Of the episodes aired of the series thus far, this might be my favorite, though the series premiere is up there. Why? Well, in a word: Panthro. He’s awesome. But beyond that, some backstory is revealed, a familiar voice returns which always makes me happy, and there are a few Easter eggs – well, I think they’re Easter eggs – that made me smile.
“Old Friends” also tells us what exactly happened between Panthro and Grune, and shows Panthro’s reaction to working under a new ruler of the Thundercats. The Thunder Tank factors in – and, oh yeah – I’m pretty sure the writers of this episode have heard the infamous Thundercats blooper reel, as there’s a reference that I’d think only a true Thundercats fan would catch. Unless it’s a huge coincidence.
We also see a flashback to Panthro’s younger days, where the character model is a bit more like the Panthro from the original series. I thought that was really cool.
I’m really pleased with where this series is going. It’s avoiding the predictable, and using classic characters to tell a new story that is still true to the characters’ core. It’s probably as interesting to a 9 year old as it is to a 29 year old. In short? I like it a lot.
Thundercats: “Old Friends” airs tonight at 8:30 on the Cartoon Network. See some images from the episode!
