took a pretty heavy toll on him. Bill then shakes hands with Helena, telling her that Blake told him so many stories about her but never got the chance to meet her, Bill shaking hands with Helena telling her that he'll be looking forward to working with her in the near future. we then cut back to the present where Bill tells Helena the unfortunate news that his half-brother is the one that has it out for Doctor Rylander, Helena telling Bill that this is worse than she thought and tells Bill that Tony is missing believing he must have stowed away AGAIN. Bill then tells Helena that he's aware of her history with Blake and how Nina's death caused them to drift apart, saying that he can't even imagine what it must feel like to lose a child. Helena then tells Bill that's why she's going to New Jersey to save her son, because she already lost one child and she can't bring herself to lose another and tells Bill that he can't stop her, which is why he agrees to go with her. Bill and Helena then enter the vehicle hangar and hop in the X-copter before taking off. we then cut to our heroes still camping out in the ghost town ruins where Daniel asks Rylander what exactly caused the lab accident that killed Blake's daughter wanting to know his side of the story. Rylander then tells our heroes that the Honey Island project was sabotaged, explaining that the 13 scientists had a traitor in their midst, a spy working for the Black Dot. however the spy's identity is still unknown as he escaped before triggering the explosion. Natalie tells him that she's not surprised, given how cruel the Black Dot is. Tony then says that he still can't believe this Blake guy is Bill's half-brother, wondering why he never told anyone he had a brother, followed by Rylander telling Tony that Blake had quite a history with his mother Helena, telling Tony that Blake and her were lovers which eventually led to them raising a family together. Tony puts two and two together and realizes that Blake is his father which shocks poor Tony. Daniel is shocked, asking Tony why he never told them that Blake was his father. Tony then tells Daniel that he had no idea as he never knew his father as his parents went their separate ways before he was even born. our heroes then hear a loud roar which scares poor Rodney who hides behind Daniel followed by our heroes all looking up to see the Jersey Devil perched atop one of the ruined buildings staring down our heroes with its piercing yellow eyes. Blake arrives on the scene followed by the Jersey devil landing on the ground and grabbing Rylander by the neck in its clawed hands, Blake telling Rylander that he's got him now and he'll pay for the death of his beloved daughter and for his blindness. Rylander tries to reason with Blake, telling him that he didn't cause the explosion and that the Honey Island project was sabotaged by the Black Dot. Blake however doesn't listen and calls Rylander a liar. Rylander tells our heroes to run and not to worry about him and save themselves, offering to sacrifice himself so Daniel, Natalie, Tony, and Rodney can all escape, however our heroes refuse and Tony fires a shockwave from his shock gauntlets at the Jersey Devil causing him to drop Rylander allowing our heroes to get him to safety. our heroes all then run towards to the X-Jeep and hop in the vehicle. the X-Jeep drives through the pine barrens before the vehicle gets stuck in mud much to the frustration of Natalie while Rylander panics. our heroes then hop out of the vehicles and arrive at an abandoned railway where they see Bill and Helena step out of the vehicle, Tony hugging his mom happy to see him again while Rylander tells Helena that he's glad to see her again, saying that it's been a while. they are confronted by Blake and the Jersey Devil, Blake telling the Animal X Natural Mystery Unit that they've been a thorn in his side long enough, Blake noticing Bill telling him "Hello, brother, it's been a while" while Bill tells Blake that this has gone too far, telling him that his actions almost got his own son killed. Blake then looks down at Tony and tells him "i'm sorry, son", Tony uttering the word "dad?", followed by Helena telling her ex-husband to listen to his brother, asking Blake if this is what Nina would want. Blake then tells Bill and Helena that he has to do what needs to be done. Blake sicks the Jersey Devil on Daniel and Natalie, all the while Helena tells Bill to get Rylander to the X-copter. Natalie then whips out her twin electric batons and combines them to form a bo staff while Daniel whips out his grappling gun and fires it at the Jersey Devil who catches the cable in its mouth with Blake telling Daniel that's cute before Natalie charges at the beast with her electric bo staff. The Jersey Devil however whips Natalie away with its tail followed by Blake telling our heroes that the same trick won't work on him twice before ordering the beast to kill her and the Jersey Devil picks up Natalie and lifts her into the air before dropping her, however Daniel luckily manages to catch her. The Jersey Devil then corners Daniel and Natalie however Rodney comes to the rescue by distracting the beast by zipping around his head causing it to get dizzy before Tony blasts Devil Blake in the back with his shock gauntlets causing both Blake and the Jersey Devil to feel the same pain. Blake then turns his head to see Rylander trying to escape with Bill and the Jersey Devil swoops in and grabs Rylander by the neck and slams him against a pine tree, Blake telling the poor doctor that he's got him now. Helena then arrives on the scene to tell Blake this has gone too far and to let him go. Blake then tells Helena that he's come this close to avenging their daughter and that he's not going to give up. Helena then tells Blake that it wasn't his fault and that the Honey island project was sabotaged, followed by Bill telling Blake that Helena's telling the truth. Blake then comes to his senses and realizes that his obsession with vengeance has consumed him to the point where he almost killed his only living child. Blake then calls off the Jersey Devil who begrudgingly drops Rylander who is then helped back up by Bill. Blake then apologizes to both Helena and Bill for his actions saying that he wishes there was something he could do to make them a family again but sadly it was never meant to be. however the Jersey Devil confronts Blake asking him what he's doing, saying that this was not part of their deal before Blake gets down on the ground and starts cowering in fear as the salivating demon stares into his soul its glowing yellow eyes. Tony tries to rush to his father's aid but Bill stops Tony telling him it's too dangerous. Daniel then notices an opportunity and leaps onto the Jersey Devil's back before placing his hand on the beast's forehead and Daniel's eyes start glowing an icy blue aura with both Blake and the Jersey Devil's eyes glowing the same blue causing Blake's connection with the Jersey Devil to be broken forever. Blake then gets up starts fumbling around screaming "HELP! I CAN'T SEE! I CAN'T SEE! IT'S ALL BLACK!". Natalie then tells Bill that Blake said that he sees through the Jersey Devil's eyes and Bill tells her that Daniel must have severed their telepathic connection meaning that Blake is back to being completely blind. the now-blinded Blake then bumps up against the Jersey Devil who tells Blake that it was fun while it lasted but their deal is now over and the beast then turns on Blake dragging the poor blind man into the nearby bushes to maul him off-screen bill screaming "NOOOO!!!" before our heroes look up into the sky to see the Jersey Devil fly off into the distance. we then cut to our heroes returning to Animal X HQ where Bill shakes hands with Dr. Rylander who thanks our heroes for saving him. Bill looks at an old photo of him and Blake when they were young feeling bad about not being able to save him from being mauled by the Jersey Devil. Tony then asks his mother why she never told him that Blake was his father, followed by Helena telling Tony that it's because the mere mention of Blake brought back too much painful memories for her, memories about the loss of Nina and that she couldn't bring herself to re-live those painful memories by telling her son the full story. Tony tells his mother that he understands before turning his head to Bill asking him if it's okay to call him "uncle Bill" since Blake is his father and all. Bill then tells his nephew sure followed by our heroes sharing a laugh while Rodney nuzzles against Tony to make him feel better. we then cut back to the Pine barrens of New Jersey where we see the barely-alive Blake lying on the forest floor accepting his inevitable death before he is suddenly found by the twins Cloak and Dagger. Doctor Uno then arrives on the scene to laugh at Blake saying that he heard about the Jersey Devil attack telling Blake that he was a fool thinking he could control a demon. Blake then recognizes Uno's voice and realizes that HE was the one who sabotaged the Honey Island project and killed his daughter. Uno then tells Blake that he's honored that he still remembers him before telling the twins to take Blake back to the airship, and our episode ends on a cliffhanger with Uno saying that he's gonna enjoy putting old Blake back together again.