- "Not this time you silly old weasel."
- — Yona
Home on the Down is the second episode of Season 1.
Plot[]
Holly is running from an owl trying to catch him. He successfully evades the owl and calls for Bigwig, Hazel and Fiver. Meanwhile, the rabbits begin to settle into their new home on the Down, Fiver wakes up from a dream he had of Captain Holly, Hazel calls the morning beautiful. After hearing the owl the rabbits get up and hide. Yona gets attacked by a weasel but evades them.
Bigwig yells at Kehaar.
Kehaar annoys Bigwig by calling out loud and the buck yells at him, asking if he's off his rocket. Kehaar replies saying that he said hello to the morning. Bigwig yells at Hazel but Hazel says that Kehaar's wing is hurt. Hawkbit says that it won't be all hurting if he doesn't shut up.
Hannah asks Bigwig what his problem is, Bigwig replies that he doesn't like gulls or mice. A moorhen gets ambushed by a weasel but manages to escape. The weasel catches the scent of the rabbits. Blackberry notices that long ago, there were rabbits in Watership Down warren but long gone now, Hazel confirms it and says it's safe. However problems become apparent: the burrows need to be expanded by digging, but there's only one doe and bucks don't dig!
Hannah asks what's so good about bucks that they can't dig. Hazel defends Blackberry, saying there's only one doe and that's her. Hazel says that they need new ways of thinking. After Bigwig tells Hazel he's tired of the gull and mouse, Hannah leaves after yelling at Bigwig. Bigwig runs off. Fiver suggests they need time to settle in. After seeing Kehaar try to eat grass, Pipkin asks if he's hungry, Kehaar says gulls always are hungry and complains about his wing.
The weasel "welcomes" Pipkin.
Kehaar asks Pipkin to get food for him, Kehaar says that Pipkin's a big strong rabbit after he asks about him going alone. Hannah is elsewhere complaining about Bigwig, saying everyone needs mice. She hears a weasel and goes to warn the Watership Down rabbits. Meanwhile, Pipkin found worms but gets scared by someone yelling Bigwig's name, but then, a weasel goes behind Pipkin, welcoming him "back to hunting ground".
Bigwig quickly subdues the weasel with Hawkbit, knocking it down a hill. Bigwig asks if Pipkin's alright and Pipkin nods in response. Bigwig and Hawkbit yell at Kehaar, Kehaar apologizes, Hazel says there's no reason to make him feel worse. Bigwig complains about gulls and mice but Hazel quickly responds, asking who warned them about the weasel, it was Hannah! Bigwig says it's Kehaar's fault, Hazel says that there's a weasel on the Down and that it's what everyone should be worrying about. Pipkin gets lectured by Bigwig for going off on his own.
Bigwig comforts Pipkin after he began to shake, Pipkin tells him it's not the weasel, it was a voice he heard calling his name, confusing and scaring Bigwig about thinking it's the Black Rabbit of Inlé, Bigwig then tried to comfort him. Holly swims through a stream, smelling Bigwig's scent at shore. Holly sees the Down and starts to go towards it. During silflay, Blackberry yells at everyone, saying she'd like it if everyone must work together to dig the warren, Hazel defends her, saying that there is a weasel on the Down and digging with Blackberry will help.
Hazel says he has little interest for Hawkbit's pride.
Hawkbit replies, saying if Hazel wants to work like a doe that's fine, but the bucks got their pride, Hazel yells at him, saying his pride is of little interest to him. Hazel and Bigwig fight, Fiver says there's better ways to settle something, like playing bobstones. If Bigwig wins against Fiver, they can all lie in the grass, they can't dig, if Fiver wins they dig. Meanwhile, the weasel says tonight's the night to attack. After failing once, Hawkbit calls it bad luck and tells Bigwig he's seen him play better before. After a game of bobstones, the bucks have to dig.
Kehaar laughs after Bigwig loses, Bigwig snaps at him and Hannah yelled at Bigwig, calling him a "Bully-rabbit". Hawkbit accuses Fiver of cheating with his visions, Fiver says that first Hawkbit didn't believe his visions, now he's using it to cheat and that he should make his mind up. Bigwig says that he lost even if it was fair or not before walking off. Hazel and Hannah talk about leadership and Hazel says that Bigwig should take over but Hannah denies, calling Hazel the leader.
The weasel comes to attack the Watership Down rabbits but Kehaar quickly alerts them. Bigwig attacks the weasel, Hazel, Hawkbit and Dandelion joining. They retreat back to the warren. The weasel says that one by one he'll get them.
While digging, Bigwig causes the burrow to collapse. Blackberry acknowledges that the collapsing made the warren bigger and they call the burrow the Honeycomb. Pipkin sees a tunnel and asks if it leads somewhere. Hazel tries to go down. Hazel thinks it can do a lot of good and explains his plan. Hazel says that he'll get the weasel to attack him, when Hawkbit points out a flaw, Hazel asks who'll do it then. Bigwig says he will, and reveals the Black Rabbit's coming for him and that he heard him calling for him.
Dandelion says that the Black Rabbit only takes those who are sick or old to the land beyond life and that it has to be a mistake. Bigwig explains about the Black Rabbit and that they'll need Hazel to survive. Hazel hesitantly agrees. Kehaar hugs Bigwig, saying he'll do anything for him and calls him a brave, hero rabbit. Hannah says she wants to show Hazel something and shows him that the tunnel has a small hole to let a creature small like Hannah escape the tunnel when sealed in.
Hawkbit mocks Bigwig about him calling Hazel leader.
Meanwhile, Hawkbit decides to say a few last words to Bigwig, saying it's been an honor to know him. Hannah tells him it's okay, Bigwig asks what she means and Hannah explains. Hazel orders Dandelion, Pipkin and Hawkbit to pin Bigwig down to stop him and mocks him about what he said to Hazel, Bigwig agrees to the plan. Hannah leads the weasel in by teasing them.
The weasel starts going down the tunnel, after Hannah starts to run deeper in, the elil starts to back out but the mouse quickly began to tease the weasel more. When the weasel tries to back out again, the Watership Down rabbits have already started to block them in. Hannah comes out from the tunnel, Hazel says it was wonderful and Bigwig says that not all mice and gulls are useless with regrets.
Everyone hears the "Black Rabbit" calling for Bigwig. Bigwig tells Pipkin to be good before going towards the voice. Hazel then followed him with Fiver. Hazel says that he is not letting Bigwig face him alone. It's Captain Holly! Holly comes to the Watership Down rabbits and says Fiver was right, he mentions he left Pimpernel in another warren. Fiver says he saw it all in his head and asks what they'll do now with Hazel saying that they'll do what their ancestors did before them, they go on.
Characters[]
- Hazel
- Fiver
- Bigwig
- Pipkin
- Blackberry
- Dandelion
- Hawkbit
- Captain Holly
- Kehaar
- Hannah
- Ruffle (possibly)
- Weasel (main antagonist)
- Yona (not named)
- Pimpernel (mentioned)
- Black Rabbit of Inlé (mentioned)
Locations[]
- Watership Down Warren
- Sandleford Warren (Mentioned)
- Cowslip's Warren (Mentioned)
Trivia[]
- The name of this episode is a parody of the song, "Home on the Range".
- This marks the first appearance of Captain Holly, Yona, and the game Bobstones, to the TV Series. It also marks the first ever appearance of the Weasel.
- In the German version of the episode, when Hazel said to Bigwig not to make Kehaar feel worse (when the weasel almost got Pipkin), He instead said that Kehaar already apologized.
Goofs[]
- During the game of Bobstones, when Pipkin says "Guess this one right and you win!", Blackberry has disappeared.
Video[]
Watership Down - Home on the Down (S1E2)