"I have the power!" Just saying that phrase gives me a sense of confidence. Of course, growing up in the 1980's I was into He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. It's a little too cheesy now to watch as an adult. A more palatable version is the 2002 Cartoon Network reboot that I believe only lasted two seasons, but the 3-part origin story is a great framework on how a He-Man movie could be. A while ago, it was announced that the ultimate geek, Kevin Smith, was going to be producing a Masters of the Universe series for Netflix that was going to be a sequel to the beloved 1980's series. I hoped it wouldn't be as campy, and from the trailer it looked like it could be family programming. Then came the wrath of the fanboys.
When the first five episodes were released back in July it got MotU fans in a tizzy as both He-Man and alter ego, Prince Adam, were barely in it. Instead, the first few episodes focused on Teela, and the aftermath of a great battle that made Eternia believe both He-Man and Skeletor were gone. People brought their grievances to social media and attacked Kevin Smith personally. They accused him of creating an SJW series that focused on a girl instead of, "the most powerful man in the universe." I took it for what it was; the first five episodes of a season that had more to come. I wasn't overjoyed by Part 1 of Revelation, but knew Mr. Smith and his team had a second half of the story still to tell. Today, Part II of Revelation was released on Netflix and I believe it's everything the whiney fanboys from months ago wanted. WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD!
When last we were in Eternia, Skeletor had returned and now has the Sword of Power, which he used to stick Prince Adam with. The Power of Grayskull was his! As the new episodes start out our heroes are on the run and Teela uses her emerging new abilities to heal Adam before certain death. They soon rendezvous with King Randor and his army to try and fight Skeletor, but, before they do, Evil-Lyn has tricked bonehead and she is now Master of the Universe. And she's looking to burn it all down.
This is the part of the season fans wanted. A lot of action, a lot of their classic hero, and big consequences with not a lot of talking. I think we all saw Teela becoming the Sorceress before this was all over, and I thought it was cool that without the sword Adam's transformation of power pretty much just turned him into the Hulk. In the end we had a giant spectacle of a battle that ended with the Skeletor defeated and He-Man as Eternia's champion once again.
But this series has also evolved the mythology into something new, and not just the classic story. The opening tries to fill in newbies as to what MotU is, but I think a person having seen at least a few episodes of any previous He-Man cartoon would help when they start this series. But now, going forward, they can tell new stories, and not just retell old episodes of the original cartoon. The characters I've known since my childhood have grown and can continue to grow. Also, I'm not an MotU expert, but if this series is supposed to be a sequel to the 80's cartoon, then don't She-Ra and the Horde already exist? Don't get me wrong, I loved the tag at the end to set-up the Horde, but is Hordak still fighting She-Ra and the rebels in Etheria? I just want some clarification if those characters already exist moving forward in this series.
When the voice talent was announced for Revelation, I thought it was top knotch all the way; from Sarah Michelle Gellar to Mark Hamill. In Part II, the stand-out voices for me were Liam Cunningham as Man-at-Arms and Lena Headey as Evil-Lyn. Along with Teela, Lyn got the most character development in the season, which is why I know some fans cried SJW. But I say again, this series is MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, not HE-MAN and the Masters of the Universe.
The lesson Teela learned that her mother did not is that becoming Sorceress doesn't mean leaving those you love behind. In fact, Teela learned that they made her stronger than those who guarded Castle Grayskull before her. That part made me think of Harry Potter, since it's a cliche hero lesson; but a goodie none the less. I wanted to rewatch the first five episodes before starting the new ones, but this time of year leaves me no time to do so. But I would like to go back and watch all ten episodes together at some point. For now though, I think this season is a great journey that gives He-Man fans the prospect of good things to come as far as storytelling. But I gotta say, I was kinda sad no one said "snoochie boochies" at least once.
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