Get a Life, Don't Save One

Donkey Kong Country episode
"Get a Life, Don't Save One"
Season	1
Episode	10
Airdate	October 16, 1996[?] October 18, 1998[?]
Writer(s)	Erika Strobel Peter Sauder
Song(s)	"No One's Going to Make a Monkey Out of Me" "Listen to Funky"
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"Get a Life, Don't Save One" is the tenth episode of the Donkey Kong Country television series. It was the eleventh episode to air in North America. The episode stars Donkey Kong, who saves Bluster Kong's life. As a result, Bluster feels he is in debt to Donkey Kong and begins attempting to help him with various things. However, he ends up causing more harm than good.

Plot synopsis

The episode begins in Bluster Barrelworks, where Donkey Kong sings a song he made up for Candy Kong ("100 Banana Bunches on the Wall"). Bluster Kong soon enters the factory and commands the ape to leave, but Donkey Kong continues to sing, ignoring him. Bluster becomes angry because of this, so he begins to smash the buttons on the nearby machine's controls. Suddenly, a sign from the machine smashes him in the face, and Bluster is forced into a barrel. The barrel moves down a conveyor belt, where it is taken to be smashed. Just before Bluster and the barrel are destroyed, Donkey Kong bumps the button on the controls while dancing and stops the machine. Bluster Kong is saved, and realizes that Donkey Kong is a "champ among chimps." Bluster pledges that he will always try to protect Donkey Kong from personal injury for as long as he lives.

Later in the jungle, Donkey Kong tells Diddy about Bluster's oath. As the two stop to talk on a tree branch, Bluster rides above them in his helicopter and offers Donkey Kong a ride to his destination. Donkey Kong climbs up into the helicopter, leaving Diddy Kong alone. The young monkey tries to grab the rope, but misses and falls on General Klump, who is walking with King K. Rool's Kritter minions. Diddy runs away before the crocodile notices him, and then Klump spots Donkey Kong flying away in a helicopter with Bluster. This makes him think that something is up, so he heads to King K. Rool's hideout.

At the hideout, Klump tells King K. Rool about what he saw, and the king explains that he thinks it is another scheme. King K. Rool then sings a song about how the Kongs are plotting against him and how they want to trick him into thinking Donkey Kong is now with Bluster. Even after the song, Klump is confused.

Meanwhile, Diddy Kong is angry at Donkey Kong for leaving him to ride with Bluster. Donkey Kong asks for forgiveness, as he only wanted to let Bluster pay off his debt. Diddy forgives him, and then Dixie Kong walks up to the Kongs, calling for someone named "Crabby." Dixie explains that she has lost her pet crab, so Diddy goes out to look for it, too, accidentally calling for "Crappy" instead of "Crabby." Candy Kong, standing nearby, then tells Donkey Kong that she really enjoys his song. Donkey Kong asks her if she would like him to sing the rest of the song's verses, but Candy decides to hear it later and tries to give Donkey Kong a kiss. At that moment, Bluster Kong comes from behind her and pulls her away from Donkey Kong. The Kong announces that he is saving Donkey Kong from "kissing germs." Bluster then pulls Donkey Kong away with him, leaving the offended Candy Kong alone.

Later, Donkey Kong shares his dilemma to Cranky Kong about Bluster. As he talks, he balances on a wobbly barrel, which Bluster notices from nearby. Bluster runs to stop him, but ends up pushing Donkey Kong off and getting on the barrel himself instead. Bluster then rolls himself and the barrel into a pile of other barrels and crashes. Klump and Krusha are spying on the apes in these barrels, which begin to roll across the area after being hit. Bluster and the other Kongs watch as the barrels bounce all over the area, and then Bluster announces that he cannot believe how much "jeopardy" is in Donkey Kong's day-to-day life. He decides to stay with the ape for twenty-four hours a day to protect him, which disappoints Donkey Kong.

At King K. Rool's hideout, King K. Rool is infuriated at his minions, as he knows that they know nothing about what the Kongs are up to. Therefore, the Kremling king commands them to capture Bluster Kong and bring him to the hideout.

Donkey and Diddy come out from their hiding places.

Bluster Kong is telling Funky Kong about his mission to protect Donkey Kong at Funky's Flights. He asks where the ape is so he can protect him, so Funky replies by telling him that they are swinging in the jungle. Just as Bluster leaves the cabin, Donkey and Diddy Kong, hiding behind two surf boards, come out of their hideouts. Donkey Kong asks how he can get Bluster Kong off of his back, so Funky explains to him what he can do in song, explaining that if DK lets Bluster save his life, they will be even. After he finishes the song, he tells the Kongs to leave everything to him.

The Kongs set up a plan that they perform in the jungle. Donkey Kong lies on a train track, and Diddy and Funky cover him up with many bananas. The primates finish throwing bananas on him and prepare to begin their trick after Bluster Kong arrives in his helicopter. As the ape exits his copter, the Kremlings, Klump and Krusha, watch him in a mine cart. Funky and Diddy call Bluster over to the pile of bananas in front of them, telling him that Donkey Kong is under it. As Bluster heads over, Klump starts his mine cart and rides into Donkey Kong and the bananas. However, instead of running over the ape, he hits into the bananas and completely leaves the Kong unharmed. Bluster Kong becomes amazed at what Donkey Kong gets himself into, so he decides to stay with him for every second, even though the Kongs run off undetected before he finishes speaking. Bluster begins searching for them, but soon gets stuck in Krusha's trap. Krusha carries him to the hideout, with Klump uncontrollably riding his mine cart behind him.

Donkey, Diddy, and Funky Kong set up another plan to trick Bluster. Donkey Kong rides in Funky's plane, performing several dangerous stunts. While he flies, the ape begins to wonder where Bluster is, not knowing that he has been captured. He also notices Dixie's pet crab in the plane and begins to talk to it. Eventually, the plane flies out of control, and the ape begins to spiral to the ground. Just before crashing, Cranky's hologram from the Crystal Coconut appears, and he tells the primate how to control the plane. Donkey Kong follows his advice and safely flies over the island.

Back at King K. Rool's hideout, the crocodile king interrogates Bluster Kong, wanting to know what he was plotting against him. Bluster has no answer, as he has only been trying to help Donkey Kong. King K. Rool threatens him by telling him that he will be forced to work in his factory if he does not explain his "plans." Bluster thinks of what to do, and then asks for a last request. The ape wishes to sing a song, and begins to sing Donkey Kong's 100 Banana Bunches song to earn more time. As he sings, he invites the Kremlings to sing along, and Krusha and two Kritters, seeing no harm in it, join in.

Donkey Kong finishes driving Funky's plane, wondering why Bluster has not come to the rescue yet. Cranky's hologram appears again, and the old ape tells Donkey Kong that he has seen a vision of Bluster at King K. Rool's hideout through the Crystal Coconut. The Kongs head out to rescue him, and Donkey Kong uses Funky's plane to get to the hideout.

Meanwhile, Bluster and the Kremlings continue to sing Donkey Kong's song. After the song is over, the ape calls for one more time, and the Kremlings join in. King K. Rool, infuriated, bellows for them to stop singing and orders Bluster to walk onto the platform leading to the factory. Just before the Kremling sends the ape to the factory, Donkey and Diddy come to the rescue in Funky's plane. After they park the vehicle, King K. Rool asks where Klump is. Krusha hears him, but does not come, only asking him if what he had asked was a rhetorical question. Bluster decides that he truly is in debt to Donkey Kong, but then realizes that the ape is not to happy about it. Just as the ape tells him to get in the plane, King K. Rool sends out dozens of Kremling soldiers to attack. King K. Rool is prepared to send them to his factory to work for the rest of their lives, but is soon bitten by Dixie Kong's crab, who had exited the plane and climbed onto his back.

Bluster announces that he and the Kongs are now even.

As the crocodile screams in pain, Donkey Kong knocks him out, causing him to land on Krusha. While these two Kremlings are down, however, the Kongs are still surrounded by King K. Rool's many minions. Diddy figures that only a miracle can save them, and Donkey figures that it would be the out-of-control minecart Klump was riding on, and sure enough, Klump rides through the room in the mine cart, running out of control. The cart frightens the Kritter soldiers, and the enemies quickly scram as the Kongs get in the plane and fly away.

The Kongs are later seen at Bluster Barrelworks, where Bluster decides that he and Donkey Kong are now even, as his crab diversion had saved their lives. Bluster also announces that he thinks the ape is a hazard to his health, and then walks away. The episode ends with Dixie Kong asking the apes if they have seen her pet crab. The Kongs simply smile at each other, just as Bluster Kong is heard screaming from a bite from the crab.

Animation and continuity errors

• When Funky's Flights is shown, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong are not seen behind the surfboards in the place's entry.
• During the "No One is Going to Make a Monkey Out of Me" song, a bit of King K. Rool's foot clips inside the platform.
• The red X that Bluster steps on is missing when he is looking for Donkey Kong and appears only when Bluster notices it.
• The rope Donkey Kong uses to beat King K. Rool is missing after he is back on the ground.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	ブラスターの恩返し Burasutā No Ongaeshi	Bluster's Payback
French	Vis ta vie Bluster !	Live your life Bluster!
Portuguese (NOA)	Não Salve Uma Vida	Don't Save a Life
Spanish (NOA)	Vive una vida, no la salves	Live a life, don't save it

Trivia

• The song "100 Banana Bunches on the Wall" is a reference to the traditional counting song "99 Bottles of Beer."