#tc2011 ep 14

[firefaerie81]

(liveblog tag in chronological order)

And this is what kills this episode for me. Every other time, Lion-O throws down his sword or changes tactics as soon as hostages are involved. Callously disregarding his brother's life, even if he's angry, feels forced.

Remember just last episode when Lion-O was all "how could you abandon your own brother" when they were watching that memory? That episode was a big turning point for Tygra, but Lion-O has backslid HARD into jackassery.

And it's SO uncharacteristically cruel of him that Cheetara just stops everything. This is not the king she's sworn to protect, and if this is how he's going to be, she's not going to coddle him anymore. And if he's going to ACT like everything is a choice between him and Tygra, she's going to throw that right back at him.

This SHOULD be the moment where Lion-O realizes how much of a jackass he's being - about to let his brother DIE - but it's not.

Luckily for all of them, Lion-O's failure of character in this moment is not the end, and the cavalry has arrived.

And he makes his triumphant debut with a perfected Gum-Gum Rocket!

Oh boy, that is NOT the conversation that needs to be had right now! And I do get that Panthro doesn't know what just went down and they're not in the mood to get into it, but narratively, "we'll get the bad guys back next time" is not a fitting coda.

Lion-O just almost let Tygra die over a petty squabble. And our last shot is the three of them just standing there in the aftermath of that messed up turn of events. Maybe it's supposed to hilight how the big issue hasn't been resolved, but it's kind of not going to be, so it's just a big what the hell.

There's a definite sense that Lion-O is the asshole here, because he IS, but with an ending like that it's unclear what we're supposed to do with that or what THEY'RE going to do with it. The episode just kind of stops, and we'll see he didn't internalize this screwup like he usually does.

At the risk of getting ahead of myself, the best way I can put it is that the emotions this episode puts forward will be resolved, but Lion-O's actual behavior is just kind of forgotten, and that's what bugs me. I can clearly see that it's supposed to be part of his arc, trying to learn better even as he screws up more, but he almost let his brother die and it's never addressed, let alone the nasty way he treated Cheetara.

This episode is such a weird experience because it contains one of my favorite character beats for Lion-O as well as some of the worst of Lion-O in the whole show. Reminding us that the lizards are people is really good! Throwing a tantrum about not getting the girl is really bad!

I like Lion-O. He's my idealistic diamond in the rough. He's got his flaws, but this episode goes really hard on the flaws, and I'm not sold on the way they're handled.

A lot of this episode was setting up things to be continued or resolved later. Thankfully, we don't have to wait long on this front, because the next two episodes are specifically dedicated to Lion-O getting his head out of his ass. See you then.

[firefaerie81]

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You'd think that would come up more often with animal people.

Cheetara's doing better, but no one's gaining any ground.

Interestingly, Addicus comments about finding Cheetara's fighting style predictable, but he never actually beats her. She's got him at a solid standstill.

[firefaerie81]

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Tygra goes along with Lion-O's pursuit of compassion to a point, but he doesn't understand it. He's still entrenched in the prejudices he learned from Claudus. I wish the show had gotten to a point where he could break out of them.

Uniting the animals is part of the stated end goal for being able to win against Mumm-Ra, but also Lion-O wants to win this war ideologically, not just by force. That's how he'll prove he's different from Claudus and the kings before him.

But then he undercuts that by acting like a jackass.

*smacks Lion-O with a trout* No. Bad.

And, like. That IS unusually cold of Cheetara, but not only was anti-lizard prejudice INGRAINED in Thundera, there is something to be said about how they can't afford to get bogged down in doing this over and over when they're still on a race to find the other Stones before Mumm-Ra can.

Being upset about a crush not working out is understandable, but he's devolving into just lashing out at both of them, and they don't deserve it. And I know he knows how to be better than this, if he would just take a second to chill out.

They were both so happy when it seemed like Lion-O was fine and giving them his blessing. But now that's shattered, and we've got a big mess to clean up.

[firefaerie81]

Hoo boy, that last post was probably the longest one since episode one when I was trying to cram as much as possible into each post without regard for pacing.

I've been saving that rant for a while.

[firefaerie81]

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Finally, Panthro's got arms he likes!

The kids are capable of handling themselves when a battle breaks out, but sometimes their best move is to run and get the adult. Even they can tell Lion-O's not his best today.

People allowed to touch the Thundertank:

Panthro

Berbils

.....

....

Maybe Tygra, if he's supervised.

[firefaerie81]

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Well, you're not wrong about THAT, Lion-O.

Lion-O has offered his protection to the lizards who desert, and if he has to stand alone against two unknown threats to make good on that promise and show that he will be a better ally than Mumm-Ra, then so be it.

But he doesn't have to stand alone, because despite the way he accuses them of being against him, Cheetara and Tygra stand by Lion-O, no matter what.

Unfortunately, Mumm-Ra knew what he was doing when he chose his new minions, and the Thundercats aren't in a state to handle them yet.

But they do at least create enough confusion for the deserters to get away again, so they accomplished what Lion-O set out to do. Next order of business is getting out alive.

[firefaerie81]

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Kaynar has the energy of Cletus Kasady. I don't know how else to describe him.

And, y'know, DeMatteis was one of the writers for Maximum Carnage, so there you go.

(He also wrote Song of the Petalars, so he's got that going for him.)

How did you get into the maximum security-- oh never mind.

Kaynar gives no fucks.

Addicus is utter brutality. Kaynar is brutality and chaos. They're both dangerous, and I'm not sure which scares me more.

And AGAIN with the cutaway implying mass murder, JEEZ this episode is a lot. It's got three very different moods going on and it's a LOT.

[firefaerie81]

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ANYWAY, back to shenanigans with Panthro and the Berbils!

So, I mentioned the toyline earlier, and to my knowledge, this is the latest-appearing element of the show that made it into the toyline.

The 4" scale line of action figures had two versions of Panthro, one with his original arms and one with cyborg arms. They didn't quite look like this, but I figure "Panthro with cyborg arms" was just sent along as a concept.

I know it was behind-the-scenes shenaniganery that halted it, but I'm still amazed that freaking Tygus made it into the toyline but some much more impactful characters didn't. Like, not even Leo made it in.

And to finish off this tangent, Super 7 has been making a very extensive line of high quality figures for the 80s show, and I'm holding onto a bit of hope that they'll do the 2011 characters someday (to keep the line going if nothing else). I'd be all over that, especially for the characters who never made it into the 2011 toyline.

The Gum-Gum Rocket needs more work.

[firefaerie81]

(liveblog tag in chronological order)

Hoo boy, here we go.

Yeah, after that look of shock as the final shot of the previous episode, everything wasn't just going to be fine. He pretended to be okay - I think for Tygra's sake, given that he's only letting this out when he's alone with Cheetara - but he's not the kind of person who can hide his emotions for long.

I think Cheetara has been thinking of Lion-O as a little brother herself. Not because of Tygra, but because of Jaga. Jaga guided and nurtured her to become the person she is today, and she wanted to do that for Lion-O, but she miscalculated the effect she'd have on him.

(As an aside, I'm taking Jaga asking her to watch over Lion-O as support for my idea that he was training her to succeed him.)

Lion-O's crush was always one-sided. Cheetara was trying to give him the support he needed to grow, but he read too much into it. He doesn't like the answer he's gotten, so now he's lashing out, making accusations. As if there are only two options, being in love with him or lying to him. He's being a jackass, and that's why this episode is rough.

Yes, the show framed her interactions with Lion-O to make them look more romantic than they were, but to me it's clear that we saw those moments as Lion-O perceived them, and he was WRONG about her intentions.

For all that the last episode or so built up the idea that Lion-O would feel betrayed by Tygra, it's Cheetara who's taking the brunt of his anger, at least at first. And, like, being nice to Lion-O but not wanting to date him isn't a crime. She doesn't deserve this.

[firefaerie81]

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Big "NO, we don't let him go!" Energy

Oh dear, you HAD to go and tempt fate. These poor birds are not going to have a good time.

Jesus

[firefaerie81]

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"A general is only as strong as his army"

"Well, then what does that say about YOU?"

You say that as if you're any different, Mr. "Torch the Briar and my own elite squad along with it".

With Grune gone, Mumm-Ra needs some new minibosses, because Slithe really cannot get anything done on his own.

"I'm pretty much the incarnation of evil in this world, and even I think the stuff they've done is messed up. ... Not that it makes a difference to my desire to work with them."

*snerk* There's a joke I completely missed the first time around.

In the 80s show, "Monkian" and "Jackalman" are these two's names. This show decided to give them actual names, Addicus and Kaynar, respectively.

Of course the Thundercats couldn't just steadily gain ground forever. The balance is about to tip.

[firefaerie81]

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Panthro's vibe is "I have accepted you as my king, but that doesn't mean I won't smack you upside the head." I feel you, Panthro.

Priorities, Panthro.

This is another excellent Panthro face.

[firefaerie81]

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Time to check back in with the Berbils! :D

Who better to help Panthro's arm situation?

This show wholeheartedly embraces the wacky, weird nature of Third Earth, but it also embraces the emotions that the characters are going through. So when you have something like Panthro describing his phantom limb sensations, it doesn't feel like it's trying to be overly serious, it's just Panthro describing what he's going through.

And this is why you tell someone exactly what you want when you commission them.

[firefaerie81]

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Oh my gosh, they are going HAM on the Honeymoon Phase, and I'm here for it! XD

Sorry, kids. Your friend group has a That Couple now. You're gonna have to get used to it.

Lion-O knows what he should say in this situation. And man, look at how happy it made Tygra.

[firefaerie81]

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All right, now this is a scene I've been itching to talk about.

Lion-O has always believed in respect between species, and Legacy solidified that into a mission statement of reaching out to other species and forming alliances. Making friends in new places is one thing, but he also extends that to those who would be his enemies.

And even the lizards are skeptical of a generations-old conflict being smoothed over so easily, but he's right about one thing: The lizards are not loyal to Mumm-Ra's cause. He just gave them a solid way out from under Thundera's heel. They don't value Mumm-Ra or his goals any more than Mumm-Ra values their lives.

"Turn them good" really, Tygra. I can't with you sometimes.

We've seen plenty of examples of how Lion-O is a compassionate person, but what we haven't focused on in a while is how he specifically extends his compassion to people his culture deemed lesser.

Protecting dogs in the slums, protecting lizards from an angry mob, demanding the lizards be freed and contemplating peace with them. He refuses to see the barriers and hierarchies between species that his father saw, that his brother learned from their father.

He will fight those who threaten his life or the lives of others, but he knows that an entire people can't be evil in and of themselves. They're just people.

And the Thundercats, though powerful, are still just a very small resistance group. There's only so much they can do against an army with force alone, so they need to diversify tactics. And Mumm-Ra's grip on his army is only as strong as the lizards' hatred of cats. Erode that, and he has nothing.

[firefaerie81]

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Lion-O has improved a fair amount as a fighter, and gotten a power-up to match. The Spirit Stone's abilities seem to be mainly defensive, with the shield and whatnot.

And of course, he's not alone. The Thundercats as a whole have been steadily growing stronger and more used to working as a team

Tygra has reached the final form of "and this gun I found": Sniper.

omg you two. Never stop being cute. <3