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Lee Schneider Reviewed by: Purrsia  Monkian pays Mumm-Ra a visit, it seems, because the old mummy requested it. Mumm-Ra is quick to present Monkian with a set of magical orbs. Monkian is eager to possess them, as they're promised to grant him unlimited power - enough to defeat the Thundercats, even. Mumm-Ra warns him of a caveat that would deter most folks, but then again, this is Monkian we're talking about and off he goes orbs in hand. On his way to the Lair, Monkian encounters Panthro and Cheetara. After a breif fight, he encases them both in two of the magic orbs. Before he can cross the drawbridge to the Lair, Monkian must get past Tygra. As the Thunderkittens look on via the scanners, the two duke it out. Taking out another orb, Monkian creates a magic crossbow that does the fighting for him. Worried, the Kittens start retracting the draw bridge which only complicates matters when Tygra is knocked off it. As he hits the moat water, Monkian entraps Tygra in another orb. Monkian then barges into the Lair and confronts the Thunderkittens in the control room. He easily entraps the kids in their own lassos. Using an orb to teleport himself, Monkian appears in the Sword chamber and takes the Sword of Omens. The victory is brief as Lion-O appears (Snarf at his side) and calls the Sword to his hand. Though managing to drive Monkian back and free the Thunderkittens, Monkian is not about to give up. Lion-O orders the Lair secured (windows and doors electronically sealed) as the foursome watch Monkian use an orb to become literally larger than life. Monkian climbs up the Lair. Lion-O orders the kids to the lower levels just in time, as Monkian bashes his giant-sized fist through on of the Lair head's eyes. Taking Snarf, Lion-O races to the top of the Lair to confront Monkian. Monkian simply swats them off the top of the Lair and the pair go plunging head-long into the moat below. Before they can swim away, Monkian scoops up his prize which is now waterlogged and motionless. Monkian delivers Snarf and Lion-O to Mumm-Ra, who are bound and held prisoner, along with the Sword of Omens. In the classic mistake of evil doers everywhere, Mumm-Ra is satisfied to leave the good guys chained and simply retires with the Sword to his crypt - his hope is the Eye will go blind in the dark crypt. Unwilling to let this happen, Lion-O breaks his bonds, frees Snarf, and heads for the crypt. Monkian is still around and tries to stop him. Knowing Monkian is a tough oppenent with those orbs, Lion-O instead fills his head with manipulative garbage. Thanks to Lion-O's speech, Monkian calls Mumm-Ra out by demanding the Eye and rule of Third Earth as his price for capturing the Cats. As the two clash, Lion-O has a chance to grab the Sword out of the crypt. But not only does Monkian drive Mumm-Ra back, but he regains the Sword of Omens from Lion-O. However, Mumm-Ra is not finished yet. He reappears to remind Monkian of the price of his power - he can never leave the Pyramid and see the world which he now rules. During all the ensuing whining and fighting, the Sword is dropped. Lion-O recovers it and signals to the others, who burst out of their bubble prisons. With Monkian out of the way, the struggle is between Lion-O and Mumm-ra. Lion-O, in an apparent bout of LFS, left his claw shield behind in the crypt and now he regrets it as Mumm-Ra is really laying it on heavy with the red lightning blasts. In a move of self-sacrifice, Snarf dives over Mumm-Ra (suffering his own red lightning blast as a result) to get the missing shield. Meanwhile, the other Thundercats have busted their way into the Pyramid thanks to the Thunder Tank. So before Mumm-Ra can transform again to cause Lion-O real trouble, the Thunderkittens bind the mummy's hands to prevent it. This gives Lion-O time to get the claw shield from Snarf and show Mumm-Ra his reflection in it. And that pretty much ended that. Matthew Henry: What this episode really needed was for the ThunderKittens to buzz around giant Monkian on their spaceboards while he climbing Cat's Lair. PKELL: This episode is a little bit more controversial than fans realized. I don't know if any parents ever caught on to this, but the basic premis of this episode was that Monkian sold his soul to the devil for selfish wants and desires. There is a very interesting religious aspect to that plot, but unfortunately the writers didn't go as far with it as I would have liked. This show also features the running theme of the villains inability to work together as they are always seeking to be the most powerful, and that ultimately leads to the TCats winning out. With those interesting aspects, and the fact that Monkian got a starring role makes this a memorable and entertaining episode.
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The Show
