#3 JUL 24, 2017 · 8 yr ago
For the most part I enjoyed these last four episodes.
The Artificers Of Aldebaran was an insight into Jenny's people, although the real focus character here is Felicia, not Jenny herself. It's the age-old "readiness for the proving ritual" storyline, done a couple of times in the original Star Trek with Spock (an animated episode "Yesteryear" and the first movie). It works well here, although I'm not entirely convinced about the thing in the nebula being alive like that really works. Willy stands up to Jenny here and rightly so, as it's his doorway home on the line. Apparently in the original comics Willy was stranded in the aniverse, and clearly he was worried here about this fate befalling him. In some ways this is odd as he has a greater worth when he's with Bucky and co, he's always picked on and left out back on Earth, but at the same time he's the only human on this side of the door. so wherever he is he's something of a loner. I know how he feels. Oh yeah, and . . . when Jenny hugs Bucky at the end, that wink Bucky gives to the camera? Hello . . .
The Warriors is the other episode that I had recorded as a kid, and so remember the samurai lizards well. This one offers a bit of insight into the Air Marshal - who still doesn't get a name, and indeed the real stars of this episode are the guest characters. Sly-Lee-Zard is a memorable villain, between the lizards and Al Negator, it's clear that the Toads will ally themselves with anyone cold-blooded, so the aniverse really is a battle between hot and cold blood. I forget the name of the ninja duck, but he's a bit like Hachiman, with Sly-Lee-Zard as equivalent to someone like Safari Joe . . . imagine if those two characters had ever met in the same episode!
Bye Bye Berserker Baboon is very funny, but underlines the thing that bugs me about the show. The toads control large portions of the aniverse, their empire stretches out all over the place, but no matter how many of them there are in one place, they will all react in terror at the thought of even one berserker baboon. Now, OK, these guys are big and strong, but surely if the toads have conquered this much of space they must have some sense of strategy? It adds a ring of humour to the show, but sometimes the bell is a little cracked. OK, to they're doing something about it here, but why wait this long? And I don't just mean within the series. The battle has clearly been going on for a lot longer. Now, if the baboons had been discovered during the course of the series, then I could understand it. But as it is it makes no sense at all.
A couple of other points - is it just me or does Bucky's burrowing at the end look like Bugs Bunny? And Bruiser's mother . . . reminds me of Lenny Henry in drag. Oh yeah, and while we're at it, how come no mention of Bruce in this episode? OK, so we know he's in some other plane, but some reference from their mother to the effect that Bruce would be proud of Bruiser for this award?
The Taking Of Pilot Jenny is a suitably big finale to the show. For a single episode, it packs a lot into it, and nowadays would probably have been expanded into a two-part story at least. That said, this single episode is excellent. Like Willy, we don't know the plan at the start, and are as confused as he is as to why Bucky is doing this. But gradually the pieces fit together - much like the pieces of the giant Komplex robot! This is an odd development. Bucky, with Dogstar's crew, have to fight off a giant robot version of Komplex, as opposed to the already-existing giant robot Toadborg. Maybe they felt something bigger was needed for the finale, and it does work, but this capability has never even been hinted at before, and it seems a bit gratuitous. A bit like Pyron is to Mumm-Ra in a way. OK, that's not a precise analogy as Koplex has been present in the show from the get-go, but if he can do this, why does he need Toadborg?
Still, that aside, it's a good exciting finish to the show, the series ends with Bucky's home planet being restored to its former glory, which is a good place to end the series as a whole, no question. All in all, an enjoyable series.
