Skeletor's Victory

Six days into the resistance, He-Man's scientists cannot make their experiments work and decide they need a real Anadroid, so they slip past a trooper in Mutant outfits. Meanwhile Skeletor and Flogg arrive on Primus, seize the Starship Eternia with Flipshot aboard, and question Master Sebrian, who keeps Skeletor from smashing the Vasionic Resonator by warning that it would destroy half the galaxy. Skeletor orders a planet-wide search for He-Man, Adam meets Drissi in the village of Zafor, a Mutant spots him, and Sebrian's talk of fighters filling the sky hands Skeletor a clue. Gepple's goo threatens to overload a machine at the close.

Electrical circuits can be dangerous, so stay away from them unless you know how to use them, and ask your parents about it. The warning comes as Gepple's goo threatens to overload a machine.

What is a conquest worth when the one man you came for is still out of reach? "Skeletor's Victory" is a title with an asterisk, because Skeletor controls the planet and the starship, and still has to bark for a search. He tells Flogg it is time to pay Primus a visit, takes the Starship Eternia, and greets its crew with contempt: the heroes of Levitan, the protectors of Primus, who do not look so courageous right now.

The spine of the episode, in plain words, is that Skeletor holds everything except the thing he wants, and the resistance can use that gap. Master Sebrian shows it best. Skeletor demands to know where He-Man is hiding, and Sebrian answers that he does not know; Skeletor likes the lie, remarks that they are on the same level now, promises to find He-Man with or without his help, and moves to destroy the Vasionic Resonator for all time. Sebrian stops him with a single piece of information, that the machine was built from a highly unstable material so that anyone occupying the hall could not safely wreck it, and a chain reaction would destroy half the tri-solar galaxy. Master Sebrian, with nothing but a warning, holds back the most dangerous man on the planet, and the scene is the best the script gives us.

Skeletor's own talent is for turning a stray remark into a plan, which makes him fun even when he is winning. Sebrian lets slip that one day Primus fighters will fill the sky like flocks of birds, and Skeletor seizes on the line, insists that Primus does not have that many fighters unless a secret base exists, and works out that the old man knows more than he is saying. The bird talk plays out as a small comedy of overreading, since a map shows a bird sanctuary near where He-Man was spotted, and a clue that is plausible enough to chase is all this villain needs.

The village sequence on Zafor gives Adam his turn. He goes in because he will have an easier time than He-Man, a trooper demands his papers, and the Sorceress sorts that out with a few words that leave him free to go. Drissi, who has come as He-Man's contact, tells him that Sebrian, Flipshot and Hydron have been taken and that the Mutants are taking over the planet city by city. The scene gives a quick picture of how far things have gone, and a cry of "there he is" ends the scene.

Meanwhile the scientists carry the comedy. Gepple, Alcon and Gleep bicker over a failed test, conclude that what they need is a real Anadroid, and put on Mutant uniforms, one of them complaining that he will not be seen in public wearing his; a patrol challenges them, one bluff later they are through, and a round of applause for the man with the plan follows. It is a pleasant antidote to the gloom, and it ends with Gepple mixing another batch of goo while someone warns that the power source will overload.

The weakness is repetition. Once the title has been delivered, later scenes keep restating the occupation, with Skeletor ordering a search and offering a reward of a hundred thousand relics, and the story leans on the scientists' scenes to keep moving. The scientists' hunt for an Anadroid also arrives at the finish line in fragments.

Verdict: a middle chapter that is stronger in its small scenes than its structure, with Sebrian's warning about the Resonator as the high point and Skeletor's talent for overreading the star of the villain scenes.

1. Continuity: Wikipedia's episode list labels this as Part 2 of 5 of the occupation of Primus story.
2. Homage: The He-Man wiki says the Sorceress's trick on BH is a direct homage to the Jedi mind trick in Star Wars.
3. Continuity: Per the He-Man wiki, Karatti has a silent role here, and his last speaking part in the series is The Battle for Levitan, because the third wave of 1990 figures took priority once the show was picked up for 65 episodes.
4. Toys: The He-Man wiki lists Lizorr in a cameo here and says he is the only toyline based character in the cartoon never given a line of dialogue.
5. Behind the scenes: In the safety moral, Gepple throws a sample of Gepple's Goo into an overloaded machine and Alcon warns viewers that electric plugs can be dangerous, according to the He-Man wiki.
6. Voice cast: Scott McNeil voices Flipshot, BH and Krex here, Ted Cole voices Slush Head, Staghorn and Gleep, and Tracy Eisner voices Drissi, per the He-Man wiki cast list.
7. Fan observation: The He-Man wiki's Staghorn page says his left eye is usually drawn closed, though some episodes show it open, possibly an animation error.