‘’All That Glitters" is the seventeenth episode of original Thundercats series. It originally aired in syndication on 1 October 1985.
Premise[]
Mumm-Ra tricks Lion-O into using the Sword of Omens against another ThunderCat, causing it to break in two. The only way to repair it could end up costing Lion-O his life.
Summary[]
Inside Cats Lair, Panthro and Tygra are working on extracting pure Thundrillium from the meteor that Lion-O retrieved from Hook Mountain. One of the main impurities that had contaminated the meteor was Gold, which Panthro describes as being "junk" due to its inert chemical nature. He then gathers all the gold and dumps it into the Bottomless Chasm using the ThunderTank.
Meanwhile, Lion-O and Snarf are out on another exploring trip and come across a series of small and big caves which are the homes of the Trolls and Giants. Suddenly, a troll appears, riding a giant grasshopper. He introduces himself as Grygory Grygion and goes on to explain that he must ride through the Midnight Woods carrying valuable goods and is afraid that the "Shadow Robber" who lives there will harm him. Lion-O agrees to accompany him on his trip in order to protect him.
The trio soon reach the Midnight Woods where visibility is very poor due to it being dark. A shadowy figure suddenly lunges at Lion-O and attacks the young lord with a whip-like weapon which causes the Sword of Omens to break into two. The intense sparks emanating from the broken pieces of the sword illuminate the scene just enough to reveal that the Shadow Robber is none other than Tygra. At that moment, the troll transforms into Mumm-Ra and flies away, laughing maniacally.
Lion-O and Tygra realize that they have both been tricked by Mumm-Ra. The young lord commands the sword to show its power but it does not respond. Jaga then appears and informs them that by using the Sword of Omens to attack a fellow ThunderCat, Lion-O had incurred the Curse of Balthaz a curse that causes the Sword’s powers to become lost unless the Sword is repaired. Lion-O tries to defend himself by saying he didn’t know it was Tygra he was attacking and that he was tricked by Mumm-Ra only for Jaga to scold him for his hastiness and remind him that he struck out of anger before he knew what he was striking at. Jaga also informs them that the only way to repair the sword and thus lift the curse and restore the sword’s powers is to reforge its blade in Star Fire. A nearby volcano is the only source of this fire as a Dwarf Star had once fallen into its core. But since no living being can withstand that heat, Jaga concludes that the sword's powers are thus forever lost.
Unable to accept this horrifying reality, Lion-O runs off towards the volcano and starts climbing it. Tygra and Snarf try to stop him but when Lion-O is cut off from them, they hurry back to the Cats Lair to get more help. Lion-O goes deeper into the volcano by following the heat increase to the volcano’s core. Meanwhile, Tygra and Snarf have informed Panthro, Cheetara, and Ro-Bear-Bill of Mumm-Ra’s trick and what Lion-O is doing to repair the Sword of Omens and they are hurrying back to the volcano in the ThunderTank. Ro-Bear Bill leads them to the Enflamer who is the only one who can withstand the volcano's heat and re-forge the sword. However, the Mutants had attacked the Enflamer earlier, draining him of all his fire and only gold can restore his powers.
Panthro and Cheetara head back to the Cats Lair and return with the gold that Cheetara had saved. They dump all the gold into a pit and melt it. The Enflamer crawls into it and disappears. Panthro remembers that he had given Lion-O a locator device to wear and using its signal, he and the rest of the team burrow into the volcano in the ThunderTank and retrieve Lion-O just before he fell into the core.
The Enflamer emerges from the molten gold with his strength fully replenished and flies into the volcano. He then emerges from the crater of the volcano, holding the Sword of Omens which he had re-forged. But he turns against the ThunderCats and starts hurling fireballs at them. Lion-O calls the sword to him and it breaks free of the Enlfamer's hand and returns to its rightful owner. Enraged, the Enflamer starts to blow up the volcano but the ThunderCats manage to outrun the sea of molten lava in the ThunderTank.
Moral[]
Be sure before you act
Characters[]
- Cheetara
- Enflamer (1st appearance)
- Grygory Grygion (1st appearance)
- Lion-O
- Mumm-Ra
- Panthro
- Ro-Bear-Bill
- Slithe
- Snarf
- Tygra
Species[]
Vehicles[]
Notes/Trivia[]
- The episode starts with Panthro separating Thundrillium from Gold and other impurities. The meteor that is the source of this Thundrillium is the same one that Lion-O acquired in Lord of the Snows. Both these episodes were written by Bob Haney.
- This episode marks the first of four occasions that the Sword of Omens' blade is broken during the series.
- Before he enters the volcano, Lion-O tells Tygra, "If I don't come back, you will be the new lord of the ThunderCats", indicating that Tygra is second in command.
- Tyrga's exclamation, "By the twelve seas of Thundera!", indicates that there were twelve seas on the planet Thundera.
- Wilykit and Wilykat do not appear in this episode.
Animation Mistakes and/or Technical Glitches[]
Inconsistencies/Continuity Errors and/or Goofs/Oddities[]
- In the earlier episode, The Tower of Traps , the ThunderCats were familiar with gold but in this episode they knew nothing of it and their dialogue indicated that they were encountering the element for the first time.
- In Lord of the Snows , the ThunderCats's Thundrillium supplies get depleted completely, leaving the Cats Lair without power and in total darkness. At that point, their only source of Thundrillium was the meteor that they acquire in the end of the episode. However, the Thundrillium from that meteor was not extracted until this episode, and yet in the three episodes between "Lord of the Snows" and this episode, the Cats Lair and the ThunderTank are working perfectly.
- Jaga tells Lion-O that the Sword of Omens can only be reforged in one way, in star fire. However, later in the show Bengali was able to reforge the Sword of Omens using his hammer meaning that Jaga's way was not the only way.
Quotes[]
Snarf: I'm twice you size, short-legs.
Grygory Grygian: True. True. But I've always felt that one's legs were long enough if they reach the ground.
Lion-O: Sword of Omens, I, Lion-O, Lord of the ThunderCats, command you! Growl and roar! Show your powers!
Jaga: You acted hastily, Lion-O. You struck out in anger, without knowing what you were striking at!
Ro-Bear Bill: Let fire become white...let fire become star bright...let the Enflamer come forth!
Enflamer: I have reforged your puny blade. Come and get it!
Cheetara: The true hero is you, risking your life to lift that awful curse.
Cheetara, Tygra, Panthro: Hail Lion-O, Lord of the ThunderCats!
Cheetara: [laughs as he lifts her] Lion-O, put me down!
Tygra, Panthro, Lion-O: Hail Cheetara, worth her weight in gold!
References[]
Thundrillium pour; Thundrillium; Hook Mountain; Berbils; gold; Thundera; Trolls; Giants; firebat; Curse of Balthaz; Midnight Woods
Gallery[]
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