Matthew Malach
Reviewed by: Purrsia
Mandora calls the Thundercats on New Thundera to warn the Thundercats that Vultureman escaped from Way Out Back by hijacking the Interplanetary Bookmobile. Yeah...I know - it literally looks like a flying book. He was heading toward New Thundera so Lion-O was on the alert.
While traveling on the Bookmobile, Vultureman becomes interested in a video tape of Ancient Third Earth history. The tape tells the tale of a bird-like being named Zaxx. It seemed Zaxx and Mumm-Ra were old enemies - Zaxx used to control the souther hemisphere of Third Earth while Mumm-Ra controlled the northern portion. But that wasn't enough for Mumm-Ra. He wanted to be rid of Zaxx so he could control all of Third Earth.
Zaxx's powers originated from the Rosencrantz medallion he wore, and once Mumm-Ra had it, he was able to crush Zaxx. The tape said Zaxx's soul waited to be released but that Mumm-Ra kept the medallion safely hidden in his sarcophogus as to guaranttee that Mumm-Ra would remain the sole ruling evil force of Third Earth. Old bird brain is too busy dancing about and singing at the thought of stealing the medallion that he misses the important disclaimer on the tape about how the wearer of the medallion will lose their life force and become Zaxx. This would explain why bone bag doesn't wear it. And we thought Vultureman was the Mutant with a brain. Ho boy.
Lion-O calls to Panthro in the Whisker, who has Snarf along with him, to warn him that Vultureman is in the area. When they ask what kind of vehicle he escaped in, even Lion-O sounds embarrassed to say it - a bookmobile! Panthro and Snarf laugh it off, thinking an unarmed flying library will be a piece of cake to subdue. Vultureman, meanwhile, is almost to the Pyramid when Panthro catches up with him at the Churning Rocks and demands he pull over and surrender. Vulturman guns it though the rocks and manages to out-maneuver Panthro, and even runs into him. Then the chase is on with Panthro firing at Vultureman. That ends up being their undoing when they fly right into debris caused by their laser fire from the rocks.
The Whisker crashes and Vultureman makes it to the Pyramid. He goes into the pyramid to find Mummsie's not home (or so he thinks), so he walks into the sarcophogus, the back of which opens into a secret chamber. He finds the medallion and puts it on. Zaxx appears in the face of it, and insults him by calling him ugly. Their conversation is interrupted by Mumm-Ra in his everliving form. Vultureman feels confident until Mumm-Ra clues him in that Zaxx will take over his body. Vman is horrified but Zaxx assures him he'll handle Mumm-Ra.
Back at the rocks, Panthro and Snarf struggle in the wreck to survive and Snarf falls out of the Whisker. Panthro is barely able to call into the Lair and tells Lion-O they crashed and that Snarf is "lost". Lion-O promises he is on the way.
In the Pyramid, Zaxx and Mumm-Ra start to duke it out while Mumm-Ra warns Zaxx that he has grown more powerful since last they met. Zaxx then begins to take over Vman's body, while Zaxx tries to convince him to keep the medallion on. Vman gets spooked and throws the medallion into the cauldron. The cauldron in turn expels it outside. Mumm-Ra is happy that he can remain undefeated and approches Vultureman menacingly.
At the Churning Rocks, Snarf is still with us (dammit) but the nature of the place makes things still quite perilous for the fuzzy one. He somehow gets sucked down, over and back out to where he lands right outside the pyramid - and next to the discarded medallion. He mistakingly thinks of it as "armor" and puts it on as protection against earthquakes. Of course, Zaxx springs to life within and has more snarky comments about the attractiveness of his host. Not that he's anything to look at himself. Gotta love the accent, too.
Zaxx is busy telling Snarf what amonts to no-doubt lies. Inside the pyramid, Mumm-Ra orders Vman to go get the medallion. But the medallion comes to him as Snarf enters wearing it. Snarf is fearful and caught in the middle of the fray. What's worse, is Mumm-Ra brings forth the Sword of Plundarr, which he didn't possess the first time long ago when he faught Zaxx.
Meanwhile, Lion-O has rescued Panthro and Panthro has a hard time describing what he thinks is Snarf's end. But just as Lion-O gets the news, the Sword of Omens signals danger and he sees Snarf in the pyramid. It's decided to go save him (dammit). Snarf is disturbed to be growing another set of arms (as Zaxx has four) so Mumm-Ra tries to warn him about the caveat of wearing the medallion. But Snarf is so weak, Zaxx is able to get free. But he shocks them all by not becoming one with Snarf's body but emerging out of it. The Thundercats arrive just as Zaxx and Mumm-Ra fight it out.
Kat provides a smoke screen so that Panthro can rescue Snarf. Then they step back so that Mumm-Ra and Zaxx can finish their fight. Zaxx gets the Sword of Plundarr from Mumm-Ra and tosses it into the cauldron. But then Mumm-Ra grabs the medallion and rips it off of Zaxx. They struggle over it, and both tumble into the cauldron. The result is a huge reaction in the cauldron, a funnel of water shooting up with such force, it blows the top right off the pyramid.
Afterward, Snarf comes to and Lion-O assumes this marked the end of Mumm-Ra. They apprehend Vultureman and hand him over to Mandora, who will take him back to exile. Snarf is still skeptical Mumm-Ra is gone for good and he's right. The last scene has him poking up out of the cauldron waters, in mummy form and with Sword of Plundarr in hand.
Thanks to some really snappy dialogue, this ep is worthwhile.
"I'm free as a bird!" - Vultureman
"This should be easy. What could he attack us with? A dictionary?" - Snarf, poking fun at Vultureman's vessel.
"That bookmobile is overdue. It's about time we took it out of circulation." - bad library puns courtesy of Panthro.
"I won't be beaten by a flying encyclopedia." - Panthro.
"Panthro is about as fast as a snail on fly paper." - Vultureman.
"Yuck. You are the ugliest being I have ever been attached to. No offense." - Zaxx, upon seeing it was Vultureman who donned the medallion.
"You sorry excuse for a Mutant. You are a bigger fool than I ever imagined." - Mumm-Ra to Vultureman.
"Oh man, you're uglier than that last animal." - Zaxx to Snarf.
"Zaxx? In the body of Snarf? Oh, how *terrifying*." - Mumm-Ra's sarcasm.
"The end of Mumm-Ra. It's a new day for the universe. A day of peace." - Lion-O, once again speaking too soon.
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Captures from The Zaxx Factor
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