SVES Talkback: He-Man- "Snake Pit" (Spoilers)

[The Clown Prince]

Saturday March 29th @ 8:00pm

Snake Pit- Written by Steve Melching (Episode 21 of 26)

Description: The Masters enlist the help of the mysterious Zodac to prevent the Snake Men from escaping their ancient prison.

Probably what is the most anticipated episode this season for old school He-Man fans, The Snake Men make their much waited debut. Already confirmed to make his first animated appearence, King Hiss never made it in the original series by the time it was cancelled. He only made it in toy, mini-comic, posters, and story book form.

Other Snake Men characters while not confirmed but highly speculated to be in it are Kobra Kahn who first appeared in season 2 of the original series. Rattlor and Tongue Lasher who first appeared in the She-Ra series, but were later moved into the third season of He-Man. Others that could be apart of the Snake Men are Snake Face, and Sssqueeze who both never made it to animated form. We shall all see today.

Steve Melching wrote "Underworld" earlier this season and while I really liked it, others didn't. It had some great sword fight scenes, and the story wasn't too bad. Dong Woo's animation made it pretty good as well. But with this episode that has been hyped up by fans, can Steve Melching's story be average, good, or excellent?

Along with The Snake Men, we also get Zodac's debut in the new series. He had a few appearences in the old series. Zodac created quite a stir among fans when Mattel announced that his ethnicity would be changed. Most excepted it with open arms, others just didn't like the change and that he should have been kept the way he was. I think it'll come off quite nicely. It doesn't matter to me either way.

Also, it's already been said that we would learn about Snake Mountain's history. This episode sounds like it could be it.

The Clown Prince

[Mek]

Re: Zodac.

Yes, Zodac is black now. As a person who was in the thick of a very, very heated debate at He-Man.org over the matter, let me tell you that this has to be one of the most major 'changes' to the MotU-verse since the redesign of the Power Sword. Now personally speaking (and Gray Ghost knows this ;)), I LOVE the new Zodac. I can't wait to see him animated for the first time tonight. He is a very interesting character, and here's hoping he isn't as 'flat' as the old one.

As for the Snake Men, I really can't comment much on them, as I don't really care too much for the classic line- but hey: I'll take any new villians that I can get. :D I just hope King Hiss doesn't look ridiculous like his classic toy counter part. *laughs*

I'm dying of anticipation for tonight. This episode (next to the Council of Evil 2 parter) is one of the most awated episodes in the series- Here's hoping it doesn't blow the big one. :)

[BlackCat]

Saturday March 29th @ 8:00pm

Snake Pit- Written by Steve Melching (Episode 21 of 26)

Description: The Masters enlist the help of the mysterious Zodac to prevent the Snake Men from escaping their ancient prison.

Probably what is the most anticipated episode this season for old school He-Man fans, The Snake Men make their much waited debut. Already confirmed to make his first animated appearence, King Hiss never made it in the original series by the time it was cancelled. He only made it in toy, mini-comic, posters, and story book form.

Other Snake Men characters while not confirmed but highly speculated to be in it are Kobra Kahn who first appeared in season 2 of the original series. Rattlor and Tongue Lasher who first appeared in the She-Ra series, but were later moved into the third season of He-Man. Others that could be apart of the Snake Men are Snake Face, and Sssqueeze who both never made it to animated form. We shall all see today.

Steve Melching wrote "Underworld" earlier this season and while I really liked it, others didn't. It had some great sword fight scenes, and the story wasn't too bad. Dong Woo's animation made it pretty good as well. But with this episode that has been hyped up by fans, can Steve Melching's story be average, good, or excellent?

Along with The Snake Men, we also get Zodac's debut in the new series. He had a few appearences in the old series. Zodac created quite a stir among fans when Mattel announced that his ethnicity would be changed. Most excepted it with open arms, others just didn't like the change and that he should have been kept the way he was. I think it'll come off quite nicely. It doesn't matter to me either way.

Also, it's already been said that we would learn about Snake Mountain's history. This episode sounds like it could be it.

The Clown Prince

I think I like your introduction better than Matt's. :p

[Toon Capone]

I'm looking forward to tonight's episode and Zodac's debut, and as for the Snake Men I hope they use Kobra Khan and Tongue Lasher.

[The Clown Prince]

I think I like your introduction better than Matt's. :p

Yeah, I tend to like mine better too. :)

The Clown Prince

[Animation Otaku]

*sighs* One more master, no more guys for Skeletor, we barely even see Hiss. Nice episode, but couldn't Kahn have actually joined Skeletor, and maybe betrayed him at a later point? But it was cool, and hopefully we'll see them again later.

[Chris Sanders MSX]

Good episode, I likes Zodac's design sans the mask. What was with his eyes though ? They had the strangest shape.

[Cyber E.]

Another great episode, the storyline was great and the villain (Hiss? What the McCrap?) was great. Zodac was just the boom and it was just perfect. The artwork was very good. Great episode.

-aJb

[Anyone00]

Good ep. , but does the way Zodac looks and sounds remind you of Tilk(sp?) from Stargate SG-1?

[Digu Volz]

Maybe it's me, but it seems that as more characters join the Masters, the less Masters we see per episode. I missed the first half, but it seems like they could have gotten at least one or two more guys to tag along. Anywho...

I liked how King Hiss was relegated to a shadow, hopefully means we'll see a continuation of this down the line (of course, since his minionss are still out there, it's guaranteed). Beside my gripe above, I can't really say there is anything that I didn't like about this episode. I was surprised at how well it was paced, and they'd better keep Steve Melching onboard for next season 'cause, imo, he's been the best writer so far.

Oh, and I felt Clawful and Whiplash had just the right amount of character development. ;)

[kkofofo]

i thought it was very good. zodac was cool and cool looking. kahn was cool too and i also wanted him to join skeletor oh well next week episode i think is when man at arms gets captured by crab like creatures.

[The Clown Prince]

SWEEEET BABY! Right off the bat we're introduced to Kobra Kahn. His updated look is very good. Nice to see that creators of the show let Khan keep his hood. In the original series he would open it up and sleeping gas would come out, but for his update, they gave him some kind of acid.

Also we're introduced to Rattlor! I was really expecting to see Tounge Lasher follow, but alas, he didn't. Rattlor too keeps his look for the old series, but has been updated for today's show. They even let him keep is extending neck!

Zodac. Just as I thought, he came out really good. A new Master to join to the rest. His look was pretty good AND just like in the original, they let him keep his flying chair!!!

King Hiss. We see some of him, but not a face in the flashback sequence and just his shadow in the void, but enough for me to want more. Dean Stefan has said that something big is going to happen in next seasons episodes. And it's rumored to involve the Snake Men. With Rattlor and Kobra Kahn still free, it looks like it's gonna happen.

Mer-Man returns! And Two-Badd! Pretty nice.

Finally we get a full look at the Wind Raider. :)

Skeletor was pretty good in this episode, and the flashback Snake Mountain looked REALLY cool.

There is just too much to list here. It was a very good episode and I second that Steve Melching better be apart of next season's episodes. Underworld was good, but Snake Pit was even better! Best episode of the season, LITERALLY!

The Clown Prince

[BlackCat]

Very impressive episode that introduces the Snake Men very well.

Eternia during nightfall = :cool:

I loved how they introduced Kobra Kahn with his pet sneaking into the sewers and setting him free. The whole past concerning Zodac and the Snake Men was told very well and seemed to be a lot more than just fleshing out Eternia. We get a lot more of Adam than usual this time, though it puzzles me that they didn't take along any of the other Masters. Zodac's design looks awesome. Not sure about adding him to the long list of Masters though.

We see the triumphant return of Skeletor with Too Badd and Mer-man! :) Kahn's smooth talk around Skeletor reminded me a lot of Tarantulus from Beast Wars. The whole snake pit scene played out very well. Rattlor looks great too, and very slick how Adam got away this time. A lot of great action, though I was hoping that the Snake men would join Skeletor instead of being sealed save Kobra Kahn and Rattlor. I hope to see a lot more of them next season. 4/5 stars.

[purplehairedwonder]

It must just be me, but I didn't really like this episode. I was getting somewhat impatient for it to end, I have no idea why, but I just didn't like it as much. I can see that it was a fairly important episode, but I just wasn't feeling the love:p

[The Clown Prince]

Was that a brief glimpse of Webstor we saw? Could be. His color and his eyes look very similar to what Webstor looks like on the back cover of the newest issue of the He-Man comic.

And that little furry guy we saw at the begining of the episode? Well, seems the fans over at the He-Man.org boards have him figured out. On the end credits, there is a character called Odiphys, yet there was no one called by that name. Well the furry guy had a speaking line suggesting that that was him. A poster at the boards named Fifth Dream posted this...

Main Entry: odor·if·er·ous
Pronunciation: "O-d&-'ri-f(&-)r&s
Function: adjective
Date: 15th century
1 : yielding an odor : ODOROUS
2 : morally offensive
- odor·if·er·ous·ly adverb
- odor·if·er·ous·ness noun"

With his eyes looking like Stinkor's from the back of the same comic Webstor is on, it looks like we have seen a cameo of the "low level crook" who trys to join Skeletor in "The Sweet Smell of Victory" who accidently turns into a new super villian. Two weeks to go and we'll all find out.

Regarding the Snake Men and their future, story editor Dean Stefan in a Q&A at the He-Man.org boards said that seeds have been planted in season one that will grow and see fruit in season 2. Now that could mean more Teela/Sorceress stuff. More Evil Lyn which BTW, Val Staples, head writer of the He-Man comic said that that the cartoon has plans for her in season 2. And of course the Snake Men. Add fuel to the fire is this cryptic message from Jeremy Paddawan(I know I'm misspelling his name) who is the head of the He-Man line at Mattel. In the recent edition of "What Fans Want To Know 5.0" at He-Man.org, Jeremy had this to say...

"Absolutely! In the 2nd season we will be exploring the great battles of the _______. This will be followed by the return of _______ in season 3. You won't be disappointed."

Insert in there want you want, but I, like many other fans believe that season 2 will deal with The Snake Men, and season 3, who knows. The Horde?

We've got some great stuff coming up! Including a new costume for He-Man in season 2 which we'll see the first look of it in the June issue of Toy Fare!

The Clown Prince

[GreenLegend Ran]

Good episode, everything was well played out.

[Mek]

Well, I can honestly say that Steve Melching is the "Heroic Master of Copout Endings!" after watching this episode. (He also did 'Underworld', and I HATED that ending) I mean, the episode was just so awesome. Kobra Khan was an interesting character, nice to see Rattlor in his 'rightful' place. (Even though I'm a She-Ra fan, I am glad to see Rattlor as a Snake Man, not a member of the Horde) Zodac was really interesting as a character, I am curious about his brother. He-Ro, anyone? :D

My only gripes are Webstor's fleeting cameo (At least, I think it's Webstor) and the 'incredible' ending that just smacked of RIPOFF. (Oh well, maybe it's for the better, but I wanted to see King Hiss, damnit!) I hope this isn't the last we see of Zodac, Rattlor and Kobra Khan. :)

8.5/10 or 4.5/5 from me. I'd give it higher, but the ending totally killed 'Snake Pit' for me.

[BlackoutCreature]

I loved this episode. Easy 5 *'s from me.

But im just curious about something. Granted, its been awhile since ive seen an episode of the classic MOTU series, but i remember Zodac being a much different character (and no, im not talking about his race). Wasnt he some kind of higher being beyond such things as good and evil, and only concerned with preserving the cosmic balance? This episode just made him seem like another hero. Am i remembering it wrong?

[Mek]

I loved this episode. Easy 5 *'s from me.

But im just curious about something. Granted, its been awhile since ive seen an episode of the classic MOTU series, but i remember Zodac being a much different character (and no, im not talking about his race). Wasnt he some kind of higher being beyond such things as good and evil, and only concerned with preserving the cosmic balance? This episode just made him seem like another hero. Am i remembering it wrong?

Well, I'm no Busta Toons or Zadoc Angell, but I'll try and explain Zodac as best I can from newly gained knowledge about the classic series.

Yes, Zodac was originally a Cosmic Enforcer who preserved the balance between good and evil. He was neutral, and sorta like Utau the Watcher from the 'Fantastic Four' comics, I guess. He didn't have a specific side and didn't really appear much in the old show. I do agree it felt like he was yet another hero in the new show, but you gotta remember he has a personal vendetta against the Snake Men. I could tell he could've cared less about Skeletor or He-Man in the episode, at least until the ending. =/

[raykremer]

People were upset about Zodac being black? I wouldn't have even been able to tell except that he's voiced by Teal'c from Stargate.

Obviously they had to keep the legions of snake men inside the pit at the end of the episode, but I was surprised that they only let one of the main snake men characters escape (in addition to Kobra Kahn, who wasn't in the pit to start with). I'm sure we'll be revisiting the snake pit in the future. Probably Skeletor will try to take over the snake army and let King Hiss out by accident.

This really gives a good feels to the series. So far, Skeletor has fewer troops than the Masters do, and he hasn't even been the bad guy of every episode. Now we've got an enemy out there that's bigger than Skeletor. Much bigger.

[Ruffian]

Oh Wow! Oh Wow! Oh Wow! That was my reaction when I saw this eps last night. Simple, simple storyline, not much anything except to add to Eternia's history, which is good because there's still so much more to establish in this new incantation of He-Man from the original series and whatever else, and I was so excited with the characters we saw here that I wouldn't have noticed a story at all. :p Kobra Khan... Wow! Then we saw Snake Men and King Hiss!! Wow, wow, wow... and then in comes Zodac... I was all wowed out. :D :D

[Mek]

People were upset about Zodac being black?

You better belive it.

And it just disgusted me that people would act like whiny children over the color of a characters skin. :rolleyes: Some of the fights that broke out were just asinine. Personally speaking as someone who has no emotional attachment to the old show, I thought the change was refreshing... considering the hodgepodge of parts the original figure was made up of... (webbed feet? A Beast-Man/Stratos torso?) *laughs*

[shogunthethird]

funny, Zodac seemed more black/asian to me, still I can't believe a second-stringer like Cobra Khan came off like such a badass, but then again I've yet to see a characterization I didn't like on this show

[RockItShipper]

Noticed the Webstor thing,too... Went back couple frames to check... It's got the same Webby face from the comic but it was basically a spider.

[Toon Capone]

Well just I thought Kobra Khan made his debut and Zodac was awesome I just wish we could have saw Tung Lasher, but a least Ratlor showed up and Mer-Man was back.

Good episode can't wait until next week.