The Rarest Gift of All

The Rarest Gift of All is the 71st episode of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, written by J. Brynne Stephens and directed by Gwen Wetzler. When Orko decides to run away from home, He-Man and his other friends must save him from a monster.

Synopsis
Everyone at the Royal Palace is preparing gifts for King Randor and Queen Marlena's wedding anniversary party...except Orko, who is worried about finding a the most wonderful present in the world. Orko and Cringer visit Man-At-Arms's workshop and watch him build a fireworks display for the party. Orko decides to help, with disastrous results. In the commotion Orko is pinned down and caustic chemiclals start a fire in the lab. Cringer fetches Prince Adam, who transforms into He-Man to help his friends.

Orko decides to leave Man-At-Arms alone and pay a visit to Teela, who is baking a delicate soufflé. Orko eagerly uses his magic to help the cake rise, creating chaos in the kitchen. Having anticipated trouble, He-Man quickly arrives to clean up the mess.

Dejected, Orko sulks in his bedroom and tells Cringer that he intends to run away from home. Cringer decides to go with him. Together, the two friends wander through the forest, as Orko tries to think of someone he can confide in who does not live at the palace. He resolves to head for Castle Grayskull to visit the Sorceress.

Later in the day, He-Man, Teela, and Man-At-Arms look for Orko and cannot find him anywhere. Lizardman, Stratos, Fisto, and the king and queen haven't seen him, so they go to his room and find the note spell he has left behind. The three heroes deduce that he's on his way to Grayskull and immediately go after him.

On their way to the castle, Orko and Cringer begin to feel fatigued as they approach the Talgoth, a beast that drains the energy of anyone who comes near it. After barely escaping the talgoth, they arrive at the castle, where the Sorceress assures Orko that he is appreciated at the palace and would be deeply missed if he never returned. Although Orko is moved to learn that his friends are in the forest searching for him, he fears they will run into the Talgoth. He and Cringer return to the forest, but they run afoul of a tangletree.

Meanwhile, in the forest, Teela, Man-At-Arms, and He-Man begin to feel the effects of the Talgoth--He-Man weakens, Teela loses her coordination, and Man-At-Arms has trouble thinking. When they are set upon by Shadow Beasts, they only barely fight them off because of their diminished abilities. He-Man realizes that the Talgoth must be responsible, and they race to find Orko and Cringer before the Talgoth does.

However, when they find their friends, Orko is attempting to let the Talgoth feed on his magic to prevent it from sapping the powers of his friends. This allows He-Man, Teela, and Man-At-Arms to use their full capabilities to defeat the Talgoth and end the danger. The heroes assure Orko that running away wouldn't have solved anything and everyone heads back to the palace for the anniversary party. Orko is sad that he has no gift for the king and queen, and ruined Teela and Duncan's presents, but he is assured that his mere presence is the best gift of all.

Moral
Orko: "Boy, the party is sure lots of fun. And just think, I could've missed out on it by running away. Sure, I was feeling sorry for myself, but running away doesn't solve anything. Everyone has problems now and then. And sometimes they seem pretty big. But every time you have a problem, you just can't keep running away. You've got to try and solve it. And how do you do that? Well, a good way is to ask someone for help. Help! Adam! Man-At-Arms! Cringer! Oh, help!"

Heroic Warriors

 * Prince Adam
 * Cringer
 * Fisto
 * He-Man
 * Lizard Man
 * Man-At-Arms
 * Orko
 * Stratos
 * Teela

Allies

 * Queen Marlena
 * King Randor
 * Sorceress

Villains

 * Talgoth

Cast

 * John Erwin as He-Man/Prince Adam
 * Alan Oppenheimer as Man-At-Arms and Cringer
 * Linda Gary as Teela, the Sorceress, and Queen Marlena
 * Lou Scheimer (credited as Erik Gunden) as Orko, King Randor, Stratos, Fisto, and Lizard Man

Orko's Fun Facts
As featured in BCI's He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Season Two, Vol. 1 DVD boxset (Disc 1)


 * "This is the first of two episodes where Orko runs away, the other episode being 'The Secret of Grayskull.'"
 * "When the Sorceress shows Orko what life would be like a year later without him, in the script it is Prince Adam and Cringer walking through the forest. After Adam's dialogue Cringer (in the sequence) replies, 'We'll search all of Eternia if we have to!' This prompts Orko to ask Cringer if this is true, to which Cringer responds 'Sure I would.'"

Behind the Scenes
The animation model for the Talgoth was designed by character artist Harry Sabin. The character model was finalized on May 18, 1984.
 * Script was approved March 29, 1984 and final script revision took place on April 10, 1984.

Continuity

 * The animation of the Shadow Beasts charging into battle was first used in Prince Adam No More.
 * The Talgoth will be seen again as one of the prisoners of Beast Island in the She-Ra: Princess of Power episode The Prisoners of Beast Island.
 * The animation of He-Man using his mighty lungs to blow something away was first seen in The Once and Future Duke and will be used again in Betrayal of Stratos, A Trip to Morainia, Just a Little Lie, The Greatest Show on Eternia and Happy Birthday Roboto.

Errors
Lizard Man has brown skin instead of green plus, him has a more pronounced beak here.