We're back! This was a good episode. He-Man's version of the don't make a deal with the devil trope.

Mallek is the real life creepy obsessed guy that our daughters need to worry about. That should have been the real moral for all those would be stalkers. You can't make someone love you. It can't be forced with gifts or pressure. It either happens naturally or it doesn't, and trying to manipulate it could push the person you care for further away and also get you into trouble.

Paul Dini is my favorite writer on the show, and this episode is a great example why (especially coming off yesterday's episode) - It's a good story and the dialogue is wonderful - Dini always fleshes out his characters with a great sense of adventure and comedy, and you feel like you actually get to know THEM as opposed to just moving the story along.

Mallek is such an interesting character - not evil but is the catalyst for all the bad stuff in this episode, I'm glad he appears again in the Witch and the Warrior. The villains are also good for a non-Skeletor episode, they do feel like a legitimate threat.

Overall I always have such a good time watching this episode, especially with all the humor: From everyone ribbing on Teela about Mallek, to Orko thanking Man-at-Arms when he saracastically says he'll clean up Orko's mess, and to finally my favorite - He-Man and Battlecat saying "Ram-Man?!" in unison after they think Teela is talking about He-Man. Great episode.

I just finished watching and I see what you mean about the amateurish design AJ. I have no artistic skills whatsoever but I can draw that face. In fact, I have drawn that face. When my girls were younger I used to draw with them and my eyes, nose, and mouth looked like that evil being's face to a tee. Maybe one of the animators used one of their kid's drawings.

Whatever you do don't look at the nose too closely 🤣

Good episode, but I'm really waiting for an episode that I want to call great like Teela's trial, Dragon Invasion or Colossor Awakens.

You see, for us Gen Zers, Mallek is what we define as a "simp".

I love how Teela seemingly doesn't question how He-Man knows about her past with Mallek. Also her messing with He-Man at the end saying her affection is focused on Ram Man.

Watching these episodes in order I'm somewhat surprised that a lot of them are Skeletor or at least Evil Warrior devoid and the villain of the week is a one-off character that was never meant to be sold as a toy.

Gotta love how the fire who has no name and claims to be evil itself just leaves with a "we'll meet again He-Man, our battle will continue."

I know we're only at #24/130, but I'm assuming he never comes back, does he?

@slycooperastroboy51 There are many episodes devoid of Evil Warriors. It's why fans tell people they are wrong when they accuse He-Man of just being a toy commercial. 

Why I think evil tells He-Man we will meet again is because he is a manifestation of evil. He says he is evil itself and he is the enemy of mankind throughout the universe. I take it is he appears in many forms and often through other people. I guess he's the devil.

I understand the criticisms with how evil looks but I really like this episode despite it and I love Teela's short hair. She looks so good!

Posted by: @samuel

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There are many episodes devoid of Evil Warriors. It's why fans tell people they are wrong when they accuse He-Man of just being a toy commercial. 

Good point, I can see what you mean, but let's face it, the bad guy group is more entertaining than all these one-off villains, at least in my eyes. I get they don't want Skeletor, Evil-Lyn and Beastie in every single episode, that would get extremely repetitive as much as we love them, but some of these episodes would've been more interesting if the villains of them were rather B-list Evil Warriors causing havoc separate from Skeletor like Clawful, Webstor and Whiplash, doing so as if being part of the Evil Warriors (I'm sorry but that name and Heroic Warriors sound so generic for faction names) is just a part time job or something. Don't know if their toys were out by this point 24 episodes in, but still.

Okay just looked it up we're still in Season one and by then their toys weren't released, but my favorite episodes in this show so far have gotta be the ones with a good amount of character variety, which I'm betting becomes more frequent the farther we get into the Watch-a-thon.

4 stars. Very well written episode with great fleshed out characters.