How nice it is to finally see the complete first season in-depth episode reviews up here. There were some episodes that I was particularly interested in looking at the reviews for, and many an interesting point made. Not all of which I agree with, but then variety is the spice of life.
Kudos to He-Fan, Wilycub and Thezaxfactor for all this effort.
A few things that occurred to me:
The comparisons made between “Dream Master” and “The Mumm-Ra Berbil” are quite right, the basic premise of both episodes is pretty much identical, and the fact that the latter follows the exact same formula but with major holes in the plot is part of my problem with some episodes getting “formulaic”.
On the other side of the formula coin, “Divide And Conquer” - as you say, a perfectly solid episode, hardly a foot put wrong, but nothing outstanding about it either to stick out in the memory. BUT you neglected to mention how this episode breaks from the formula perhaps more than any other in the series. Usually the formula is, other Thundercats get into their individual scrapes/captured one-by-one until Lion-O summons them with the catchphrase, at which point they suddenly magically find it in themselves to overcome whatever was in their way. In this episode, that is most definitely not the case; only two characters need to be rescued by others, Panthro and Cheetara; Tygra extricates himself from his imprisonment with the Giantaur, the Kittens free themselves from the Vortex. And it’s Tygra, not Lion-O, who rescues Cheetara from that, er, honey-trap (!). Then they all team up to free Panthro (although the Kittens are with Lion-O when he says about going to Castle Plun-Darr but have disappeared again when he summons help - a minor error, nothing too serious).
The Trial Of Evil - yes, the concept of sending Lion-O into Mumm-Ra’s Pyramid unarmed is taking tradition to a rather ridiculous extreme, but is otherwise a damn fine episode, a worthy conclusion to the Trials.
Thank you for the kind words Liam. It is a great feeling that our hard work is being appreciated by all you folks.
I would also like to mention that Mark (Grizzlor) also deserves a huge chunk of the credit. Not only did he set the wheels in motion but has also been a constant guide to me in writing these episode reviews.
And for those of you who have not read the reviews yet, what are you waiting for??? Check them out and post your feedback.
I’ve been championing it on here as the best break from the formula ever since I joined.
I liked “Mumm-Ra Berbil” more than “Dream Master” though.
Agreed. They are both examples of the problem with the formula, but at least “The Mumm-Ra Berbil” does it well - and, interestingly, is the only time in the whole show when the kittens are not the very first or very last ones to be captured/whatever (well, there’s “Snarf Takes Up The Challenge” but that’s only because Cheetara is back at Cat’s Lair, so it only half counts).
I just read a handful of the reviews, and it is amazing how folks can get an entirely different picture from an episode than what another might. (like with morals and such) This show is like a Rorschach test… Mind boggling.
I’ve just remembered another detail that was missed from the official review of “The Mumm-Ra Berbil” - when Mumm-Ra attempts to telekinetically stab Lion-O with his own sword! Should he have been able to try, or did the sword miss on purpose?
Thank you for that bit of info, Liam. It wasn’t a missed detail but rather an omitted detail. There are generally a lot of things happening in an episode. As a reviewer, my job is to present my analysis in a concise way, focusing mainly on the major highlights and flaws. For reasons of brevity, I cannot go into detail and mention every single scene in my reviews.
But that is what this forum is there for. Members are free to start threads relating to specific episodes and discuss and dissect the episodes in as much detail as they like.
I’ve successfully read all the reviews of the episodes from the original “ThunderCats”’ first season. They truly give a whole new light to the episodes themselves.
