So, after watching all 65 episodes of the most maligned chapter of He-Man’s history, what do I think? I think my attitude at the early stages was easy to divine – I wasn’t a fan, despite really genuinely trying to like it. There were moments when I seriously considered giving up. I’m very glad I didn’t, because there are real gems here, though I do think that overall the series is problematic, for a number of reasons.
The first such reason is He-Man himself, who unfortunately I didn’t like. He came across as a playground bully on more than one occasion, and very rarely seemed to have the good humour and strong moral core that his original incarnation did. When this He-Man did demonstrate morals, it always seemed to be with a holier-than-thou attitude that quickly became grating.
Linked closely to He-Man is my second major problem with the series, which is the series’ over-reliance on magical solutions. Now, this is a difficult one, because of course Filmation’s He-Man and She-Ra were deeply rooted in magic as well, but – in most cases – there seemed to be a degree of internal consistency. In The New Adventures, the solution to some pretty thorny problems often consisted simply of He-Man shouting “I have the Power!” which operated like a kind of intergalactic trump card, making him win instantly and indisputably. It rather drained the tension somewhat. You’d be watching and instead of thinking, “How the hell is he going to get out of this one?” you’d think, “He’s going to draw that bloody sword and start bellowing in a minute.”
The third problem, which I think is shared by many people, is the scientists. Jesus Christ, they were annoying. I’m sure an awful lot of you will be itching to know the final score in the scientists’ little game where they competed for points to find out who was most infuriating, and I can here reveal that Elcon was the supreme victor with 33 points, Gepple came second with 27, Meldock was in close third with 25, and Krax proved the most innocuous with a mere 15. This is largely because Krax hardly ever appeared, and when he did, he remained largely silent.
In fairness, the deus ex machina problem and the scientists problem did lessen as the series went along, especially the scientists, who barely appeared at all in the last 15 episodes. The series in general did seem to find its feet, and I really noticed a vast improvement in quality once the planet Necron was introduced and the focus turned away from Primus. Most of the episodes from Balance of Power onwards were very good, and as noted, I really enjoyed the multi-part finale.
One of the things I really did like about this series was the increased sense of continuity. Filmation’s He-Man was incredibly episodic, and though She-Ra did feel a little more linked together, The New Adventures very definitely had a series direction and worked towards it. There may have been some missteps along the way, but far more so than with the other series, there’s a sense of a story here, which begins and ends satisfactorily.
If I’m going to single out a specific character for praise, it’s got to be Skeletor, which will come as no surprise to those people who know me. He’s got enough of his previous personality to be familiar, but this incarnation has a real edge to him, feeling like he’s only balanced precariously on the rim of sanity. His sarcasm is much appreciated, and he elevated many a dull episode.
So, before we move on to the 2002 Mike Young Productions cartoon, it’s time for me to select my top 5 and bottom 5 episodes of The New Adventures. Here we go …
Highlights
On re-reading my reviews for this section, I came across a pleasingly large number of episodes that I really enjoyed, and compiled a shortlist of about 15. It was rather difficult to narrow them down to the remaining five, which is something of a testament to the strength of this series. Interestingly, very few of these episodes came from the tail end of the series, even despite my statement that I felt there was a marked improvement in quality from Balance of Power onward. It’s strange that though the series in general was better towards the end, my nominees for actual individual highlights mostly came from the middle of the run.
5. A New Beginning – This has to be included for giving us a pleasingly competent introduction to the series, quickly explaining the concept of Primus, the Mutants and the Galactic Guardians, and also creating an instantly winningly mental incarnation of Skeletor. The icing on the cake, though, comes with Adam’s touching farewell to King Randor and Queen Marlena.
4. The Final Invasion – If the first episode took fifth place, the last episode deserves fourth. It contains a fantastic scene when Skeletor finally shows his true colours to Flogg and the Mutants, and it also deserves a big thumbs-up for the fact that a plot twist actually caught me by surprise, for I think the only time in the entire series.
3. You’re In the Army Now – A great exploration of Prince Adam’s character, on a series not exactly full of character moments for Adam. It’s the only time that his absence during a baddy attack has actually come back to haunt him, and as such it’s a very different and entertaining episode.
2. The Bride of Slush Head – But if you want entertaining, you’ve got to watch The Bride of Slush Head. Aside from Rock to the Future, it’s the only time this series chose to loosen up and try something refreshingly round the twist, and it’s hugely appreciated. Very funny, and with a surprising amount of heart to it.
1. Four Ways to Sundown – And here we have what has to be the most stunningly innovative episode in the entire He-Man canon. It’s a simple concept: the same story is told from four different perspectives, showing the viewer very clearly how the memory can cheat and making a powerful statement on the value of eyewitness testimony. Hugely entertaining.
Lowlights
I compiled a fair old list of these as well, though only 9 truly stood out as dreadful, most of which came pretty early on in the series. In general, when it wasn’t good, the series hit a low-level mediocrity rather than being teeth-grindingly awful, which is pleasing. Still, the following episodes did prove memorable, for all the wrong reasons.
5. Queen’s Gambit – A prime example of an episode that has no reason whatsoever to exist, and just serves to annoy the viewer with unwarranted bollocks about the power of the good and the way of the magic. The stupid gibbering about drugs in the moral segment didn’t help either.
4. The Galactic Guardians – Hello, consumer. Buy these toys. Buy them now. Yours sincerely, Mattel. PS. Would you like an interesting story, perhaps one which gives you any kind of reason to become invested in the characters these toys represent? Well, tough titties.
3. The Heat – This one was the middle episode of the opening 5-parter, and it gave us a thoroughly unwelcome 20 minute examination of exactly why the scientists are among the most grating characters in all of fiction. It didn’t progress the overall plot, and instead focussed on four infuriating idiots shouting at each other in nails-on-a-blackboard voices. No thanks.
2. He-Man in Exile – This one was also the middle episode of a 5 part story, and it was by turns dull and annoying, mostly falling on the annoying side of the scales. Everything about it rubbed me up the wrong way, most notably the scientists, the Sorceress and He-Man himself. I seem to recall thinking at that point in the series that perhaps I ought to just walk away.
1. He-Fan – But the absolute worst episode came towards the middle of the series, with this instalment, which was unfortunately painful to watch. I know Arlene was written to be annoying, but the writer succeeded all too well, resulting in an episode that I came to despise within all of two minutes. Ironically, even the most dedicated He-Fan would be well advised to skip this one.
Conclusion
I think it would be a little strong if I said I were sorry The New Adventures is over, but I equally wouldn’t be sorry if there were a second season to watch. It’s a decent series that doesn’t deserve its poor reputation, though I can’t in good conscience say that I absolutely loved it. Let’s see if the Mike Young Productions adventures fare any better …
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