Tonight brought us the third episode of the Thundercats. Lion-O and crew mourn the loss of their king, as well as their people. With Lion-O determined to find and destroy Mumm-Ra, he sets the team on a course to find him, forgoing the quest for the Book of Omens.
Click the headline of the story for the review. The Episode
With Thundera destroyed, Lion-O, Tygra and Cheetara place Claudus to rest. Throughout the ruins of Thundera, the Lizard Men are looting for valuables, while the Wily Kittens go about looting the looters. Lion-O, as the new Lord of the Thundercats, commands the team to hunt for Mum-Ra, ignoring the protest of Cheetara and Tygra, who believe they should be searching for the book.As they leave the ruins, they are joined by Wily Kit and Wily Kat, though Lion-O feels this will hinder their quest for vengeance.
They head towards the desert, and quickly run low on food and water. As hope seems lost, and Lion-O seems hellbent on continuing at the expense of his crews health, Snarf spots the Sand Sea. Out of, seemingly, nowhere, a huge mound of food appears. As the near starving team gorges themselves, a net hauls them into a ship filled with Fishmen. Angered that the Thundercats have ruined their bait for the “Ramlak”, Captain Cornelius orders the cats killed and served as their food.
The team prepares to meet their makers as a huge set of tentacles attacks the ship. The crew, too frightened to fight effectively, quickly lose control. During the melee, the ‘Cats are freed and go on the offensive. Lion-O and company quickly take control of the situation, slicing and dicing the tentacles of, what we come to find out is, the Ramlak. After the battle, and the Ramlak flees, Cornelius welcomes the Thundercats to his crew. Cornelius explains to Lion-O that the Ramlak destroyed the home of the Fishmen, by drinking their water, which leaves their people to die and their home to crumble. Cornelius is on a quest for revenge, with or without the help of his crew. Cornelius’ desire to avenge the loss of his world only furthers Lion-O’s need for revenge.
The crew spots the Ramlak, and Lion-O and Cornelius head to battle, directly into a thunder and lightning storm, as the crew of Thundercats and Fishmen protest. The ship is quickly destroyed, as the two leaders are blinded by their need to destroy the Ramlak. But as the crew begins to suffer, Lion-O ignores his anger and abandons the attack to save those in need of help. Cornelius never wavers and is swallowed by the massive Ramlak. As Lion-O attempts to save the crew, the Ramlak attacks again, this time devouring the Lord of the Thundercats himself. The Ramlak’s victory is short lived. Lion-O slices through the Ramlack, emptying out the massive supply of water the creature was storing.
With the Ramlak destroyed, their home land restored and their captain gone, the Fishmen thank Lion-O for saving heir race. Lion-O, seeing the value of teamwork and the destructive nature of vengeance, instructs the team they will be heading to find the Book of Omens.
Teh scene then cuts to Mumm-Ra’s tomb. Mumm-Ra and Grune are revealed to be torturing the still alive Jaga. Mumm-Ra knows that Jaga is concealing the location of the book. As Jaga proclaims that he would die before revealing his secrets, Mumm-Ra uses his powers to force the information from the weakened Jaga. Jaga is trapped within a dark device which then forces his to shine a light on the location of the book. Mumm-Ra is pleased as the credits roll.
Review
f you couldn’t tell, the story is clearly a “Moby Dick” inspired tale. Cornelius’s blind rage and need for revenge ultimately is his undoing. But Lion-O is able to see that blind vengeance, at the sacrifice of those on your team, is no way for a king to behave. It’s well written and given time to flesh out the story. The writers took great care in showing Lion-O’s turn from anger to compassion.
The writers are also not afraid to continue the dark tone of the series premiere. It’s not often where a cartoon is willing to show, or allude to, something like the main characters being cut up, cooked and eaten. It’s a welcome change of pace to a lot of shows that shy away from more mature themes like this. This was Lion-O’s episode to shine, with the Wily Kittens getting the some much enjoyed screen time as well. It’s clear, as the show progresses, each of the characters will be given time to develop further, as their roles become better defined.
Bottom Line
Another great episode. While it couldn’t possible top the action and tone of the premiere, it didn’t suffer from a major drop off either. The animation and writing were excellent and the story, while a familiar theme, still played out in a way that strengthens the group. And while Mumm-Ra was relegated to a single scene, it is a very effective scene and sets up for a potentially great race to find the Book of Omens.
Overall: 8.5 out of 10
Joe Moore says
Use this thread to discuss the third episode of Thundercats titled "Ramlak rising".
For preview clips, check Here.
Tony_Bacala says
Looking forward to it. This has taken over my Smallville "excited its Friday" slot. (Yes, I said Smallville). .
Haven't watched the promos, trying to stay spoiler free.
Ravenxl7 says
Definitely looking forward to it. Out of curiosity, does anybody know when/if the episodes will be re-airing? (just in-case I miss one, and want to watch it on TV, rather than resorting to online options).
nitewing73 says
Haven't watched the promos, trying to stay spoiler free.
Joe Moore says
Beej B says
That said, so stoked for tonight's new episode. Gonna re-watch the 2-part opener before it hits!
omens619 says
Yeah, they haven't re-aired it at lot, I was lucky I found it on Fios video on demand
bradpinder says
I am totally loving this toon, i was a huge fan of the original, and this one has hit all the right spots.
Im so jealous that I dont get the cartoon network here in canada. Online searching is how I saw the first episode... ok a little shady way to watch... but what choice do i have?
Ravenxl7 says
DESTRO says
xhavoc86 says
30 more minutes till it airs for me
DESTRO says
So a group of fish that live on an island of water in the middle of a sea of sand. Nice concept.
Lord Lion O says
Agreed!
Jack-Pumpkinhead says
SPOILERS AHEAD. YE'VE BEEN WARNED
OK, that was amazing! The thunderkittens have actually proven themselves useful, and they are just so darn cute!! I love them trying to sway Lion-O with the cutesy-meowing. These fish-people are awesome, I hope we get to see them again. And Mumm-Ra continues to be scary without resorting to his ever-living form. Acting and animation still superb. And that mournful tune Kit played, very well-done. I cant wait for next week!
Hyper Jaguar says
Great Episode. I liked how the Wilys were introduced.
5/5
Joe Moore says
Thundercats Episode 3 Ramlak Rising Review
Lord Lion O says
Anybody else notice that they were using Larry Kenny's...thundercats ho! Coming off commercial back into the show....SWEET!
Lord Lion O says
My only complaint is CN keeps advertising adventure time during thundercats!
Beej B says
Fantastic third episode. That somber melody WilyKit played at the beginning was so incredibly moving - you could really feel the sense of heavy loss lingering before the survivors moved on. Beautiful.
Loved the obvious nods to Moby Dick and even PotC: Dead Man's Chest. Great little touches throughout. Amazing scenic backdrops in this one, too. All the lush surroundings and treacherous terrain leading to the Sand Sea was superb.
Anyone else catch the Wilhelm scream @ 7:41-42? LMAO!!!
Friedle continues to impress as Lion-O here - the gravitas he's giving the character, especially after the events of the opening 2-parter, is extremely well done. The rage and anger boiling inside him, along with his drive to still prove he's twice the man Tygra is - perfectly delivered. And of course, having him see the error of his ways by the haphazard actions and fate of the Captain was nicely carried out. Despite this though, he's clearly becoming the fearless warrior he must be to fulfill his destiny, and to avenge his father.
Great lines in this one as well. "Just so you know, we're not following you - you're just walking in front of us!" LOL - awesome. "The food's fightin' better than YOU!" LMAO!!! And the first mate's reaction to hearing he could easily become dinner was priceless.
Loved the scenes with the Kittens and the creepy chef. Sure got more than he bargained for trying to fatten them up, lol.
And poor Jaga. Mumm-ra was really laying into him. That must've been some seriously effed up and evil mojo in that lantern - Jaga lasted no time whatsoever in breaking. They are really building up Mumm-ra nicely. That first full transformation is gonna be HUGE when we finally get to it.
Can't wait for next week's!
Ravenxl7 says
Definitely a great episode. Would've posted right after the episode, but got caught up in other things. The fishmen gave me a Berserkers vibe. Though with their former captain's death, I foresee them being allies rather than enemies. I really liked their ship. It's a shame it was destroyed. Looked like a big wooden narwhal to me.
Lion-O's rage was interesting, and considering what he just went through, understandable. It's nice to see him actually learning some lessons, and growing into his leadership position.
The twins were really good, and it's nice to see how they teemed-up with the others. They really are the annoying little siblings to the others, who always want to spend time with their older siblings no matter what the situation is (I've got a good friend with a younger brother like that).
Snarf was, again, very enjoyable in this episode. There was at least once where it almost sounded like he said snarf, but in his more cat-like meow sounds. I'm really hoping he gets a plush, and a 4" scaled figure released outside of the Thundertank. By any chance, is there anybody who has/is going to get the Thundertank, but doesn't want Snarf? (hint, hint, I'll take him off your hands )
The bit at the end with Mumm-Ra, Grune, and Jaga was unexpected and really nice. Was interesting to see that Jaga is alive. Was also really nice to see Mumm-Ra's pyramid. It's different, but it's actually more accurate than I thought it would be. Really the only missing bits are his cauldron and his tomb (though that could just be in another part of the pyramid).
Only disappointing thing, for me, was the lack of an intro sequence. The little bit of an intro it had was nice, but wasn't much. Though this does have one benefit to it. The lack of a traditional intro sequence leaves just a little bit more room for actual episode content.
Tony_Bacala says
Dug the ep. However, wasn't as wowed as last week. I know it's hard to match those first 2, as that was basically a movie.
Characters seemed a bit campy, forced. As was lion-o's narrow minded tone that magically got resolved by the end of ep.
This is all just fanboy bitching and moaning tho. It's still better than 90% of toon tv out there. .
Bring on ep 4!
GK Punk says
Well the Twins sold me this ep totally. I loved them so much that all the shows faults I could look past easily. (Such as Lion O's focus on revenge.)
LXL Guy says
Was there an actual opening now that they've shown episode 3?
xhavoc86 says
I'm liking this series a lot more than I initially thought I would.
I'm still not sold on the character designs, but the animation is superb. The story was a bit random in my opinion, it felt like filler, but it introduced the two siblings so that's something. The episode kinda reminded me of Pirates of Dark Water lol
Can't wait to see how Panthro will be introduced. (and Lynx-O, Pumyra and Bengali too of course...eventually...i hope... lol)
EDIT: LXL Guy. That's a good question, I saw the episode from start to finish but I can't for the life of me remember if there was an opening or not. Sorry.
GK Punk says
There was not an opening clip this week.
Tony_Bacala says
The voice acting for the kids reminds me of Peanuts cartoons from back in the day.
GK Punk says
I stand corrected, there was a quick 7 second intro that featured the song played on the KidsWB game, and the Thundercats logo and a shot of Lion O doing site beyond site.
Beej B says
And I forgot to mention this earlier, but I guess "Whiskers" is becoming to TC 2011 what "Scrap" is to TF Prime, eh? LOL
JASONKAT says
Anybody know where i can watch this show cause i missed it tonight,
So anybody have a link i can watch it on since tv doesnt have reruns yet. thanxs!
dolza_khyron says
i totally love it! love the thunderkittens most!
also i want toys of the fish people, especially the captain!
make it happen bandai!
and also, a toy of the boat too! both that big boat, and the boat the cats sail off on at the end.
BB Shockwave says
Download links:
Thundercats S01E03 - Ramlak Rising (180 MB)
Thundercats S01E03 - Ramlak Rising (HD, 670 MB)
wizzra says
it was an "OK" episode... nothing exciting of any sort ..
Blade Raider says
make it happen bandai!
and also, a toy of the boat too! both that big boat, and the boat the cats sail off on at the end.
JASONKAT says
Just got done watching it (thanxs to @BB) for sendin the link since i missed it earlyer.
Anyhow.. sombody on here mentioned that lion-o and tygra's suit came out of nowhere. They r seen walking in reg clothes (as seen in the 1st 2 shows) then in this1 they are seen wearing the brown hoodie coat. but later in the show, they get caught by the fish men and tied up. then we see lion-o and tygras's clothes changed to their fighting gear. Whats up w that? did they think nobody would noticed? lol
still a good show tho. loved it!
dolza_khyron says
we'll be lucky if we get any lizards other then slithe lol!
Wilyjo says
It was average to me, I did enjoy the kids though. Action was great as well. Nothing really "wow"ing me this time but that doesn't make me want to stop watching.
The one thing that stuck out in my mind though was Tygra's complete costume change with no explanation. The kids stole their new 'duds, which is fine. But Tygra just kind of appears with his new armor after a transition. While we can assume he got it out of the rubble, it's still kinda jarring. Nothing's perfect I guess though.
dolza_khyron says
yea i liked that about the twins, i liked that they stole their outfits LOL!
Wilyjo says
dolza_khyron says
Wilyjo says
JASONKAT says
Yea that too got my atention after re-watching it over, they all changed clothes right after tygra says "YOU ARE THE KING" just b4 lion-o pauses to take 1 last look behind him. althought we never saw them change but u can clearly tell they changed clothes under their hoodie!
Wilyjo says
JASONKAT says
Maybe it changes colors? lol next week it might b purple,or black. lol jk.
Sumthing tells me im gonna b paying more close atention to their clothes, or who has wat in their hand and theres always that1 part where "now u see it, now u dont" i hope they didnt mess anything like that up. And lion'o shoulderpad looks kinda stupid., i cant belive he even wear a turtleneck. but they should have left that pad off.
The Eye of Thundera says
I didn't really care to much for this episode unfortunately. I was hoping this series would remain dark for awhile longer and continue to show Lion-O as the hot headed leader that keeps making mistakes which ultimately leads up to an "awakening" for him somewhere down the road. I really didn't care for the fish people idea at all and I hope they concentrate the upcoming episodes on the main characters to build on the foundation of what they started in episode 1&2.
BB Shockwave says
Nice episode. I really liked the parallel between the Captain (Tunar was his name?) and Lion-O. And the designs were awesome - the Ramlak was a totally weird fantasy ID reminding me of some crazy old AD&D monsters - a giant whale/squid that is a cactus, and steals water from oasises?
Thoughts about minor things:
- The kittens were great. Loved the "We are not following you. You are just walking in front of us" line from Kat. And, how they steal their clothes.
- So, after ransacking Thundera, they invaders just leave? The lack of other cats left behind leads me to believe the lizards took them as slaves. However, Mumm-Ra and Grune are back in his pyramid, so Grune has indeed become his general, not Slithe's ally.
- Liked how Tygra stops openly questioning Lion-O now that he is king, showing his respect for the traditions.
- I honestly did not expect to see Claudus' funeral, a very touching moment.
- Lion-O's thirst for vengeance... it's a good thing they did not encounter any lizards, as I doubt he had any thought of mercy in his mind. Still, even after coming to terms with his priorities, it'll be tough for him to learn that the guy who killed his father is, you know... ever-living, thus cannot be destroyed for good.
- Jaga's fate is a nice twist of his old ghost state, while leaving the possibility of bringing him back in the flesh, behind.
-Liked Mumm-Ra's and Grune's little exchange. Grune points out the obvious, but Mumm-Ra is not convinced... which leads to even more questions, why did Jaga not want Claudus to find the Book?
- Loved the fish-people, especially the captain, the cook and the spotted-goldfish like first mate. There were even females on board.
- Is it just me, or wasn't it creepy how the fish-people were so ready to eat intelligent beings without blinking an eye? Maybe they have fallen on really hard times. Also, nice little touch about how they still need water to live in that the lower decks of the ship were under water.
-Changing clothes was not a big deal we needed to see. They have mentioned that they also gathered provisions before leaving the ruins of the city, and we can guess there was plenty of stuff lying around the marauders left behind.
Looking forward to the next episode!
we'll be lucky if we get any lizards other then slithe lol!
We already have one that comes with the catapult toy. One of the goggled fat frog-like types.
I second that I wish this toylinbe would become what Star Wars Clone Wars line is, where every character gets a toy... I like these designs so much, I would buy the whole fish-people crew in a heartbeat, for example.
ejrussell says
There was much to enjoy in this episode, the action, the humor and of course the heart-breakingly beautiful scenery. Who knew that Third-Earth was gorgeous enough to put Pandora from "Avatar"* to shame? With that said there were some missteps but to call them missteps is a bit unfair considering that this is only the third episode so the show still has time to find its stride. I felt that the Whole Plot Reference to "Moby Dick" was a little stiff and Lion-O's epiphany came a little to abruptly. Other than that, I really enjoyed it. I'm glad that the show didn't lose any momentum and I think the twist at the end involving Mumm-Ra had quit a bit to do with that. Can't wait for next week.
Lion O of savannah says
I was satisfied last night after the episode went off. Lion O's first slice of humbling pie. Unlike the original cartoon we get to see Lion O mature into the true Lord of theThundercats. Am I the only one that ate a bowl of cereal while watching last nights episode? Best bowl of cinnamon toast crunch I've had in awhile.
Chukkzy says
Some character development, which is okay in my book. I am happy that finally a show like this does not simply throw out one episode after another, assuming that things just happen but also show them happening. Of course you are outraged if someone just murdered a family member, of course you want blood when you were raised as a fighter... but also you need to overcome your wish for revenge for the greater good.
I found the Moby Dick reference a little forced though, it was okay after all. Fun to watch.
Seems to me like the best show CN has put out in ages, I can not wait till next week.
Tony_Bacala says
http://www.thundercats.ws/news/thund...reen-caps-212/
100+ screen caps from the ep.
Tony_Bacala says
Also, I think Cornelius Tunar wins best name ever award.