Tablet of Time

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Tablet of Time was an episode of Spider-Man: The Animated Series which aired during season two, in which Spider-Man was constantly fighting his mutagenic transformation into Man-Spider. Even with that being the main plot of the entire season, in this episode, as well as the following episode, "Ravages of Time", which was the follow-up to this episode.

Original Airdate — November 18, 1995

1 Episode Summary
2 Recap
3 Trivia
4 Cast

[edit] Episode Summary

Dr. Curt Connors is supposed to study the Tablet of Time, a recently discovered ancient artifact that is said to restore a person’s youth for all eternity. Dr. Connors believes that it has the power to cure both his and Spider-Man’s mutagenic transformations, which makes it critical that he continue his observations on it. However, nearly every criminal and crime-lord wants to get their hands on it, especially Silvermane, who plans to use it to restore his youth so he can have the power once more to destroy the Kingpin.

[edit] Recap

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The Tablet of Time

This episode begins with three men, dressed in explorer’s clothing, staring at the pyramid before them. They explain that it is ten centuries old, and that inside it is the Tablet of Time. They travel inside of it, going through cobwebs and climb a flight of stairs. Their lantern goes out, and a new light suddenly appears, which is coming from the Tablet of Time.

The image of the Tablet of Time appears to be on a television screen. It’s a news segment describing the Tablet of Time, which supposedly grants the person who properly uses it eternal youth. It will be studied at Empire State University, though after that, it will be available to buy, as it is a priceless relic which many want to get their hands on. Dr. Connors will be the one who is to be examining it. When asked if he believes it can really restore youth, Dr. Connors answers “I believe anything is possible”.

The screen then appears to be that of The Kingpin’s, who is currently working out in his personal gym. He is currently in combat with four hired men, all of which he beats brutally. The news reporter informs the public that offers as high as fifty million dollars have been rejected, which intrigues the Kingpin. He has decided that he must have it.

The screen re-appears in Peter’s bedroom, and we see Peter creating a new batch of web-fluid. He learns of the Tablet, and realizes all of the criminals who will be trying to hijack it. He decides he’ll have to use his newest batch of web-fluid really soon. He tests out the web-fluid by shooting webbing at the screen, which fully covers it. When the webbing is gone, a sky-line view of Silvermane’s headquarters is shown, and the screen travels into his office, where he’s watching the same newscast. The news reporter finally says that the Tablet is not for sale. He turns off the television. Silvermane picks up the phone and says to an unknown party that he “must have that tablet.”

The scene cuts to what is hinted to be a helicopter (we hear the sound of the propellers), flown by an unknown person over a large body of water. The background is animated of CGI. The camera makes it seem as though we are passengers in the helicopter, as we can only see through the windshield. It passes the Statue of Liberty, and then continues on, when we see a scene briefly cut to the Tablet being lowered down by a machine from the ship that it came from. The scene cuts back to the helicopter flying, with its destination appearing to be the dock where the tablet is being dropped off at. We are now seeing the helicopter flying, towards the docks. It passes over two men, and then drops two knock-out gas-filled bombs. The two men run out of the way before they are rendered unconscious. The helicopter now lands, and the speed of the propellers blows away all of the smoke in the area. Hammerhead and three of his henchmen exit the helicopter, and force the man with the crank to let them lower it to Hammerhead. Spider-Man then, shows up, and is surprised that Hammerhead is after the Tablet of Time. Spider-Man decides to web-slings down to the docks to prevent the theft, while kicking the three henchmen in the process. He then insults Hammerhead, who charges at him with his strong-plated head, in an attempt to knock Spider-Man out. Spider-Man jumps over Hammerhead, though Hammerhead has built up too much speed, and keeps running until he crashes into the side of the ship.

Hammerhead

His head is proved to be made of something incredibly strong, as it leaves a large dent in the side of the ship, though he’s unharmed. He turns around and lunges at Spider-Man once more, who dives out of the way, sending Hammerhead’s head into the steel case that holds the Tablet of Time within it. The case is sent sliding off the edge of the dock, though before it can hits sea, Spider-Man catches it with a piece of webbing, then pulls it up. Hammerhead tries to assault Spider-Man, though Spider-Man reasons with him not to, as if he drops the Tablet, it’s useless to everyone. As soon as Spider-Man pulls it on to the deck, he is head-butted by Hammerhead, and sent flying into the ship’s rather large catch of fish for the day. He is under the fish for a short moment, and then comes above the batch, only to see his doom by the fish shredder. He tries to climb out of the batch, though he can’t get any traction, as the fish are far too slippery. Luckily, his web-fluid is extra-sticky, so he webs up the shredder, leaving him unharmed. Spider-Man then, sees the helicopter taking off with the Tablet hanging by a rope that’s tied to it. He throws a razor from the fish-shredder, which cuts the rope. He then, jumps and catches the Tablet before it can hit the water and lands on the dock. Police arrive, and have Spider-Man held at gunpoint, mistakenly believing that he’s the one who attempted to steal the Tablet. The two men who were ambushed arrive, telling them that Spider-Man saved the Tablet of Time, rather than stole it.

The scene cuts to Hammerhead inside of Silvermane’s office, in which Silvermane discusses his anger with Hammerhead’s failure. He allows Hammerhead to leave, then banishes him. Alisa Silvermane comes into the room, though her head isn’t seen. Silvermane tells her that he’s becoming too old, and that he must receive the Tablet to restore his youth.

Silvermane explains that back in the ancient times, the Priest of the village would have a race of the elderly to the top of the pyramid shown in the beginning, and although the race was extremely difficult to win, the winner received the chance to restore his youth by the Tablet of Time. We then see that when the sun reaches a certain area, the Tablet is activated, and we see an old man’s youth restored.

We are back at Silvermane’s office, who explains that if he were to attain the Tablet of Time and use it, he would have the strength he once had as he was young, and use it to destroy all of his enemies. We see a flash back to “Battle of the Insidious Six (2)”, in which the scene where the Kingpin attaches Silvermane to a harness connected to the helicopter, then pushes him out of the helicopter is shown.

We now see the Kingpin and his wife, Vanessa, dining at a rather large dinner table, both sitting on the opposite ends. The Kingpin asks if something is wrong with Vanessa, who responds saying she doesn’t want a husband whose “involved in this vile business anymore”. The scene is cut to outside the Kingpin’s mansion, where we see Hammerhead head-butt a security guard, knocking him out. We see the Kingpin once more, who justifies his actions by saying that his business is how they’ve obtained their wealth. Vanessa explains that they have much more than they need, and that crime has taken over his life. A phone call comes, and the Kingpin explains that he must take it, as it “is business”. Vanessa storms off. The Kingpin hears that Hammerhead is on his way up to meet him, and replies that he’ll handle him personally. Hammerhead breaks down the door with his head, though the Kingpin remains calm, pouring a glass of water. Hammerhead reveals a gun, claiming that he could destroy the Kingpin now, though he’s not going to. The Kingpin adjusts the ruby in his ring, which sends the chandelier from the ceiling crashing down on Hammerhead’s head. The Kingpin explains that Hammerhead would only get that far unless he allowed it. Hammerhead tells Kingpin that he wants to work for him. Hammerhead explains that Silvermane believes that the Tablet really works, which intrigues the Kingpin. He decides to keep Hammerhead around, though should Hammerhead make a mistake, he’ll be killed. The Kingpin contacts Alistair about the new project that he’s working on, asking if it’s complete. Alistair tells him it’s ready and functioning.

The scene cuts to Alisa and Debra Whitman in front of ESU. Debra tells Alisa not to disturb Dr. Connors, as he’s working on his secret project. Debra leaves with Flash, though Alisa hides behind a pillar, and sees Spider-Man web-sling into Dr. Connor’s room.

We then, see Dr. Connors, who shows Spider-Man the effects that Ultraviolet rays have on a plant when they react with the Tablet of Time. The effect makes the plant’s age speed up until it’s nothing but a withering plant. Dr. Connors explains that once the instructions on the Tablet are decoded, he’ll be able to use it on Spider-Man to destroy his mutating genes forever. Spider-Man goes over to the concealed area to have his neogenic treatment, which he’s been having everyday once every twenty-four hours.

Alistair Smythe's Mega-Slayer

Spider-Man’s Spider-Sense suddenly goes off, and an explosion occurs, destroying the wall that faces the city. Once the smoke clears, we see a giant robot standing on the ruins. The robot begins attacking Spider-Man with its lasers, though Spider-Man constantly dodges them. Spider-Man lunges at the robot, trying to climb up it, though the robot is non-stick. It then, kicks Spider-Man into the concealed area, where he’s rendered unconscious. It sets its target on the Tablet of Time, which it steals and goes on its way. Dr. Connors tries to get away from the robot, though it shoots at him, barely missing. All of this chaos has caused Dr. Connors to nearly transform into the Lizard, once more. Spider-Man distracts the robot from harming Dr. Connors, which stops his transformation into the Lizard. Spider-Man then, takes the Tablet and web-slings out the window, though the robot is not far behind, as it has the power of flight. Due to the extreme weight of the Tablet and its metal case, Spider-Man is forced to stop on a ledge to rest, though he can’t rest long, as the robot is not far behind him. Spider-Man continues on to a rooftop, where the robot lands and reveals that Alistair is the one controlling it, who then, demonstrates the vast powers of this robot. Spider-Man backs up on to a weak ledge, and then taunts Alistair to come after him. The robot’s weight causes the ledge to collapse under pressure, and the event is so sudden that Alistair cannot get the robot to fly back up in time to stop Spider-Man from taking the Tablet and web-slinging off. The robot sends off two heat-seeking missiles at Spider-Man, who barely escapes them in a warehouse. Still shaken up, the robot arrives in the warehouse, with its target locked on Spider-Man. Just as Alistair is about to kill Spider-Man, the Kingpin interrupts him back at the Kingpin’s mansion, which gives Spider-Man just enough time to escape. The Kingpin tells Alistair to send the robot home, as it is unnecessary to kill him. Alistair does as he’s told, and heads home. Spider-Man checks on Dr. Connors to see if he’s still human, and then changes back into Peter Parker. While walking home, he bumps into Alisa, who alerts Peter of the theft of the Tablet of Time. She tells Peter that she’s scared to walk home by herself, so Peter reluctantly agrees to walk with her. While on the way to Alisa’s apartment, Alisa asks Peter if he’d like to go on a date with her. Peter claims that he’s too busy to do so, though he realizes he’s just still hung up over Mary Jane and Harry dating. He decides that he needs to get over Mary Jane, and asks Alisa if she’d like to go to dinner tonight.

The scene cuts to the Kingpin driving up to the sidewalk and entering WF Toys, a toy store, in which he asks the front desk clerk what he has in the field of robots. The clerk presses a button, and a shelf of toys slide to the left, and we see the laboratory that Alistair is working in on the Tablet of Time. The Kingpin asks Alistair if he’s translated the inscription on the Tablet, and is angry when he hears that Alistair has not. Alistair demonstrates that the Tablet reacts violently to light, as when he turns on a light switch that the Tablet is directly under, the Tablet begins giving off strong radiation. He tells the Kingpin that the Tablet may become dangerous, so the Kingpin tells him to kidnap Dr. Connors to help him decode the Tablet. Alistair presses a button, in which a door opens above the robot, and the robot launches through it.

The scene changes to Dr. Connors house, in which Dr. Connors explains that Margaret, his wife, and Billy, his son, will be in terrible danger should he transform into the Lizard once more. He convinces them to stay at Margaret’s sister’s house. Spider-Man crawls through the window, asking when the Lizard began to come back. Dr. Connors explains that it has been happening for months, whenever he is under extreme stress. He states that they must get the Tablet of Time back, as his guilt might kill him and Spider-Man if he changes into the Lizard again. Suddenly, the robot breaks through the right wall of the house, just above the staircase, and Dr. Connors and Margaret run out the door, while Spider-Man jumps in to defend them. The robot knocks Spider-Man through the front door, down the porch steps, and into Dr. Connor’s car. The robot, too big to fit through the front door, crashes through it, then launches a missile at Spider-Man, who jumps out of the way just in time, though it destroys Dr. Connor’s car. This stress turns Dr. Connors into the Lizard, just as Spider-Man is about to be killed by the robot.

The Lizard

The robot picks up Spider-Man in its hand, though the Lizard jumps on its head and begins trying to take it down. The robot accidentally throws Spider-Man, who hits the porch steps extremely hard, which nearly renders him unconscious. The Lizard manages to take the robot to the floor, though the robot shoots a laser out of its fingertips, which knocks him out. Alistair explains to the Kingpin that he can no longer see Dr. Connors, so the Kingpin tells him to kidnap his wife. Margaret runs, though she doesn’t get far, as the robot launches a grappling hook, which ties up Margaret. The robot grabs Margaret, and then instructs Spider-Man to tell Dr. Connors to meet him there at the top of the Empire State Building in six hours. The robot, then rockets back to an unknown area. The Lizard regains consciousness, and then climbs into the sewer, forcing Spider-Man to follow him.

The scene cuts to Silvermane’s office, in which Tombstone is instructed to steal the Tablet of Time from the Kingpin, as well as kidnap Dr. Connors. Tombstone doesn’t know where to find Dr. Connors, so Alisa, who reveals that she is Silvermane’s daughter, explains that they can trap him at ESU.

The scene cuts once more to Spider-Man, still following the Lizard, who finds a hole in the sewer. He looks through it, and sees that it leads to the subway.

We now see Alistair’s laboratory, in which he states that the Tablet is becoming unstable.

The next scene shows a limousine in which Vanessa Fisk is riding in. Her driver alerts her that they are being followed, so Vanessa instructs that he lose them. They try to get away, though they end up cornered in a dead-end alley, where Vanessa is kidnapped by Tombstone, who believes that if he captures the Kingpin’s wife, he will gain the Tablet of Time.

After that, we see Spider-Man and the Lizard in combat, with the Lizard in the lead. He has Spider-Man’s head near electrically-charged tracks with the subway coming soon. Spider-Man pushes the Lizard away just in time, and then jumps to the other side of the tracks. Once the subway passes, Spider-Man grabs the Lizard, and slaps his tale on to the electrical subway track, which knocks him unconscious. Spider-Man takes the Lizard to his lab, where he gives him the same treatment he’s given once every twenty-four hours. The treatment is a success, and the Lizard becomes Dr. Connors once more. Just as the process is completed, Tombstone shows up and attempts to kidnap Dr. Connors. Spider-Man tries to stop him, though he’s grabbed by Tombstone, who possesses incredible strength. Tombstone throws a smoke bomb which contaminates the air, and then grabs Spider-Man to prevent him from leaving. Spider-Man tells Tombstone to stop before they both suffocate, though Tombstone simply says “I don’t breathe.”TO BE CONTIUNED