NEW ADVENTURES - 1990

He-Caz

He-Caz title card
E29

Official Synopsis

Caz sits close to Flogg and Skeletor in a dark room as Skeletor holds a small device.

Caz, hurt in a mission, is given an experimental Medi-Suit that heals his leg and gives him super strength. He uses it to rescue a child and is called He-Man Junior, which interests Skeletor. He-Man says the suit's power will be decreased and tells Caz to leave rescues to him. Skeletor sends a false distress call from the planet Dectus, Caz goes alone, and the mutants capture him. He-Man and the Galactic Guardians follow, steer past invisible space mines and land at Gorn City. Caz hands He-Man a pack of crystals to boost his sword, and they break out together. Caz decides he is not ready to be a hero like He-Man. The closing lesson is to bend at the knees when lifting.

Morals by closing safety lesson, paraphrased from the episode audio

When you pick up something heavy, never bend at the waist, because you can hurt your back; bend at the knees so your legs take the weight.

heman.org Episode Review

What do you tell a boy who has just discovered that he can be a hero? "He-Caz" gives its answer in two parts, a gentle reprimand and a lesson in humility, and it lets Caz do real good first. Hurt on a mission, he is given the scientists' experimental Medi-Suit, which heals his leg, and he soon finds that it also gives him super strength. He wears it to rescue a child, the child's parent asks how they can ever thank him, and Caz, a little embarrassed, says it was not much; the reply that he is just like He-Man draws a pleased admission that he guesses he is.

The script is wise to start there, because the rescue is a good deed and the trouble comes afterwards. A news report on the viewscreen calls the rescuer He-Man Junior, and a voice remarks that there is something familiar about the suit. In plain words, the story is about the gap between strength and judgement, and the scientists' line that if something is good then more is better, followed by the warning that in this case more is too much, puts it better than most Primus gags do. He-Man's message to Caz is gentle: strength means nothing without the wisdom to use it, the suit stays because Caz needs it to get well, but its power will be decreased, and Caz's job is to help at the Oasis and leave the rescues to He-Man.

Skeletor supplies the story with its engine, and the choice of lure is clever. Having heard of the nickname, he calls the pint-sized hero interesting, observes that He-Man Junior likes to rescue children in distress, and decides to provide one. A false distress signal reports an earthquake on the planet Dectus and a girl buried under rock, and Caz, who has just been told to leave rescues alone, decides there is no time to wait. The trap closes on the Shepherd Brat from the Oasis, as the mutants call him, who insists that he is He-Caz and they had better let him go. Skeletor's promise that this will be the last rescue attempt He-Man ever makes is standard menace, but the plan is built from Caz's own best qualities.

Back on Primus, someone tells Adam they have not seen Caz all day, and the Primans suspect the signal, since Dectus is a planet that was abandoned. The rescue that follows is the tidiest stretch of the running time: no Mutant Dreadwings patrol the area, which looks too easy, He-Man asks the magic to show him the way, and an invisible minefield is revealed before the ship reaches it. Following the beam to Gorn City, the heroes land, and He-Man's remark that Caz is off rescuing people again draws the admission that he goofed. The best moment is He-Man asking for the pack of crystals: he cannot reach out through the force field, but Caz can reach in, and the crystals are placed in his hand to boost the sword. The student supplies the tool, and the teacher uses it.

The weakness is the villain's side, which is routine. A distress signal that turns out to be bait, a force field, guards at the exit and a closing fight are all familiar, and we have little sense of Skeletor's plan beyond catching the boy. A 22-minute slot leaves little room to make the trap anything other than a trap.

Still, the ending lands. Caz tells Alcon that the Medi-Suit is a terrific invention but not for him, and admits that even with it he is not ready to be a hero like He-Man, though he can still fight mutants and defend Primus. Verdict: a gentle, sensible entry that gives its young character a real mistake and a real moment of growth.

Notes of Interest

  1. Behind the scenes: The He-Man wiki says He-Man calls the Mutant Shuttle Pods "Dreadwings" here, the only time they are named that in the series.
  2. Voice cast: Alvin Sanders voices both Flogg and Tuskador in this episode, per the He-Man wiki cast list.
  3. Voice cast: Campbell Lane voices Skeletor and Sagitar, and Doug Parker voices Adam and Meldoc, according to the He-Man wiki cast list.
  4. Continuity: The He-Man wiki says the nickname "He-Man Junior" is what draws Skeletor's attention to Caz in the Medi-Suit.

Cast Appearances

Full roster →
He-Man
Good

He-Man
Prince Adam
Good

Prince Adam
Skeletor
Evil

Skeletor
Flogg
Evil

Flogg

Episode screenshots

Caz sits on the ground gripping his injured ankle and wincing.
Caz sits on the ground gripping his injured ankle and wincing.
Two elders stand at a counter at the end of a long corridor.
Two elders stand at a counter at the end of a long corridor.
A bald elder in a green collar speaks with a smile.
A bald elder in a green collar speaks with a smile.
The red-hatted elder talks with the bald elder, who turns away.
The red-hatted elder talks with the bald elder, who turns away.
A bald elder in a green collar leans over a table, a brown boxy device before his face.
A pale blank background shows a blue and orange shape in the top left corner.
The bald elder smiles and speaks, his green collar around his shoulders.
Caz sits smiling in a blue and pink suit with a control panel on his chest.
Caz looks down with a smile, the control panel on his suit chest.
The red-hatted elder rubs his chin with a sly look.
Drissi looks up with a worried expression against a blue sky.
Drissi speaks with Caz, who stands in the suit with his back partly turned.
Drissi stands outdoors with a hand at her waist, looking aside.
Metal legs in blue and orange stand in the grass.
Caz, in the helmeted suit, holds a huge boulder overhead against the sky.
He-Man stands with his arms crossed and a slight smile.
He-Man stands with his arms crossed and a slight smile.
Small figures stand on a forest road beside a vehicle lying on its side.
A pink baby carriage rolls down a forest road toward the camera.
The visor of a helmeted blue and orange suit reflects a pink baby carriage.
A baby in a pink bonnet looks up with a finger in her mouth.
A blonde woman in pink holds a baby carriage beside a helmeted figure in a blue suit.
A rough brown rock wall fills the frame.
A helmeted figure in a blue and orange suit stands with arms folded against a bright sky.
A boy in a blue tunic stands against a rocky background in a faded dissolve.
A boy in a blue tunic stands beside the helmeted suited figure, who rests an arm on him.
A bright sun shines in a blue sky.
Adam speaks to a bald elder seen from behind.
Adam speaks to a bald elder seen from behind.
A boy in a blue tunic looks up as a hand holds a microphone toward him on TV.
An elder with long white hair studies a bank of console lights.
Two elders appear inside a giant glass mug, one in a red hat.
Master Sebrian gestures toward Adam while the red-hatted elder stands with his back turned.
Master Sebrian gestures toward Adam while the red-hatted elder stands with his back turned.
A grey elephant-like creature with two bones on its head trumpets in a forest.
Drissi stands frowning under a blue sky as a suited figure's shoulder shows at the left edge.
Caz in the suit and helmet walks across a grassy field, seen from behind.
Caz in the suit clenches a fist and looks aside near a tree.
Master Sebrian, Drissi and Caz in the suit stand together in the open.
Adam holds the suited Caz by the shoulders, speaking to him.
Skeletor grins with red eyes in a dark cockpit.
Skeletor grins with red eyes in a dark cockpit.
A suited figure runs across a brown field in a blurred motion streak.
Skeletor and Flogg sit side by side as Skeletor holds a blue and white cylinder.
Skeletor and Flogg sit side by side as Skeletor holds a blue and white cylinder.
Skeletor grins, holding a blue and white cylinder in both hands.
A spiky creature craft drifts alone in a starfield.
Caz in the suit stands in a green clearing beside a fallen blue and white cylinder.
A blue and white cylinder lies tilted in the grass under a tree.
A white spacecraft rests on the ground beside a calm sea under a blue sky.
Figures inside a purple ship stand behind a row of oval windows, one holding his head.
Skeletor grins with his arms crossed.
A silver ship streaks diagonally through bright rays of light.
A beam of pale light cuts down through a dark starry space.
Two white goat-like animals sniff a blue and white cylinder in the grass.
Drissi and Adam lean forward, looking down.
Skeletor stands behind the suited Caz, whose armored shoulder fills the right.
Flogg scowls, clutching a blue and white object against his chest.
Flogg scowls, clutching a blue and white object against his chest.
A green oval window sits beside a figure's blue and orange suit at the left edge.
A glowing white silhouette of Caz in the suit claws the air against a pink flash.
Skeletor stands in a doorway holding a blue and white cylinder beside a green window.
Skeletor grins, leaning forward with his red eyes wide.
Adam and Master Sebrian stand blurred at a console in a bright hall.
Skeletor grins on a viewscreen.
A glowing white silhouette of He-Man raises his sword amid green radiating streaks.
A glowing white silhouette of He-Man raises his sword amid green radiating streaks.
A flat-roofed building and a dark saucer-shaped building stand under a blue sky.
A small hovering robot with a screen face glows in a blue halo above a rooftop city.
Skeletor grins in the foreground while Caz and Flogg sit frightened behind him.
A gloved hand holds a handheld device with a small globe on its screen.
A curved ship hull and a boxy screen cut across a starry sky.
A glassy ship canopy with white reflections fills the frame.
A mutant in a gold tusked hood sits at the controls of a ship under a night sky.
A white fighter sits landed beside a dark mountain at night.
A blinding white and blue light with thin streaks fills the frame.
He-Man raises an arm in a blurred overlay beside a man in a red vest and visor.
A blue arched door with a lattice window stands in a stone wall.
Caz presses the buttons on the panel at his wrist, looking determined.
Caz looks ahead with a hopeful smile, his suit collar around his neck.
A blue-trousered leg and a hand gripping a boot enter the frame over a stone floor.
He-Man frowns and looks aside in a stone cell.
He-Man crouches on the floor in the shadow of a dark shape.
A tusked mutant and a man in a red helmet and visor hang side by side from chains.
He-Man smirks sideways against a stone wall.
He-Man glances aside with a determined look against a brick wall.
He-Man holds both hands up, palms out, in a faded double exposure.
Two open hands reach out in a faded overlay against a grey wall.
A pale grey stone surface fills the frame.
Caz looks up with a faint smile in a dark cell.
Caz smiles beside He-Man in the cell as a faint sword shape crosses the frame.
Caz looks back over his shoulder as He-Man faces the chained tusked mutant and the visor man.
Skeletor grins with bared teeth as another figure stands behind him.
He-Man clenches a fist near his chest with a grim look.
A curved white tusk fills the foreground as a small armored figure swings on a chain behind it.
Skeletor grins beside a red-faced mutant in gold armor with bared teeth.
A man in a red vest and visor stands beside a tusked mutant in a stone hall.
A blurred scuffle of red, blue and grey limbs tumbles across the frame.
A tusked mutant in gold armor grips Flogg by the arm.
A tusked mutant in gold armor grips Flogg by the arm.
He-Man and Caz stand in a stone cell as Skeletor approaches with his staff, seen from above.
Skeletor grins with an outstretched hand as He-Man's shoulder fills the left edge.
Skeletor hangs upside down from the ceiling above He-Man and Caz.
Skeletor sits on the floor aiming his staff, which glows with pink energy.
A brown shaft slashes across a burst of white light with radiating streaks.
A blue wall plate with an angular pattern hangs on a stone wall.
Skeletor stands with raised fists inside a glass cylinder in a stone room.
Pink energy swirls around Skeletor's staff on the floor.
Caz and He-Man lean together in the cell, He-Man's arm outstretched.
He-Man looks sideways with a calm expression.
The red-hatted elder hands the suit's helmet to an elder with long white hair.
An empty blue-lit laboratory room shows a yellow sleeve at the left edge.
He-Man, Drissi, Caz, elders and two others gather in a bright laboratory hall, seen from above.
He-Man carries a wooden crate while Caz stands beside him with his hands on his hips.

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