Defenders of the Earth Ep. 04 A House Divided

Join host Patrick Cadigan as he discusses episode 4 of Defenders of the Earth "A House Divided." Written by Jeremy Griffin and Dave Weathers, the story introduces Kurt Walker, the Phantom's brother, who seeks to usurp the Phantom's mantle with Ming the Merciless's help. The Phantom faces off against his brother and ultimately wins through skill and teamwork. So strap in, flash forward (and back) again!

Links:
A House Divided Resource (page)
A House Divided - Flash Gordon Wiki (link)

Transcript

Patrick Cadigan  00:11

And welcome back. You're listening to Flash Forward: A Defenders of the Earth Retrospective. I'm your host, Patrick Cadigan, join me as I revisit each episode of the series, breaking down the stories, characters, themes, and maybe digging just a bit into the lore that gave this series its moment in 80s animated television. Whether you're a longtime fan who remembers watching its first run or discovering the show for the first time and wondering how you ever missed it to begin with, this is your chance to flash forward and back into a world of heroes, villains and gloriously 80s retro action adventure. Let's get started. So for this week's episode, we are covering "A House Divided." Now, this was written by a duo of writers, Jeremy Griffin and Dave Weathers. Now Jeremy Griffin, he is responsible for writing only two episodes for Defenders of the Earth, this one and a future episode called Family Reunion, although the majority of his credits put him on the production side, including for the Mighty Mouse and Jaws, The Revenge (everybody's favorite movie). As far as Dave Weathers, according to IMDb Defenders appears to be the only credit with the bulk of his work in sound. Now, he does have some producer, director credits, but for his sound work, I found references for NYPD Blue, Family Guy and Cop Rock, just to name a few. I also caught that he was an assistant editor on both the Transformers TV show and the Transformers movie, and also GI Joe The Movie. So for this episode, this has the air date of Thursday, September 11, 1986; the key characters that we'll see are Kit Walker, Kurt Walker, Jedda Walker, Ming the Merciless, Guran, Mandrake, Rick and LJ, although we only see LJ, we, he doesn't actually talk. This is one episode where we do not see Flash Gordon, nor do we see Lothar. Now Dynak X is essentially in the background. However, we never actually hear her speak. 

Patrick Cadigan  02:36

Act One, we open in the underwater dwelling of Ming the Merciless, as he discusses with Octon a plan that Ming has considered. Octon suggests that Ming use a robot who, up until this point, have been very effective, but Ming is convinced that his plan is sound. Octon argues that humans are not dependable, but an unfettered Ming tells him to get over it a pair of vice robots escort in a tattered looking human male. After introducing himself, Ming tells him that he is prepared to grant his fondest wish. The man responds that His only wish is to destroy the Phantom. Ming tells him to enter the chamber and his wish will be granted a glorified coat closet levitates to the floor. The doors open and the man steps in, energy bolts engulf the man, as Ming explains that he will have 24 hours to defeat the Phantom. We also learn the man is, in fact, the phantom's brother. We are then introduced to a transformed N'Damma, demon of weather, and Ming commands him to destroy the Phantom. We transition to a news reporter, Harriet Bragton, talking about a jungle village in Africa, and the weather has been a bit unusual, with a foot of snow on the ground in the middle of summer, the newscaster catalogs an array of weather experienced by the continent with scientists baffled monitoring the report is both Mandrake Rick and LJ as the Phantom and Jedda walk in on the report, Mandrake reminds us that this is their village. Suddenly, the camera of the news story shifts to show a violent thunder and lightning cloud that mysteriously takes on the form, shape of a skull in danger. The newscaster signs off, and Rick reports that those storms can't be naturally occurring. Mandrake tells Rick that both the Phantom and Jedda will take care of the problem. Rick protests that they will need help, but Mandrake says that unless they ask, they will do it on their own.

Rick Gordon  04:45

Those clouds couldn't be natural. 

Mandrake  04:46

Their family home is being threatened, and that makes this a personal challenge. 

Rick Gordon  04:50

Then we've got to help them.

Mandrake  04:52

Unless they ask for our help. The Phantom and Jedda will face this threat alone.

Patrick Cadigan  04:58

We now find ourselves at the Imperial. Old Village with N'Damma, who now refers to himself as "spirit demon of the wind" at the top of the mountain, and he is telling its inhabitants that he has returned to his ancestral land to rule and that they must obey him. The village chief of the Bandar people, Guran, seems to recognize the voice he is hearing, and defies N'Damma by telling him that they only follow teachings of the elders. N'Damma, not amused or impressed, threatens to destroy the village undeterred, Guran tells N'Damma that he is not a god, but in fact a "bad child," and that they are protected by the ghost who walks. N'Damma comes down from the mountain to directly confront the people of the village and reminds them that they have not seen the Phantom for months. One of the villagers tells another that andama is correct. Jaron refers to the Phantom as protector brother, and reiterates that he will not fail to protect the people now. N'Damma tells Guran that he and his people have a choice to be his subjects by nightfall or be destroyed. N'Damma leaves in a flash of lightning, leaving Jaron to opine the village's need for their protector, the Phantom. Meanwhile, en route to the village, the Phantom and Jedda discuss their need to protect the village, with Jedda saying she sees her future as the Phantom as her duty, unbeknownst to them, N'Damma is watching from a distance. We learn that it has been at least 20 years since he and the Phantom last saw each other. At that moment, clouds encircle the helicopter, forcing Jedda and the Phantom on the defensive, N'Damma sends a bolt of lightning that strikes the helicopter, forcing the two to eject. The two free fall to the jungle floor, using their Tarzan-like prowess to manage their descent. Once on the ground, they narrowly avoid their damaged helicopter, and dama, proud of his power, warns of a greater test to come from there, we shift to a village meeting of elders, where they debate between leaving for the hills for safety or surrendering to N'Damma. One elder questions why the Phantom has not returned, but Guran reminds him that the Phantom has protected them for 400 years. And there we get a flashback of phantom fighting with assumed pirates and taking on a charging Rhino. However, some of the elders, out of fear for their families, argue that N'Damma is too powerful, and therefore they must give in. One of the elders protests, saying that he will only live as a free man. Just then, a villager comes running to tell everyone the Phantom has arrived, arriving on horseback, the Phantom and Jedda greet the elders, but mainly Jaron. When Jedda questions the origins of the strange weather God, Guran tells the Phantom of N'Damma and hints at a connection his father would understand. The Phantom, however, is not picking up what Jiron is putting down, so Guran must tell him that N'Damma has not forgotten the father, Jedda, jumps in to ask where they will be able to find ndama, and is told that he waits at the skull cave, back again on horseback and riding to their hideout. The two are bombarded with lightning strikes along their path, but they manage to evade them and make it to their destination, the Phantom and bN'Damma come face to face, and the Phantom recognizes him through his change. N'Damma reveals his name as Kurt, and he threatens to take the mantle that was due to him. 

Patrick Cadigan  08:35

Act Two, The Phantom laments the brothers reunion, but N'Damma reminds him that their confrontation was inevitable. Jedda asks Phantom why she never knew that he had a brother, and we get a flashback that shows the two brothers (easily distinguished by both height and hair color. Kit being shorter with black hair, and Kurt taller and with blonde hair). We see them counseling with their father, the 26th Phantom, who tells him that there will be a rite of passage to determine who will take up the mantle of the Phantom at a future time, they are instructed to go to Mount Intenga and bring back the Jewel of Zandoon for a ceremony. A visibly annoyed Kurt asks his father to let him go alone, but his father refuses, telling him that he must learn the lesson of working with others. Kurt argues that kit would only get in his way. And when the younger brother chimes in to tell his older brother he is just as good, Kurt continues to argue, but his father shuts him down, saying the decision has been made. When the Phantom leaves, Kurt turns the request into a contest to see who will get the jewel first. When kit tells him that that's not the point of the exercise, the older Kurt goads his brother to agree. Kit gives in, and the two are off. As the two move through the jungle, they are confronted by a lion as the two brothers scatter. Kit ends up in the bushes while Kurt climbs a tree. At first, kit is willing to leave his brother to win the jewel for himself, but quickly changes his mind and goes back to assist, because teamwork is what his father asked him to do. A nervous Kurt calls to his brother for help, and kit confronts the lion himself and draws the animal away from the tree, Kurt gets himself out of the tree, but makes it clear that he has no intention of helping his younger sibling. Kit manages to evade the lion by jumping into a river and keeping himself under water for approximately five seconds, and the lion immediately loses interest. We shift to Kurt making his way up a mountain trash talking about his brother the entire way we time jump to find kit working his way up the mountain and his older brother taking a rest, Kurt awakens to see his brother below him, and the two continue to shit talk each other. When kit accuses Kurt of cheating, Kurt responds by stomping at the cliff's edge, which triggers a small avalanche and kit is injured for a moment, Kurt displays care for his brother, asking if he's all right, and claiming it was an accident. However, he quickly shifts back to asshole mode and assumes that kit might be faking being hurt, and telegraphs that he will be back to check on his brother AFTER he gets the jewel. Kurt finishes the journey up the mountain and obtains the shining jewel for himself, certain that he will be the next Phantom. When Kurt returns to check on his brother, kit is nowhere to be found. Kurt then decides that he'll have to make up a story to tell his father. Back at skull cave, Kurt proudly shows his father the jewel and claims victory when the elder phantom asks about his brother, Kurt lies and talks about kit falling and trying to save him. At that point, Father phantom reveals the lie.

Phantom (22)  12:02

Your brother is still alive. Kurt, I asked you around to follow you on your quest. When you left kit on the mountain alone, he carried your brother home. You have cheated and lied. Kurt. I have decided to make kit the next phantom after I'm gone. I'm sorry, my son, but you have never learned that the Phantom is meant to serve others.

Patrick Cadigan  12:28

Kurt is pissed and tells his dad that he's making a mistake and runs off. When kit attempts to follow his brother, the father stops him, saying, Kurt must find his own destiny flashback over using his new powers, anddama knocks the Phantom to the ground, eliciting a response from Jedda, who fares no better. The Phantom tells Kurt that he was hoping years would give him wisdom, and then calmly walks away from his brother, taking his daughter with him. We see N'Damma walking through a hall of pictures of past phantoms, and is clearly disturbed by them, telling the photos that he would have been a better phantom given the chance. He then attacks the family photo and leaves the cave to seek his brother out again, the Phantom has not left, however, and attacks his brother from behind. The two again fight with the Phantom being overcome by N'Damma's powers. When Jedda attempts to intervene, she also succumbs to the attack. 

Patrick Cadigan  13:28

Act three, a seemingly victorious N'Damma stands over the bodies of his two family members, threatening to finish them off. When suddenly from out of the family photo, the ghost of the elder phantom distracts his son and challenges his right to be a phantom at all. N'Damma continues to yell at the photo, finally destroying it completely, all the while claiming that he has the right to the mantle. This interlude, however, has given both the Phantom and Jedda time to recover. The Phantom jumps his brother and is able to take off his mask. He turns, however, and pushes the Phantom away, saying that no one is allowed to see his face. He then claims that if he cannot be the Phantom, then no one will yet. When he attempts to leave the cave, the Bandar elders are there, and Guran orders them to attack, but N'Damma easily dispatches them. When Jedda and Phantom catch up N'Damma threatens to kill all the Bandar elders. The Phantom asks what he wants and N'Damma proposes another race for the Jewel of Zandoon. The winner, once again claiming the mantle of the Phantom, Jedda protests her father's decision to agree, but the Phantom opines the threat of too many innocent lives. Jedda offers to go ahead of the race to make sure that it's fair, but the Phantom tells her now this is between brothers. The two men immediately begin the race. And once again, N'Damma cheats by using his magic powers to stop Phantom. Jedda has stayed behind to help the elders, and wonders aloud if she made the right choice to stay out of the race. Guran tells her the decision to help is hers alone, at which point she chooses to go. As the two brothers continue their race when reaching a river cliff, N'Damma uses his magic to hinder the Phantom. N'Damma seemingly has the upper hand. However, the Phantom pushes himself off the cliff and uses his brother to assist himself in making it to the other side of the embankment together. The race continues, and N'Damma uses his magic to make a herd of elephants stampede in the way of the Phantom not to be stopped. The Phantom leaps onto over and through the rampaging herd to the other side. It is at this point that Phantom calls on the powers of 10 tigers.

Phantom (22)  15:55

Kurt must be at the mountain by now, it's time I used the powers of the Phantom by jungle law, the ghost who walks calls forth the power of 10 tigers.

Patrick Cadigan  16:16

Once he catches up with an exasperated N'Damma and gains the upper hand, N'Damma uses his lightning strikes to attack phantom before he reaches the jewel. An arriving Jedda uses her telepathic powers to communicate with her horse, Hero, who rushes at andama and knocks him off the mountain ledge. The Phantom heroically tries to help his brother, but it's too late and he falls, Jedda apologizes to her father as the Phantom is frustrated by the overall outcome, but N'Damma uses a blast of wind to push himself to safety on another ledge, far below. At this point, N'Damma concedes defeat. We then are brought back to Ming's fortress, who acknowledges the loss but vows that N'Damma will return. The end.

Patrick Cadigan  17:09

I will have to say that I really, this was probably one of my favorite episodes up until this point. I think the reason that I enjoyed it as much as I did, was because that it digs into a little bit more of the background lore of the Phantom, but does it in a new way. As far as I know, Kurt Walker is exclusive to the Defenders of the Earth timeline. There is no mention of a brother in the Phantom lore. If anybody knows that to be incorrect, please email me, and I would love to sit down and read one of the stories. But as I have started to do this podcast, one of the things that I have really, really enjoyed is getting to know the background, the back stories of all of these different characters, because again, they go back into the 1930s and I will say that I was surprised. I don't know why the Phantom has always been a cool character to me. I remember, even as a kid when this show showed up and I saw the Phantom, I was just like, Wow, that guy looks super cool, even though, of course, the reason that I turned on the show was because of Flash Gordon, but the Phantom, he was definitely a draw. Mandrake was, you know, cool, you know? I mean, I like how they did that. And of course, Lothar ended up becoming, you know, a badass. So I like that too, but, but no, the Phantom is, was, was a good, was a good draw. But again, as adult me is digging into this show I started to look into doing like character bios for each one of the characters. And I mean, needless to say, it's a rabbit hole, I would argue, probably more so for the Phantom. And it was interesting for me to find out that the Phantom is still published to this day, and he has a particularly large following in in and around Central Europe, and apparently also a pretty big following in Australia. I know that there's at least one podcast out there about like that is all things Phantom, and it's it's a bunch of Australian guys, and I, again, it's one of those that I am digging into it I am learning more and more every day, and it's just something really cool.

Patrick Cadigan  19:51

For this particular episode, though, one of the other things that I picked up on it was just like Creation of Monitor. This is one episode where time pretty much has no meaning. Everything happens very fluidly. We go from being introduced to in N'Damma having absolutely no idea who he is, no background, no setup. They kind of reveal it later on, but he is given his powers. Ming tells him You have a finite period of time, and the very next sequence we are having a world television transmission and quickly catalogs a variety of odd weather happenings, and that just immediately captures the attention of the Defenders. So one of the other things that I picked up on was that, of course, Ming gives and N'Damma this 24 hour power limitation. However, by the end of the episode, he still has his powers. And, I mean, there's no finality to it. So again, time in this episode, very fluid thing it we are. We are moving through our story. 

Patrick Cadigan  21:06

One of the themes here is obviously the burden of legacy. And again, that was one of the things that I really liked about it. It digs into the title of the Phantom and being inherited as a birthright, and that is something that has to be earned through character and especially the willingness to serve others. I did also really appreciate the fact that there was the sequence that showed the Phantom both fighting the pirates and then again, also being attacked by the rhino. The pirates obviously being more of a throwback to some of the very early phantom stories that I have been reading about. So again, that attention to detail that my appreciation for both the writers and the animators to pick up on those things. 

Patrick Cadigan  22:01

The other thing that I thought was really neat was, in this iteration of the Phantom, our kit Walker, he is in an entire purple suit. So from top to bottom, with the exception of his black mask, he is in purple. However, the original phantom design, his covers, his the trunks of his costume, was actually striped black. So again, in a nod to the history of the character, when we are introduced to the 22nd Phantom, the father he is in that traditional garb. So again, I thought it was a cool nod to both the history of the Phantom, but then also a nod to the fans, because I immediately picked up on that. And I just thought that that was one of those super cool details. 

Patrick Cadigan  22:57

One of the focuses of this, of this show was that sibling rivalry versus that moral integrity Kurt represents that might makes it right philosophy believing that his superior physical strength or his magical powers entitle him to something more than what he has, which is in direct contrast, of course, to kit being more worthy, as defined by his empathy, his willingness to help others. And of course, as the Phantom father had brought up that you know, this willingness to work with other people, and in general, that has served the younger brother kit throughout his life. Because, of course, you know, he continues to be the Phantom, and that is something that he intends to pass on to his daughter. It was kind of interesting how they shoehorned Ming into this like, you know, of course, he was the, he was the antagonist that brought the two together. But, you know, he in this. This is one particular instance where he didn't necessarily go after the defenders with just his robots, which, of course, based on, you know, one of the robots saying, Hey, are you sure you don't want to do this? And so I was, I don't know, I was kind of, I was kind of laughing about that. I did also appreciate the nature versus the supernatural aspect of this, the fact that Kurt is using or emphasizing these powers that he has been given by Ming the Merciless. And in the end, it didn't matter, right? Kurt is using his natural skills, the tracking, the climbing, the animal instincts, you know, being able to evade the rampaging elephants. Through skill alone. So again, that that magical versus natural. And of course, at the end, the natural wins out. So a little moving on to a little bit of the trivia. At first I so in the episode, I was thinking that this was one of the first appearances of the Phantom skull copter, or it could be considered the claw copter. However, of course, I found out later on that will be introduced to that particular vehicle in another episode that is very clearly the Phantom skull copter. So I think in this case, we'll probably just say that it's the claw copter. I did think it was interesting that they didn't have it in this episode, and of course, they do use it at a future time, but I was kind of wondering as to why, with product tie in, why they didn't bring that in. So of course, the Phantom skull copter was one of the toys that Galoob had brought out that was for that specific defenders of the earth timeline I had mentioned about the throwback of the Phantom costume, which I really appreciated. Oh, one other thing that I noticed was, is that this was an this was an episode where we were blessedly relieved of having to deal with Zuffy, the space alien.

Patrick Cadigan  26:27

As I was watching the show, I and playing off of some of the things that I had done from one of the previous episodes, I started to wonder about the use of some of the names, so I started to look up the jewel of zand Dune, or just Dan dune in general, and didn't really find anything. However, I did find the names. So Kurt. Kurt is a male name given in Germanic languages, in Turkish, however, it means Wolf. I thought that was pretty cool. Kit, on the other hand, is a general gender neutral baby name of Greek origin, though the name has many cultural and film associations. Kit actually derives from the names Christopher and Catherine, meaning bearing Christ or pure and then the feminine moniker Jedda comes from a language spoken by the Noongar people of Western Australia's southwest region. In this language, the word Jedda means Wren or little wild goose were the writers of the show actually thinking that when they came up with these names? I have no idea, but I appreciated it. Yeah, I liked looking into it. Now. From the DVD episode trivia, they talk about how years before the Batman was created, Lee Falk, the creator of The Phantom, had originally intended the Phantoms alias to be a rich playboy. However, halfway through the first story The sing brotherhood, Falk decided to move the Phantom to the jungle and give him the name of kit Walker. And for those who are not in the know, it is widely recognized that the Phantom was one of the early influences for the eventual creation of Batman. In fact, I seem to remember that I was listening to a podcast about the Phantom. And the host was saying that Bob Kane had specifically, or maybe it was Bill Finger, but one of them had specifically referenced the visuals of the Phantom in regards to the overall look and feel of the Batman character. I knew nothing about that. So I thought that was pretty cool. One of the things that they mentioned in this particular episode, trivia that I actually found to not be accurate, but I thought it would be worth mentioning, was is that this they they say that this is the only show in the series where the Phantom possesses the ability to call upon the powers of the jungle animals, as opposed to the power of the 10 tigers. Now, of course, that didn't happen, or at least not in the version that I watched, so I'm wondering if that was simply just a mistake. It's kind of one of those things that now, as I am like progressively watching the show, I am paying attention like Did they just get that one bit of information wrong for this episode, and it might show up at a later time? As of right now, I don't know. I'm really interested to find out. I even went back and quickly went through the sequences from the last three episodes, and no. Well, it was still he was calling on the powers of the 10 tigers. So again, something that I am paying attention to moving forward. But with that being said, we have come to our conclusion of a house divided again, up until this point, one of my favorite episodes. I really enjoyed it. We do. We will see and ddama pop up one more time in Episode 20, referenced as family reunion, I kind of vaguely remember watching it, but, I mean, I haven't seen it since I was a kid, so I am looking forward to kind of coming back and seeing what they do with that. But with that being said, we are done with this episode, and I will be back again in two weeks time with the next episode of defenders of the earth bits and chips. I hope that you guys come back. I hope that everyone comes back and joins me for that discussion. Until then.