NEW ADVENTURES - 1990

There's Gems in Them Hills

There's Gems in Them Hills title card
E59

Official Synopsis

The old man holds up a glowing gem with one raised arm as Skeletor and Flogg watch.

Flogg and Skeletor quarrel over a planet, and one of them remembers the first rule of being evil: get others to do your dirty work. Skeletor's plan is to convince the renegades of the galaxy that Primus is full of gem mines, so that they will attack it for him, and Korac sells the rumor to a crowd in Gorn City. A distress signal set up in advance brings He-Man, Flipshot and Artilla to the city, where hunters take Artilla. He-Man and Flipshot find disguises and ask to join the Mutant armada, while others resolve to be the last line of defense before Primus. Someone finally asks the renegades whether they believe everything Korac says, and a pill peddler gets a firm no.

Morals by closing safety lesson, paraphrased from the episode audio

Pills are offered to He-Man and Flipshot with the promise that a couple will see you through life, and the closing lesson is that Galactic Guardians do not need pills or dope; not all drug dealers look unfriendly, and some look very friendly, but you have the power to say no to drugs.

heman.org Episode Review

What do you do with a planet you cannot take by force? "There's Gems in Them Hills" answers with a very old trick: find people greedy enough to do the fighting for you. The episode opens on a quarrel between Flogg and Skeletor over a planet, and it settles when one of them remembers the first rule of being evil, which is to let others do your dirty work. The plan that follows is to convince the renegades of the galaxy that they can be rich beyond their wildest dreams if they attack Primus.

The scheme has a pleasing shape because the villains know it is a lie. Flogg points out that there are no gem mines on Primus, and Skeletor agrees that he knows that, and Flogg knows that, but the renegades do not, and greed is the greatest motivator of all. It is a villain confessing his method, and it sets the terms for the rest of the half hour: the story is about a rumor, who carries it, and what it takes to break it.

Put in plain words, the episode is about how a lie spreads when it is told to people who want to believe it. Korac thinks he was very believable and is told by Skeletor that he was fine, but that payday comes after one more performance in front of a standing-room crowd; he then tells Gorn City that there are hundreds of gem mines, enough to make anyone who goes to Primus incredibly rich. The speech adds that the Mutants want to keep the gems to themselves, and the chant becomes on to Primus. Doubt is voiced earlier, when a small exchange about whether the gems are real leads straight to Korac, who is happy to confirm it.

The heroes meet it sideways. The Guardians first take in a group of renegades who attacked Alpha Base III, then a distress transmission, set up in advance in case He-Man was needed and could not be reached directly, brings He-Man, Flipshot and Artilla to Gorn City. When He-Man and Flipshot see Korac and Skeletor up there, they decide to infiltrate the crowd, which means finding disguises first. Artilla, who has admitted that he dreamed of becoming a Galactic Guardian, is taken by hunters who tell him the Great One is concerned about him, and we later hear him say he disobeyed an order because he knew something was wrong.

The He-Man and Flipshot double act is the best fun. They approach the Mutants, say they want to join up but will take orders from no one except their leader, and are asked to lead the first attack on Primus; one villain says there is something very familiar about the newcomer, and the other replies that he is only jealous for not having found him first. Garry Chalk is credited by the He-Man wiki with voicing both He-Man and Artilla, so the two share an actor, a small pleasure for fans.

The weakness is how loosely the final stretch is knotted. Artilla's backstory and the unseen Great One are hinted at and never resolved, which the He-Man wiki puts down to this being one of the last episodes produced, and the unravelling of the rumor, when someone asks the renegades whether they always believe everything Korac says, goes by in a few quick lines. A 22-minute slot is the likely reason, but it leaves the ending thinner than the setup.

The ending returns to the spine: the lie dissolves as soon as someone asks who has been telling it, and the helper who dreamed of being a Galactic Guardian is told that he is one.

Verdict: a smart, funny story about rumor and greed with a likeable double act, undermined by loose ends that the schedule evidently left no room to tie.

Notes of Interest

  1. Continuity: Many of the background Renegades reuse the character models of the Freon Mutants with less saturated colors, according to the He-Man wiki.
  2. Behind the scenes: The episode hints at a backstory for Artilla and an unseen being called The Great One, which the He-Man wiki says was never resolved because this was one of the last episodes produced.
  3. Continuity: The He-Man wiki says this episode reveals it was Skeletor himself who proposed sending Crita to Necron.
  4. Continuity: The He-Man wiki notes a continuity slip: Optikk wears the alternate outfit he does not receive until The Blacksmith of Crelus when the Mutants first appear outside Gorn City Jail.
  5. Behind the scenes: The He-Man wiki lists an animation layer mistake in the final scene, where Artilla is drawn smaller than he should be while his arm moves in front of He-Man.
  6. Continuity: Per the He-Man wiki, the Renegades, Revolton and the Robot Bounty Hunters appear only here, and Korac makes his last Jetlag appearance.
  7. Behind the scenes: In the closing moral, a mutant in Gorn City offers He-Man and Flipshot pills and He-Man tells viewers to say no to drugs, as the He-Man wiki describes it.
  8. Voice cast: Garry Chalk is credited for both He-Man and Artilla, per the He-Man wiki cast list.

Cast Appearances

Full roster →
He-Man
Good

He-Man
Skeletor
Evil

Skeletor
Flogg
Evil

Flogg

Episode screenshots

Skeletor stands inside a glowing yellow window in a dark ship interior.
Skeletor stands inside a glowing yellow window in a dark ship interior.
He-Man, seen from the chest down, grips a joystick in a white cockpit.
He-Man, seen from the chest down, grips a joystick in a white cockpit.
A white and blue fighter flies through space as another ship's engine glows behind it.
A white and blue fighter flies through space as another ship's engine glows behind it.
Small ships cross dark space above a pale-streaked reddish planet.
Small ships cross dark space above a pale-streaked reddish planet.
Skeletor grins beside Flogg, who looks off to the side.
Skeletor grins beside Flogg, who looks off to the side.
Armed guards in blue surround prisoners with raised hands beside a purple ship on a pale landing pad.
Armed guards in blue surround prisoners with raised hands beside a purple ship on a pale landing pad.
Meliac smiles with his single pink eye wide, one hand on his brown vest.
Meliac smiles with his single pink eye wide, one hand on his brown vest.
Seen from above, He-Man talks with a red-haired man in blue and Meliac, who holds out both hands.
Seen from above, He-Man talks with a red-haired man in blue and Meliac, who holds out both hands.
A skull-shaped asteroid drifts beside a cratered planet.
A skull-shaped asteroid drifts beside a cratered planet.
A toothy purple ship sits in a cavern with a small group seated on top and others below.
A toothy purple ship sits in a cavern with a small group seated on top and others below.
Skeletor and Flogg sit side by side in a cockpit looking ahead.
Skeletor and Flogg look ahead with Slush Head seated behind them in the cockpit.
A white craft with a purple canopy flies through space beside a smaller ship.
He-Man smiles and looks ahead in the cockpit.
He-Man sits in a white cockpit gripping the controls as light streaks across the glass.
Mara winks and raises one hand on a purple screen.
A pale purple rock ledge slopes into shadow.
A blue floor with notches along its edge stretches across the frame.
He-Man stands before a white craft with a brown-haired man, a masked armored man and a pink figure.
He-Man and a brown-haired man in blue smile side by side, the man holding a helmet.
Skeletor and Flogg stand among a crowd of mutants and robots in dim light, Slush Head at right.
Skeletor, Flogg and Slush Head crowd around a figure in gold armor seen from behind.
Flogg scowls with his mouth open, his face filling the frame.
Flogg scowls with his mouth open, his face filling the frame.
Masked guards hold their arms up beside a doorway crossed by pink beams while captives crouch below.
Meliac crouches with his hands raised as armed guards point blasters at him.
A blue domed building sits on a green hillside dotted with purple crystals.
An old man with long white-grey hair smiles, his face filling the frame.
A glowing rainbow-colored silhouette raises a sword in front of a black background.
He-Man stands with his sword lowered, facing Master Sebrian, who holds a staff.
The blue domed building stands on a green hillside as a white bird flies at upper right.
He-Man gestures toward a pink-armored toad-faced creature as a faint overlay of figures fades in.
A pink-armored toad-faced creature sits in a cockpit hatch, a ghostly blur trailing his hands.
Skeletor and Flogg stand among aliens in a purple-floored tavern seen from above.
Skeletor stands grinning with a staff while Flogg crosses his arms behind bars at left.
Several aliens in a tavern lean over a table, one in an orange helmet seen from behind.
An old man with white hair and pointed ears glances sideways with a suspicious look.
The old man in blue steps through a doorway as a green alien and Skeletor look on.
A green clawed foot in orange trousers presses on a purple stone floor.
A green alien in an orange helmet grabs the old man by the collar in a doorway.
The green alien in the orange helmet stands with fists clenched beside Skeletor.
Skeletor grins and points straight at the camera.
Seen from above, Skeletor and Flogg stand among aliens in a tavern.
The old man faces Skeletor across a purple counter.
Three white fighters fly in formation over a red-orange sky.
A pink-armored creature peers from a white cockpit as a masked man in brown armor climbs out.
A crowd gathers before a tall dark tower under a pale blue sky.
A crowd of aliens raises their arms before a raised blue stage, a dark pole crossing the frame.
He-Man stands on a blue deck with a masked armored man, a winged-helmeted man and a pink figure.
He-Man faces a man in a winged helmet and blue armor on a blue deck.
A small pink figure peeks around a dark doorway beside a tan building wall.
Seen from above, masked armored men stand on a pale street around a small pink figure.
Several masked soldiers in grey and green armor stand in a lane between tan buildings.
A small pink creature points up at a masked soldier as other soldiers stand around him.
Tan buildings with small windows rise against a pale sky.
Masked soldiers aim blasters at the pale street as a red-suited soldier points.
A pink-armored toad-faced creature raises his hands while masked soldiers aim guns at him.
Two goggled men, one in a grey cap and one in a wrapped turban, look aside.
Skeletor stands with a staff in one hand and the other hand held out under a blue sky.
Two goggled men in a cap and a turban stand between green aliens who raise their arms.
A grey hangar with a dark open doorway sits on a purple plain.
The long grey barrel of a cannon points across the frame.
Armored men and an old man in blue stand around a man lying on a table.
The old man and a masked man in green armor walk away through a doorway.
Masked men in armor stand around a pink-armored creature in a purple room.
A double exposure shows a masked man in green armor and the old man beside a tall tower.
A purple metal wall with rectangular panels fills the frame.
A gloved hand and an orange sleeve hang over a tiled floor.
A masked man in brown armor aims a blue and red cannon as a pink creature grins below.
A masked man in brown armor with a blue eye lens glances sideways.
A masked man in brown armor and a pink-armored creature walk across a purple plain toward a hangar.
The two goggled men in a cap and turban look aside with green aliens behind them.
The two goggled men stand among a crowd of green and orange aliens, the turbaned man gesturing.
Seen from behind, aliens and the turbaned man gather at the foot of blue stairs.
A green muscular alien carries a hooded figure across a pale plaza as other aliens look on.
Flogg frowns with his arms crossed and his hood pulled forward.
Flogg frowns with his arms crossed and his hood pulled forward.
Skeletor and Flogg face the two disguised men across a plaza as aliens stand behind them.
Skeletor looks down with a grin, his arms held in front of his chest.
The turbaned man and the capped man gesture beside a vehicle with rocket pods.
The hilt of a blue sword glints with a sparkle across a bare chest.
Skeletor points to the left with his arms spread against a cloudy sky.
He-Man holds a sword as the brown-haired man in blue fires a pink beam on a pale plain.
A masked man's head with a white face shield sits atop brown armor against a starfield.
The pink toad-faced creature beams with his mouth open and his eyes turned upward.
A boxy brown craft with two glowing headlights flies through starry space.
The brown-haired man in blue and He-Man stand back to back, glancing aside.
Green tracked machines with orange cannons crest a ridge with riders aboard.
Green walkers with orange cannons race across a purple plain, kicking up dust.
Flogg raises a red fist beside the arm of a green machine.
Skeletor and Flogg ride in the cockpit of a green machine.
He-Man aims a long weapon across a pale plain toward a line of dark figures on the horizon.
A green walker raises a fist beside two other tracked machines on a plain.
He-Man stands with a sword amid fallen aliens on pale ground.
The brown-haired man in blue aims a pistol at a green machine with a clawed hand.
He-Man smiles and looks off to the side.
The pink toad-faced creature smiles with his eyes shut, holding a sack.
Flogg runs past a purple container as Skeletor crawls on the ground.
Flogg stares with his mouth open and a raised red hand.
Aliens run together across the pale ground with their mouths open.
The landing ramp of a purple craft rests on pale ground.
Two craft with orange exhaust fly over a pink mountain range above a flat plain.
He-Man stands with the brown-haired man in blue, a masked man in brown armor and the pink creature.
The pink toad-faced creature looks up with a smile beside a leg in blue.
He-Man and the brown-haired man raise their fists beside the pink creature and the masked man.
He-Man looks aside calmly at night with a building behind him.

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