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.
