Pirates of Dark Water Rewatch "Betrayal"

Episode 4: Betrayal

Original airdate: February 28^th 1991

Written by: Lane Raichert and Bill Matheny

Directed by: Don Lusk

Continuing from the events of BREAK UP (and the two preceding episodes), Ioz and Tula chase Konk and the Lugg Brothers to Jandatown, a seaport of rogues and pirates. Tula claims “only the scum of the sea drop anchor” at Jandatown, which irritates Ioz who remembers it fondly. Ioz is pleased they’ll be able to recover the stolen items from Konk and then find the remaining Treasures of Rule, though this has Tula calling Ioz out on his greed, rather than his promise to finish Ren’s quest.

At the Maelstrom, where Ren and Niddler were swallowed up by the ship’s huge maw, dagroths fly by, one carrying a man by his leg. There are no harnesses, so it appears they are wild and not the trained creatures seen in THE QUEST, though this could just be an inaccuracy in the animation, considering later developments. Still covered in borca paste, a result of the wreck, Ren and Niddler negotiate the passages deep in the bowels of the Maelstrom. The interior of the ship conveys that it’s been made up of the bones or carcass of some long-dead, massive beast. Water flows through the base of the ship, with tunnels, catwalks and passages visible during the heroes’ progress. Niddler has some knowledge of the ship, having been Bloth’s slave before meeting Ren, though he gets confused when opening a door that just contains bones and skulls. Seconds after, both are grabbed by clamps that drop down from above, hauling them into cages that are then winched to the main deck. Greeted by the new jailer, the last having met his demise in THE QUEST, he hauls their suspended cages with gaff hooks to Bloth.

Mantus and Bloth are watching a pair of dagroths with riders, learning that Mantus is the man in charge of training new recruits. Hearkening back to earlier in the episode, these riders don’t fare so well, being thrown or dismounted in flight. Bloth is disappointed in the results, leaving Mantus to his work. He approaches a man in a cage hanging over the side of the Maelstrom that he calls Teron. Teron is waving a two-pronged staff over the water as Bloth is demanding clear skies from the prisoner. Is Teron a weatherman? A magician? Diviner? Discovering that will take another episode.

Mantus, having rejoined Bloth, and the pirate lord both notice the smell of borca paste, which must be a pretty foul thing indeed, if Bloth doesn’t like it. The jailer has approached Bloth with his two new captures and inquires to any need Bloth has of them. Ren and Niddler are virtually ignored by both Mantus and Bloth to make veiled threats to the new master of the brig. Quickly withdrawing, the jailer deposits both prisoners into the Cramadorm, a hold within the confines of the Maelstrom.

Remarking on their lack of discovery, Niddler licks some of the borca paste off himself, disliking it and redoubling the thought that it’s a foul substance, indeed. A creature from beneath a grate Ren stands upon tries to grab him, prompting Niddler to react quickly, hauling Ren away from the grate. He explains that he succeeded in surviving for so long during his last stay by keeping away from the sewerways.

Shouts and cries coming from nearby draw the pair to a crowd of prisoners standing around a makeshift arena. A mutant and a white-haired woman square off to fight, to the raucous calls of the other prisoners. Avagon, the woman, fights the mutant with a calm ease. Even so, Ren wants to intercede, though Niddler stops him, as it’s not his fight and he doesn’t understand the rules of the Cramadorm prisoners. Ren tries anyway and is restrained by a large woman with a bone through her nose. She thinks he wishes to challenge Avagon, who she’s rooting for.

Avagon has little trouble throwing the mutant around, which has him scrabbling in the trash on the floor after one such throw. He pulls out a large knife, obviously planted beforehand, to the surprise of the other prisoners. Metal weapons are apparently scarce in the Cramadorm. Ren throws his broken sword into the arena for Avagon to use, which she defiantly flicks away from her with one bare foot. With one last deft move, she defeats the mutant and wins the fight, retaining her leadership role amongst the prisoners. Ren tries to speak to her, amazed at her fighting prowess. She puts Ren into an arm lock and marches him to where his weapon landed. Calling him thief, she demands to know where he got it, unhappy with Niddler’s answer of “his boot”. Ren explains it was a gift of his fathers, interesting Avagon further. Leading the pair to a private chamber, she shows Ren a carving in the bulkhead covered with a cloth. It’s the symbol of Octopon, and Ren lowers his head in reverence. Now believing Ren is the son of Primus, she’s exultant, thinking the king is still alive and Ren was sent to rescue the prisoners. Ren tells Avagon that Primus is dead and while she weeps and steels herself to the knowledge, Ren peppers her with questions about the treasures, the compass, the quest and his father. Avagon shuts Ren up and tells the tale of Primus, the how and why he became imprisoned by Bloth, and more.

In a flashback sequence, a young Primus and Avagon hand over infant Ren to his caretaker, the woman seen at the lighthouse in THE QUEST, then set sail in four ships from Octopon. Also aboard are other people, Primus’ closest confidants in his search for the Thirteen Treasures of Rule, the power of which only he knew details of. Primus located the first seven of the treasures and the flotilla was headed into an unexplored region of sea to find the rest when they ran into Bloth and the Maelstrom. With three vessels destroyed quickly, Primus sends the treasures and away with his friends, delaying Bloth in the assault. Primus and Avagon were captured, allowing the others to escape and disperse the treasures.

Niddler is the first to remark on the story, now understanding why Bloth destroyed Octopon as well as his frustrated screams into the night about the treasures. Ren feels he was also held prisoner during that time, not ever knowing his heritage and working in the lighthouse. Avagon explains that Ren was kept safe, just so he could come to the point they were at, right then, which has Ren making a new vow on his fathers’ blood. Unfortunately, the only way out of the Cramadorm is through the sewerways, upsetting Niddler.

Since no one considers security inside the Cramadorm, none of our heroes notice that they’re being spied upon by Avagon’s recent conquest in the Arena. He’s relaying information to the brigmaster through a small hole in the bulkhead regarding Ren. The keeper is excited, thinking he’ll get a generous boon from Bloth, and heads to the Cramadorm with some troops. Just as Avagon opens a sewer grate for Ren and Niddler to escape into, the keeper and his men arrive, forcing Ren to push Niddler into the sewer ahead of him. Promising Avagon to return for her and the others, Ren jumps in, to the dismay of the brigmaster. A call from above has all head topside; Jandatown is in sight. The keeper decides to stay silent on Ren being aboard, believing he’ll likely die in the sewerways anyway. Avagon calls for a meeting of the prisoners to plan an escape.

Jandatown is a walled and protected harbor of ruffians, cutthroats and mercenaries; Mer’s version of Tortuga or Port Royal. At Game House, a large entertainment complex and tavern, a red-haired, genial rogue named Zoolie works the door, plucking weapons from pirates as they enter. Konk and the Lugg Brothers head into Game House, where Zoolie collects their weapons – Konk having his forcibly removed.

Tula and Ioz peer through the Game House windows, working out a plan to retrieve the compass and treasure. Tula enters the building and approaches Konk, who orders the Luggs to attack her. As she keeps them at bay, Ioz is crawling beneath the floor of Game House as part of their plan.

In the sewerways of the Maelstrom, Ren and Niddler try to find their way through the passages of low, brown water and even lower ceilings. Both this and the last scene is meant to convey a comedic element, with matching dialogue from Ioz and Niddler and similar commentary from Ren and Tula. Likely added to lighten the overall tone, it does little else but remind the viewer that this is a heroic cartoon and not just a dreary adventure of dark passages.

Continuing to distract the Luggs, Tula tosses a bag of coins over their heads, drawing a large group of sailors grabbing for the money. Just as Tula and Konk are to face off, Zoolie puts an end to the melee wanting them to take their disruption elsewhere. Unfortunately for the big plan of Tula and Ioz’s, Zoolie steps right on the floorboards Ioz is trying to push up from below. Ioz and Zoolie trade barbs as Ioz works the boards up. Konk uses the distraction to escape with the Luggs, once again spotlighting how new our adventurers are to working together. Tula is surprised to discover Ioz and Zoolie know each other, having shared some past ventures. Tula spots Konk has snuck out and she and Ioz begin chase, Ioz believing the treasures to be cursed. Ioz tosses out a goodbye to Zoolie, who stops the pair, showing that he has mysteriously snatched the compass and treasure. Explaining he took them as down payment on Konk’s bar tab – how and when is questionable – Zoolie offers himself up as a hand to Ioz, having “grown tired of civilization.” On their way out, Tula stops in the weapon closet and steals a pistol with a glass barrel, unbeknownst to Ioz and Zoolie.

On the Wraith, Zoolie, Ioz and Tula celebrate their new partnership, drinking the juice of a melon. Tula shocks the two men by pulling her pistol on them, exclaiming she has a plan of her own to follow. Pulling the trigger, a gas fires from the gun, putting both men down. Stealing the treasure and compass, Tula heads back to Jandatown, which is in the middle of a crisis. A nearby sailor tells her Bloth is on the hunt for new crew when asked, pointing at the approaching Maelstrom.

Ren and Niddler run afoul of the Constrictus in the sewerways, which Ren distracts by feeding it some other critter that lives there. Reaching a juncture point of the sewers, the pair hear and spot Bloth far above, who stands on the surface of another grate on the main deck. There, a large, muscled woman carrying a barrel offers Bloth the return of one of his belongings, dumping Konk out roughly. Her reward for the return of Konk is to be the newest dagroth rider recruit, something she didn’t expect and does not want. Konk tells Bloth that Ren is dead, killed in the revolt on Pandawa (in BREAK UP). Asked about the compass and treasure, Konk ashamedly reveals he lost them to Ioz and Tula, drawing Bloth’s ire. For his failure, Bloth intends to throw Konk back to the Constrictus, which draws a crowd of bettors from amongst the pirates of the Maelstrom. Ren is pleased to hear Ioz and Tula have regained the treasures as he and Niddler watch from below.

The betting increases quickly, more so when Mantus offers his chest of gold nuggets, carried by a dwarfish humanoid chained to it. Mantus bets on Konk’s survival, to the amusement of Bloth. Mantus feels it’s a safe bet, as only Ren and “most of Konk” are the only two to have ever escaped the Constrictus Pit. Bloth orders men to search for Ioz and is just about to drop Konk into the pit when Tula boards the Maelstrom. She tosses the First Treasure of Rule to Bloth, who releases Konk to the deck. She wants to do business with the pirate lord, which has Ren ominously commenting that she won’t live to see their business concluded. Behind Ren and Niddler, the Constrictus slowly emerges from the sewage water as BETRAYAL fades to black…

Noy Jitat! The language of Mer only lightly garnishes this episode, with the new jail master using quite a bit of the lingo. He calls Ren “Jitataboy”, which must be some derogatory term. Jitat is used in so many different ways it reminds you of the Smurfs. Smurf this, smurf that, that’s smurf, smurftastic… all that. Even so, it’s still a cool term that any good writer can play with. On this show, many do. Borca paste must have some deeper meaning in its description, too. The jailer uses the epithet, “By Borca!” when he discovers Ren is aboard the Maelstrom. Sadly, the series ended before learning what it really means. “Smool brains” is used a multitude of times this episode and Konk is called a “naja dog” by the woman who returns him to Bloth. Mer is a wonderful place for slurs, for sure.

Mutant Scum – Not a whole lot of new critters this time around. The mutant Avagon fights is the most prevalent, a hunchback with long, thin arms and legs. Not many of the pirates and sailors in Jandatown are all that different, but a good many of those in the Game House have a significant Ralph Bakshi feel to them, which is fun. There are the critters that live in the sewerways of the Maelstrom, two of which were new: the snake that attempted to grab Ren and the bugs that Ren feeds to the Constrictus. The feel of the alien world is still gaining ground, here. The character designs are enough for this episode to keep that going.

When Do We Get To Eat? Niddler has a great portion of BETRAYAL, having spent time aboard the Maelstrom before and trying to keep Ren from getting into too much trouble. I like the comfort level Ren and Niddler now share together, particularly strong now, after the events of BREAK UP. His most culinary dialogue comes when eating the borca paste, and most characteristic, in his introduction to Avagon: “Once a well-fed monkeybird.” Niddler is starting to be squeezed into a comic-relief character, but his size, ability and savvy shows through with the right script.

It’s all in the Art – The background artists of this episode when nuts in design. The interior shots of the Maelstrom are crazy big, with rib cages, vertebrae, and other large bones protruding out of every passage seen. It impressive and yet, still porous as a Star Wars prequel plot. Viewers get the impression the Maelstrom is HUGE in size at times, yet it makes no sense as to structure. Sewerways run beneath everything, then converge to the Constrictus Pit with no thought as to depth or ceiling height. The Maelstrom itself seems larger and smaller as the story dictates, which is the problem with animation of this style. It can’t be helped, mostly. The design of Jandatown escalates things, though. Its walled section that surrounds the bay and buildings along the mountainous island make it a place you want to see again. Also, someone loves strong women on this show. Avagon’s arena fight and subsequent characterization are so well drawn and animated, you can’t help but want this woman around longer. That and the large women seen in BETRAYAL makes you wonder if maybe the show was trying too hard to draw female viewers in – or to make boys see women as something more than fluff.

Ahoy, skarpango pirate! Welcome aboard the Wraith, friend Zoolie! Voiced by veteran talent Dick Gautier (correct me if I'm rong, please), Zoolie is a treat to see, as one of the more human looking pirates. Ioz’s hair makes him look so strange sometimes, it’s hard to remember he isn’t a mutant. The friendly banter between him and Ioz make him a welcome addition, even if his reasons for joining the crew are suspect. Jessica Walter (Arrested Development, Archer) takes a serious turn here as Avagon, putting her all into a brief and heavily emotion-laden appearance. Part of her performance is the reason you want to see Avagon again, which is a definite.

The plot just keeps hammering the viewer here, with even more being revealed to draw the eye and ear. While there are a few flubs in execution (just HOW did Zoolie grab the treasures, and WHEN), other mysteries are there for the exploration. With the knowledge that Primus had initially discovered the first seven of the Treasures of Rule, it’s just a matter of recovering the next five before heading into all new territory. What they do is still to be found out, as well as the other confidants of Ren’s father. A few are seen, one of which, the priest at the Abbey of Galdabar, we’re aware of. Who are the others? Maybe when Avagon is rescued we’ll find out! Excitement! Also, what’s Tula up to? Who’s this Teron fellow that seems to hold some power over the weather? How did Ren get the broken sword of his father when Primus is seen still holding it when captured? Ahh, you have to love sly reveals.

BETRAYAL moves quickly, feeds information at the precedent pace and the performances from all the actors is starting to hit a stride. I can’t get enough of Brock Peter’s enjoyment in his portrayal of Bloth. To hear him and Peter Cullen hash it out together on screen is ear candy of the first order. On a rewatch scale of minga melons, I’d have to give episode 4 three melons, partly because I know what’s coming and partly because I know what isn’t. Full disclosure with the final part of the first leg next week.