Thanks for that and I do believe you. That said, can you share at all what was supposed to happen, even in the most general of details?
Well, it's going to be a quadruple helping, as I've got four reviews! For anyone who's been enjoying this and wondering where I've been, real life and the Olympics have been taking priority, sorry.
I'm thinking I may cut down on the synopsis, I put them in mostly so people know which episode I'm talking about.
7. The Pen is Mightier then the Sword... Or is it?
Flogg and Skeletor are walking about Gorn City (Which is where, Denebria? I still don't know!), passing by a shop, Skeletor is enraptured by a painting of a dragon, which appears to be lenticular. Flogg is dismissive, but Skeletor is certain he's found something important. Inquiring, he finds the artist who painted the picture is on Primus and purchases the painting.
Artist McPainter is on Primus, staying with, surprise, Master Sebrian. He flirts with Mara, to Adams dismay. Adam and U-R (Or was that Gleep?) go for a walk, to which whichever one it is insinuates that Adam has a thing for Mara.
Skeletor and Slush Head blackmail and bluff their way onto a cargo ship headed for Primus. Once there Skeletor uses his magic to first free the dragon from the painting, then send him off to do battle. The dragon has a unique power, it can't be harmed by anything it sees headed it's way. Eventually it's destroyed when He-man heroically shoots the dragon in the back.
A second painting of a death butterfly comes to life but is destroyed by paint dissolver. A third of a lion is killed by Artist McPainter painting up a soldier to kill it. A banshee pheonix is undone by Artist breaking all his paintbrushes. Skeletor shows up and is comically foiled, everyone laughs.
He-man makes excuses for Adam, the end.
Notes:
-Adam is a player, isn't he? He takes Drissi for a walk and talks her up, here he's clearly romantically interested in Mara. Maybe all those years of being the playboy prince has rubbed off on him!
-Slush Head is an interesting choice, I was certain we'd start seeing Quake (Figure on sale now!) with Skeletor. Granted the mutants only role was to be a narrative sounding board for Skeletor, but still. I wonder if Flogg doesn't like Skeletor being unwatched by a mutant, so he chooses whomever has annoyed him that day to "Skeletor duty".
-I really do like Skeletors new look. I like the animated look far better then the toy and would like to see this Animated look as I've mentioned previously as the MOTUC NA Skeletor figure.
-The Animation when Skeletor uses his hand lightning to force the dragon is pretty well done.
-I love the surly dragon.
-Death Butterflys are nifty.
-No Caz in this episode!
-It also seems we got a new Guardian of Primus in Tuskador.
-I don't think I've mentioned this before, but I like the theme song.
Overall, I had no qualms about the plot, but it didn't really do that much for me either way. The resolution felt stiff and forced and I'm not a fan of the group shot where everyone laughs at the end.
5/10
8. Glastnost Schmaznost
The Tri-Solar council has decided to call a summit to end the dispute between Denebria and Primus. He-man, Skeletor, and their respective delegations are called forth to settle their differences. Skeletor comes up with a plan; they'll act as the good guys. Duh. Going so far as to appoint Slush Head Ambassador of Peace.
Skeletors plan goes off without a hitch, Slush Head is well recieved, he personally foils an assassination attempt on Mara, further getting the council to send He-man to Denebria and Skeletor to Primus.
On Primus, Skeletor is treated very poorly and surrounded by armed weapons by the peaceful and open minded people of Primus, who abhor violence and dispute, don't you know?
He-man however, is given a royal welcome, with a band, flag, speakers, etc.
Long episode short, He-man runs back to Primus and foils the final stage of Skeletors plot, good wins again.
Notes:
-First and foremost, this last act has a lot of logic problems. Without communication and Navigation The Eternia successfully flies (and quickly too) from Denebria to Primus (which is a laughably difficult task even if the planets are only half the distance Earth is to Venus). He-man uses the beam from his power sword to create a "constellation" in the sky viewable by the people of Primus so they know to lower the shield to allow him return entry. He-man does this by standing on top of The Eternia. In space. Without a spacesuit. Or breathing gear. For most of the return trip and the atmospheric entry. Nor does he fall off during atmospheric entry, instead jumping off and hitting the ground without dying to take care of the bomb. He creates a moving "constellation" that's so big that it takes up most of the heavens of Primus. The size and brightness necessary to do that is truly staggering assuming that Primus isn't that different from Earth in atmospheric and planetary body conditions. He also uses a magic lasso beam from his sword to yank the bomb back up and into the mothership. Technically, if he can do that, he should never, ever, become disarmed in combat. What do you want to be that he will in some later episode? Then you add that The Eternia somehow managed to sneak by (without it being a plot point) Floggs invasion fleet. Really, this isn't much better then He-man flat out breaking the plot in Ultimate Challenge to win. Furthermore, why didn't Flogg move the fleet in when Primus lowered the entire planetary shield to let The Eternia in?
-There were several laugh out loud moments for me. Slush Head in a tux, handing out balloons. Skeletors table facepalm. Slush Heads welcoming ceremony, the pledge of allegiance.
-Vizor has been seen before, but this is by far his biggest part. He strikes me as a Clint Eastwood Man With No Name type.
-For a people who abhor violence, who have spent generations as pacifists, and who give peace every chance and are slow to judge others, they sure are a well armed paranoid lot who are eager for a fight.
-I liked everything about Skeletors plan except that he really was intending a doublecross. I would've had none and let the paranoia of He-man and the Guardians ruin the peace. Of course I'd be doing everything I can to fuel that suspicion and distrust, but I wouldn't have actually made a real move against them.
-Who or what are the Tri-Solar council and what do you want to bet that we never see or hear from them ever again? Though it does add more mystery to the Tri-Solar system. Are they from another planet, are they kind of United Planets group?
-No Caz in this episode.
Overall the logic problems really subtract from what had been my favorite episode up until the third act.
6/10
9. The Youngest Hero
Caz is an idiot and doesn't die. Skeletor overplays his hand.
Notes:
-Caz wasn't bad in his last appearance, even remembing that "A good soldier follows orders", yet here he's back to his old annoying whiney self. He continues his trend of being moronically delusional as well as a thief and traitor to Primus. (He takes a ship and essentially gives it to Skeletor which the mutants can examine to find new weaknesses to utilize.)
-It's odd that Flogg considers Slush Head part of the cream of the crop, but not Quake.
-Primus has generic guardians to go along with the generic mutants. This means they have a full on military force. To go with their weapons of mass destruction, fleets of space fighters, and more. Such pacifists!
-Skeletors duplicate was fun. His virus was clever, but I was expecting it to be a "Caz infects everyone with the virus" episode.
-Quake fails to follow orders and doesn't return to the ship with the sword.
-This could have easily been a two parter, with Skeletor having the sword at the end of this episode and the virus spreading, the second part would've been the resolution.
-One element that I would've liked to have seen was that Magic being foreign to everyone and illogical to the scientists. That would also go fruther to explaining why something that both He-man and Skeletor utilize makes them so valued to their respective forces.
-He-man deducing which Skeletor was the duplicate was pretty good.
-Why didn't Skeletor infect He-man when he had the chance? What do you want to bet he never uses this power again?
-*Sigh* I kept hoping Caz would die. Or that he'd realize what his stupidity caused and undergo some character growth. Actually I should rephrase that. I kept wanting Caz to die.
Overall I'm sure you see this coming,
4/10
10. Festival of Lights
It's a Spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaace... err, Space Western along with a party on Primus.
Notes:
-Sagitar is a hypocrite, isn't he? He's quick to proclaim that The Eternia is under the protection of heading to Weststar, but then he wants to attack the mutant ship who has the same destination and thus protection.
-Several laugh out loud moments, Slush Head in ranch hand clothing, Skeletors southern drawl among them. Perhaps most of all was He-man riding Sagitar.
-When Skeletor activates the bull, the sound effect is the Ghostbusters Proton Pack powering up. Heh, love that sound.
-Adam is a player, flirting with Drissi and Mara at the same time, then getting some alone time with Mara.
-Adam did a good job covering his ignorance of the Festival of Lights, which itself is a nice touch that Adam is an outsider trying to fit in.
-Once we find out what the Festival of Lights is, I kept thinking about Isaac Asimov's Nightfall. Which then made me think that maybe all the people of Primus go nuts and kill each other during the darkness. I think that might have possibly taken the show in a different direction had that been what happened.
Overall this was a great episode, I don't have much to say, but I really did enjoy it quite a bit.
9/10