NEW ADVENTURES - 1990

Brain Drain

Brain Drain title card
E44

Official Synopsis

Skeletor holds a device against his chest between Flogg and Slush Head.

He-Man frees Skeletor's slaves, and Skeletor rages at Flogg about Mutants who cannot guard anything. Korac, a former mayor of Gorn City, offers a brain amplifier, proves it on a Zeeb Ape, and Skeletor takes it without paying. Korac goes to the heroes for help. Slush Head is amplified first and turns the device into a ray that works on many Mutants at once, and the clever Mutants predict where He-Man will land, trap him in energy chains, and set up a moon engine to drive Nordor into Primus's shield. Once they learn Skeletor means to make them dumb again, they revolt. He-Man frees himself and, with Spinwit, sends the moon back to its orbit.

Morals by closing lesson, paraphrased from the episode audio

Spinwit and Sagitar argue over who gets to see a new comet first, and the closing lesson is that if you take turns, everyone gets a chance, and when you take turns everyone wins.

heman.org Episode Review

Which is worse for a tyrant: subordinates who cannot think, or subordinates who can? "Brain Drain" begins with the first complaint and spends the rest of its half hour on the second. Skeletor rages because the Mutants lost slaves they were supposed to guard, and someone protests that they were guarding them just fine until the Galactic Guardians came along. Someone suggests night school, and the retort to Skeletor's complaint about one teensy-weensy little thing, that conquering Primus and destroying He-Man is no such thing, is a lovely piece of villainous squabbling.

The turn comes with Korac, who has the nerve to offer a brain amplifier to a man who has just said he will change the visitor's face. He demonstrates it on a Zeeb Ape, which finishes a child's puzzle before the Mutants do, and Skeletor, offered a fair price, spares Korac's hide in return for the device instead. The He-Man wiki says Korac is the former mayor of Gorn City, and the script lets him be both salesman and wronged party, since he then turns up asking what it would be worth if he told them it concerns the future of Primus, and the episode is off.

The spine is plain once Slush Head is amplified: smarter Mutants are better at everything, including at being tired of Skeletor. Slush Head recites equations with delight, and then, as the wiki has it, turns the device into a brain ray that can work on several Mutants at once. Skeletor's reaction, that intelligent Mutants are two words he never thought he would say together, is the funniest line of the opening stretch, and the Mutants prove their new powers at once by predicting where He-Man will arrive and when.

The best writing is in the revolt. After He-Man is caught in energy chains that grow stronger the more he struggles, the Mutants take over Skeletor's chambers to set up the moon engine, and he complains that brainy Mutants are giving him a headache. Someone on the Primus side then tells the Mutants that Skeletor means to use the amplifier to turn them back into stupid Mutants, and they announce that from now on they work for themselves, with paid vacations and the Tri-Solar system for their own. The dispute over who should rule Primus gives the cartoon a scene in which the villains lose to their own cleverness, and Skeletor's attempt to appease them by saying he has always detested violence is a pleasure to hear.

The hero side is lean, since Adam does not appear in this one at all. A voice we take to be the Sorceress tells He-Man that an enemy's strength can often be turned against him, and the lesson is applied to the chains, which grow weaker if he does not struggle. He-Man, with Spinwit, then races to reverse the moon engine's direction, and Nordor returns to its orbit; Skeletor, meanwhile, aims his ray at the Mutants and discovers he has made them too stupid.

The weakness is the speed of the moon engine plot. We are told that the engine taps the moon's spin and drives it out of orbit to crush the shield, which is a fine threat, and the next time it comes up the characters are already shouting at one another to hold on. A few more lines of danger would have helped the threat register, though the comedy of the revolt may have been the better use of the time.

Verdict: a brisk, funny episode in the upper middle of the run, with a comedy of errors that the heroes mostly get to watch. Two characters sum it up near the end: a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, though a good education can take you a long way.

Notes of Interest

  1. Continuity: According to the He-Man wiki, Adam of Grayskull does not appear in this episode.
  2. Edit history: The He-Man wiki's errors list says Spinwit's closing line about Nordor returning to its orbit is drawn as Flipshot, and he is correctly drawn as Spinwit in the next shot.
  3. Continuity: Per the He-Man wiki, Slush Head modifies the Brain Amplifier into a brain ray so it can work on several Mutants at once, and BH and Staghorn are boosted next.
  4. Continuity: The He-Man wiki says the amplifier is offered to Skeletor by Korac, the former mayor of Gorn City, who tests it on a Zeeb Ape; Wikipedia's summary also names Korac as the source.
  5. Voice cast: Ted Cole voices Spinwit, Slush Head and Staghorn, and Scott McNeil voices BH, per the He-Man wiki cast list.
  6. Voice cast: The He-Man wiki's cast list credits Don Brown and Doug Parker only as Various for this episode.

Cast Appearances

Full roster →
He-Man
Good

He-Man
Skeletor
Evil

Skeletor
Flogg
Evil

Flogg
Slushhead
Evil

Slushhead
Staghorn
Evil

Staghorn

Episode screenshots

A man in a blue visor helmet leans over the drill nose of a vehicle at night.
A man in a blue visor helmet leans over the drill nose of a vehicle at night.
Skeletor grins widely under a starry night sky.
Skeletor grins widely under a starry night sky.
Two figures stand at opposite ends of a balcony outside a stone building at night.
Two figures stand at opposite ends of a balcony outside a stone building at night.
Skeletor leans over a railing with his staff beside the back of He-Man's head.
Skeletor leans over a railing with his staff beside the back of He-Man's head.
He-Man glares forward, framed by pipes and rooftops at night.
He-Man glares forward, framed by pipes and rooftops at night.
Skeletor stands with his skull staff facing He-Man, seen from behind.
Seen from above, He-Man and a furry brown creature face each other on a tiled balcony.
Seen from above, He-Man and a furry brown creature face each other on a tiled balcony.
Two armored companions in red and blue stand with their backs turned beside He-Man.
A wooden door sits in a rounded archway in a stone wall.
Skeletor sits at a table with a bowl of food and a drink.
Skeletor grins at a round table with a bowl, a drink and his staff.
Skeletor looks sideways with his red eyes narrowed inside a tavern.
Two mutants hold metal claws at the corner of a table, one in a spotted helmet.
Skeletor lowers his head and scowls.
Flogg stands beside a window and a hole in the wall with a solemn face.
Flogg stands beside a window and a hole in the wall with a solemn face.
Skeletor stands beside Flogg, who frowns.
An elderly man with pointed ears, a goatee and a green coat grins slightly.
The old man in the green coat faces a mutant seen from behind.
A grey angular building stands before a rocky night landscape.
The old man holds a glowing device over a striped monkey as Skeletor and mutants watch.
Skeletor and two mutants peer down at the striped monkey.
A burst of white light flares over a striped monkey's head.
Flogg and two mutants stare in alarm, one wearing a three-eyed helmet.
Flogg and two mutants stare in alarm, one wearing a three-eyed helmet.
The old man holds a green block and glances aside with a sly smile.
A striped monkey assembles green blocks into a puzzle.
Slush Head grimaces beside a mutant in a one-eyed helmet.
Slush Head grimaces beside a mutant in a one-eyed helmet.
The old man stands before a shelf as a striped monkey climbs the wall above him.
Skeletor stands with his staff between a metal-faced mutant and Flogg, glaring.
Skeletor holds a device in a pink glow as a ghosted skull staff shows at left.
Seen from above, a white ship and a small robot sit in a dark hangar.
He-Man talks with two men in visor helmets beside a white ship.
The old man in the green coat faces He-Man, who holds the Power Sword.
The old man gestures with both hands before a night landscape of towers.
Flogg, Skeletor, Slush Head and a one-eyed mutant stand together in a cockpit.
Skeletor points a finger at a mutant in a silver helmet with an orange face.
A mutant in a blue suit with spotted yellow legs dangles from a cable.
A mutant in a blue suit with spotted yellow legs dangles from a cable.
Slush Head raises a finger with a wide-eyed look.
Flogg looks worried as Skeletor gestures beside him.
Slush Head holds a drill-like device attached to his arm.
A mutant in a grey metal frame winces in a flash of yellow light.
Two mutants in blue and in green and orange face a dark window covered in writing.
Two mutants face a dark window with chalk-like formulas as a yellow spotted arm fills the left.
A yellow spotted arm and a blue arm cross in front of a brown ship.
Skeletor laughs beside a scowling Flogg.
Tall brown rock spires stand on a barren moon beneath a starry sky.
A white and red ship rests between tall rock spires.
He-Man and two companions trudge across a sandy plain.
Slush Head stands with his hands on his hips on a rocky plain.
The back of a red helmet and orange shoulders fills the frame.
A mutant with metal claws stands among rock spires holding a rod.
He-Man and a man in a blue visor helmet peer over a rocky ledge.
A small figure walks across a sandy plain near a crater.
A dark rocky peak glows with a red streak.
He-Man and a companion run across sand through red streaks of energy.
A man in a blue vest and visor helmet leaps from a ledge.
Slush Head and a mutant with metal arms stand beside a man tangled in a net.
Skeletor raises a fist beside a scowling Flogg.
Skeletor grins beside He-Man, with a helmeted figure's back at left.
Flogg and Slush Head scowl before a starry night.
A small armored figure stands at a metal door at the end of a long corridor.
Skeletor peers over his armored shoulder beside a skull staff in a gothic doorway.
A man in a blue vest and visor helmet stands beside a man in red in a doorway.
A tiny figure sits at the controls of a purple ship cockpit with a yellow window.
Skeletor stands in a doorway with his skull staff behind him.
Staghorn gapes with his grey metal arms splayed beside Skeletor in the doorway.
Staghorn gapes with his grey metal arms splayed beside Skeletor in the doorway.
A green window shows glowing dots of white, blue, red and yellow.
Skeletor stands in the doorway as Staghorn winks beside him.
Skeletor looks down with a grin and bright red eyes.
Flogg stands in a doorway wearing a white apron.
Slush Head peers out of a round hatch as a fist fills the corner.
A close view of He-Man's eyes shows a scowl under his blond brows.
A woman in white with golden wings and a silver headpiece appears in a circle of stars.
A woman in white with golden wings and a silver headpiece appears in a circle of stars.
A muscular man in red and a visor helmet gestures with one hand as He-Man sits behind him.
He-Man sits with red energy bands across his chest and looks aside.
He-Man looks down with red energy bands across his chest.
A man in red and a visor helmet looks on as He-Man faces away.
Flogg strides forward in red armor beside He-Man, who sits bound in red bands.
Two men in visor helmets peer through a lattice window.
A cratered brown skull-shaped moon floats beside a pale planet.
He-Man stands wrapped in red bands beside Flogg and a mutant with metal arms.
Seen from behind, He-Man stands bound in red bands as lightning crackles and mutants stand around him.
A mutant in a bowler hat and monocle stands between Slush Head and a metal-armed mutant.
Skeletor grins with his hands held low.
Skeletor bares his teeth in a grin inside a ship.
A mutant in a bowler hat and red tie stands between Staghorn and Slush Head as lightning flashes.
A close view shows a wide blue eye under a blond brow.
He-Man sits wrapped in red bands and grips his knees.
He-Man stands free and raises a hilt overhead as Flogg crouches at left.
He-Man's sword points across the foreground as mutants stand back while lightning crackles.
He-Man pulls two companions in blue and red through a round doorway.
Skeletor hunches with a blaster in front of a blue pod.
Skeletor aims a glowing blaster toward the viewer.
Slush Head, a bowler-hatted mutant and Staghorn stand wide-eyed.
Slush Head and a bowler-hatted mutant stand beside Skeletor, who grimaces.
A mutant in red armor stands with his back to the viewer facing others.
A green window shows white dots and a strand of lightning.
Purple sparks crackle around a rounded machine as a hand reaches toward it.
Slush Head wrestles a blue device with his spotted yellow arms.
He-Man strains against a glowing sphere that presses on him.
A mutant in a black suit and bowler hat sprawls with his arms outspread.
He-Man pushes against a globe with a sword on his back.
He-Man looks aside with a furrowed brow inside a purple room.
Flames burst from a machine inside a ship cabin.
A green window shows three white dots and one blue dot.
Skeletor clenches his fist beside the bowler-hatted mutant as flames flare overhead.
A brown-haired man in blue looks aside at a radar screen with a glowing yellow dot.
A bald man in red smiles widely against a starfield.
A planet and a small moon hang in a starfield.
He-Man looks on as a bald man in red clasps arms with a man in blue.

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