After failing his final trial, Lion-O sacrifices his soul to save his fellow Thundercats. But does he get there in time? And does how does he explain to his fellow Cats that he has little time left on Third Earth?
Read on to check out our review of Thundercats Episode 16: The Trials Of Lion-O Part 2. The Story
Lion-O moves onto his third trial against a spirit posing as Panthro in the old throne room from Thundera. He has to get Panthro out of circle of the Thundercats symbol before an hour glass runs out. At first, Lion-O tries brute force, but fails miserably. Lamenting the fact that he is not strong enough, he realizes he may have to try a different tactic. He orders Panthro, as king, to leave the circle. Panthro does as he is commanded and hands Lion-O the next key.
Back at the group, Tygra is leading the Thundercats to Mumm-Ra’s lair. He tells the team that he always wanted to be king, but not at the expense of Lion-O’s life. He is determined to get the sword back, so they sneak into the lair. The alarm sounds and the lizard army approaches. Wily Kit uses her flute to lull the lizards to sleep, allowing the Thundercats to pass them by. They approach the main room and see that Mumm-Ra, Slithe, Addicus and Kaynar are standing around the Sword of Omens. Mumm-Ra is chanting a spell to have the Eye of Thundera removed. Tygra, despite realizing they are severely outnumbered, orders the team to attack. They are quickly subdued and thrown into a cell.
Back in the spirit realm, Lion-O enters the final trial. The trial mimics the opening episode of the show, where Lion-O must race Tygra to the top of the tree to ring the bell. As was the case before, Lion-O simply cannot beat Tygra and continually gets knocked from the tree and eventually loses. Tygra hands Lion-O a completely different key. The key takes him back to Jaga, who informs him that he has lost. Jaga also inform Lion-O that the Thundercats have been captured and will be killed. Lion-O begs for a chance to help them, offering his soul in exchange for a chance. Jaga tells him he has until sunrise, at which point his soul will be sent to Limbo for all eternity.
Lion-O awakens at the bottom of the river and blasts the rocks off with the spirit stone. He sees a bird creature and uses that to fly to the top of the hill. He sees Wily Kit’s drawing, and follows them to Mumm-Ra’s lair. Once inside he approaches Slithe, Addicus and Kaynar. He tricks them into following him into a cell. Lion-O fights past them and locks them in. He then goes and frees th other cats, who are all shocked (naturally). Lion-O, with his newly learned skills (thanks to the trials) and the rest of the team with a new found perspective on Lion-O’s leadership, attack Mum-Ra. Refocused, the cats get the upper hand as Lion-O faces off against Mumm-Ra, who transforms into the Ever Living Mumm-Ra. Lion-O uses his patience and eventually gains control of the sword driving Mumm-Ra back. As Mumm-Ra escapes, more lizards show up and the team retreats from the lair.
Outside, as Lion-O is about to explain what happened, Jaga appears and explains to them that Lion-O sacrificed his soul to save them…The ultimate sacrifice. He then informs Lion-O that his selfless sacrifice has earned him a second lease on life. And the cats are now even more curious as to what happened.
Review
This episode, thankfully, moved the team and the story forward. It corrected some of the mistakes from the last two episodes, and allowed Lion-O to truly shine. Even though he couldn’t beat the spirit Tygra, he learned that the trials were about more than beating them. It was about learning how to be a leader and a king. He then used this knowledge in the battle to save his team.
Also, it was nice to see them move Tygra forward. Instead of being smug in the fact that he is king, he reflects on how tough the decisions Lion-O had to make were. I really hope that this is a continuing theme and the writers have the two begin to work together instead of fighting all the time. If the writers can use this episode as a jumping off point, we can get back to a strong story build as the team can start function as a unit instead of pulling in different directions and boring the pants off the audience.
On a side note, special nods should be given to the animation this episode. The animators did a really fantastic job on this weeks episode.
Bottom Line
The best episode since the return of the show. The story is really moved forward, the writers focused on making the characters stronger and the animation was superb. If they use the momentum that builds here, we could be in for some great upcoming episodes.
Overall 8.5 out of 10
- Thundercats episode 16 Review
Use this thread to talk about Thundercats Episode 16: The Trials of Lion-O Part 2. It airs Saturday April 7th at 9:30 AM EST on Cartoon Network.
Cant wait!!!!
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I'm definitely looking forward to this one. Should be interesting to see how this two-parter wraps up.
Don't forget to tweet #LionO
Addicus is sounding a lot more like Monkian this episode.
i really liked liono alot in this episode. the part where he gives his soul for his friends was where he truly showed why he was meant to be king.
Cool episode. But that happened to the thundertank?
Loved the episode. And LOVED that Addicus actually sounded like Monkian this time.
though I do think the episode went by a little fast and Mumm-Ra seriously needs a few victories under his belt. At this point Kaynar has done more damage than he has. I mean he ran away!
And yeah where was the Thundertank?!
Finally, the show I loved is back.
Yeah it sounds like Tygra might question Lion-O a little less often now....maybe.
though I do think the episode went by a little fast and Mumm-Ra seriously needs a few victories under his belt. At this point Kaynar has done more damage than he has. I mean he ran away!
And yeah where was the Thundertank?!
Mumm-Ra is a poor king, that's why his ranks breed resentment and eventual rebellion.
though I do think the episode went by a little fast and Mumm-Ra seriously needs a few victories under his belt. At this point Kaynar has done more damage than he has. I mean he ran away!
And yeah where was the Thundertank?!
Yeah that's what I'm saying. He doesn't seem like much of a threat anymore because they keep beating him so easily. I would've been happier if Lion-O got the sword back, but they still had to retreat because they were getting overwhelmed. Instead of Panthro holding Lion-O back when he was winning.
the episodes does go by really fast which really sucks. so im guessing the brotherly rivalry and the love triangle has come to an end since liono has learned that there are more important things at hand.
I liked that Lion-O still wanted to go after Mumm-Ra and had to be pulled away at the end. He's made terrific progress but he still needs the council of others, which is better than him just being right all the time from now on.
As for Panthro pulling Lion-O out: Yes, let's chase the evil overlord deeper into his own stronghold that only one of us has ever been in and make it even harder to escape.
I was a bit bothered by Tygra's sudden attack plans. He's criticized Lion-o on this before plenty of times, but he goes ahead and just does it anyway. And then after they lose he somehow thinks he can understand what Lion-o went through? Um, maybe with the fighting aspect, but not with anything else. I don't recall anyone on the team badgering him and being overly rude and telling him off for being reckless. I did like Kit's moments and her faith in Lion-o, and the reunion, but everything else seemed a bit, stupid, like Panthro's Trial.
As for Panthro pulling Lion-O out: Yes, let's chase the evil overlord deeper into his own stronghold that only one of us has ever been in and make it even harder to escape.
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Jelenic and crew will be forever be remembered as the man and crew that tainted the TCATS brand. Hopefully J.M. DeMatteis will remove some of the taint.
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Jelenic and crew will be forever be remembered as the man and crew that tainted the TCATS brand. Hopefully J.M. DeMatteis will remove some of the taint.
Lion-O already lost to Mumm-Ra once already in an all-out fight and it was only because of Jaga that he was driven off. This time Mumm-Ra ran away before they could finish it because he couldn't get his way. I'd say they're all tied up right now.
Mumm-Ra needed to return to "villain school" with Joker and the rest of Batman's freaks.
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Jelenic and crew will be forever be remembered as the man and crew that tainted the TCATS brand. Hopefully J.M. DeMatteis will remove some of the taint.
Mumm-Ra needed to return to "villain school" with Joker and the rest of Batman's freaks.
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Jelenic and crew will be forever be remembered as the man and crew that tainted the TCATS brand. Hopefully J.M. DeMatteis will remove some of the taint.
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Jelenic and crew will be forever be remembered as the man and crew that tainted the TCATS brand. Hopefully J.M. DeMatteis will remove some of the taint.
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Jelenic and crew will be forever be remembered as the man and crew that tainted the TCATS brand. Hopefully J.M. DeMatteis will remove some of the taint.
Mumm-ra: "Jelenic, whyyy you made me look this stupid, I am supposed to be the uber awesome super villain that strike real fears to small children!"
Jelenic: "Shut-up, you are paid to follow the script! No complaining! or I will fire you on the spot!"
Mumm-ra: "mumble,mumble,mumble" returning to his sarcophagus waiting for the next screentime.
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Jelenic and crew will be forever be remembered as the man and crew that tainted the TCATS brand. Hopefully J.M. DeMatteis will remove some of the taint.
Nice going for Tygra to call Panthro by his rank. It also seem that with Lion-O not there, the group cohesion was different.
Bad fall for Mumm-ra to get his bony hide kicked in his own temple. The show will probably give him the next stone or a power boost.
Another good episode to the series. Though not really much to comment on. I enjoyed the conversation between Slithe, Addicus, and Kaynar. Should be interesting to see where the show goes from here.
This episode totallt fell apart at the Tygra challenge. Why not just follow through with Liono learning the lesson rather than complicating it more by injecting the "soul" aspect..sort of an irrelevant aspect in this cartoon. This show also needed maybe extra time..the editing from Liono being freed to Liono getting out of the pyramid with his friend was void of any substance. Are we to believe it took Liono a span of minutes to run across the forest, a desert, etc? another episode coulda been devoted to Liono's journey to his freinds with him reflecting on what he learned, and time coulda been spent on explaining or at least reintroducing the importance of the sword to mummra. The Tygra portion, with Liono winning and the journey to the pyramid coulda at least taken another episode.
Some might say, well would it take mummra a whole episode to chant and convert the sword? To answer that I woulda had Slithe and company still making their journey to Mummra, perhaps encountering setbacks by the captives attempts to escape, to delay the time and allow Lion to catch up. At the end of the episode, mummra gets the sword..the thundercats are dejected becasue they know of their plight...then Liono burst onto the scene and makes the save...freeing his frineds and stopping Mummra in the process. just my two cents
As for Mumm-Ra taking a whole episode to free the Eye from the Sword, don't forget that he didn't know how to break the spell when he had Jaga captured. He most likely was experimenting.
Awesome episode!!!
Loved it. Loved seeing how much Mumm-Ra's Pyramid has degraded over time, Lion-O actually kicking some ass, great special effects. It's the 80s all over again, and people can stop complaining about the internal conflicts between the good guys.
Lion-O had two more obstacles trials to go to and was passing most of them until he got to the Tygra one, which all fell apart for him. It seems that Lion-O's real problem is Tygra more than Mumm-Ra. As a result, Lion-O failed the trials yet had to apply the lessons he learned there in the real world. At the same time, Tygra starts to understand what Lion-O goes through as a king because it was easy for him to criticize Lion-O all these years. Lion-O's words to Tygra that when he's king he gets to do whatever he wants is starting to come through to him. I hope this will be addressed in the next episode.
Wilykit has undying belief in Lion-O when the others didn't shows great character development in her. Lion-O acknowledged her contributions with the trails she left behind. Slithe and the two new generals are clicking better than he has with Grune. The battle between Lion-O and Mumm-Ra was almost an echo of the battle between his ancestor, Leo, and Mumm-Ra in Legacyl. However, Mumm-Ra is going to have to do something to make us take him seriously as a villainous threat. I suspect we may not be seeing Mumm-Ra, Slithe, and the two new generals after this episode for awhile.
Also, this episode was written by Will Friedle, the voice of Lion-O. A good episode as this season gets better.
It was really nice to see Lion-O accepting his position as a king and showing some confidence.
I hope writers won't discard this episode like Duelist(he friggin beat the best swordmaster but beaten to Tygra...)
I hope writers won't discard this episode like Duelist(he friggin beat the best swordmaster but beaten to Tygra...)
Wilykit has undying belief in Lion-O when the others didn't shows great character development in her. Lion-O acknowledged her contributions with the trails she left behind. Slithe and the two new generals are clicking better than he has with Grune. The battle between Lion-O and Mumm-Ra was almost an echo of the battle between his ancestor, Leo, and Mumm-Ra in Legacyl. However, Mumm-Ra is going to have to do something to make us take him seriously as a villainous threat. I suspect we may not be seeing Mumm-Ra, Slithe, and the two new generals after this episode for awhile.
Also, this episode was written by Will Friedle, the voice of Lion-O. A good episode as this season gets better.
He took it upon himself for the team to get beat up and to allow the kids to free the rest.
Tygra could have split the group to get Panthro fetch the Thundertank unless it would ruin their whole stealth mission.
Having Tygra do a surprise attack on Mumm-ra was really bad for him, however he referenced Lion-O. Tygra besides his invisibility, he doesn't have any of the magical weapons that can combat Mumm-ra and the luck/plot based turnaround.
I enjoyed this episode but Mumm-ra is starting to look like a snivelling coward
I loved this episode (and there's a lot to love here).
Panthro's trial was great, Lion-O's pulled rank before but in a childish way. He needs to learn to do it when he knows he right, even if others don't.
I knew Tygra's trials would be about his self-doubt, I just never dreamed they'd actually have him fail (way to screw with my expectations, guys!).
Was there ever any doubt that Lion-O would sacrifice his own life for the other cats? He's been putting himself in danger for the sake of others since day one. He has the heart of a king because he is selfless.
Tygra's had to learn a hard lesson too. I really don't think he did any worse than Lion-O, but he didn't do any better either and that was the point. He probably could have figured a way out but he's so unaccustomed to failure his brain kind of shuts down. Lion-O is used to screwing up and thinking on the fly.
Wilykit's complete and total confidence in Lion-O is adorable. Even Cheetarah's faith has limits, but she never doubted him for an instant. Their hug was so cute!
And now, the kicking of Mumm-Ra's ass. Awesome! Lion-O finally has a full and decisive victory under his belt, just what he needs to give him a head start on his new path. It couldn't have hurt that Lion-O probably felt like he had nothing left to lose, which is was he wanted to chase after him while the other cats escape. Mumm-Ra will probably be sulking in his pyramid for awhile, When it comes right down to it he's a bully and a coward. If things don't go his way he just pouts in his coffin and waits until everyone else dies before trying again. It's why he will never win.
Hopefully now we can get some more focus on the other cats.
Didn't agree with him losing to Tygra-it will come to head between the two of them but when
And none of them are Thundercats yet as they all still lack the Eye of Thundera symbols on them.
And I am bothered by the fact that he is KING of the Thundercats and not LOURD
I prefer the Lourd moniker.
I prefer the Lourd moniker.