Joseph Botsford

Gwen Wetzler

Skeletor's latest evil plot bears more fruit than he realizes, as he tries out a ray on a passing falcon and unwittingly sends the Sorceress to another dimension. The Spirit of Grayskull then summons a replacement for the missing Sorceress - Captain Teela!

Teela, Prince Adam (He-Man), Man-at-Arms, Sorceress (Zoar), Cringer

Skeletor, Evil-Lyn, Trap Jaw

Spirit of Grayskull

Wind Raider

I now feel obligated to begin this summary - since I included warnings in the related MU006 and MU083 - by noting there are spoilers within covering some major SECRETS of this series, if you haven't managed to hear about them some time in the years between 1984 and now. Okay, you have been warned. Now, onto the sword practice!

Is two hours of sword practice not enough? It is not nearly enough, at least according to Captain Teela, who is quite miffed when an exhausted Prince Adam cries uncle from his session and drags himself off. Man-at-Arms steps in (perhaps to cover for Prince Adam since he knows of the young man's secret heroism, though he does it more subtly here than usual) to offer himself as a sparring partner for his daughter, but Teela begs off, complaining that she "couldn't beat" him. Duncan could well have used here the famous Wayne Gretsky quote about missing 100% of the shots you don't take; he doesn't, but still convinces his daughter to give it another try.

As their practice duel commences, we pull back and discover that the Sorceress is also watching this episode, on Castle Grayskull's all-purpose viewing window/Time Corridor. Hovering next to her is a disembodied magenta head, which we learn belongs to the Spirit of Grayskull - showing that the Sorceress actually has someone to pass the time with on those long winter nights when the WiFi is out. The Spirit comments on what an impressive woman Teela has become, and an emotional Sorceress agrees. Because of the life and job she's chosen, our Sorceress is unable to reveal to Teela that she is in fact the captain's mother, and is also unable to spend the time with her daughter that she would dearly like to. The Spirit suggests that the mother go have a family visit, so a willing Sorceress transforms into her falcon form, Zoar, to wing away to the palace courtyard.

Cut to Snake Mountain, where an elated Skeletor is even more thrilled with himself than usual, having just completed his latest invention. It's a gun, but (as he explains to nearby minions Evil-Lyn and a just-awakened-from-his-nap Trap Jaw) its beam will transport anyone it strikes to another dimension. Old Bonehead desperately wants to use it on He-Man, but he just can't wait to try it out; so he leads his minions up to the maw of Snake Mountain's head and aims it at the first thing he sees outside - a passing falcon. Zap! The Sorceress vanishes, transported to a nasty-looking place peppered with volcanoes and presided over by looming, cloudy skies.

Teela and Man-at-Arms are still sparring in the courtyard, all unaware of the dire events which have just transpired. With her characteristic determination (which Duncan guided her to use), the captain does manage to disarm and defeat her father. As she laughs in celebration and Adam and Cringer look appreciatively on, the heroes are interrupted by the appearance of Grayskull's Spirit (which Adam sensed coming a few seconds before it happened). The Spirit - whom everyone already seems to have met, though this is his series debut - informs them that he can't find the Sorceress anywhere on Eternia. Teela volunteers to jump in the Wind Raider right away to start the search; but the Spirit says he has a different job for her: she has to come to Grayskull and sub in for the Sorceress! A disbelieving Teela doesn't see how she can fill the Sorceress's shoes (does the Sorceress wear shoes? ...talons?), but the Spirit assures her she is the only, and perfect, person for the job; so Teela reluctantly accepts and heads for the castle.

Adam, meanwhile, convinces Cringer that their alter egos are needed, and a freshly transformed He-Man loads Battle Cat into the rumble seat of the Wind Raider and heads for Snake Mountain, certain that he smells the scent of Skeletor behind the disappearance. When he gets there, he finds a confused Skeletor, shocked that He-Man has come openly knocking on his door to accuse him. The villain very honestly pleads complete ignorance of the whereabouts of the hero's bird lady (since, of course, he has no idea that Zoar is the Sorceress's other form). However, He-Man's accusation leads him to a lovely deduction: Castle Grayskull is undefended! Mysteriously asking He-Man if he likes falcons, Skeletor gives the word to Evil-Lyn, who neatly zaps both the hero and his tiger with the dimensional gun. Now, off to claim his skull-faced prize!

At Grayskull, Teela has been convinced to sit on the throne and is struggling through some beginning magic lessons from the Spirit. He has her trying to use a crystal that should allow her to see what's going on elsewhere in Eternia. It's not working for her, so the Spirit suggests she try focusing on someplace nearby - thus, Teela is able to sense the presence of Skeletor, Trap Jaw, and Evil-Lyn standing just outside the Jawbridge. What to do? Teela denies that she can fill the duties of the Sorceress and protect the secrets that are now in her charge; but maybe she can at least look like the Sorceress. Apparently having dug into her mother's wardrobe, Teela comes out of the castle wearing a spare bird costume and warning off the villains. They're alarmed and at first seem taken in by the ploy; but Skeletor smells a rat, because Teela hasn't gotten the Sorceress's voice quite right. He asks her a question only the Sorceress would know the answer to, and when Teela prevaricates, he zaps her out of the bird outfit and sees her for who she is. Teela makes a run for it, but she leaves the Jawbridge wide open, allowing the villains free access to their goal.

Fortunately, though the Spirit of Grayskull has claimed previously that the castle's magic can work only through the Sorceress (or her temporary substitute), he still seems to have a few tricks up his sleeve; because he's able to create illusory duplicates of Teela to trick the villains and lead Trap Jaw onto a trapdoor. Teela calls her father for help, but he'll be a while arriving, so he encourages her to step up and do what she can to stall. She allows Lyn to zap one of her duplicates with the dimension gun, in the process learning from the villain what the weapon does and who else it's been used on. Then she ties up Lyn. One to go! But who can roust Skeletor from Grayskull?

Let's head back to that volcanic dimension. Zoar the falcon has been frantically flapping through the dangerous wasteland, and has gotten herself stuck in a rocky tunnel that's filling with lava. This is where she is when she hears the psychic calls of He-Man, after he has shown up with Battle Cat. (Having pondered over Skeletor's comment about falcons, He-Man has made an intuitive leap and guessed what must have happened to the Sorceress.) To rescue Zoar from this tough spot, the tiger does some digging and He-Man turns himself into a human drill, making a drainage outlet in the rock for the dangerous lava. The bird is then free to fly out. The trio are reunited - but how can they ever get back to Eternia? Well, the way they do it is by standing together while He-Man holds up his power sword, and all three reciting his magic line, "By the power of Grayskull!" The next time we see them, it's when the real, actual Sorceress appears back in the castle to confront Skeletor, who seemed to have caught a case of ennui sitting on the throne, but has managed to keep Teela from shooting him with the dimension gun. The appearance of the Sorceress convinces Bonehead he'd be better off elsewhere, and he makes one of his typical escapes by portal, leaving his two lackeys to stew.

Afterward, Teela and the Sorceress find a private moment together. Teela still can't understand why she was chosen as the woman's replacement, and doesn't believe that she did a very good job; but the Sorceress reassures her, saying that the villains are defeated and so it was a successful test run of her eventual career. Sorceress says she's prouder of Teela than the young lady can know, and that the captain is a crucially important person to all Eternia. A heartened Teela makes the ironically and piercingly appropriate comment that she wishes her mother - who she never knew - could be just like the Sorceress. The Sorceress turns away, but we can see the maternal tears rolling down her cheeks. The mother and her unknowing daughter share a tender embrace.

End with a Joke: N/A

• Spirit of Grayskull: Your daughter has grown into a remarkable woman. / Sorceress: Yes; I miss her deeply.
• Skeletor: Of course it will work. I, the mighty Skeletor, created it. With this, I am now the greatest force in Eternia, the most powerful - (breaks off, distracted by Trap Jaw's snoring)
• Spirit of Grayskull (to Teela): Grayskull is empty; the Sorceress is gone; you must take her place. / Teela (flabbergasted): Me? How could I take the Sorceress's place? How could anyone? / Spirit: No one could - except the right person: you. / Teela: But why me? / Spirit: I cannot explain that to you now. I can only ask for your help.
• Skeletor: I haven't done anything to the Sorceress - uh, recently.
• Teela: Oh, I wish the Sorceress were here. / Spirit of Grayskull: You are the Sorceress, Teela.
• Sorceress: Without the right person to sit in it, a throne is nothing more than a simple chair. / Teela: And I certainly wasn't that person. / Sorceress: Wrong, Teela; you were exactly the right person. ... You didn't fail anyone - not He-Man, not me, and not yourself.
• Teela: I don't even know why I was picked to substitute for you. / Sorceress: Teela, there are certain things that I cannot tell you now, but some day you will understand everything - I promise.
• Sorceress: I know that your mother would - is - very proud of you. / Teela: Thank you. You know, I-I never knew my mother; I wish she could be just like you.

• Sorceress spreads/unspreads her wings: Turning into Zoar to go visit Teela, and turning from Zoar to human form in the other dimension
• Skeletor laughs, head back: Reveling in his evil plan to zap He-Man
• Teela, hands on hips, laughs with her head thrown back: Happy that she's scored a point against her dad in sword practice
• He-Man jumps on the back of Battle Cat: Just after transforming
• Skeletor shakes his fists, three-quarter view: One quick shake is shown as Skeletor celebrates the disappearance of He-Man, quickly followed by the full loop
• Teela from above, runs to mid-screen and pauses, battle-ready: Twice, as she tries to escape from the Evil Warriors
• A look through widespread legs: He-Man leaps down close to some lava flows

One full

Brought to you by Man-at-Arms
Duncan connects Teela's big responsibility in this episode to tough jobs in our own lives. Keep trying, try your best, and maybe one day you'll be running your own mystical castle. Just don't do it while wearing a bird hat, or Mattel will sue you!

Teela does something dangerous by herself: I usually reserve this category for episodes where Teela brashly goes off and does something expressly against the wishes of others; but I think her having to protect Grayskull by herself, even though Duncan signs off on it, makes for a prime example of this theme.
Skeletor manages to get into Grayskull: Because someone foolishly left the door open!
Landmark Episode: For its unique look into what might happen if the Sorceress were gone, its exploration of Teela's character and her relationship with the Sorceress, and for the appearance of the Spirit of Grayskull

• We've seen Teela carping at Adam to train harder before, in episodes such as MU072 (which involved rope climbing) and MU083 (where she couldn't even convince a lazy Adam to stand up). Here, she works the prince to exhaustion with two solid hours of swordplay, then complains when he gives up.
• As has been done before, the opening panning shot of Eternos settles on the big complex which most likely contains the throne room; but we then fade to the open courtyard, which doesn't seem all that logical.
• Normally an opening scene of the heroes would pull out to show Skeletor's spy dome, with the villain watching the show along with us; this time, we discover that the Sorceress is the one doing the spying, on her usual all-purpose window.
• In the recent MU104, we heard Grayskull's Jawbridge speak and tell a riddle. In this episode we get to see and hear the actual Spirit of Grayskull; so it seems the Sorceress isn't stuck just talking to herself all the time in her castle. The Spirit appears as a floating magenta head. It's interesting that the series took 108 episodes to show us this character; I recall a ghostly Grayskull talking to He-Man in one of the earliest mini-comics that came with the action figures.
• As the previous note indicates, this episode leaps right in with some excellent lore and character explorations. We are reminded of the Sorceress's secret relationship with Teela, revealed in MU006 and only mentioned one other time since, in MU083.
• Skeletor's plan to send He-Man to another dimension is one he's tried before; it was the first time He-Man was given amnesia, back in MU019. Bonehead was also sending all kinds of people to another dimension in the series pilot (MU004).
• Speaking of things we've seen before: Zoar being mistaken for a regular falcon and getting zapped out of the sky, as happens when Skeletor tries his gun on her here, also happened when the power-hungry Nepthu enslaved the falcon back in MU050's "Temple of the Sun." Clearly Zoar should pay better attention to what she's flying over!
• Cringer shows some rare spirit by agreeing - nay, actually requesting - to be turned into Battle Cat. Surprised at himself, he remarks, "I never thought I'd be asking for that!" Unlike many other episodes in this season, this one manages to be a good story for both Cringer and his braver alter ego.
• After some of the conflicting information we've gotten recently on just what a person has to do to get into Grayskull (see again the riddle from MU104), it's interesting that the Jawbridge simply opens of its own accord for Teela. Even He-Man has to say some magic words to make that happen! Though it seems the door isn't functioning all that well today...
• In MU073's "Origin of the Sorceress" (which I'll have call to mention in the Commentary section as well), there was a particular ceremony involved with taking on the bird-lady mantle; but the Spirit of Grayskull just has Teela sit down on the throne, and doesn't require her to get dunked in a tank or put on any avian garb. Perhaps he realizes this is just some pinch hitting going on.
• Skeletor's dimensional ray gun is similar to the laser rifle offered in Mattel's MOTU "Weapons Pak," sold as part of 1984's third wave of toys. I would have sworn a brown version of this rifle came with the Stratos figure, but I've just come back from a lengthy trip down Google's rabbit hole and discovered I must have misremembered, as one of the more infamous things about Stratos's figure seems to be that he came with no weapons at all!
• This episode obliquely touches on another inexplicable "secret" of the series that is often ignored: namely that the Sorceress is also Zoar the falcon. Most of the time the fact that this is a secret identity doesn't come up because Zoar rarely appears in the series (for instance, out of around 60 appearances of the Sorceress in the series so far, only 23 have featured Zoar), and when she does, it's usually just to fly overhead and then leave. In MU046, however, it was explicitly stated that the Sorceress's falcon form was a huge secret that needed to be kept from the bad guys at any cost. In this story, without meaning to, He-Man almost spills the falcony beans to his archenemy: Skeletor is just a short leap from figuring it out, as he learns from the hero of the Sorceress's disappearance and, just a few seconds later, asks He-Man if he likes falcons.
• In an interesting scene, we see the Spirit coaching Teela through some beginner Sorceress lessons, which seem to involve her sensing other parts of Eternia through the use of a crystal. Makes sense that the Sorceress should have some tool for detecting problems outside the castle, though we haven't seen her make use of this particular implement.
• The Spirit explains to Teela that "the power of Grayskull cannot meet Skeletor directly; it must work through you." He subsequently breaks this rule, by working some magic of his own.
• It's pretty funny that the thing that alerts Skeletor to the phony Sorceress is her voice, given that both Teela and the Sorceress were voiced by the same actor: Linda Gary. So Linda had to try to do a bad job of impersonating...herself.
• We see again Grayskull's "inner chamber" door, a double-door with skull designs on it first identified in MU027 and seen again in MU075 and MU104. Its appearance in this episode comes in the background of a scene similar to the goofy conclusion of MU104, in which the villainous intruders are frightened and fooled by Grayskull's magical illusions. Trap Jaw is less frightened than bewildered in this case, when multiple Teelas show up to wave at him.
• "Trap" Jaw ultimately falls in a "trap"door in Grayskull - reminding me of the trapdoor that was included in the Mattel playset.
• He-Man does his spinning, drilling technique, last seen in MU097, this time used to bring up some lava from underground (toasty!). He-Man will drill for lava again in the last MOTU episode, MU130.
• I was just thinking that this episode had done a good job of not breaking the on-again, off-again rule of the series, that while the Sorceress is outside of Grayskull she can only appear in the form of a falcon (clearly stated in MU036); but then she turns from Zoar to her human form after reuniting with He-Man in the other dimension. Sigh.
• In a unique display of He-Man powers, the Sorceress - and even Battle Cat - join with our hero in reciting his magic words, "By the power of Grayskull," and are able to channel the power sword's energy into a teleport back home.
• Skeletor escapes in classic style, by summoning an oval portal and skedaddling through it - leaving his minions Evil-Lyn and Trap Jaw to their fate. That's the old Bonehead we know and love! (His portal seems unusually pink, a change from its more typical orange glow.)
• It's implied in this episode that some day, the Sorceress is going to be done doing her job, and the responsibility for house-sitting the castle will fall to Teela. This suggests that the job is an inherited one, or at least that it can be. Kodak Ungor clearly had no one to pass the job to for quite a long time, and had to settle for the first desperate villager who happened into the desert.
• Note that this is a rare Orko-less episode.
• Another in a growing string of episodes to feature the variant ending credits background with the flat-painted Jawbridge.

• The Sorceress tries to claim that she misses her daughter deeply, and it's heartwarming to imagine this is the case; but it's hard to find evidence of this in most of the other episodes of the show. Sorceress has very little interaction with her daughter, possibly because she's afraid of giving the game away, but more likely because their secret bond is an issue that the show writers just tend to avoid. Honestly any deep dive into the relationship just highlights how neglectful a parent the Sorceress is - it doesn't have a good look. True, she has sacrificed her life for the good of Eternia, and her parental identity for some reason has to remain a secret; but like most secrets in the show, it doesn't bear up under close examination. Who is being protected here?
• Animation error: As sometimes happens (very likely more often than I've noted in this database), Trap Jaw's customizable arm swaps to the wrong side when he's walking with Skeletor in Snake Mountain.
• Seeing Man-at-Arms cover for Adam and take over the swordplay with Teela reminded me of several other occasions in the show where Duncan has covered for Adam when his daughter has expressed frustration with the lazybones prince (one of the most memorable being in the beginning of MU083, when by all rights he should have gone and slapped Adam for being so rude to Teela). Recall also that Teela and Adam were raised as brother and sister (also from MU083). I can see how it would be very hurtful for Teela, ostensibly Duncan's "real" child, the child he adopted as his own, to have her father always according this extra level of leniency to the prince - who after all already has it made, and gives every appearance of being truly irresponsible. It would have made the perfect fuel for her ambition and drive, traits which her character clearly possesses in the show; but it's hard to see how it wouldn't also have made her particularly resentful of Adam. Good on her for still being on such warm terms with the princeling!
• I think it's very cool to see the Spirit of Grayskull, but part of me is bothered at the way this character is suddenly shoehorned into the MOTU universe. Where was he all this time? Even when Kodak Ungor passed the mantle of the Sorceress over to Teela Na in MU073's "Origin of the Sorceress," there weren't any magenta heads floating nearby. I see that with the Sorceress vanished, there had to be someone around to alert the heroes; but I think that role could have been filled nicely by Zodac, who's functioned as a sort of supervisor to the Sorceress in the past. He could have been chatting with the Sorceress at the beginning, and been the one who suggested she go have her family visit. It would have been nice to see him again, too... sniff. Poor Zodac only appeared in three Season 1 episodes, and won't be seen again - unless you count a very brief glimpse in the Christmas Special.
• Man-at-Arms's reaction to Teela's having to take the Sorceress's place is interesting and strikes me as surprisingly apathetic. He knows who's related to who here, and exactly how much the Sorceress sacrificed to do her job. Wouldn't he be a trifle more upset at the prospect of his daughter getting cloistered up in Grayskull? The only thing that makes his blase attitude understandable is his assuming that Teela's posting will only be temporary. This of course turns out to be true, but it's hard to see how he could know that. (Maybe Duncan is anxious for Teela to leave so he can have some alone time and draw up plans for turning her bedroom into a man-at-arms cave.)
• Also - who's going to be captain of the guard while Teela is gone? Phillip from MU076? Ha!
• Home invasion once again! He-Man and Prince Adam got into Snake Mountain in MU105, and Garth the butter-man snuck in for MU106. Here, He-Man flies his Wind Raider to the villainous fortress in search of the Sorceress. "How are we going to get inside?" asks Battle Cat (ignoring the nineteen different ways they've already done this). "Well," replies He-Man, "we're going to go right up to Skeletor's door and see if we can't be invited in." Yeah, that's a pretty typical technique for our unsubtle hero. However, unlike many recent infiltrations, this time we see Snake Mountain's intruder alert active and doing its job - it even goes off before He-Man has gotten inside, while he's still approaching from the air. Amusingly, though you'd think he'd appreciate finally having a defense system in place, Skeletor seems merely irritated by the noise. (See my discussion of other Snake Mountain alarm systems this season in the Commentary for MU106.)
• We've seen Battle Cat and Cringer fit more comfortably in the Wind Raider's back seat than Battle Cat does during He-Man's flight in this episode. The armored cat looks ready to fall out the back, he's poking so far off the edge of the vehicle. This calls to mind early episodes where he just didn't seem to fit in the Raider (see MU013).
• Skeletor, by the way, is absolutely amazed by He-Man's method of approach to his home: "Flying here alone, in full view?!" he scoffs. Yes, Skeletor - it's that thing he does every other episode!
• It seems inconsistent and strange that, while the Spirit of Grayskull is able to intervene and create some magical illusions to fool Trap Jaw, he can't apparently keep his front door locked, allowing all three of the villains to just waltz inside. Couldn't come up with a riddle, huh?
• Skeletor gets onto the throne of Grayskull, but he seems strangely underwhelmed by this achieving of his dreams. We see him sitting with his chin propped up on his hands, as if he's disappointed or bored. Maybe he's realizing that his struggle with He-Man is what's really keeping the excitement in his life.
• Animation error: Another one for Trap Jaw. When he's seen down in the pit he's fallen into, the whites of his eyes are incorrectly colored yellow.
• Teela has various emotional reactions to hearing about her future destiny as caretaker of Grayskull; but she never refuses the job. It does seem a little cruel that one day she is just going to be handed this career, perhaps when her mother dies or becomes otherwise incapacitated, and she has no choice in the matter. What if she wants to be a plumber, or an actress? What if she likes being captain of the guard? Still, though Teela is hesitant about her own fitness for the position, she never seems to question her duty of obedience in the matter.
• Most of the things I found frustrating about this episode came in the way it broke from the larger continuity of the series - which you'd think I'd be used to by now with MOTU. The fact that the Sorceress seems to be a bad parent, the sudden retcon of the Spirit of Grayskull, the Sorceress's breaking of her rule of keeping her falcon form outside of Grayskull, the insecure nature of the Jawbridge - all are issues only when examined in the larger context of the show. If you watch this episode just on its own merits, and can manage to forget about the other stuff, it's really a strong, character-driven tale with some heartwarming interactions. We get an important peek into Teela's future and have a chance to admire her determination and bravery, but also see her vulnerability. Teela's insecurity in her own abilities is very believable and adds an extra layer of realism to her character which makes her portrayal here even more winning.