I do believe that Pumyra is being controlled, but let’s consider the possibility that maybe she isn’t. Most of us want to believe that Pumyra is being controlled, but is it because it works better story and character wise, or is it because we’re in denial?
Pumyra died as she watched Lion-O leave Thundera, believing he had abandoned her and his people. Now, this isn’t really too different than what we originally thought, that she had just been captured and enslaved. Could dying while she watched Lion-O leave really have pushed her beyond being able to forgive Lion-O?
There’s also the time they spent together. Assuming that Pumyra was acting totally of her own free will the whole time, this would mean that any time she was nice to Lion-O was an act. Maybe not some things like helping the baby bird frog, but whenever she promised her loyalty to him or admitted when his beliefs could be true.
This would imply that Pumyra does not really believe in mercy, and that comes up again when she was willing to sacrifice Avista for the Tech Stone. We can see it as Pumyra switching between her real self and being controlled, or as her letting her act slip. If Pumyra truly is willingly working for Mumm-Ra, that basically means that every act of heroism and sacrifice Lion-O made to protect her did not change her opinion of him at all. She would have seen him as naive, and only acting out of guilt.
Could Pumyra be so driven by her hatred of Lion-O that she not only was unswayed by his actions, but would work for Mumm-Ra just she she could take her revenge? What I’m getting at is, is this believable? Perhaps if they had written it differently, like if Pumyra had been more reluctant, it would have, but Pumyra seemed way too happy to betray Lion-O. If she was willing to do all this for revenge, it kind of ruins Pumyra’s character. After we gained so much sympathy for her, if her true self is a hate filled, unforgiving traitor who shows no mercy or compassion, then I don’t think I could hold any sympathy at all for her.
And that is why I pray that Pumyra is being mind controlled. I honestly cannot believe that anyone could willingly stoop to that level just for revenge. I cannot believe that Pumyra would willingly call Mumm-Ra master and kiss his hand after he obviously destroyed her home and caused her death. I cannot believe that any decent person would be so incredibly cold hearted that she couldn’t see what a good person Lion-O was after risking his life to save not only her but the rest of the Thunderian slaves on more than one occasion.
If that really is the case, then I don’t think that I could keep watching the show, because it would be such horrible storytelling. I know that ThunderCats hasn’t always had a great plot, but this would push it to a whole new depth of utter crap if Pumyra was completely willing in Mumm-Ra’s scheme. It would destroy every single bit of sympathy I have for her, ruin her character, and make it all feel like such an incredible waste. Pumyra would have been totally despicable even before the fall of Thundera, a racist, merciless cat, worse than Tygra ever was back then, and as bad as Grune, if not worse. It makes Pumyra so incredibly shallow and absolutely robs her of any depth. Gone is the character development, just thrown out the window.
And so that is a good reason to believe in the mind control theory. It’s not just because we like Pumyra and want to see her turn good; it’s because the theory allows for Pumyra to keep her character development, and it was good stuff. I don’t want all her growth with Lion-O to all go to waste simply for the sake of drama. Pumyra put Lion-O’s leadership to the test, and he proved himself. He showed his willingness to sacrifice himself, his dedication to his people, and his compassion. being with Pumyra made Lion-O a better king in the end. That’s something special, that’s something the crew did right. They can’t just throw half of that away for the sake of drama. If they did, then they really are a bunch of talentless hacks.
So, here’s to Pumyra one day being redeemed, freed of Mumm-Ra’s control, and regaining all that character development that made us fans of her in the first place.
