Eye of the Beholder

Eye of the Beholder is the 55th episode of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, based on a story by Jeffery O'Hare, adapted for television by David Wise, and directed by Marsh Lamore. When Skeletor plots to deplete the oxygen in Eternia's atmosphere, He-Man and the Insect People must overcome their differences to save the planet.

Synopsis
Man-At-Arms and Prince Adam are flying back to the Royal Palace when the Wind Raider’s engine stops. Prince Adam transforms into He-Man, and then latches the Wind Raider's grappling hook to a mountainside, saving them from disaster.

Back at the Royal Palace, He-Man feels as if he is beginning to lose his strength. Man-At-Arms concludes that Eternia’s oxygen supply is somehow being depleted.

When He-Man finally reaches Castle Grayskull on foot, he is shocked to find the jaw-bridge wide open and the castle unprotected. Inside He-Man finds a weakened Sorceress, who explains that the water that flows from the Sea of Eternity in the Mystic Mountains to the Evergreen Forest and the Vine Jungle has been cut off, harming the plants and resulting in a lack of oxygen.

He-Man heads for the Mystic Mountains with Man-At-Arms’ breathing apparatus, but a band of Insect People attack him. One of the insect warriors, Garth, explains to He-Man that the eggs of his race are not glowing as they should, and he fears they will not hatch. After He-Man saves the eggs from being crushed by an avalanche, Garth sides with He-Man, and the two of them head out to the Sea of Eternity. On the way they encounter Beast Man and Tri-Klops, who are guarding a cavern entrance, but the heroes defeat them with little effort.

He-Man and Garth find Skeletor atop a large machine that is pumping water from the Sea of Eternity into an underground pit. They also discover that the river which feeds the Evergreen Forest and the Vine Jungle has been dammed up. In the battle with the villain, He-Man’s supply of oxygen is reduced dramatically, forcing him out of the battle. Garth bravely sacrifices himself to block the machine’s pump, but He-Man reverses the process of the machine. Garth emerges from the waters transformed. Skeletor leaves as He-Man destroys the dam, thus foiling Skeletor’s plan.

Moral
Teela: "Today, we met Garth, who to some people looked like a monster. But Garth wasn't a monster. He was a good person with a noble soul and in the end, his beauty showed through. Real beauty comes from inside, which is why ugly people can sometimes be the most beautiful people to know and why people who look beautiful sometimes act very ugly. Being beautiful on the outside is alright, but being beautiful on the inside, that's the best."

Heroic Warriors

 * Prince Adam
 * He-Man
 * Man-At-Arms
 * Orko
 * Teela (moral only)

Allies

 * Garth
 * Shaman
 * Sorceress

Evil Warriors

 * Beast Man
 * Skeletor
 * Tri-Klops

Locations

 * Castle Grayskull
 * Eternos - Royal Palace
 * Evergreen Forest
 * Mystic Mountains
 * Sea of Eternity
 * Vine Jungle (mentioned)

Vehicles

 * Wind Raider

Cast

 * John Erwin as He-Man/Prince Adam and Beast Man
 * Alan Oppenheimer as Skeletor, Man-At-Arms and Shaman
 * Linda Gary as the Sorceress
 * Lou Scheimer (credited as Erik Gunden) as Orko, Tri-Klops and Insect guard
 * George DiCenzo (uncredited) as Garth

Behind the Scenes

 * Script was approved May 25, 1983 and final script revision took place July 18, 1983.

Continuity

 * The animated sequence of He-Man leaping out of the way of a freeze ray was first seen in Teela's Trial.
 * Backgrounds showing the blue mountains of Trolla are reused for a location on Eternia when the Wind Raider goes down.

Errors

 * The Wind Raider is much larger in size compared to the human characters than usual.
 * In the shot of Castle Grayskull's open jaw bridge, there are two large chains attached to the side of the castle for the first and only time.

The He-Man and She-Ra Blog

 * A brief review #055 - "Eye of the Beholder"
 * FILMATION ART: Mystic Mountains.
 * Holding the sword.
 * Garth (as an insect) model sheet.
 * Garth (as a human) model sheet.