By the 1980s, anti-drug episodes were starting to appear en masse on television. Aimed primarily at youths, the Very Special Episode topic saw many different variants in different formats, and perhaps the best-known to this point was an episode of Diff'rent Strokes called "The Reporter," where then-First Lady Nancy Reagan promoted her "Just Say No" campaign.
Anti-drug messages also found their way into Western Animation, and The Smurfs weren't alone. The episode "Lure Of The Orb," from the fall of 1986, pulled no punches: Drugs are bad.
It's the Spring Day Pageant, an annual festival observed by the Smurfs to honor spring and celebrate renewal of life. Each of the Smurfs are busy contributing to the festivities, including Poet Smurf, who is trying to write an ode to Smurfedom. But when he is constantly interrupted by the others, he goes out to the forest for peace and quiet and hoping to concentrate. However, that does little to help him finish his poem in time for the pageant.
Unknown to Poet, an evil witch is watching from a distance and, desperate for slaves, decides that Poet is her patsy. So, she transforms herself into this stunningly beautiful, hot, hot, HOT HOT (wolf-whistle) young princess named Allura. She comes up to Poet and introduces herself notes that he seems frustrated over something. Poet lets it all out: He is trying to finish a once-in-a-lifetime poem and is out of inspiration.
So does Allura encourage him? Oh yes ... but not by saying, "Hey, why don't you take a break, relax, and then come back in a little while and see if something comes to you." And certainly not, "Well, here's some ideas ... will these work?"
Oh, no. Of course not. Remember, this is an anti-drug episode, so what would an anti-drug episode be ... without something like a magical orb?
The orb — it can lift spirits and inspire the uninspired with magic power, and give whomever touches it a boost in creativity and energy. Poet is skeptical at first but, after some encouragement, touches it. And ... egad, it comes to him ... lots of inspiration. Allura is thrilled and says hopes that Poet will find lots of energy, inspiration and so forth with the orb, so why not take it back to your home and show your friends?
That's exactly what Poet does ... and they bid each other farewell, hoping to see each other again. Once Poet is out of sight, Allura switches back to her true self, and cackles that she hopes so.
Later that night, as Hefty is looking for Poet to ask him for a favor, he sees him in his house writing pages full of poetry. Of course, it's rambling, bizarre bullshit, but to Poet right now, it's the ultimate ode to Smurfedom. Hefty wonders, "What the hell?" and tells Poet, who clearly looks tired, that he needs to take a break and, in essence, tells him that his writing is crap and not up to his usual standards. Poet says, "No way, I've got this," and shows Hefty the orb. Hefty immediately sees it as nothing but trouble and tells Poet he needs to go to sleep and rethink his entire poem.
Meanwhile, several other Smurfs, under pressure to make the Smurf Spring Day Pageant a complete success, learn about the orb and that it is in Poet's possession and ask if they can touch it too. And so, Handy, Farmer, Painter and Harmony do just that ... touch the orb ... and voila, they are full of power and inspiration and energy. Of course, their work suffers and is rather shoddy, haphazard and substandard to say the least: Farmer working in the field like crazy, Painter's portrait of the Smurfs very sloppy and smeary, Harmony's musical composition a random compilation of sounds and Handy building a stage that is very rickety and structurally unsound. Hefty, after several unsuccessful attempts to try to warm Papa Smurf, finally is able to explain that he saw this orb and that Poet and company are apparently using it.
Papa Smurf finds the orb and takes it away, telling the Smurfs they are not to touch the orb. But the Smurfs don't listen, and eventually Hefty finds it and tosses it into Papa Smurf's fireplace, destroying it. Papa Smurf agrees with Hefty's actions and then tells them they still have some work to do to make the Spring Day Festival a success. That night, Poet, Handy, Painter, Farmer and Harmony decide to sneak off in the forest to find Poet's friend, Allura, telling them their dilemma: The original orb has been destroyed and they need a new one. Allura, hoping to hear those words, takes them back to her magical castle and shows them a bigger orb, which promises more power and inspiration. They all follow her ... but then Farmer leaves, uneasy about following through, and runs back to the Smurf Village to warn the others about what he fears might be happening.
And indeed, Farmer's fears come to pass. As the remaining Smurfs touch the orb and the feeling quickly subsides, Allura reveals her true self and that she was using the orb to entrance them and — trapping them with magic chains — have them work as her servants in exchange for touching the orb. She uses her magic to make chains appear on all four Smurfs to make sure they never escape, even if they could want to escape.
Back at the village, as Hefty is trying to repair the stage, Farmer summons the warning and tells them they must rescue their friends. Meanwhile, the four Smurfs are completely exhausted and trying to fight the urge to touch the orb, but the witch cackles evilly and taunts them by noting they will never have the strength to resist the orb's power. Meanwhile, Farmer returns with Hefty, with Farmer standing guard outside as Hefty rescues the others. But Poet gets away and tries to touch the orb one last time. Allura sees Hefty and grabs him and tries to get him to touch the orb, which would force him to absorb its power, but before she can complete the plan, Poet, finally realizing that the orb is nothing but trouble, dislodges it from the stand and causes it to drop to the floor, destroying it. Hefty breaks free and the Smurfs hightail it for home. Allura swears her revenge.
Once the effects of the orb wear off the affected Smurfs, Papa Smurf and Hefty show them how the orb created a false sense of creativity and energy, and that their work was awful, to say the least. Papa Smurf reminds them their abilities are what matter, and in the end a sober Poet is able to write the best ode to Smurfedom ever.
In the end, Allura returns, hoping to offer Poet a new orb that he could use. This time, Poet refuses and says he's learned his lesson, finding confidence in his own abilities again. But Jokey is drawn to Allura's entrancing beauty and says he'll take the orb ... in exchange for a gift box, literally blowing Allura's plans up in smoke!
Tropes present in this episode:
- Addictive Magic: The orb's power.
- Artistic Stimulation: Poet, Painter, and Harmony use the orb for this purpose, but when they come off of using it, they realize how badly the quality of their work had suffered because of its use.
- Beauty Is Bad: Allura, a stunningly beautiful princess who harbors a sinister secret, especially when her true ugliness (literally) surfaces.
- Bewitched Amphibians: In the international release of the episode, Papa Smurf magicks Jokey's surprise so that it turns Allura into a frog when she opens it.
- Big "SHUT UP!": Poet yells "QUIET!" out in the forest when its ambient noises become too much for him.
- Descent into Addiction: The orb really takes a toll on the several Smurfs who use it, even going as far as stealing, lying, and becoming too weak to fight the temptation for more.
- Drugs Are Bad: The Aesop of the episode.
- Everybody Must Get Stoned: Several Smurfs act like they're on amphetamines by the orb's power.
- Fictional Holiday: The Spring Day Pageant is one of several festivals and annual observances celebrated by the Smurfs.
- G-Rated Drug: The orb.
- Here We Go Again!: Averted. Allura returns, once again hoping to lure Poet into using the orb, but this time Poet has learned his lesson and tells her no.
- Hot Witch: Allura's disguising herself as a beautiful princess.
- My God, What Have I Done?: After Papa Smurf and Hefty show the now-clean Smurfs their work while under the influence of the orb.
- Resistance Is Futile: Allura says "resistance is useless" to the Smurfs she has under her thrall as they work in her castle for their use of the orb.
- Revised Ending: The international version of the episode has Allura be turned into a frog by opening Jokey's surprise instead of just being covered in soot and exposing her true self.
- World's Most Beautiful Woman: What Allura appeared to be, until she revealed her true self.
