Egyptomania motifs occur in episode 3, titled "The Curse of Anubis". It opens with a sequence showing the recently restored Egyptian temple of Anubis, which is situated in the vicinity of the pyramids at Giza, being robbed by the agents of Ahmed Kareem, a former archaeologist. When the theft is done, he decides to call his old friend Doctor Benton Quest in order to invite him to Egypt. Dr Quest accepts his invitation, and together with Race, Jonny, Hadji, and Bandit they arrive in Egypt, where they find out about the theft of the sacred mask of Anubis. What they do not know is that the theft awakened the mummy of the mask’s guardian, which is now following Kareem to punish him for his sacrilege. Meanwhile, Kareem invites Dr. Quest and Race for a trip to his archaeological site. Inside the rock-cut tomb they find the stolen mask of Anubis, and Kareem admits to the crime, saying that his plan was to blame Dr. Quest for the theft in order to unite all Arab nations against the West. Kareem also orders the kidnapping of Jonny and Hadji, too, but the boys manage to escape. They arrive at the tomb and free Dr. Quest and Race. When Kareem tries to kill them, the mummy suddenly appears. Kareem’s minions run away in terror. The villain himself is killed by the mummy, but Jonny and his friends manage to escape from the tomb.
The episode is centred around the topic of the mummy’s curse, a trope which is also popular in other Egyptomania narratives. In this particular case, the curse is understood as the wrath of the god Anubis, who wants to punish those who dared to rob his temple. The temple (which does not actually exist) looks more like a tomb, with coffins standing against the columns. This imagery reflects the way such artifacts are exhibited in modern museums, rather than the actual practice of ancient Egyptians. In addition, there is an aspect of Orientalism in the episode, which can be perceived in the portrayal of the modern inhabitants of Egypt as highly superstitious.

Author: Filip Taterka