Thundercats Forums - View Single Post - Re-Watching the Original Cartoon

Pravus Prime · 12-04-2011, 06:07 AM

Season 2 comes to a close.

Runaways: Wily Kit and Kat run off and encounter a castrich (Cat + Ostrich), Mumm-Ra gets an opportunity and seizes it. Solid episode.

Hair of the Dog: Snarf-Ra. Enough said. Enjoyable episode.

Vultureman's Revenge: Chilla and The Mutants try to destroy Lion-O with a Thundranium cannon. Ben-Gali's timely arrival ensures the plan fails. OK episode.

So ends season 2. By comparison this is by far a weaker season. The Lunataks seem to have inheirated the Villain Decay that the series has been building up. Introduced as a major threat, they prove to be more of a joke then either the Mutants or Mumm-Ra, the latter IMHO completely defying the trope. My biggest fear didn't come to pass in the new Cats being the centric characters upstaging the prior ensemble, but they did re-enforce my position that they are largely superfluous characters who brought little to the ensemble dynamic. Ben-Gali seems to largely be a Tygra Expy oddly enough. Even Pumyra's biggest part in the season, in Mumm-Rana's Belt feels like it was re-written from Cheetara. In fact, there were more then a few episodes that felt like they were mildly rewritten for Season 2 but were just leftover season 1 scripts.

Not all the new cast members fail to fit in so well, Snarfer and Ma-mutt fit particularly well, Chilla (who is kind of hot, if you'll forgive the pun) also seems to be a solid fit for the series as well.

One problem that I have with the new cats still is a logical timeline one. We establish that Thundera explodes, Lion-O and the others get in their capsules as Jaga pilots the craft to Third Earth, a journey that takes the remainder of his natural life. Lynx-O's group is rescued by the Berbils and in a ship with a damaged fuel line makes it to Third Earth and crash lands. Where they also in Suspension Capsules? If not, how why isn't Pumyra and Ben-Gali 90 years old? Did they arrive before or after the ThunderCats? If after, how did the Cats Lair, which can detect tiny space pods not see the Berbil ship? Speaking of the Berbils, with this, their culture doesn't make much sense. They claim that their planet is tiny and they're expanding out, but in Mumm-Rana's belt, Luna's grandmother enslaved them on Third Earth, where in the present the Berbils possess barely any technology. Are they Amish or something? I know, I know I'm overthinking it, but still, the mythology they established in the first season was so deep and interesting that it seems like this should've been a bit more ironed out. Similarly, if the Lunataks were imprisoned by Mumm-Ra before Lynx-O's time, again, they've been in there a long time. The number of years the trip to Third Earth that took Jaga's natural life plus Lynx-O's age at the very least. You'd think being trapped like that would've made them terrified of Mumm-Ra and rather insane.

Overall Season 2 was OK, it suffered by comparison against Season One, but it still had it's highlights:

Catfight
Mumm-Ra Lives Part 5
Time Switch
Hair of the Dog
Runaways
Day of the Eclipse

It suffered more in that when it was bad, it was bad. Safari Joe you just roll your eyes and move on. Mumm-Rana's Belt and Sideswipe makes you wonder if they were even trying.

Season 3 is up next... Maybe I'll get lucky and the Lunataks (save Chilla) will all die.

12-04-2011, 06:07 AM	#70
Pravus Prime Ancient Spirit of Evil Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: MI Posts: 195	Season 2 comes to a close. Runaways: Wily Kit and Kat run off and encounter a castrich (Cat + Ostrich), Mumm-Ra gets an opportunity and seizes it. Solid episode. Hair of the Dog: Snarf-Ra. Enough said. Enjoyable episode. Vultureman's Revenge: Chilla and The Mutants try to destroy Lion-O with a Thundranium cannon. Ben-Gali's timely arrival ensures the plan fails. OK episode. So ends season 2. By comparison this is by far a weaker season. The Lunataks seem to have inheirated the Villain Decay that the series has been building up. Introduced as a major threat, they prove to be more of a joke then either the Mutants or Mumm-Ra, the latter IMHO completely defying the trope. My biggest fear didn't come to pass in the new Cats being the centric characters upstaging the prior ensemble, but they did re-enforce my position that they are largely superfluous characters who brought little to the ensemble dynamic. Ben-Gali seems to largely be a Tygra Expy oddly enough. Even Pumyra's biggest part in the season, in Mumm-Rana's Belt feels like it was re-written from Cheetara. In fact, there were more then a few episodes that felt like they were mildly rewritten for Season 2 but were just leftover season 1 scripts. Not all the new cast members fail to fit in so well, Snarfer and Ma-mutt fit particularly well, Chilla (who is kind of hot, if you'll forgive the pun) also seems to be a solid fit for the series as well. One problem that I have with the new cats still is a logical timeline one. We establish that Thundera explodes, Lion-O and the others get in their capsules as Jaga pilots the craft to Third Earth, a journey that takes the remainder of his natural life. Lynx-O's group is rescued by the Berbils and in a ship with a damaged fuel line makes it to Third Earth and crash lands. Where they also in Suspension Capsules? If not, how why isn't Pumyra and Ben-Gali 90 years old? Did they arrive before or after the ThunderCats? If after, how did the Cats Lair, which can detect tiny space pods not see the Berbil ship? Speaking of the Berbils, with this, their culture doesn't make much sense. They claim that their planet is tiny and they're expanding out, but in Mumm-Rana's belt, Luna's grandmother enslaved them on Third Earth, where in the present the Berbils possess barely any technology. Are they Amish or something? I know, I know I'm overthinking it, but still, the mythology they established in the first season was so deep and interesting that it seems like this should've been a bit more ironed out. Similarly, if the Lunataks were imprisoned by Mumm-Ra before Lynx-O's time, again, they've been in there a long time. The number of years the trip to Third Earth that took Jaga's natural life plus Lynx-O's age at the very least. You'd think being trapped like that would've made them terrified of Mumm-Ra and rather insane. Overall Season 2 was OK, it suffered by comparison against Season One, but it still had it's highlights: Catfight Mumm-Ra Lives Part 5 Time Switch Hair of the Dog Runaways Day of the Eclipse It suffered more in that when it was bad, it was bad. Safari Joe you just roll your eyes and move on. Mumm-Rana's Belt and Sideswipe makes you wonder if they were even trying. Season 3 is up next... Maybe I'll get lucky and the Lunataks (save Chilla) will all die.