NN REVIEW: Thundercats: Song of the Petalars

Tonight the 4th episode of Thundercats aired called Song of the Petalars. After last weeks episode, Ramlak Rising, I'm glad that the show managed to get back on track. Last week we saw less of Tygra than I expected after how vocal he was in the series premier but this week he was once again clashing with Lion-O. I think this rivalry needs to continue as it did in tonight's episode because it can provide a believable process for both Lion-O and Tygra to develop and mature as the series progresses into hopefully darker territory.

Tonight's episode centered around an interesting plant species called Petalars. These Oddish like creatures experience their entire lives in a single day. Although the plot wasn't air tight it did provide an engrossing story that ended up teaching Lion-O that hope was essential to success. The main Petalar that we followed, Emeric was incredible. Starting out as an inquisitive little flower petal, we saw him live his entire life in one episode and although it only spanned one day, Emeric became a wise, endearing friend to Lion-O. I was a little worried at first when I saw the Petalars because I think Thundercats can be the kind of cartoon that is a little more mature than most. Somewhat like Avatar, it should be able to appeal to both older and younger audiences, so seeing the flower people at first made me skeptical as to how childish this episode would be. But the story ended up being pretty moving and very well told.

The episode concludes with Lion-O and his companions in a hopeless situation but then a certain someone comes to save the day. Now, the old show was a bit before my time so I never got to watch it, but it sounds like if you're familiar with the old show, this character's appearance will be a pretty exciting moment for you. As for me, I'm pumped to see what this new badass brings to the group!

All in all I think Song of the Petalars was a much more engaging episode than last weeks and I hope it's more like what we will continue to see from the show.

4/5

TELEVISION: I'm usually a dog person.

But I just finished watching the premier of the new Thundercats show and I must say it was pretty stinkin great! It's very hard for cartoons to appeal to both a younger and older crowd at the same time but Thundercats does an excellent job of doing just that. Obviously Thundercats wants to attract some older viewers who grew up watching the old show but also grab the younger demographic of new viewers to introduce them to Thundera. In the series premier we meet our protagonist Lion-O who is heir to the throne of Thundera but spends most of his time fiddling with technology that no one believes in. The episode does an excellent job of presenting this world of Third Earth and creating a fearsome antagonist while giving us reason to root for Lion-O and his companions. I won't spoil anything for those who want to watch it, but I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good solid cartoon. Thundercats will air on Cartoon Network, Friday nights at 8:30 eastern.