"The Huntsman" classic episode review thread

[Spacedust]

Back to late season one this week, to fill in one of the missing episode reviews of the season, with "The Huntsman", one of the lesser discussed episodes.

Brief plot overview:
Prince Adam, Teela and Cringer are at Castle Grayskull when the Sorceress is suddenly contacted by a fairy-like race known as the Silana, who warn that the cruel Baron Grod is attempting to hunt down the last remaining unicorn to add to his frozen collection. The heroes travel to Grod's castle to try and plead with him not to go through with the hunt, but the Baron refuses. As they head back to the Palace to seek King Randor's assistance, Baron Grod orders his Ogre followers to capture the Heroic party, intent on not letting anything stand in his way of capturing the unicorn...

Let's hear what you have to say on this rather over-looked tail-end of season one episode.
My own review to follow...

[Mosquitor]

One of my favorites here, great writing from the legendary Mr. DiTillio. Teela is fantastic in this episode with her approach to Baron Grod. It's one of Prince Adam's stronger episodes too and has a similar feel to "The Dragon's Gift" in places. Definitely one of the best episodes of season 1.

[He-Fan]

Chris here...

I love this episode - for me it adds a lot of depth to the He-Man series to see an episode like this where the villain is not strictly "evil", just a very selfish and misguided nobleman. It adds a sense of realism to the show for me somehow - a definite 9/10 from me!

Take care...

[manny]

to me this is an average ep i would of liked more story and action as well

[2-bad]

I loved this episode. It really enhanced Adams character & th portrayal of Baron Grod was fantastic. Even the story plot had a lot of depth.

9/10 for me.

[kjs]

"The Huntsman" - I thought you were referring to my local boozer.

[Spacedust]

AARRRGGGH. I finally got around to catching up with another review, get right to the end... meant to press Control F (find) and pressed Control R (refresh) accidentally, losing it all! Nooooooo!!

Anyway...

"The Huntsman" is a nice, often overlooked episode from late season one; a non-Skeletor episode from the time when appearances by old bone face and his warriors were becoming more semi-regular.

Things start with Adam, Teela and Cringer visiting the Sorceress at Castle Grayskull, with some very simple and generic writing, as Adam returns an undefined object - a small, plain box - to the Sorceress, saying the King thanks her for lending it to him.

Of course, this is a mere plot device to get the characters there, as the fairy-like Silani call for help, telling that huntsman Baron Grod is planning to hunt down the last surviving unicorn for his collection.

It is interesting to note that, even on Eternia where amazing creatures roam, the unicorn have become extinct and rather mythical.

There is some really good dialogue, as Cringer says he doesn't want to end up on the Baron's wall, and Teela saying he'd look much better as a rug; typifying Larry DiTillio's sharp writing and understanding of the characters.

I like how Teela gets really cross about Baron Grod hunting down animals. I love it when Teela gets angry.

The external appearance of Baron Grod's castle looks familiar, having been adapted in several other episodes.

And Baron Grod's design itself has been recycled and re-coloured several times, dating back to the first season episode "Valley of Power".
Baron Grod immediately comes across as a different type of opponent to the norm in the series; He is quite polite (at first), and doesn't have a grudge against the Heroic party, very different to the standard foe.

Of course, being the violence-and-death-wary Filmation, Baron Grod's captured menagerie of animals is in a state of paralysis rather than dead.

Teela grows even angrier, and I like her line "You can't reason with a villain like him" - she can battle all kinds off terrible enemies and monsters, but is on a very different footing with this different kind of nemesis.

The story is very political, much more than is the norm for the series, with a strong anti-hunting stance. The politics run even further than that, as Adam, unable to reason with Grod, announces he will return to the Palace to seek the King's intervention.

The Baron contacts Gamrack, his ogre henchman, to stop the Heroic party reaching the Palace for assistance before he can capture the unicorn. Again he demonstrates how he is a different sort of opponent to the norm, as he tells Gamrack that he doesn't want them harmed, just held for a while.

The ogres are quite well designed, although when Gamrack is addressing the captured Adam, Teela and Cringer, his two side-kicks are not animated at all, remaining static throughout almost the entire sequence.

After Adam has escaped and transformed into He-Man, I like how he takes care of the ogres, throwing a rock at the cave roof to cause stalactites to fall, surrounding the ogres. Of course, being He-Man, the stalactites fall in a perfectly round prison formation, not a single one falling on and injuring an ogre!

Meanwhile, Baron Grod finds and captures the unicorn. I felt that maybe a bit more could have been made of this, as the unicorn is meant to be very elusive, yet - although he does indeed know the general area of the unicorn - Grod seems to have found it with very little effort. Maybe we need a directors cut of this episode, more detailing Baron Grod's long, hard search for the unicorn.

After he has caught the unicorn, the Baron makes of with it in... Skeletor's Basher craft! If is only a very brief shot, but what, are we supposed to believe that on Eternia these things are built on a production line? Or did Grod tempt a fate worse than death by stealing it from Skeletor?!? Such questions are not to be asked! It is a brief shot, and presumably the animators felt that it didn't deem a newly designed craft for the Baron.

When He-Man, Battle Cat and Teela head to his castle to get the unicorn back, Grod still seems clueless as to why he is in the wrong, wondering why He-Man "attacks his castle".

After one of his paralysed creatures is freed, making Grod the hunted one and finally seeing the error of his ways, King Randor proclaims hunting of animals in Eternia outlawed. If only it were that simple on Earth.

After such a strong anti-hunting episode, the closing moral by Teela instead focuses on how she lost her temper, and how it's better to stay calm and discuss things reasonably.

"The Huntsman" might not be an outstanding classic of the series, but once you've seen the "bigger", classic episodes, this is a nice one to watch, with a welcome different type of opponent, a welcome political message, and just a nice enjoyable tale.
I give this one… actually, reviewing it, I realised just how much I enjoy it. 9 out of 10.

[Hun]

I like this episode. It's not a favourite but it's good. I like the fact that the villain is really not a villain but a selfish man that in the end regrets what he has done. Although I thought he changed his mind a little too easily, it almost felt like they were in a hurry to wrap up the episode, so it felt a bit rushed. I like Teela's reaction and Adam's dialog is good. Pretty enjoyable episode.