NEW ADVENTURES - 1990

A Time to Leave

A Time to Leave title card
E62

Official Synopsis

The giant speaks to leaf-cloaked Skeletor, who shuts his eyes and holds his staff.

After a live-fire practice, the Galactic Guardians learn that the flight to the games on Rintor will pass Necron, where President Pell hopes the fighter Wolk will teach them his style. Skeletor and Flogg learn of it too, and Skeletor wins Wolk over in the forest by posing as a spirit, then dropping the act once Wolk sees through him. Wolk picks the Maze of Loom as the place to meet, and Skeletor arranges with General Nifel to ambush the Guardians there. Wolk springs the trap and the Mutants seal them in, but the power of the good and the way of the magic shows them the way out. Flipshot is warned about a spray can.

Morals by closing safety lesson, paraphrased from the episode audio

Flipshot tosses a spray can into an incinerator and learns that this is a bad idea; the closing lesson tells viewers to read the labels on cans and boxes, since they explain how to use what is inside in the best and safest way.

heman.org Episode Review

What does it take to turn a teacher against his own pupils before the first lesson? "A Time to Leave" gives a plain answer, and it costs the Mutants no armaments at all: find a lonely man who has been laughed at, and offer him a chance to get even. Wolk, the fighter on Necron whom President Pell hopes will teach the Guardians his style before the games on Rintor, is the pivot of the half hour, and the story is smarter about him than about most of what surrounds him.

It begins with a live-fire session. The Guardians finish a round with real ammunition, Flipshot is told that a Chaos rocket would have taken him out, and the speaker adds that pretty good will not win the games. The briefing that follows sets the route: their flight path crosses Necron, where Pell is arranging the lesson, and Necron's ambassador on Primus, who wishes he could go with them, is told he has important work to do where he is, and thanks Master Sebrian for his lessons. Wolk is described as a renegade from a long line of gladiators, primitive and superstitious, and yet with a style said to be among the greatest in the galaxy.

The Mutants hear of the plan through their spies, and Skeletor sees what he can do with it. He asks General Nifel for directions to Wolk's home and for the best spot to ambush the Guardians, and is offered the Maze of Loom, while Crita reminds the general of a bargain: if she destroys Pell, she is to be made queen. Skeletor then visits Wolk dressed as the spirit of the forest, which fails at once, since Wolk himself keeps up the forest-spirit legend for the benefit of others. He sees through the costume, says he has heard how the same ruse fared with the blacksmith of Crelus, and tells Skeletor to shed the disguise so they can talk.

Put in plain words, the story is about a grudge: Wolk has been mocked all his life for being different, Skeletor answers with "tell me about it", and the pact is made over shared resentment more than over any promise. It is a modest, well-judged piece of characterisation, and the little moment where Wolk asks for a hand with the wood before they go inside has more warmth than the rest of the villainy.

Pell and Mara, meanwhile, visit Wolk in his forest and meet a giant who says he has no fight with the Mutants, does not begin fights for no reason, and needs time to think. Later, when asked why the Maze of Loom worries him, Pell calls it an ancient arena on a mountaintop, reachable only on foot, with endlessly twisting walls where finding the way out would be almost impossible. We are told the danger before we see it, and the trap that follows closes on the fear he named.

The weakness is the clutter around the trap. Flogg, Skeletor, Nifel and Crita pursue overlapping goals, the bargain about a crown is hard to place, and the rescue itself arrives in one stroke: someone asks what power is guiding them, the answer is the power of the good and the way of the magic, and the exit is found. Mara's attempt to blast a new hole in the mountain, with the worry that too much firepower could bring it down, deserved a longer scene, but a half-hour slot and a crowd of characters leave the plot little room.

The closing safety tip has Flipshot throwing a spray can into an incinerator, and viewers are told to read the labels on cans and boxes.

Verdict: a middling entry in the last run, held up by one well-drawn recruit and a maze worth the buildup.

Notes of Interest

  1. Continuity: The He-Man wiki says most Priman characters seen across the series appear in the farewell scene, making it the last appearance for many, most notably Sagitar.
  2. Continuity: Per the He-Man wiki, Wolk leaves with the Mutants at the end and never appears in the series again.
  3. Continuity: The He-Man wiki lists President Pell, Vice-President Etor and General Nifel as making their last Jetlag appearance here.
  4. Fan observation: Wikipedia's episode summary spells the trainer's name Wulk, while the He-Man wiki spells it Wolk.
  5. Edit history: The He-Man wiki notes a skipped effect: when Skeletor teleports out of the Maze of Loom, his staff's usual puff of smoke is missing.
  6. Edit history: Per the He-Man wiki, the background behind President Pell moves as he and Mara walk down the ramp of his flagship, while the one behind Mara stays still.
  7. Voice cast: Venus Terzo voices Mara and Crita, Garry Chalk voices He-Man and President Pell, and Michael Donovan is listed as uncredited for General Nifel, according to the He-Man wiki.
  8. Behind the scenes: The closing moral has Flipshot polishing his Bolajet and then tossing a spray can into an incinerator, with He-Man reminding viewers to read labels, per the He-Man wiki.

Cast Appearances

Full roster →
He-Man
Good

He-Man
Skeletor
Evil

Skeletor
Flogg
Evil

Flogg

Episode screenshots

A man in a winged helmet stands beside two armed companions in blue.
A man in a winged helmet stands beside two armed companions in blue.
He-Man stands with hands on hips beside a toad-faced ambassador in pink armor.
He-Man stands with hands on hips beside a toad-faced ambassador in pink armor.
The toad-faced ambassador in pink armor glances upward with a toothy smile.
The toad-faced ambassador in pink armor glances upward with a toothy smile.
A tall spiked tower of wire and metal rises against a stormy sky.
A tall spiked tower of wire and metal rises against a stormy sky.
Flogg scowls from a viewscreen while a red-haired woman in a gold helmet looks up at it.
Flogg scowls from a viewscreen while a red-haired woman in a gold helmet looks up at it.
Skeletor and Flogg stand side by side in a hall, Flogg clenching one fist.
Skeletor and Flogg stand side by side in a hall, Flogg clenching one fist.
Skeletor grins with his face filling the frame against a pink backdrop.
Skeletor grins with his face filling the frame against a pink backdrop.
Guardians, elders and a boy stand together on a platform, several of them waving.
Guardians, elders and a boy stand together on a platform, several of them waving.
He-Man and three Guardians stand beside the toad-faced ambassador on a pink pedestal.
He-Man and three Guardians stand beside the toad-faced ambassador on a pink pedestal.
He-Man, seen from behind, faces a gathering of robed elders and the toad-faced ambassador.
Master Sebrian speaks gravely, his long grey hair trailing behind him.
Master Sebrian speaks gravely, his long grey hair trailing behind him.
Twisting dark roots tangle across the landscape under a blue sky.
Twisting dark roots tangle across the landscape under a blue sky.
Two green-armored soldiers aim orange blasters from a stack while a third flies overhead.
A white ship with purple turrets sits on a barren plain.
Mara looks worried, a gold diadem on her head and a long braid at her shoulder.
A grey domed hut sits behind a tangle of twisted roots.
A green-armored soldier with an orange blaster stands beside a woman's legs among tangled roots.
The giant glares with mouth open, his face filling the frame.
The giant stands with fists clenched in front of a blue sky.
Mara stands with President Pell and several soldiers in front of the giant's shoulder.
The giant stands with hands on hips facing Mara and President Pell.
Mara looks ahead while President Pell and a green soldier stand beside her.
The giant frowns, brow furrowed, against a pink swirl.
Mara and President Pell sit looking to the left against a deep red backdrop.
A spiked metal tower stands on a pink base amid pale mountains at night.
Flogg, a red-haired woman in a gold helmet and Skeletor lean over a table behind a seated general.
Flogg, a red-haired woman in a gold helmet and Skeletor lean over a table behind a seated general.
The red-haired woman and Skeletor look toward the same point, Skeletor grinning.
A green-faced horned general sits at a console, fists on the table, glaring sideways.
Skeletor grins with his head tilted, filling the frame.
The horned general leans forward on his fists, mouth open.
A small figure in tan stands under an arch of twisted roots.
Skeletor, covered in leaves and a tall black hat, grins and holds his staff.
Skeletor, wrapped in leafy foliage, grips his staff close to the camera.
Skeletor grins in his leafy disguise, his face filling the frame.
Skeletor stands with his staff beside the giant on a plain of twisted roots.
The giant sits in a chair on a pink floor while a small skull-faced figure stands below.
The giant seated in a chair reaches toward Skeletor, who rests a hand on his chest armor.
Skeletor grins with his face tilted toward the camera against a pink backdrop.
A tall flower-shaped tower rises above a green landscape beside round platforms.
President Pell speaks with his brows raised, his orange helmet and collar framing his face.
Mara stands beside President Pell, who glances up at her.
President Pell and Mara stand in a bluish chamber facing a large dark screen.
President Pell stands frowning beside Mara's blue boots.
The giant sneers with fangs showing, seen through a window edge.
Skeletor laughs with his head thrown back against a pink swirling wall.
A tall egg-shaped spaceship stands on a blue landing pad beside a small blue ship.
A control screen shows a pink mountain peak under a blue sky.
He-Man looks to the side beside Mara, whose long braid hangs down her back.
Green toad-faced soldiers sit at the controls under a ship's transparent canopy.
A white spacecraft with swept wings stands on its landing gear against the sky.
He-Man and Guardians walk down a ramp as a winged-helmet pilot looks on in the foreground.
Skeletor grins while a gold-armored shoulder fills the foreground.
Flogg stands with two green soldiers and a dark figure on a slanted pink plain.
Skeletor stands with his staff while Flogg spreads his hands beside two green soldiers.
Two armored green soldiers stand with their backs to the camera as others walk off above them.
He-Man, a winged pilot and three companions stand on a pink slope facing the camera.
He-Man leads his companions through a rocky archway toward the camera.
The Guardians walk through a ruin as He-Man stands at right beside a small elder.
A walled stone arena stands at the edge of a pink plain as a figure passes at right.
He-Man crosses his arms in a double image as a huge golden hand reaches in above him.
He-Man steps aside as a gold-armed giant lunges across the frame.
The giant crouches beside a glowing blue sphere that sends bubbles upward.
A green-skinned soldier in blue armor stands with his back to the camera facing a dust cloud.
A red object spins through hazy blue air.
The winged-helmet pilot shouts, mouth open, his face filling the frame.
A figure in blue and gold crashes through a wall hole in a burst of green light.
A trail of white smoke curls over a dusty pink floor.
Stone blocks and rocks fly apart in a cloud of dust.
A dark figure spins, wound in a coil of rope, against a dusty background.
Flogg stands in a ragged rock opening with fists clenched.
Flogg sits slumped on a cracked floor beside a dark figure with a white dish face.
The giant lies face down on a pink plain, one gold arm outstretched.
The giant leaps through the air, arms spread, against a dark craggy wall.
He-Man holds his sword upright and looks to the side.
Pieces of pale rock scatter across a pink background.
A helmeted Guardian looks on from behind a heap of blue boulders.
He-Man and four companions stand on a heap of blue boulders, seen from behind.
Two dark pods with long cannons rest in a pink cavern, a small figure sitting in one.
Two small craft fly through a blue sky, one glowing at its nose.
A red-haired woman in a gold helmet looks out from behind a pink partition.
Mara bends over a control panel and presses a button.
Two armored horned green soldiers stand shoulder to shoulder in a narrow stone corridor.
President Pell raises his brows, mouth open, against a blue sky.
A white flash fades into dark blue.
An explosion hurls purple rock fragments through orange fire.
Skeletor stands holding his staff behind a purple console beside the red-haired woman.
A white craft fires yellow shots at a spiked dark flying creature in the sky.
Flogg snarls in fear as the giant looks down over his shoulder.
A pink mountain rises against a blue sky.
A dark hole opens in the center of a pink ridged surface.
He-Man raises his sword toward the sky in a stone corridor as companions stand behind him.
A spiked dark airship with glowing yellow eyes flies through the sky as small craft swarm behind.
The red-haired woman in a gold helmet works a keyboard in a faded overlap.
He-Man and companions shelter among pink boulders at the mountain's base.
Three small craft fly across a pale blue sky.
Two horned green soldiers glare ahead in a crumbling stone corridor with more soldiers behind.
A horned green soldier stands frowning against a red rocky wall.
Mara, He-Man and the Guardians stand with President Pell on a pale plain.
Six small figures stand on a red plain beside a long ridge.
A brown-haired man in blue holds up a glowing pink canister and smiles.

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