Having recently watched all of the episodes of He-Man on the DVD's, this is one of my favorites. The episode was atypical in that it is very villain-light; only a brief appearance by Beast Man in the beginning. Otherwise, it focuses heavily on character interaction and development, which I thought was a welcome change.
A number of interesting details are revealed here: that Teela and Adam grew up together like brother and sister, and that the abyss next to Castle Greyskull is the source of He-Man's power.
What I liked best about the episode was the way that the five principal characters here (He-Man/Adam, Teela, Man-at-Arms, Orko, and the Sorceress) worked together as a family. Teela proves her preparedness by using a device that can track her position, but she is a bit careless in letting herself get isolated (the moral of the story, which I personally didn't think was heavy-handed at all). She manages to work in some training for Adam on his tracking skills, combined with play; these skills are actually important later when he and Man-at-Arms find Teela who is hurt and lost-- Adam is able to track her footprints. Together, the four work together to save Teela: Man-at-Arms uses his technical skills to locate Teela's approximate position; Adam tracks her footprints; the Sorceress determines Teela is alive; and He-Man, Adam, and Orko together rescue Teela; Orko's ability to levitate proves critical in getting the rope safely to Teela. A fine example of a family unit coming together in a crisis and caring for each other.
I also thought Pookie was a cute creature and a fun addition to the series.
A number of interesting details are revealed here: that Teela and Adam grew up together like brother and sister, and that the abyss next to Castle Greyskull is the source of He-Man's power.
What I liked best about the episode was the way that the five principal characters here (He-Man/Adam, Teela, Man-at-Arms, Orko, and the Sorceress) worked together as a family. Teela proves her preparedness by using a device that can track her position, but she is a bit careless in letting herself get isolated (the moral of the story, which I personally didn't think was heavy-handed at all). She manages to work in some training for Adam on his tracking skills, combined with play; these skills are actually important later when he and Man-at-Arms find Teela who is hurt and lost-- Adam is able to track her footprints. Together, the four work together to save Teela: Man-at-Arms uses his technical skills to locate Teela's approximate position; Adam tracks her footprints; the Sorceress determines Teela is alive; and He-Man, Adam, and Orko together rescue Teela; Orko's ability to levitate proves critical in getting the rope safely to Teela. A fine example of a family unit coming together in a crisis and caring for each other.
I also thought Pookie was a cute creature and a fun addition to the series.
