Episode 005 - Pumm-Ra

Cartoons ThunderCats (1985)
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Episode 005 – Pumm-Ra

New characters introduced:

Pumm-Ra – First we see Mumm-Ra can take the form of a specific being

Cheetara clocks in at :30 seconds to the mile on her morning jog, that’s 2 miles a minute, 120 miles per hour!!

Panthro is has to get back so Lion-O can have the ThunderTank later, “He took to it like a fish to water” Yet, in a future episode, Lion-O gets scolded by Panthro for taking the ThunderTank out without any lessons yet.

Why didn’t the Sword of Omens warn Lion-O about Cheetara’s capture?

“Pumm-Ra” supposedly fights off the Mutants, cares for Cheetara, and as a ThunDerian refugee does not notice she looks like a fellow ThunDerian or that she is wearing the ThunderCat insignia? And Cheetara and the others don’t think that is strange? And what about the fact he didn’t need a suspension capsule to make it to Third Earth at the same time as the ThunderCats?

Is it really a secret meeting if you announce you are meeting in secret council?

“Although Lord Lion-O leads us, Jaga choose me to be the head of the ThunderCats council.” So Tygra is the official/unofficial second in command from the sound of it. Is there a specific reason for that, or did Jaga use “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe” to pick the head of the council?

While ripping out the electronics in the control room, Mumm-Ra says they must have salvaged the equipment from their space capsules… Doesn’t he mean their spaceship? Continuing on, he finds a armory of gun-like weapons even though none of the ThunderCats ever carry or use such weapons.

Mumm-Ra reveals a little bit about himself here. He recognizes “an old Egypian tomb device, unknown for a thousand years. Unknown that is, except to one who has lived for a thousand years.” So this should confirm he is from ancient Egypt, besides all of the existing Epytian references.

Mumm-Ra is surprised to see the Sword of Omens in dagger form. Why? In The Unholy Alliance, it was in dagger form for the entire fight between Lion-O and Mumm-Ra.

Panthro and the others go to the Thundrilliam fields. Looks like they found resources quickly on Third Earth.

How is it that the control room is unresponsive for Lion-O, but Mumm-Ra is able to turn the head and use the eyes as a signal to the Mutants? And then the unresponsive ThunderTank somehow made it outside.

The Sword of Omens must have been fooled by Mumm-Ra as well, he was able to hold it for more than a split second with no ill effect. In fact, he may have held it longer had he not held it up and said “Thunder, Thunder, Thunder, ThunderCats Ho!”

Sword Rule #6: The mystical Sword of Omens cannot be used for evil deeds. Attempt it and know the wrath of Jaga!

Does Sword Rule #6 mean an evil being (Mumm-Ra) can hold the sword as long as they have no intention of doing evil with it?

Not only did the ThunderTank move, but now the incompetent Mutants have managed to repair and commandeer the ThunderTank faster than even Panthro could have done it.

Nice use of the claw shield to redirect the tank’s cannon fire to jam the cannon, looks like a Jedi wielding a lightsaber.

Panthro is quite strong. He was able to pick up the tank with 6 people on/in it.

We need Mumm-Ra rules. In The Unholy Alliance, he saw his reflection and just flew away in Ever-Living form. Here in Pumm-Ra, he does not actually get defeated (just gives up), and changes back to mummy form in the Cat’s Lair before leaving.

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I know the story-lines and “rules” don’t always add up, but hey, it’s a cartoon. A cartoon about humanoid-felines, reptiles, mummies and swords… thats a leap of faith right there. Don’t get me wrong, I thinks it’s cool that you’re in to it but.. you know… it’s just a cartoon.

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I was merely trying to spark discussion of any kind regarding the original show. Some episodes’ storylines have more to offer conversation wise, while others don’t. But if my threads are a waste of space I’ll be happy to stop bothering with them.

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No, don’t stop! You’re basically writing your own, well-researched and thought out episode guide here on the forums, and (for me, at least) it’s a pleasure to read.

I see thunderianroyalguard’s point. It is just a cartoon. But then, here we are, taking time out of our days to visit a forum dedicated to it. Discussing these minutiae may seem silly, but it’s kind of why we’re here; and if we’re going to do it, I’m all for doing it in an organized way, episode by episode. So keep it up, mscc aerocoupe. I, for one, promise to keep reading, and to contribute more to the conversation.

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Yeah, that’s not what I meant..

I’m all for talking about the Cats and tid bits from the show, I’m just saying logic doesn’t come into play much…

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hey aero, i like a lot your episodes analysis and i think it is a great idea, if you decide to continue, i will keep on posting my comments for each episodes like i’ve already been doing :thumbsup:

Take care

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I think I understand what you are/were getting at Royal Guard. Logic often fails to apply, like most cartoons, but there are times where events in the story (episode) just don’t make sense for the situation. For example, when the Sword of Omens will alert when say Panthro is getting backed into a corner by warp-gas madden Brute Men (no real danger there), but not when Cheetara is out cold lying on a table in Mumm-Ra’s pyramid.

I’ve been busy with a little ball of energy (puppy) lately, but I should be able to start on these again shortly.

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Glad to here that friend! :liono

I also like to analyse the toon. But when ,for example, the ThunderCats are breathing in outer-space, or one shot shows Panthro without his armor/ clothes and the next shot he’s fully dressed (Spitting Image) I just don’t mind. Looking forward to the next episode!

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Episodes like this demonstrate emphatically how story wise the show could be. Julian P.Gardner in his one and only appearance as a Thundercats writer(he has co-written 3 more) had the brilliant idea to create an evil character under Mumm-ra’s disguise who could easily be a member of the Thundercats team. As in other episodes, every time Mumm-ra assumed the form of alias happened in a deceiving and intriguing way in order to psych out the Thundercats and weaken them from the inside rather than unleashing a reckless brutal attack. Pumm-Ra is Mumm-ra’s first great impersonation in the Series. He looked a little bit like Grune in physique and i was wondering if Pumm-ra ever existed in old Thundera, we hear from Mumm-Ra’s incantation saying: “transform me to Pumm-ra, the Puma of Thundera”, his overall presence could easily pass for a real Thunderian and maybe he was a living figure in the past, besides Mumm-ra has taken the form of other Thunderians like Jaga and Jagara. Also, Earl Hammond has done a splendid job voicing Pumm-Ra.

One of the most memorable scenes was early on, when the captive Cheetara lay down unconscious near the evil wizard’s sarcophagus, it’s the first time we witness a Thundercat being inside Mumm-ra’s pyramid and i consider this intense moment quite terrifying!! The contradiction between a phenomenally good character and a menacing threat is so well displayed and keeps the viewer at the edge of the seat especially when we see the transformed wizard strolling freely through the Lair’s corridors.
We hardly witness Tygra being the leading protagonist in an episode and here we have plenty examples of bravery and wisdom on his behalf, not only did he stand up as the head of the Thundercats council and presided over the discussion putting forward the best solution but to a greater extent decided to single handedly infiltrate the besieged Cat’s Lair defying any possible dangers. Even Jaga commented on Tygra’s ingenuity and effectiveness. As a huge Tygra fan I wished there were more cases throughout the series where his unique skills and talents were put into practice but unfortunately his presence as a foreman is fairly limited, for some reasons Tygra was overshadowed by Panthro. Additionally, as I’ve previously remarked he is the only Thundercat character to have shown so conspicuously the “Dark” force inside him, like his strange addiction to substances and other hallucinatory staff and how his serene and gentle nature turns then one hundred and eighty degrees, maybe this is why he wasn’t analyzed more,…but we will discuss this further on the respective episodes.

Thundercats towards the end start to realize this was nothing but their first encounter with this ‘mummy creature’ and they need to be ready from now on. During the whole episode there where many great iconic moments like the Sword’s magic beam clashing with the Lair’ rays coming from the Cat’s eyes or Mumm-ra being transformed to his Ever-living form at the Lair’s chamber room. It’s interesting though what he meant when Pumm-ra said, prior to entering the Sword’s chamber, “they {Thundercats} have used an old Egyptian tomb devise unknown for a thousand years to lock the room”?? Were they familiar with Earth’s Ancient Egypt!!! Also, why Thundercats stashed so many weapons (fire guns, lasers) and they have never used them, finally is Panthro actually so physically strong he could lift the whole Thundertank with Three Mutants and three Thundercats on top!!

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Even though it wasn’t included in the original Exodus VHS movie, I feel like this is kind of the final episode of the introductory phase of the series as the T-Cats have their first real meeting with Mumm-Ra.

There are so many moments here that are so cool, like the scene of the Sword of Omens turning on Pumm-Ra, the scene with the T-Cats having to sneak back into the Cat’s Lair, The Mutants taking control of the Thundertank, etc.

One thing that stood out to me though was just how much guidance Lion-O needed in these early episodes. Jaga appears to him THREE times. Come on Lion-O! Why you gotta be f’n up like that?!

I also think this might be the first time we learn that only Lion-O can see Jaga. Its somewhat implied before (The Mutants didn’t really react to Jaga in Exodus) but here, its flat out stated that Willa can’t see him.

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Hi everyone, new here.

This was one of my favorite episodes, mainly because we got to see Mumm-Ra fooling all the ThunderCats and almost taking possession on Cats Lair.

But what I also liked about it was seeing Tygra taking a leading role. Not only we learn he’s the Chief of the Counsil, but he also decides to go alone into the Lair (when many people cosidered him a coward or useless in battle). But what’s great about it, is that he confronted Lion-O; it’s a lot form his character, who always showed the biggest respect towards the Lord of the TC among all his partners. It was always Tygra reminding the others Lion-O was yhe lord, so seeing him opposing Lion-O was great.

And, to top the pie, it was him who confronted and defeated Mumm-Ra all by himself.

I really wanted the writers to give him more protagonism and better stories where he could showcase his abilities and especially his mind power, but as Lordore (hello, fellow Tygra-lover) pointed out, unfortunatelu for soem reason they decided to favor Panthro.

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i never really liked this episode to me it was just bland but it was a good ending when we see the credits at the end and see that theres another show following;)