Welcome to season 1, episode 7 of the re-imagined world of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. The gang is finally all together and with Orko being the new guy, he must learn his place not only on the team, but in the world.
Spoilers ahead.
1. I can’t even
At this point I wonder if I am Seth from Superbad. I can’t even. Just look at the featured image (or click here for the full image) and tell me what you think. Do you see anything? Is it just me? I feel like the animators are messing with me, playing one the edge of acceptable innuendo in animations. It’s already well known how many classics had secret sexual imagery so there’s precedence here, I’m not just making it up. The reason why I’m flipping out is that from the lower angle they have made the arms smaller and the base bigger.. but in the wide shot where it would be too obvious, the arms are longer at the head to obscure the shape a bit, but it still is a giant phallic statue, no matter which way you dice it.
Just look at the screenshot and you tell me. It will be the last time I bring this up, ever.
2. Cringer, who art thou?
The writers did a great job giving Cringer a dimension to his character that obviously didn’t exist in previous incarnations. In this episode we see a haunted aspect and discover how he lost his claws, as a ghost from his past appears to hunt him down and kill him. The episode is called “He-Man, the Hunted,” but the episode is really about Cringer. As the elder in the group he states the values of the show very clearly and explicitly at the end, encouraging his cub pack to be the beasts they choose to be.
3. We all have the power!
One question I had from the beginning is does the team need Adam to activate their powers, or can they activate it on their own. Apparently that’s a question they had as well, as Cringer discovers first that he doesn’t need He-Man to transform. That sets up some interesting dynamics to realize your power is individually kept. For instance He-Man and Ram Man have a major difference in philosophy so they end the episode splitting directions.
4. Why is she Ram Man
By the way, why is Krass named Ram Man if she’s not a man? I understand for branding purposes, but wouldn’t it make more sense for her to be Ram Ma’am? Still rolls off the tongue the same way, so someone tweet this out and start a petition to rename her character. Or maybe I’ll write some He-Man fan-fiction to satisfy this urge. Or maybe I won’t, that was already good enough. Ram Ma’am for president!
5. Skeletor’s Super Squad
The end sequence feels like the end-credit sequence from an evil Avengers movie. Freshly defeated (and humiliated) bad guy R’Qazz is in a dark corner sulking, licking his wounds. Evil-Lyn shows up with some sort of armor or weaponry to level him up and get his revenge. Of course he accepts. This sets up the development of Skeletor’s team, his own Sinister Six or Masters of Evil. I am expecting an epic showdown at the end of the season.
