Thundercats Episode 22 The Forever Bag Discussion Thread

[Joe Moore]

Remember, Thundercats Episode 22: The Forever Bag airs Saturday May 19 at 9:30 AM EST on Cartoon Network. Discuss the episode here.

Enjoy everyone!

[Balgus82]

Decent episode. Tab Murphy has gotta be hands down the best writer on the show. I think it was out of place though. I would've preferred if this one had aired directly after the Pit.

[fuukonomiko]

The timeline kinda makes me wonder. It seemed like it took several days for this to happen, so does this mean it took several days for the other two episodes to happen too? The time where the Curse of Ratilla and Birth of the Blades seemed to occur within 24 hours. Just my thought.

I think that bag could've been used for the SoP, lol. Mumm-Ra would not have been familiar with "RankinBass", lol! (nice homage to the old series).

[Ravenxl7]

All-in-all a rather disappointing episode. Definitely a filler episode. Though going into it I wasn't expecting much of anything interesting. I was annoyed by the raccoon's side story in The Pit, so when I realized this was going to be an episode featuring him heavily, I realized this wouldn't be an episode I would enjoy.

The nod to Rankin/Bass was nice, and I actually enjoyed the Ma-Mutt security force, but other than that not much of anything to say about this one. Definitely the worst episode so far. With only four more episodes in this season, I don't expect we'll get another lull in the story, so what little remains of the season should be good.

[SirSapphire]

It wasn't a bad episode at all, but you also skip it entirely and miss absolutely nothing. At least "Song of the Petelars" brought in Pantho, "Survival of the Fittest" shed a light on the Thunderkittens' past and even "The Duelist and the Drifter" explained how the Book of Omens got wired into the Thundertank.

[Balgus82]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SirSapphire

It wasn't a bad episode at all, but you also skip it entirely and miss absolutely nothing. At least "Song of the Petelars" brought in Pantho, "Survival of the Fittest" shed a light on the Thunderkittens' past and even "The Duelist and the Drifter" explained how the Book of Omens got wired into the Thundertank.

Maybe the bag comes into play somewhere down the road. Didn't the kittens keep it?

[vantheman77]

I thought it was a good episode for the twins and Snarf after the Pumyra/ Sword of Plundarr arc. I think this likely takes place during the Curse of Ratilla and Birth of the Blade and something tells me the twins may have kept the Forever Bag that could contain the elixir that could defeat Mumm-Ra in the next episode. Since the Forever Bag contains a lot of treasures that Tookit has stolen, I wonder if the twins will forego their quest to Eldara. It was good to see the twins and Snarf again.

[Singe]

Well the bag is one of the best things to ever happen to them.
Lot's of uses for the bag.
They can sleep in the bag while one takes watch when away from the Thundertank.
Supplies like food/water and medical can be kept in the bag.
Treasures in the bag can be used to barter for trade or money.
Best trick for the bag, load everyone in it and let Cheetara cover ground with her super speed.

For some reason it looked weird the way Wilykit was eating the wiener. By that I mean that one scene from American Dad with the candy canes to be used as weapons.

[Mum Star]

Maybe if Snarf spends enough time in the bag he'll turn into a dragon. He was based on Smaug after all.

[Sirokos2000]

Forever-bag ... is a doorway to the astral plane!!!

[Singe]

Tygra and Cheetara could slip into the bag for a moment.
Lion-O and Pumyra could slip into the bag for a moment.
Wilykat and Wilykit slip into the bag and pick up a nasty smell.

[Mum Star]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Singe

Tygra and Cheetara could slip into the bag for a moment.
Lion-O and Pumyra could slip into the bag for a moment.
Wilykat and Wilykit slip into the bag and pick up a nasty smell.

Well at least Pantho wouldn't have to worry about them messing up the Thundertank.

[stormbringer]

Maybe the TCats can trick Mumm-ra into entering the bag, and then sew up the top of it, trapping Mumm-ra for all eternity?

[tallgeeseblue]

well, the gem in the store could be one of the stones they are looking for. also the bag is a door way, which could lead to goro ahem, I mean grune.

[Dr Kain]

Terrible episode, it served no purpose to the plot and was another waste.

[L08e16o]

Cute episode.

I like to know what the AP really is. He said they were in the AP when they were in the bag.

Didn't care that the whole episode was dedicated to Kit and Kat.

Was glad to see them use their weapons.

[CreepySariFan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr Kain

Terrible episode, it served no purpose to the plot and was another waste.

I think it's kinda terrible that you think that.

As a big fan of the OS, this episode was bliss. It was like watching a modernized version of an 80s episode dedicated to the Kittens and everything the kids at the time would've loved. Just the fact that they focused so much on raiding a candy shop was amazing. The Kittens got to face off with some modern Ma-Mutt types, they got to use their accessories effectively, and they didn't anvil the Aesop.

This was great. I felt nostalgia of such fine purity, it brought the cute (ha ha, Snarf, I love you), and I had fun watching it. That's what I feel ThunderCats should be: FUN.

Quote:

Originally Posted by L08e16o

I like to know what the AP really is. He said they were in the AP when they were in the bag.

Considering the Tolkien/D&D fantasy aspects (don't forget that Rankin/Bass was responsible for the cartoons of the Hobbit and Return of the King), I imagine it's not far off of how those planes of existence work.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stormbringer

Maybe the TCats can trick Mumm-ra into entering the bag, and then sew up the top of it, trapping Mumm-ra for all eternity?

With Mumm-Ra's level of power inside of the Astral Plane? Probably not a great idea.

[Singe]

Grune stuck in the bag rationing on the flesh of Pantrho's arms.

[fuukonomiko]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Singe

Grune stuck in the bag rationing on the flesh of Pantrho's arms.

It's mostly muscle so he's getting his protein!
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

[CreepySariFan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Singe

Grune stuck in the bag rationing on the flesh of Pantrho's arms.

I miss Grune. T-T

[Eclipse]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CreepySariFan

I miss Grune. T-T

So do I. Dearly.

I also feel very unsettled about the AP food situation.

[hollowdheart]

Grune will be back. He's too fabulous to just die. What about the AP food situation?

[Eclipse]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hollowdheart

Grune will be back. He's too fabulous to just die. What about the AP food situation?

We can hope. I'm hoping.

As for the food situation, read Singe's and Fuuko no Miko's posts above.

[Jack-Pumpkinhead]

Overall I liked the episode. It was a nice break from the intensity, and it was fun to see the Kittens interacting with other kids. And can I say I liked the other kids? It felt like some of the designs from the old Sonic cartoon, but updated and made about 20% cooler.
Again, a nice break episode.

[hollowdheart]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eclipse

We can hope. I'm hoping.

As for the food situation, read Singe's and Fuuko no Miko's posts above.

Oh...i see. That sounds gross.

[SirSapphire]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CreepySariFan

I miss Grune. T-T

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eclipse

So do I. Dearly.

I also feel very unsettled about the AP food situation.

He's not "dead" per se, just stuck in the Astral Plane which is (apparently) really big. He'll probably come back as a "ghost" in a shout out to his appearance in the old series.

[Dr Kain]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CreepySariFan

I think it's kinda terrible that you think that.

As a big fan of the OS, this episode was bliss. It was like watching a modernized version of an 80s episode dedicated to the Kittens and everything the kids at the time would've loved. Just the fact that they focused so much on raiding a candy shop was amazing. The Kittens got to face off with some modern Ma-Mutt types, they got to use their accessories effectively, and they didn't anvil the Aesop.

This was great. I felt nostalgia of such fine purity, it brought the cute (ha ha, Snarf, I love you), and I had fun watching it. That's what I feel ThunderCats should be: FUN.

The thing is, this was unneeded because it served no purpose to advance the plot of the show. Unless the jewel Kit and Kat have happens to be one of the jewels the cats are looking for, this episode did nothing to move the show that has only 4 episodes in the season remaining. Once you hit episdoe 20 of a 26 episode season, there should be nothing but story for the overarching plot.

Also, this whole thing was already done with The Pit. Sure, it brought in some more characters, but if they had not wasted a good portion of that episode of mindless dwivel with Tookit, and saved the entire metting with him for this episode, I would not have had that much of an issue for it. They already learned he was a lousy scumbag, so there was no reason to dedicate another episode to it, especially a full episode. Plus, it completely contradicted their entire development of only stealing when there was no other choice. Here, they just did it for fun.

[Singe]

It would be really funny if Panthro is checking out the bag then suddenly Grune pops out with a "Hello Panthro", then pulls Panthro into the bag.

The ghost of Grune decides to go beat up Jaga's ghost. So when Lion-O needs helps from Jaga, Grune is there to answer the call.

Sounds like we need a Forever Bag thread where each of us posts something we pulled out of the bag.

Reaches into the Forever Bag.

I got a Lady Cheetara Music CD. No wait, that's Lady Gaga dressed as Cheetara.

[Pravus Prime]

Since I've been told my "negative posting" about the drudgery of the new series isn't wanted, instead of saying anything, I'll just post this video, which does an adequate job of summarizing my thoughts after this episode.

[CreepySariFan]

Family Guy sucks, dude.

Ya can't get away from it, ya can't!

[Grune the Destroyer]

Haven't seen it yet (being stuck in the UK, haven't seen beyond ep 13 yet) but it doesn't half bug me when people say things like "didn't add to the overall plot", "filler episode", "contributed nothing to the plot" etc like any episode that isn't some kind of big-reveal-dramatic-revelation type thing is not "worthy".

Somebody even gave "Duelist and the Drifter" and "Song of the Petalers" as examples... I loved those episodes!

If an episode has its own plot and is fairly self-contained it does NOT mean it is "filler", or not worthy etc. Sure, you're free to dislike the ep, but I hate this attitude that every episode has to be an "OMG!!! LIFE HAS CHANGED FOREVAZ!!!" event in order to be somehow enjoyable.

I seem to recall 130 episodes of a certain cartoon in the 1980s had plenty of alleged "filler", and that turned out just fine :-)

[KaleRylan]

I just watched the episode. Honestly, I don't really care that it was filler. Western animation is known for filler and frankly, the main plot of this series has not really been that enthralling so at this point I am taking this series one episode at a time.

If it's good, it's good.

That said, I found it funny how this episode actually had a really dark plot. A thief that tricks children into a life of crime with him and then blackmails them into never being able to leave his side while he uses them to assuage his own greed.

But since it was a kids show, they kept using this 'happy' music and acting like 'ha ha, we just robbed that nice shop-owner of his entire livelihood.'

I'm not complaining, I'm just saying it's weird the crap we show kids.

[Dr Kain]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pravus Prime

Since I've been told my "negative posting" about the drudgery of the new series isn't wanted, instead of saying anything, I'll just post this video, which does an adequate job of summarizing my thoughts after this episode.

Curious, what don't you like about the new series? I maen, sure, there have been some okay episodes, but everything is far superior to the original series. Not to mention this show is way better than 99% of the cartoons on tv these days.

[Sining]

In all honesty, if I had to have a kit kat episode this late in season, I would rather it have been something that expounded on their story even more. I want to see them find clues to el dorado, I want to see more about their family. Not something about a raccoon master thief. The pacing of the season just feels a bit weird. It's like suddenly we have several high points during the last 2 episodes and then...this, when it should be building towards the climax of the season.

[NIBMRatchet]

I enjoyed the episode.

Couldn't help but laugh when I heard the magic word... "Rankinbass". Nice nod to the producers of the Original Series; Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc.

[Singe]

If the Forever Bag is used in later main story plot episodes, then this wasn't a filler episode.

[Pravus Prime]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr Kain

Curious, what don't you like about the new series? I maen, sure, there have been some okay episodes, but everything is far superior to the original series. Not to mention this show is way better than 99% of the cartoons on tv these days.

To really get into, I'd have to seriously derail this thread; I had thought about starting a seperate thread, but figured it's just be seen as hateful posting, but this new series does so little for me, it's sad.

To start with a bit of background, http://www.thundercats.ws/re-watchin...l-cartoon-253/ so it's not like I'm some hardcore old school TC fan. With the new series, it had an absolutely fantastic opener, one of the best pilot episodes I'd seen in some time, cartoon or not. Song of the Petalars made me shed some tears. Old Friends gave us the other side of the story in the pilot and some background. Legacy gave us some cheesy bits, but also the new history for Third Earth and an overall story pattern.

And then the series started falling apart. The characters became plot props. The stories become tired, cliche, and worst of all, boring. That last part is a big one, as if it was really terrible, at least then I could point a finger and say, "I don't like that!" as opposed to shrugging and moving on. The fight choreography become flat and uninteresting. The plot holes grew bigger as the characterization shrank. The series story has become clumsy and amateurish with a story that advances at a pace that snails would laugh at.

This series has also comitted one of my cardinal sins of strife based TV in that it hasn't presented a credible villain. Mumm-ra isn't a threat in this series. The characters tells us he is, but he hasn't done anything to show it; in fact, quite the opposite, I wonder why everyone fears this incarnation of the character.

Contrast that with the classic series which was always interesting and presented perhaps the strongest villain of the 80's cartoon bunch. Mumm-ra beat the cats often, had a winning record in combat against Lion-O; even killing him in an episode! He'd trick them, he'd subjugate him, he'd teleport them to limbo. You always got something new or different in an episode. The Forest of Silence, berbils, and much more. Some of it was pretty out there, but at least they tried.

Honestly, this series is not only at the bottom of my list of cartoons that I watch, it's been on life support for quite some time.

Since you mentioned other shows, other cartoons I'm currently watching:

• Avengers: EMH
• Young Justice
• Transformers: Rescue Bots
• Green Lantern
• Transformers: Prime

[AlexofThundera]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr Kain

but everything is far superior to the original series.

I'm going to have to disagree here. For all the "flash" of the NS, the stories, the characters, and the settings of the OS were a lot more interesting.

It's just like what is going on with movies these days. Yeah, you can have the most amazing CGI ever, but if your story sucks (Immortals), who cares?

The OS Trials are legendary episodes. What are they in the NS? forgetful at best. The part where Lion-O tells Panthro to simply move out of the way is worthy of a face palm....

Now don't get me wrong, I believe Petalers and Duelist are two amazing episodes (my favorites thus far), and I have really enjoyed the last 4 or 5 episodes in the NS, but in comparison to the OS? The NS has a lot of catching up to do IMO.

[Dr Kain]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pravus Prime

To start with a bit of background, http://www.thundercats.ws/re-watchin...l-cartoon-253/ so it's not like I'm some hardcore old school TC fan. With the new series, it had an absolutely fantastic opener, one of the best pilot episodes I'd seen in some time, cartoon or not. Song of the Petalars made me shed some tears. Old Friends gave us the other side of the story in the pilot and some background. Legacy gave us some cheesy bits, but also the new history for Third Earth and an overall story pattern.

While I have enjoyed most of what has come thus far, I will agree, the opener was amazing. Sure, the episodes after have had their moments of crap (the recent batch of episodes until 21 felt like they were just reading their lines instead of acting), but overall, I like what the show is doing. I do think the Lion-O trials episode should have been a 4-5 parter though, as it was way too rushed at 2 episodes. Still, it is the first season and they need to find their ground in the show. Plus, it is far better than nearly every cartoon on tv right now.

Quote:

This series has also comitted one of my cardinal sins of strife based TV in that it hasn't presented a credible villain. Mumm-ra isn't a threat in this series. The characters tells us he is, but he hasn't done anything to show it; in fact, quite the opposite, I wonder why everyone fears this incarnation of the character.

I will agree with this, he does not seem to be as big a threat as he is made out to be right now. He gets defeated way too easily and quickly. Still. I blame this on his loss of power, but yes, Jackalman seems more of a threat than Mumm-Ra right now.

Quote:

Since you mentioned other shows, other cartoons I'm currently watching:

• Avengers: EMH
• Young Justice
• Transformers: Rescue Bots
• Green Lantern
• Transformers: Prime

Funny enough, I found all of those except YJ to be dreadful, especially Bayformers Prime and Green Lantern. GL and Prime have such bland and cheap looking animation that the stuff from the 90s looks more detailed than it. Plus, I am tired of the Transformers reboots. They had amazing things going on with Animated and then canned it to go with the Bayformers garbage. As for GL, I was bored to death with the first episodes and hated their verisons of the Red Lanterns. There is nothing raging about them, they are just the Sinestro Corp but in red.

[Balgus82]

Please don't compare TF:Prime to Bayformers. It's miles above fkn Bayformers and they're not the same timeline or anything. Frankly I think it's the best TF show since Beast Wars (though Animated was good too).


Agree on GL. I really wanted to like the show, but I'm just completely bored by it. And the Red Lanterns, aside from Atrocitus, are supposed to be mindless rage machines.

[IndyCat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NIBMRatchet

I enjoyed the episode.

Couldn't help but laugh when I heard the magic word... "Rankinbass". Nice nod to the producers of the Original Series; Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc.

This...that was awesome.

[Ravenxl7]

Edit: Looking at the screen caps...not trying to sound like I'm complaining or whining, but is there any particular reason for the larger and more intrusive watermark with this set?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grune the Destroyer

Haven't seen it yet (being stuck in the UK, haven't seen beyond ep 13 yet) but it doesn't half bug me when people say things like "didn't add to the overall plot", "filler episode", "contributed nothing to the plot" etc like any episode that isn't some kind of big-reveal-dramatic-revelation type thing is not "worthy".

Somebody even gave "Duelist and the Drifter" and "Song of the Petalers" as examples... I loved those episodes!

If an episode has its own plot and is fairly self-contained it does NOT mean it is "filler", or not worthy etc. Sure, you're free to dislike the ep, but I hate this attitude that every episode has to be an "OMG!!! LIFE HAS CHANGED FOREVAZ!!!" event in order to be somehow enjoyable.

I seem to recall 130 episodes of a certain cartoon in the 1980s had plenty of alleged "filler", and that turned out just fine :-)

I can't speak for others, but even though I dislike this episode, and refer to it as a filler episode, I don't dislike it because I consider it a filler episode, nor do I feel it is "not worthy". Filler episodes can be good, even great. This one just...the story didn't really appeal to me. That's why I dislike it.

I don't feel every episode needs to be a, how did you put it, "OMG!!! LIFE HAS CHANGED FOREVAZ!!!" kind of story. Filler episodes are those episodes that don't add anything significant to the over-arching story-line of the show. Some see that as instantly a negative, I don't. All shows have filler episodes. Whether or not they are enjoyable depends on how well made they are, just like non-filler episodes.

[Pravus Prime]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr Kain

Funny enough, I found all of those except YJ to be dreadful, especially Bayformers Prime and Green Lantern. GL and Prime have such bland and cheap looking animation that the stuff from the 90s looks more detailed than it. Plus, I am tired of the Transformers reboots. They had amazing things going on with Animated and then canned it to go with the Bayformers garbage.

Animated is IMHO, the best entry into the Transformers franchise. Prime has been circling the drain same as ThunderCats since TMI.

If you don't like Avengers: EMH, I pity you.

[Sining]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ravenxl7

I can't speak for others, but even though I dislike this episode, and refer to it as a filler episode, I don't dislike it because I consider it a filler episode, nor do I feel it is "not worthy". Filler episodes can be good, even great. This one just...the story didn't really appeal to me. That's why I dislike it.

You're probably not the only one. There's probably a reason why this episode thread is still on page 1 on 4 days after the episode when usually it would have been up to page 3 by now.

[Singe]

Lion-O reaches into the bag and pulls out a Cheetara figure with kung fu grip action. He looks around and then runs off with it.

*After Tookit escaped.*
Dobo: Where is the prisoner?
Guard: I don't know, sir.
Dobo: Did you search him?
Guard: *Whimpers* No, sir.
Dobo: You are such an idiot. Why weren't you watching him?
Guard: Um.....
Dobo: You were licking your self, again!
Guard: I'm very lonely.
Dobo: Well you'll be doing a lot of licking to your wounds after some punishment in the Pit.

[Mum Star]

See Racoons are evil. So evil Buddist Monks can kill them!

[JASONKAT]

if he gets out of jail. gets his bag back!, if lion-os sward goes missin. you know who stole it :P

[Mum Star]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JASONKAT

if he gets out of jail. gets his bag back!, if lion-os sward goes missin. you know who stole it :P

I'm going to say... Quick Pick?

[Sining]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pravus Prime

And then the series started falling apart. The characters became plot props. The stories become tired, cliche, and worst of all, boring. That last part is a big one, as if it was really terrible, at least then I could point a finger and say, "I don't like that!" as opposed to shrugging and moving on. The fight choreography become flat and uninteresting. The plot holes grew bigger as the characterization shrank. The series story has become clumsy and amateurish with a story that advances at a pace that snails would laugh at.

The biggest problem I have with this series so far is the lack of consequences from their previous actions. There's been no reaction to a LOT of stuff in the show and the formula really seems episodic. How many times have we said 'wait, this shouldn't have happened, didn't the character learn to do this and that the previous episode so s/he should have passed this episode without doing this stupid thing?' The sheer number of times continuity has been ignored and people made to carry the idiot ball is usually a sign of bad storywriting or plotting. In fact, the ONLY thing that seems to actually carry down into later episodes is the romance. Between either couple -_- And even that isn't done that well (witness bipolar pumyra). There's been no reaction from the trials of Lion-O, none of the cats went and discussed Lion-Os trials or how the spirit of Jaga appeared to them. Or even the other cats as slaves. Or Panthro's missing arms etc etc. Seriously, wth?

episodes I thought were good in the new series. 1st 2 episodes, the ramlak one, the petalars, the ones with kit kats backstory explained, legacy and the birth of the blade (mostly cause of the flashback scenes -_-) Thats 6 out of 22 episodes.

[L08e16o]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sining

The biggest problem I have with this series so far is the lack of consequences from their previous actions. There's been no reaction to a LOT of stuff in the show and the formula really seems episodic. How many times have we said 'wait, this shouldn't have happened, didn't the character learn to do this and that the previous episode so s/he should have passed this episode without doing this stupid thing?' The sheer number of times continuity has been ignored and people made to carry the idiot ball is usually a sign of bad storywriting or plotting. In fact, the ONLY thing that seems to actually carry down into later episodes is the romance. Between either couple -_- And even that isn't done that well (witness bipolar pumyra). There's been no reaction from the trials of Lion-O, none of the cats went and discussed Lion-Os trials or how the spirit of Jaga appeared to them. Or even the other cats as slaves. Or Panthro's missing arms etc etc. Seriously, wth?

episodes I thought were good in the new series. 1st 2 episodes, the ramlak one, the petalars, the ones with kit kats backstory explained, legacy and the birth of the blade (mostly cause of the flashback scenes -_-) Thats 6 out of 22 episodes.

I thought they said all this stuff happen off screen according to the TCats crew. Cheetara has been chatting it up with jaga off screen this whole time.

I thought it was kind of stupid lion-o waits until the begining of 20 to mention mummra's sword. It seems that he has not said anything about legacy.

I would also guess lion-o said nothing about the trails.