To Save Skeletor

To Save Skeletor is the 75th episode of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, written by Paul Dini and Beth Bornstein and directed by Lou Kachivas. When Skeletor summons a demon more powerful than he is, the forces of good and evil on must work together to save Eternia.

Synopsis
A royal celebration in the palace is interrupted when Whiplash appears, demanding to see King Randor. Man-At-Arms blocks the monster's path, but instead of attacking, Whiplash collapses to the floor. Just barely, he wheezes his plea that the king assist the Evil Warriors. Prince Adam moves to help, but Teela holds him back, warning that this could be one of Skeletor's tricks. Randor summons the court physician.

Adam, Duncan, and Teela observe as the physician treats Whiplash's wounds. Somewhat recovered, Whiplash explains what has brought him here. Hours earlier in Snake Mountain, Skeletor plotted to open a gateway to an obscure, evil dimension to bring forth the demon Sh'Gora to help him defeat He-Man. However, once Skeletor and Evil-Lyn had summoned Sh'Gora, they found him unwilling to obey and too powerful to control. Sh'Gora revealed that he had been watching Eternia for eons, waiting for someone to bring him there so he might conquer the planet. Skeletor, Evil-Lyn, Trap-Jaw, and Whiplash all attempted to subdue Sh'Gora to no avail. As Whiplash fled, he heard the chilling screams of his allies. With the tale concluded, Man-At-Arms has little sympathy for Skeletor, but Whiplash reminds him that Sh'Gora will not stop until he has destroyed all of Eternia.

Later, Man-At-Arms and Adam debate whether to believe Whiplash's story. Then Zoar flies overhead, telepathically informing them that Sh'Gora is real and that he will seek the power of Castle Grayskull; only the Eternia's combined forces of good and evil can stop Sh'Gora, and only He-Man can rescue Skeletor and unite their factions. At this, Adam transforms himself and Cringer into He-Man and Battle Cat.

Whiplash escorts He-Man, Battle Cat, Teela, Man-At-Arms, Fisto, and Orko to Snake Mountain, where he shows them a secret entrance and leads them inside. There they find Skeletor, Trap-Jaw, and Evil-Lyn encased within crystals, and Sh'Gora mystically absorbing their power. Once the demon has left the chamber, the heroes free Skeletor and the others, and He-Man forges an temporary alliance with them. Sh'Gora returns, gloating that he has already absorbed enough power to capture Castle Grayskull. Before he leaves for the castle, he creates a flock of bat-like creatures to dispatch with all his enemies.

He-Man and Skeletor's respective allies work together to stop the demons, and then leave for Castle Grayskull in the Attack-Trak and the Collector. Aboard the Collector, Skeletor and his warriors decide that conjuring Sh'Gora wasn't such a bad idea, since the demon will breach Grayskull's defenses, He-Man will find a way to stop Sh'Gora, and then they will be able to betray He-Man from within the castle.

Soon Sh'Gora reaches Grayskull, easily tearing down the Jawbridge and subduing the Sorceress. By the time He-Man and Skeletor's forces arrive, Sh'Gora has slithered into the castle and resealed the Jawbridge behind him. To Skeletor's fascination, He-Man uses his Power Sword to command the Jawbridge to open for him. The coalition enter Castle Grayskull to find Sh'Gora sitting in the Sorceress's throne, holding her captive. Using his evil magic, Sh'Gora transforms the Sorceress into a cackling monster to attack his enemies while he goes to open one of Grayskull's travel corridors. Skeletor's warriors try to defeat the Sorceress, but He-Man insists that they must find a way to stop her without killing her. Evil-Lyn manages to counteract Sh'Gora's spell, returning the Sorceress to normal.

Elsewhere in the castle, Sh'Gora is using his magic to open a travel corridor back to his native dimension, so that he can pull all of Eternia back there. He-Man, Battle Cat, Fisto, Trap-Jaw, and Whiplash all wrestle with the demon, while Skeletor, Evil-Lyn, and the Sorceress reconstruct the spell used to summon him. Sh'Gora easily fends off his attackers except He-Man; when the spell is completed to send him back, he clings to He-Man in a desperate attempt to stay on Eternia. He-Man's allies rush to help him, but Skeletor creates a wall of fire to block them in the hopes that both Sh'Gora and He-Man will be trapped in the other dimension. The Evil Warriors announce the end of their alliance and run off to plunder Grayskull's secrets. However, Orko conjures up a lightning bolt to break Sh'Gora's grip, sending the demon tumbling back where it belongs and allowing He-Man to escape.

The Sorceress teleports He-Man to the chamber where Skeletor is searching for the Power of Grayskull. When Skeletor realizes He-Man appears to be guarding a doorway, he and his troops rush to see what He-Man is protecting. He-Man simply steps aside, allowing them to fall into his trap--the doorway is simply another travel corridor, which pulls the villains back to Snake Mountain.

With the danger passed, the Sorceress thanks the heroes, especially Orko for saving He-Man from Sh'Gora. She reminds them that they need to return to the royal celebration. Teela scoffs that Adam is probably having a wonderful time; He-Man suggest that Adam would rather be with her and winks.

Moral
Fisto: "Hi there. In today's story we had a tought job to do. And the only way we could do it was to get some help and work together. Now there are always jobs or problems that are too tough to handle alone. And when that happens, you should never be ashamed to admit you need help. Likewise, when someone asks you for help, give them a hand. Yours might not be as big as mine, but it'll still be appreciated. And if I can ever give you a hand, just let me know.

Heroic Warriors

 * Prince Adam
 * Battle Cat (non-speaking role)
 * Cringer (non-speaking role)
 * Fisto
 * He-Man
 * Man-At-Arms
 * Teela

Allies

 * Queen Marlena (non-speaking role)
 * King Randor
 * Sorceress
 * Zoar

Evil Warriors

 * Evil-Lyn
 * Skeletor
 * Trap Jaw
 * Whiplash (now named)

Villains

 * Sh'Gora

Cast

 * John Erwin as Prince Adam/He-Man, Whiplash and Sh'Gora
 * Alan Oppenheimer as Skeletor and Man-At-Arms
 * Linda Gary as Teela, Evil-Lyn and the Sorceress
 * Lou Scheimer (credited as Erik Gunden) as Orko, King Randor, Fisto, Trap-Jaw and a palace guard

(Queen Marlena and Cringer/Battle Cat appear in this episode, but do not receive dialogue.)

Orko's Fun Facts
As featured in BCI's He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Season Two, Vol. 1 DVD boxset (Disc 2)


 * "It is surprising to see Paul Dini's name on this episode, as it is his only Season Two script."
 * "The celebration at the beginning of the episode is in honor of Queen Marlena, and the fact that the day marks her twenty-fifth year on Eternia."
 * In the original script, Sh'Gora was never supposed to talk out loud and would communicate via telepathy."
 * "Orko refers to himself as a purple-blooded Trollan."
 * "The water that Fisto lets inside Snake Mountain should be red (specified in the script), as the waterfall he refers to is Blood Falls."

Behind the Scenes

 * Script was approved April 17, 1984 and final script revision took place May 24, 1984.
 * Man-At-Arms was supposed to stay to guard the Royal Palace instead of joining the heroes and villains in their battle in the script. This explains why he has no lines during the latter half of the story.

Continuity

 * The animated sequence of He-Man catching the Sorceress is reused from when he caught Man-At-Arms in Colossor Awakes.
 * The animation of the Sorceress using her magic to transport He-Man to Skeletor's location was previously seen in The Cosmic Comet.
 * The Travel Corridors room inside Castle Grayskull was previously seen in She-Demon of Phantos and Dawn of Dragoon and will be seen again in the She-Ra: Princess of Power episode Loo-Kee Lends a Hand.
 * Fisto does not appear again for another 53 episodes.

Errors

 * As the heroes and villains prepare to leave Snake Mountain, it is daylight outside whereas Snake Mountain is located in the constantly dark side of Eternia.
 * At the end, when Skeletor and his Evil Warriors are back at Snake Mountain, the waterfall and the entire back half of the stronghold are missing from the final establishing shot.