Menu
close
Menu
*This article contains spoilers.*
Credit: Filmation
I’ve never watched much He-Man. When I was a kid, the shows I remember watching were Gargoyles, Gummi Bears, and The World of David the Gnome. But, when I saw that He-Man, like She-Ra, was getting a remake on Netflix I was curious and excited. Since my son, Max, liked She-Ra, I was hoping he would enjoy this reboot too.
Credit: Netflix
Credit: Netflix
He did enjoy it. His favorite characters are Man-At-Arms and Teela. He pretends to be Teela and I get to be Evil-Lynn. He likes Teela's fighting style and her strength. (Side note, most of his favorite characters are strong women.) He also liked Man-At-Arms because of his “move-set” and his cool tech. (Please keep in mind this is a child who loves play fighting and can spend all day doing it.) These were elements that I expected him to latch on to.
Credit: Netflix
There were elements that he really held on to that I was not expecting. Although with the recent passing of our dog, perhaps I should have been prepared for how he handled the death of two of the show's heroes.
Credit: Netflix
Max wasn’t prepared for the death of Roboto. Orko’s death was predictable, in a way, because he was fighting illness and was near death already. In contrast, Roboto was a fully functional robot who seemed strong and capable. His death was poignant and shocking because just moments before he was forging the sword of power. My son spent a large part of the day tearing up randomly and looking at me because of Roboto’s death. And just like the death of a sick loved one or pet, it is easier to accept that they are gone. But the sudden death of a loved one or beloved character still can come back, at any moment, to cause you sadness because you hadn’t prepared for their death.
By the time we got to the end of the relatively short season, Max had suffered enough disappointment. He looked at me and went, “But He-Man is going to fix everything at the end, right?” I had already watched the season; I smiled down at him and said “No. This is the end of the season but not the end of the show. We will have to wait for everything to be fixed.” He accepted that answer. Knowing that there will be more of the show meant that Adam getting stabbed a second time, Skeletor becoming Master of the Universe, the death of so many characters could be made right a few more episodes in. And I sincerely hope that some of these issues are resolved. I would hate for Max to continue to be disappointed.
Favorite part of Masters of the Universe: “When He-Man defeated Skeletor in episode one.”
Least favorite part of the show: “When Roboto sacrificed himself.”/”When Skeletor turns himself into a master of the universe.”
Favorite character(s): Man-At-Arms & Teela
Favorite bad guy: Scare Glow
Credit: Netflix
Why do you want there to be a second season of the show?: “Because I want to see if Evil-Lynn joins the good side again and if Roboto is rebuilt.”
Lesson learned from the show: “That you should never defeat your enemies and get their powers. Like when Skeletor defeats He-Man and gets his powers.”
I don’t know if that is a lesson that an adult would get. I learned different things such as, if you believe in your friends’ ability then they will surprise you or themselves. Or, redemption is possible, but sometimes people need more time. Or perhaps, you can’t ever leave the past behind; sometimes it comes back to you in surprising ways. Hopefully he picked up on some of those lessons as well.