All episodes Season 9 S09E04 1998-10-12 60 min 1980s NBC/Syndication

Baywatch

Dolphin Quest

TV Flash files “Dolphin Quest” as hour 171 of 233 in the TV Flash guide — Baywatch (1989–2001) on NBC/Syndication, season 9, episode 4, aired 1998-10-12, 60 min.

From the desk

How this hour is filed

This leaf is S09E04: listed hour 171 of 233 in the Baywatch guide, hour 4 of 22 in season 9. It aired 1998-10-12 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “Sharks, Lies & Videotape” (S09E03). Next is “The Natural” (S09E05).

Baywatch — Dolphin Quest (S09E04)

Catalog log

Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.

When Mitch and Cody have rescued a little girl, it all turns out to be just another training exercise for some kids. While doing this, they are observed by Alex's nephew Timmy, who is mildly autistic and doesn't speak. Timmy loves dolphins and his mom Valerie is taking him to Hawaii where he can visit Dolphin Quest, an organization specializing in providing young children the opportunity to swim with dolphins. When Valerie arrives to the beach and tells Alex that she can't get away from work, Mitch convinces Alex to take Timmy. Cody joins them to participate in an outrigger race. At the Dolphin Lagoon, Alex and Cody want Timmy to swim with the dolphins but he is afraid of the water. When Cody and Alex turn their back on him, he suddenly disappears. They find him with an artist named Wyland who also happens to like dolphins. Later, Cody meets Kali McKenzie, who tells him the outrigger race has been postponed due to a storm. Now Cody does not have any plans so Kali decides to give him a guided tour around the islands. When a boy falls off a cliff and ends up in a cave, Cody and Kali must work together to save him. When they return to the beach, Alex goes to help them out and forgets about Timmy for a couple of seconds. Timmy sees a girl knocked out cold by a windsurfer. He is able to bring her to shore and perform CPR before Cody and Alex arrive. Before they leave Hawaii, Timmy receives a painting from Wyland and also gets the opportunity to see a pregnant dolphin giving birth. Before Cody leaves, he says goodbye to Kali; although attracted to each other, they decide to put their feelings aside. When they return to Los Angeles again, Timmy shows the painting Wyland gave him to his mother. Timmy utters the word "Mama" to her as he touches the painting and then his mother's heart.

Viewer FAQ

Where does Dolphin Quest sit in the Baywatch guide?

S09E04 is listed hour 171 of 233 — hour 4 of 22 in season 9, season 9 episode 4.

When did Baywatch S09E04 air?

Dolphin Quest aired 1998-10-12 and is listed at 60 minutes.

NBC season or syndication empire?

NBC canceled it; syndication made it a planet. Early hours still have earnest California sun. Later ones are the export machine — Hasselhoff's second global brand.

In the series

Why this series still plays

NBC canceled it. Syndication made it a planet. Slow-motion red swimsuits, Hasselhoff's second global export, and rescue plots that exist to justify the run. Born in 1989, it becomes the 1990s' international camp empire — lifeguard as lifestyle brand. Early hours still have earnest California sun; later ones are the pure export machine.

The swimsuit is the silhouette. NBC, 1989, then first-run syndication through 2001: L.A. County lifeguards patrol beaches with rescues, drama, and peak fitness aesthetics — slow-mo, red swimsuits, Hasselhoff's second global export. Baywatch, from Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Gregory J. Bonann, put David Hasselhoff as Mitch Buchannon with Parker Stevenson, Shawn Weatherly, Billy Warlock and a rotating tan. Rescue plots exist to justify the run. NBC canceled it. Syndication made it a planet. *Red as a…

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