He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Season Two, Volume 2

Whoever coined the term "all good things must come to an end" was surely influenced by Filmation's epic fantasy show, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. As hard as it is to imagine, the second volume of the second season represents the grand finale of the entire 130-show run. Coming from a fan of the show since its days in syndication, it was with great interest that I set off on a voyage of blissful nostalgia in reviewing the entire He-Man and the Masters of the Universe DVD series from BCI. When presented with the notion of 130 episodes spanning across 4 box sets of 6 discs each, it is easy to get into the false notion that the good times will never end. Unfortunately, here we are at the final installment of the classic series.

Despite the fact that there is an unmistakable sadness that taints the viewing experience (after all, we realize that this is goodbye), the show's writers managed to break out of the slight slump that they apparently fallen into during the first half of the season. Unlike the first half, where additions to Mattel's corresponding toy line meant the introduction to several new characters (save Roboto), the second half works more closely with the formula discovered in the first season: the plots are bit more lesson-oriented but with slightly richer animation quality.

At this point in time, the Filmation creative machine was changing gears for the upcoming She-Ra: Princess of Power series but their efforts in closing out He-Man were a worthy farewell. Those expecting some kind of closure or finale may be disappointed to learn that each and every episode of the 130 was designed to be a stand-alone plot (with resolve) and # 130 is no different. Interestingly, Larry Ditillio (one of the show's staff writers) went on to say that had Filmation decided to write multi-part episodes, it is likely that they would have had no shortage of material to work from for future seasons. As it stands, the reason for the show's demise was based not only on a lack of financial backing but also because the writers were basically tapped out as far as developing an additional 65 (or more) stand-alone plots was concerned.

Preventing this experience from being ridden with sadness, fans can take solace in the fact that BCI has gone the extra mile to continue releasing their excellent He-Man related DVD sets to enjoy. Directly following this incarnation of the show are three 6-disc She-Ra: Princess of Power DVD sets, two 6-disc New Adventures of He-Man sets, and at present, the first (of three) 3-disc sets has been released celebrating the impressive 2002 Mike Young Productions version of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: About the best thing that can happen to a series is discovering that BCI is the company bringing it to DVD release. This installment is no exception!

Included on this 6-disc compilation are the following episodes:

Hunt For He-Man
The Greatest Show On Eternia
Not So Blind
Revenge Is Never Sweet
The Good Shall Survive
The Secret Of Grayskull
No Job Too Small
The Bitter Rose
The Gambler
Teela's Triumph
Orko's New Friend
The Problem With Power
Double Trouble
The Eternia Flower
Happy Birthday Roboto
Battle Of The Dragons
Time Doesn't Fly
Here, There, Skeletors Everywhere
Beauty And The Beast
Orko's Return
Visitors From Earth
Monster On The Mountain
The Magic Falls
Search For A Son
Mistaken Identity
The Toy Maker
Bargin With Evil
Capture The Comet Keeper
The Ancient Mirror Of Avathar
The Games
To Save The Creatures
The Cold Zone

Extras are once again abounding. The sixth disc contains inspiration for some of the various episodes between numbers 99-130, facts and trivia, scripts etc. Also noteworthy is the fantastic conclusion to the multi-part Filmation history called Animating He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Very interesting stuff! 3 episodes contain full audio commentary and like always, BCI packs in a pair of 4x6" collectible art cards, this time from artists: Dan Brereton and Mike McKone.