Pirates of Dark Water Rewatch: Episode 5 "Victory"

Episode 5: Victory

Original Airdate: March 1, 1991

Written by: Kristina Luckey and Laren Bright

Directed by: Don Lusk (Supervising Direction by Ray Patterson)

Continuing directly from BETRAYAL, the concluding chapter of this five part serial begins with Bloth congratulating Tula for bringing him what his own men couldn’t: the First of the Treasures of Rule. Tula and Bloth negotiate a price, after which she’ll turn over the compass as well. Ren and Niddler watch from below, in the Constrictus Pit. Ren refuses to believe Tula would throw in with Bloth and watches patiently.

From behind a nearby prison door on the main deck, the strange man called Teron, wide eyed and crazed, warns of coming Dark Water. Bloth calls to his lookout, a pirate in an elevated ball turret. With nothing to be seen, Bloth berates Teron, who claims only he has the vision to see the approaching Dark Water.

Behind Ren and Niddler, the Constrictus appears, chasing them from one end of the pit to another. Above, Konk begs to be released, now that Bloth has the treasure. Laughing evilly, Bloth drops Konk into the pit and Mantus repeats his standing bet on the survival of their fellow pirate. Ren assists Konk out of the pit muck, who is surprised, having thought Ren dead on Pandawa (see episode 3, BREAK UP). The Constrictus interrupts, tiny Konk attacking it without hesitation. Ren grabs Konk off the back of the creature and they and Niddler head down a smaller sewer pipe to escape. Exiting to an inner complex of smaller shipbuilding (or dismantling), the group is surprised as the Constrictus squeezes itself through the pipe and continuing the chase. Ren is receives a glancing strike from a poisonous stinger and Niddler flies in to defend him, distracting the Constrictus long enough for Ren to make a counterattack. A ship frame is dropped from above and the crane that held the hull captures the Constrictus, hauling it off the deck of the Maelstrom. Sneaky Konk locates another passage, with Niddler and a wounded Ren following after. Konk finds his way back to the main deck, though he gets stuck in a vent behind the pirates betting on his survival, around the Constrictus Pit. Konk gets an assist from Niddler biting his backside and he runs to Mantus to report Ren being below decks. Mantus isn’t listening and neither are his fellow shipmates, who assault Konk for ruining their bets. Mantus collects his winnings, extremely pleased in Konk’s survival but wholly uninterested in his beating from the other pirates.

In the Cramadorm, Avagon is trying to organize the other prisoners into a revolt when Niddler calls for help from within a nearby sewer grate. Avagon hauls a feverish, muttering Ren from the sewerway, recognizing the wound immediately. She applies a curative as Ren continues to talk feverish nonsense.

Teron, still in his cell, pokes at a globe of Mer and grumbles in parallel with Ren. Bloth shouts at the ecomancer through the cell door window, demanding favorable winds. Teron argues with Bloth, saying his meddling with nature is adding to the damage being done to their world. Bloth counters, explaining that with the Treasures of Rule, he can renew the planet, threatening to throw Teron’s bed of “Andorus soil” overboard if he refuses to follow through with the order. Outdone, Teron uses his staff to calm the sea.

Zoolie and Ioz (remember them?) wake from their slumber and run to the deck of the Wraith. They spot Tula aboard the Maelstrom and make a quick deal between themselves before heading to Bloth’s ship. Apparently, the gas has them forgetting they’ve already made a deal in the last chapter.

Ren enters a fever dream while clasping the Second Treasure in his fist. An image of his father explains the prophetic rhyme seen at the Abbey of Galdabar in THE QUEST, acknowledging that the creeping Dark Water must be defeated or all of Mer will be lost to it. It’s hinted that Bloth wants the 13 Treasures to control the Dark Water and that they can also be used to destroy it.

Avagon continues to plead her case to the other prisoners as Ren awakes, his fever now broken. They aren’t overly willing to help Ren, but finally are convinced and join as the heroes make their way through the sewers.

Bloth is in his cabin, excited to be getting the compass. He acts like a desperate bachelor, attracted by the beautiful Tula and her deceptive motives. Flirting heavily with her, Bloth even goes so far as to offer Mantus’ position on the Maelstrom to Tula! The creep factor is high, so after their exchange of goods, Tula leaves to count her gold. Nearby, Ren and Niddler have found their way onto the main deck. They spot Tula and follow her as she heads directly to Teron’s cell. Inside, Teron is resting on his bed of soil, feeding from it through root-like protuberances from his body. Tula has been sent to rescue the ecomancer, who recognizes her. She is also from Andorus and their homeland has been suffering from Dark Water decay and they need their ecomantic healer back. Sadly, Andorus has been swallowed by the Dark Water since Tula left their homeland, or so Teron tells her. He’s also just a bit miffed with her that she betrayed Ren when the Treasures of Rule can do more for Mer than one overworked ecomancer. Ren overhears the conversation and understands that his Quest has a bigger depth to it than he was aware of. Niddler knocks over a stack of food barrels, drawing a surprised Tula (and no one else, oddly) to them. She brings Ren to Teron, who wants to free him, knowing that Avagon’s people will soon start their revolt below decks. Tula plots how she’s going to regain the compass and treasure from Bloth just as the lookout announces spotting Dark Water.

Zoolie and Bloth board the Maelstrom while her sailors are distracted by the Dark Water. Mantus informs his captain of the sighting, where the pirate lord explains he can use the First Treasure as a deterrent. Ioz surprises them both with a barrage of arrows from a dragonbow, pinning them both to the deck. Bloth frees himself fairly easily and engages Ioz in combat.

On the main deck, Zoolie is defending himself against many pirates with little difficulty. Mantus spots him from the captain’s cabin and attacks. Zoolie falls back, admitting defeat to the aggressive first mate, but not before snatching up Mantus’ chest of gold and leaping overboard, chained servant still attached! True to a previous situation (in DISHONOR), gold still floats and Zoolie swims away with the chest, an enraged Mantus watching helplessly.

Ioz is defeated by a nimble Bloth, who has him captured and tied to a mast. Ren, Avagon and the other prisoners lay undetected nearby, waiting for Tula to flirt with Bloth – the plan she formed to retrieve the treasures. Ioz, incensed by Tula’s actions, breaks free from his bonds and attacks Bloth to get to his former shipmate. Their plan broken, Avagon and the prisoners attack the pirates of the Maelstrom. Ioz continues his attack, now focused on Tula until Ren steps in, surprising Ioz and ending his angry tirade. A quick reunion is all that’s needed to smooth over past deeds; Ioz and Ren press to regain the treasures from Bloth and Tula rushes to Teron’s cell, gathering up his special soil.

During the revolt, Avagon is pushed over the rail by Mantus. Ren rushes to save her, as the Dark Water is surrounding the Maelstrom. A surprised, angry Bloth attacks them both as they try to climb back on deck. Knocking Ren aside, he grabs Avagon to dispatch her, but drops her overboard when Ren sets Bloth afire from burning pitch. Avagon lands directly into the Dark Water and is consumed (mostly offscreen). Angry, Ren doubles his attack on Bloth, which is disrupted by the Dark Water grabbing the Maelstrom, pulling her into a heavy list. Ren and Bloth both tumble over the rail and into the Dark Water – or rather, onto it. They are both briefly able to stand upon the inky stuff, at least until it starts to grab at them as well.

Tula recovers both the compass and the First Treasure, dropped by Bloth as he went over the side. She wants to save Ren but is pulled away by Ioz, who believes he’s lost to the evil blackness. Oddly, the pirates of the Maelstrom seem to know more, throwing grapple lines to Bloth, rescuing him. Shortly after, the Wraith approaches, piloted by Zoolie. Ioz and Tula try to reach Ren but are not close enough as he starts to be drawn down by the Dark Water. Ren attempts to throw them the Second Treasure until Teron calls out to him to thrust it into the vileness. The power of the gem dissolves the Dark Water, leaving Ren to be picked up by the Wraith. Teron is lifted from the Maelstrom by Niddler, who head to the Wraith as the pirates are putting out a deck fire. Zoolie abandons the crew of the Wraith, leaving with his newly gained booty and wishing them luck.

The reunited crew of the Wraith has gained a new purpose and a new heading, a new ally and a lofty goal. Sailing off into the sunset, fair winds ahead, High Adventure continues.

Noy Jitat! Not many new words of Mer are brought up in VICTORY. Bloth says the curse once, as does Konk. A few new creatures are mentioned as insults, such as Ioz calling Tula a ‘dartha eel’, likely a slippery fish of dubious reliability. Niddler topples over a barrel of pickled goyja, which are a fish he seems to like. Regardless, when Bloth says noy jitat, you tend to think that when he says it, get the hell out of the way.

Mutant Scum – The story for the conclusion is dense, so there isn’t a huge amount of new critters, either. Avagon has a ‘dreem’ brought to her to heal Ren; a globulous creature with no eyes. It absorbs the poison from Ren, its skin color darkening as it does. It’s kept in a cage, so maybe it’s slightly dangerous, as well. The Constrictus gets a lot of screen time, size changing to fit the needs of the story. Konk also makes mention that it isn’t a single creature, there are more somewhere on Mer.

When Do We Get to Eat? Niddler shows quite a bit of bravery here. He defends Ren from the Constrictus in a great scene, against Ren’s wishes. He also doesn’t want to be left behind during the prisoner revolt, excited to be a part of the action. It’s likely that his actions on Pandawa have given him a higher purpose, but I’d like to think that he’s just that good of a character to begin with. That said, his stomach does fuel some of his character, as well. His desire to get at the pickled goyja fish gets them noticed by Tula (though no one else). He seemingly has made a deal with Teron for a year supply of a fruit for rescuing him from the Maelstrom, a point that does come up again in later episodes.

It’s all in the Art – Most of VICTORY is spent aboard the Maelstrom, so more detail is given to that rather large vessel. The backgrounds are amazing, as usual. The design of things on the Maelstrom is amazing, as usual. The animation is, like the previous three episodes, uneven in places. Tula seems to have gotten animated by whoever did Avagon in BETRAYAL, as she is fluid and gorgeously rendered. She stands out in places though, as Mantus, Konk and some of the other pirates are off-model at times. Most notable are the scenes in Bloth’s cabin, though. His decorations make for more than just scenery and really show the creativity being added to keep the animation from being static.

Ahoy, skarpango pirate! Officially welcome aboard, Teron. The ecomancer will be around for a bit, handled admirably in the position of sage and advisor by actor Dan O’Herlihy, a veteran of substantial pedigree, including being an Oscar nominee (in 1954, for THE ADVENTURES OF ROBINSON CRUESOE). Big developments are coming, so keep an eye on this guy.

Watching VICTORY again after such a long time had me recalling how much I liked it then. The death of Avagon was such a big deal to me the first time it aired, I didn’t remember it mostly happened off screen. Seeing it again, some large part of guilt could have been placed on Ren, as it was his action that caused Bloth to drop her into the Dark Water. Does this play out as the series progresses? I’m sure we’ll find out. Zoolie’s quick in-and-out was a bit overdone, as I believe I thought then. Why bring him in to just dump him so quickly? Well, he does make another appearance, so maybe there’s more going on for further plot development. The Quest is solidified, with the threat of Dark Water stressed more so here. It was a slow build from the first episode but we still don’t really have an idea of what it is. At least we have a better idea of what the Treasures of Rule are supposed to be, even if it isn’t detailed. It’s not a bad thing for a story of this nature. It’s ambitious and you can’t fault it for that. Few American animated series have ever tried something as intense and serialized as this, especially from Hanna-Barbera. For all the glaring holes this chapter has, such as the pirates of the Maelstrom being unobservant schmoes, Zoolie’s quick coming and going and the exact size and placement of the Maelstrom, it’s a good conclusion to the premise.

What really pushes the episode over the top though, is the amazing acting talent of Brock Peters. His incredible nuances and inflections just motivate every scene Bloth is in, particularly that of the meeting of the pirate and Tula in his cabin. Watching Bloth fawn over Tula like a horny bachelor, kicking a dead rat out of sight to keep up appearances is both hysterical and icky. Jodi Benson holds her own here, as well as the rest of the episode, as we get to the truth of what Tula has been up to since DISHONOR. I also think that when Brock Peters put his talent in there, everyone stepped it up to match. Not one of these actors is a slouch and I don’t know for a fact any of them recorded with each other but you definitely get the feeling they enjoyed the characters they were portraying. The accents, the inflections, the words given to them to speak elevated this show.

For an episode, I’m being generous and giving VICTORY four out of five minga melons. For the conclusion to the opening arc, I’m giving the first five episodes FIVE out of five minga melons. It’s not without flaws, but the ambition and creativity outweigh them by a long, heavy mile.