This does happen in the book, but it's not what the story is about.
The Goosebumps book about a search for a mermaid.
William "Billy" Deep Jr. and his sister Sheena are spending the summer in the Caribbean with their paternal uncle, marine biologist Dr. George Deep. However, things take a surprising turn when the Marina Zoo hires Dr. D to find and capture a live mermaid, which they want to exhibit for people.
It is one of the nineteen original series books that was not adapted into the 1995 TV series (though a two-part episode was produced under its name, it used the plot of Deep Trouble II instead). It would later be adapted into an installment of the Goosebumps Graphix series, included in the Terror Trips collection. It would also be adapted into a questline in Goosebumps HorrorTown
It was the sixth and last book in the original series to receive a direct sequel within the original series, Deep Trouble II.
The cast was featured in the first arc of the Goosebumps HorrorLand series, debuting in book 2 (Creep From the Deep, which ignored the events of the previous sequel) in 2008, with Billy and Sheena appearing as recurring characters in the HorrorLand segments for the rest of that arc. The original book was also reissued in the companion Classic Goosebumps line a month after Creep From the Deep.
The two-part television episode aired on November 16, 1998.
This book provides examples of:
- Asshole Victim: Alexander, who betrayed his boss for money, is dumped into the water and attacked by vicious mermaids.
- Likewise, his allies — a gang of thugs — kidnap the mermaid to sell for profit. Consequently, the supposedly cute and harmless mermaids show a darker side when they assault the crooks' boat. These guys are never seen or mentioned again.
- Bait-and-Switch:
- Despite the fact that the TV version is adapted from the plot of Deep Trouble II, the episode is simply titled Deep Trouble, which can lead to confusion for people who were expecting the episode to be adapted from the original book instead of its sequel.
- Similarly, the DVD for this episode uses the art from Deep Trouble, not Deep Trouble II.
- Bolivian Army Ending: Billy encounters the same sea monster at the beginning of the book in the ending, heading straight at him. However, as Billy is the narrator for the sequel Deep Trouble II, it can be assumed that Billy got away or it was a nightmare.
- Big "NO!": Ritter screams this when the mutated fish experiments catch him and get their revenge.
- Confirmed Bachelor: Dr. D never married or had kids. As Billy puts it, "He says he's too busy staring at fish."
- Covers Always Lie: The book shows a threatening shark on the cover which would suggest a Jaws-inspired story, but has a story about friendly mermaids instead, with the shark only appearing in a small portion of the book.
- Cryptid Episode: The story revolves around finding and catching a mermaid.
- Deadly Euphemism: In his fantasy sequence at the start of the book, Billy claims to have "unplugged" an electric eel that sent shock waves all over Miami. It's never confirmed if this was actually fatal or not though.
- Face Death with Dignity: Billy in the comic adaptation, when he's thrown overboard to drown. Rather than scream and cry, he simply bows his head and sighs, acknowledging the situation's futility.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Billy is the foolish to Sheena's responsible.
- For Science!: Aside from money, this is Dr. Deep's only justification for kidnapping a mermaid.
- Greed: Why Ritter betrays Dr. Harold Deep, Sheena and Billy and abandons them on an island. For money.
- Greater-Scope Villain: Alexander's unseen criminal employer, who wants him to steal the mermaid.
- Horrible Judge of Character: Dr. Deep, who makes the mistake of hiring an assistant who is willing to steal the find of the century from him, all for a load of money.
- Humans Are the Real Monsters: The book's supernatural element is a mermaid, but the humans trying to capture and sell her are the real villains.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Billy and Sheena nearly get impaled by the mutated spiked fish's spikes.
- Kid Hero: Billy is just twelve, but still willing to risk his life to save a mermaid from a gang of thugs who've already demonstrated a willingness to kill.
- Laser-Guided Karma: In the TV version, after leaving Dr. Harold Deep, Sheena and Billy to die on the island riddled with fish mutants, Ritter ends up becoming a part-man part-fish sideshow attraction as payback from the people he turned into fish mutants.
- Lethal Chef: Alexander's cooking is really bad (to the point where Sheena would rather have cereal for every meal than eat what he makes). Among his concoctions include Brussels Sprouts casserole, whole wheat pancakes that sink to the bottom of your stomach, and chicken salad with chili pepper.
- Not Helping Your Case: Billy eavesdrops on Dr. Deep and his associates, whom are having a discussion about a mermaid that they're trying to find, from behind a cabin door. But when he leans in too close, the door crashes open and he tumbles inside, much to the others' shock. He tries to cover up with a joke, but this causes the others to immediately realize that he was spying on their conversation.Billy: Uh... hi, everyone. Nice day for a mermaid hunt.Associate: (jumps to his feet in anger, glares at Dr. Deep) This was supposed to be a secret!
- Oh, Crap!:
- Sheena in the episode's opening when she sees a shark heading for her boat. Turns out it was Billy pranking her.
- Billy and Sheena's reaction when they see a spiky fish experiment double in size from a can of green ooze they accidentally dropped in its fish tank.
- Our Mermaids Are Different: The mermaids in the book are strong enough to take on sharks, communicate via sonar, and are extremely protective of their own kind.
- Reed Richards Is Useless: Dr. Deep tries to sell the captive mermaid to a zoo for 1 million dollars. His assistant betrays him and tries to sell the creature to an underground organization for 3 million. When confronted with this, he points out that a discovery as great as this would be worth far more than what the Zoo had to offer.
- Series Finale: The two-part episodes were the final episodes of the Goosebumps television series.
- Sea Monster: Billy twice encounters one resembling a giant octopus. In his fantasy sequence at the start of the book, he mentions fighting others that had been wreaking havoc, including a Great White Shark, a giant man-eating octopus, an electric eel "that sent shock waves all over Miami", and now a giant Great White Stingray that had already stung ten swimmers.
- Shout-Out: The cover art depicts a menacing hammerhead shark despite barely featuring one in the story itself, and includes the tagline "Just when you thought it was safe". No points for guessing what that's a reference to.
- When Billy calls Sheena "Sheena of the Jungle," he is referring to the comic book series Sheena, Queen of the Jungle — about a girl named Sheena whose parents were killed in the Safari. Sheena was raised by a mystical witch woman of an African tribe.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Despite not being the focus as the cover advertises, the Hammerhead shark actually does cause a turning point in the story. It's attack on Billy lures the Mermaid out of hiding to save the boy and subsequently allows Dr. Deep and Alexander to capture her. Billy's near-death experience also motivates him to swallow his ego and do everything he can to free the creature out of gratitude for saving his life.
- Tastes Like Friendship: Subverted. To try to bond with the mermaid, Billy drops a cookie in the tank that she is contained in. She does not approve.
- Tentacled Terror:
- Billy twice ends up facing a sea monster, resembling an enormous octopus with a single eye and twelve tentacles.
- During his fantasy sequence at the start of the book, he mentions having fought "the giant octopus that ate the entire California Championship Surfing Team".
- Threatening Shark: During Billy's fantasy sequence at the start of the book, he mentions capturing the Great White Shark that terrorized Myrtle Beach. Later, he encounters a real Threatening Shark, a Hammerhead that's in the mood for a fight.
- What Ever Happened To The Mouse: Alexander and his crew disappear after the climax where the Deeps save the mermaid. While they were last seen being attacked by angry merfolk, it's unknown if they survived, since they're never mentioned in either the remaining text or the sequels.
- What You Are in the Dark: After everything's said and done, and he's been offered a million dollars to recapture the mermaid... Dr. D turns down the money he desperately needs, and tells the people offering it that no such creature exists, all to keep her safe.
