As we all know, the catchphrase was one of the things that really made the show, but the enforced crowbarring of it into every single episode (apart from the Annointment Trials 1-4) grated a bit, even as a kid. This was especially the case in the later series, where it became more of a fix-all, but the first season isn’t without its iffy ones as well.
This is my top ten most gratuitous, irritating and just plain stupid occurrences of it that I can remember (there’s probably some later episodes that have a better claim, and should perhaps be padded out to a top 20, but here’s the ones I can remember):
-
Thundercats Ho! Part V - as with the end of the Annointment Trials, the movie ends with an extremely gratuitous use of the catchphrase. I’ll overlook it with the Trials, because that at least was on the back of four (nearly five) episodes where the catchphrase didn’t make an appearance, but here, come on!
-
Return Of The Thundercubs - in the original “Thundercubs” story arc, they had to go into the Cave Of Time to restore their ages. Now, a few episodes later, the sword does it by magic!
-
Mumm-Ra Lives! Part V - Lion-O utters the catchphrase, and Tygra, Panthro and Pumyra all magically break free of their assorted bonds, the latter from an ice encasement.
-
Mechanical Plague - possibly the weakest episode of season 1, and the use of the catchphrase here is part of the reason. Mumm-Ra has set a virtually unstoppable fleet of robots against the individual Thundercats, and unstoppable they are - until Lion-O uses the catchphrase, then hey presto, a few waves of the nunchukus and Panthro single-handedly destroys the giant technopede which originally only fell as a result of their combined efforts the first time round. And so on.
-
Return To Thundera - Tygra, Cheetara, Panthro and Snarf have been turned to stone by the Warbot. One quick catchphrase later, and they’re living breathing humanoid cats again. (There’s probably some dodgy use in the five-parter of the same name, but if there is it’s slipped my memory.)
-
Bracelet Of Power - after they’ve been freed from the bracelet’s effects, Lion-O uses the catchphrase, and the symbol knocks Mumm-Ra for six - not only that, it bounces off multiple walls to do so.
-
The Circus Train - even worse than bouncing off walls, this time the symbol turns corners, bending in through the window TO PRESS A BUTTON.
-
Exile Isle - for all the dodgy uses of the catchphrase I’ve already listed, at least Lion-O had the sword in his hand for them. Having him do it without being anywhere near the sword is going too far.
-
Locket Of Lies - this is awful for two reasons. Firstly, it’s a prime example of the appalling reduction of Jaga’s character to simply telling Lion-O to use the catchphrase, and secondly, he has already tried using the sword to get them out of this predicament.
And my all-time dodgiest use of the catchphrase?
- Excalibur - a flashback scene in Mumm-Ra’s cauldron, because there was no other way to fit it in, but they had to get it in there somehow. Despicable.