Defenders of the Earth Ep. 08 The Sleeper Awakes

Join host Patrick Cadigan as he discusses episode eight of Defenders of the Earth, “The Sleeper Awakes."  Ming learns of the ancient Annihilator, a powerful buried war machine, and devises a plan to awaken it and destroy the Defenders. While the Defenders are split up dealing with Ming’s schemes, Kshin is forced to confront his fear. Through courage and teamwork, our heroes help save the world, proving that being a hero is not about being fearless, but about acting despite fear. 

Links:
The Sleeper Awakes Resource  (page)
The First Personal Computer (link)
The Code That Started Microsoft (link)
Forbidden Planet (link) 

Transcript

Intro

SPEAKER_01 0:10

You're listening to Flash Forward, a Defenders of the Earth retrospective. I'm your host, Patrick Hadtigan. 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.

Episode Overview

SPEAKER_01 0:45

This episode title is The Sleeper Awakes. It appears to be that it's also known as The Sleeper Awakens. However, all of the media that I've seen surrounding this episode, it is The Sleeper Awakes. I have the air date for this episode as being Wednesday, September 17th, 1986. And this particular episode was written by Arthur Byron cover, and this is the first of his two writing credits for Defenders of the Earth. Now, in the 80s, he was also credited for writing for the Transformers, Bionic 6, the Spiral Zone, Dinosaucers, and even the Real Ghostbusters. Transition into the 90s, I did pick up on a credit from him for the Phantom 2040. So the characters that we are going to see in this episode are all of our usual suspects from both the Defenders and on the villain side. Now we do see the Phantom, but he never actually has any spoken lines, or at least not that I remember. But we are introduced to some new characters, and that is going to be in the form of one of the villains, Callistro, and then two other guest characters, and that will take the form of aliens, Crone and his son, Axrail. So let's dive in and get started.

Act I

SPEAKER_01 2:22

Act one. We are out in space with a view of a planet in the distance. We shift our focus to a barren moon, and a voiceover begins to tell the tale of a galactic war being fought. Then we have two groups at war with each other, one group of smaller ships attacking one large glove. From the voiceover, we learn that this battle took place ten million years ago between the Earth and the Moon. The armada of smaller ships unleash a gaggle of depth chargers to the larger attacking ship and damage it so that it falls and crash lands on the Earth's surface. The voiceover continues and we are introduced to the Annihilator, which comes out of the glove like a cocoon and begins an attack on the smaller dinosaurs that happen to notice it. The larger herbivores apparently don't give a shit as they just look on very unamused. The Annihilator continues to attack the smaller dinosaur, but almost immediately steps into a lagoon and begins to sink, flailing its arms about and shooting laser beams, but to no avail. The voiceover continues.

SPEAKER_03 3:39

And so it was that my distant ancestors were freed of the dreaded Annihilator. The most feared and inhuman machine of destruction ever released upon the universe. And the Annihilator has remained buried beyond memory for millions of years. Awaiting the day when he will awake from his sleep, when he can rise up and do the only thing he's programmed to do. Destroy everything without reason, without mercy. Awaiting the day when he can serve Ming the Merciless.

SPEAKER_01 4:13

We now find ourselves in Ming's throne room in Ice Station Earth, and he is very excited that the Annihilator will soon be ready to do his bidding. When the alien attempts to curry favor with Ming, he is met with a cold response. The alien immediately begins to show fear as it was sure that Ming was going to spare its planet from destruction in favor of this new information. Ming, however, is having none of it. He kicks the alien out of the throne room, attesting that its planet means nothing to him. At the alien's departure, Ming expounds on the fact that he now intends to use this new information about the Annihilator to his advantage and destroy the defenders of the Earth. We transition to a nondescript hallway and we see the defender's children, including Keisa and Zuffy the Space Alien, try to outrace an onrush of water. Coming into a foyer, Jeddah holds back and tells Kisa to get Kishin. We see spiked door hatches begin to close, but Keisha manages to get Kishin, and by default, Zuffy the Space Alien, out of harm's way, just as the doors close behind them. As the children push against the walls of their new prison, spikes begin to protrude over the entirety of the walls. LJ calls for Jeddah to use her powers, and before you know it, she is holding an amulet in front of her that she refers to as the pendant of mystery. The amulet begins to glow at Jeddah's incantation and bolts of energy begin to shower the room as the remaining children continue to push against the walls. Then, an explosion high above opens a hole into the wall, but not before Jedda collapses in apparent exhaustion. As Rick attempts to help, Kishin is concerned about Jeddah's condition, but LJ tells him that he's the only one small enough to fit through the opening created by Jeddah's amulet. Kishin is obviously afraid, but Rick implores him to hurry. With assistance from LJ, both Kishin and Duffy the Space Alien make the attempt to fit through the opening. Just as Kishin is about to make his way, he is overcome with fear. Suddenly, a flash of bright light overtakes him and he falls back into the prison room. Then the walls disappear, and we find the kids are once again in the defender zone danger room. Kishin is disappointed in himself because of his fear, saying that a defender never gets scared. Luckily, Jeddah, Rick, and LJ jump in to comfort their embarrassed friend. When Kishin is surprised to learn that the others also know fear, Flash is there for a quick PSA about learning to recognize and learn from our fears. Just then, Dinak X chimes in to tell Flash of an urgent message from his friend Crone in the Altair system. From a view screen, Crone explains to his oldest trusted friend that his world is in peril without help. Flash is all about helping and immediately sets off to the planet. Rick tells his father to be careful, but Cashin has no worries, that's Flash Gordon after all. Rick, however, tells Cashin that while his father may be a hero to everyone else, he is still his father. All of a sudden, Dinak X tells the remaining kids that Ming has ice robots landing in ships in the California desert with equipment that will no doubt cause earthquakes in the region big enough to destroy the whole state. The kids are ready to take on the challenge, but Cashin and Zuffy the Space Alien are told they're going to have to hang back along with Kisa, who has been instructed to keep an eye on them. Later on, we hear Cashin's inner monologue that eschews his not being able to tag along with the other defenders because of his fear. Cashin laments aloud a desire for Mandrake to be there instead of being in Paris. So next we find ourselves in Paris, apparently at the same opera house as in the last episode. It's a packed house as Mandrake accepts the Magician of the Year award for the fifth straight year, with Lothar watching from the wings. Out of nowhere, Mandrake is flanked by Callistro, who claims that he is in fact the greatest magician. Unflustered, Mandrake asks Callistro how he intends to prove it with the latter challenging a duel. Lothar is suspicious. Mandrake accepts, and we learn that Ming, watching on a monitor from his throne room, has his hands in this confrontation.

Act II

SPEAKER_01 9:00

Act two. Mandrake and Callistro are in the middle of their duel. Mandrake produces doves from his hands to the delight of the crowd, but Callistro has a trick up his sleeve and he pulls Mandrake's hat from his head and doves appear also. In the California desert, the ice robots are testing their seismic equipment to explosive effect. Flying through the smoke and debris in their copters, the defender's kids go on the immediate offensive and fire on the robots. Garax, however, has anticipated the attack and has an energy dome shield at the ready. The kids are forced to change tactics and fight it out on the ground. From the view screen in his throne room, Ming watches and muses how all the pieces of his plan are coming together and looks forward to the awakening of the Annihilator below the surface. At the Magic Duel, Callistro is basking in the adulation of the crowd, and Mandrake is frustrated. Mandrake attempts to use his hypnosis, however, things do not go according to plan.

SPEAKER_03 10:07

No human can deny my hypnotic powers. On the contrary, it is you who are under my spell. It's over for you, Mandrake.

SPEAKER_01 10:23

A hypnotized Mandrake stumbles but refuses to admit defeat. In the stage wings, Lothar determines to find out what Callistro is up to. We now shift our focus to the planet Altair as Flash arrives in his rocket ship, warmly greeted by Crone, and we're introduced to his son, Axrel, the alien who introduced Ming to the Annihilator, apparently seeing the error of his ways and ready to make the confession. Back in the California desert, the defender's kids are planning their attack. Jetta comments that they need one of Lothar's tactical plans, but LJ jumps in to say, as his father's son, he has the plan. But Jedda is not convinced. At the Magic Duel, Mandrake continues to stumble through the confrontation, and Callistro urges him to both accept defeat and give the moniker of the greatest magician to him. The ever stubborn Mandrake refuses and reveals that he has powers that he can call on that would dwarf anything that Callistro can do. Callistro is unimpressed and shifts focus of his taunts to include Lothar and his safety. Mandrake has taken the bait, calls on the ancient powers of the mystic realm in addition to the crystal orb of Konos at the tip of his cane, focuses the power of the universe, and sends it Callistro's way. However, that has only played into Callistro's hands as he reveals how the power plays into Ming's ultimate plan. Callistro raising his own cane redirects the power through the roof of the arena and funnels it to a waiting deflector dish. On stage, Lothar rushes to the aid of his friend, but Mandrake, still groggy from the influence of the hypnosis, laments using his immense powers. We then watch as the focused energy flows from the deflector dish to the upper atmosphere to a waiting satellite, which, once again, shifts the beam to the planet's surface in the middle of a major city. Before you know it, the Annihilator has been reactivated and begins a rampage of destruction throughout the city. From the view screen at Monitor, Cashin and Zuffy the Space Alien hope the defenders will be back soon, as he is now very much afraid. Dynak X is quick to jump in and tell Cashin there is no time. A quick explanation of the situation along with a tactical breakdown of the giant robot. The AI computer tells Cashin that the monstrosity cannot be harmed from the outside. However, there is a way to disable it from the inside. Kushin tells the computer that is something for Rick to do, but Dinak X informs him that only he is small enough to get inside from the heel of the giant. Kushin is every bit of not excited as you can get. From the throne room on Ice Station Earth, Ming and Octan watch as the Annihilator continues on its path of destruction.

Act III

SPEAKER_01 13:28

Act three. Just giving a heads up, Octan informs Ming the Annihilator can be reprogrammed from within, and Rick has the ability to do so. Ming is quick to clarify that is the reason that he intends to keep Rick occupied in the desert. From the desert, the ice robots continue their use of the seismic equipment, which is causing the ground to shake. The defender's kids, recognizing the devastation it could cause, continue to work towards a plan. Just then, Jedda gets a psychic message that Kishin is in danger. Sure enough, at the base of the rampaging annihilator, Kushin, also with Kisa and Zuffy the Space Alien, are waiting for their moment to spring into action. Kishin is still terrified, but he gets a good luck from Zuffy the Space Alien that gives him the courage he needs. As part of the plan, Kisa and Zuffy the Space Alien are to distract the robot by jumping up and down and running around its feet. A bewildered Kushin makes his way to the robot's heel and squeezes his way into the interior. The distraction has now moved on, and so has the Annihilator, taking out vehicles and buildings in its path. From the inside, Kishin works to both build on his courage and climb his way to the control center.

SPEAKER_02 14:58

I'm never gonna make it! No! I've got to make it! Everyone's counting on me! Dinak X says it's real important for me to reach the control center.

SPEAKER_01 15:11

Midway through the climb, Cashin takes a breather to check in on his friends, Kisa and Zuffy the Space Alien, to make sure they are A-OK. After he gives them the thumbs up, Dinak X tells him that he has to keep going. Kashin agrees, and now it seems he's having fun. We're back at the theater and Callistro towering over Mandrake and giving the typical villainous speech with exposition about the recent events and a reminder of Ming's plan with Lothar patiently standing there and listening. Finally having had enough, Lothar pulls a pillar from the floor and hurls it towards Callistro, but to no effect as it disintegrates on impact with the energy beam. Callistro is basking in the glory of his role in the plan by giving Lothar just enough information he needs to circumvent the current predicament. As Lothar takes leave of the stage, Callistro sticks around to continue his torment of Mandrake, who, despite everything, still remains hopeful. Lothar has now moved to the roof of the building, sees the tower with the deflector dish, and manages to push it over with his immense strength. As a result, the roof collapses in on itself, and Lothar finds himself back on the stage to help in the recovery of his friend. Under the rubble from the roof, a seemingly unconscious Callistro projects a holographic image of Ming, who tells the duo defenders that this is but a minor setback, and that they are too late to save the world. At the California Desert, the defender's kids are pinned down behind a rock wall as the ice robots continue to fire on them, limiting their options. Dynak X radios Rick to tell him about the existence of the Annihilator and the role he'll need to play in stopping it. LJ reiterates that he's got a plan, and this time Jeddah's completely on board. As Rick makes a run for it, Jeddah asks LJ about his plan, and LJ notes the location of the power switch for the energy dome. LJ tells Jedda that she will need to use her magic pendant to throw the switch and LJ will take care of the rest. Garax commands his troops to stop firing and power on the seismic equipment to full strength. At that point, LJ beelines it for the power switch, with Garax seemingly surprised about the presence of the kids and commands his troops to start firing yet again. Too late though. They still shoot like stormtroopers, and Jeddah uses the focused energy from her pendant to throw the switch, which seems to start both the energy dome and the seismic equipment, which focuses all that energy directly within the dome, thus destroying everyone under it and saving the entire state of California. Jedda expresses her admiration for LJ and his planned, and the two are off, back to Monitor. From the rubble, we see Garrex rise. He has survived the blast to fight another day. Back at Monitor, Rick is now at his workstation and is trying to soothe a very upset Zuffy the Space Alien. The Annihilator has now managed to find its way to their base and begins to fire on it. Inside the robot, Kashin has now made his way to the primary control panel. Inside Monitor, the remaining defenders, Sans Flash Gordon, are now present and accounted for, and Rick is happy with any help he can get. Under the onslaught, Dynak X tells a flustered Rick that he has less than a minute before the base is completely destroyed. At that point, Cashin radios Rick for instructions. In less than a minute, Rick is able to determine that there are two buttons on the control panel that will either A make the situation much worse or B solve all their problems. A red button and a blue button. Rick vocalizes the need for him to make the choice right away. As the Annihilator blows a hole in the base wall, Rick is out of time and tells Cashin to press the blue button, which does the trick and shuts the Annihilator down. From Ice Station Earth, Ming is beside himself and vows revenge against those pesky defenders. Finally, at Monitor, all the defenders have gathered and we learn that the rampaging monster actually didn't hurt anyone and the city is already being rebuilt like new. We also learn that the Annihilator has been removed from the planet and sent to Altair to be used as defense against any future attacks from Ming. The defender's kids commend Cashin for overcoming his fear, but Kashin blows them off, saying he'll never be afraid of anything ever again. At which point, Zuffi the Space Alien scares him back under a table. The end.

Fast Movin'

SPEAKER_01 20:20

So one of the things that I noticed about this episode right off the bat was just how quickly it moved. Before sitting down to actually write the review of this episode, I had watched it a few times. I even watched it once with my daughter. She also wanted to participate in the podcast and asked if we could sit down and have a quick discussion about it, which I did. The fruits of that labor will be at the end of my discussion. So if you're interested, give it a listen. It's pretty fun. Again, this was an episode that just moved really, really fast. Like it was one of those that I sat down to watch it, and it was almost like before you know it, it was over. So this was not one of those episodes that seemed to take a really long time from start to finish to get to things. It was really super fast.

No more fears

SPEAKER_01 21:19

One of the central themes, obviously, is for Kashin and his character arc. Now, this episode goes after that notion of recognizing and then overcoming your fear. And of course, they're quick to point out via Flash Gordon and his ever-present PSAs that the defenders, of course, recognize fear. They just don't let it overcome them. There was also something to be said for the fact that the kids were able to jump in and support their friend. I really appreciated that. I feel like that's one of those character pieces. That if it were to happen today, the kids would zone in on that and kind of make fun of the character for doing so. So it was nice to see that the kids actually supported their friend in the writing as they are developing these kids.

Galactic War?

SPEAKER_01 22:16

This episode I thought was really interesting in terms of bringing up the idea of this 10 million-year-old Great Galactic War. Obviously, there is no background here. They give you no background for it, no explanation for it. You don't know who the fight was between, or at least we're assuming that it was between the people from Altair and someone else, but we never quite get into much more of that lore. Of course, this helps position Ming as that person who is the contemporary conqueror and that opportunist that is able to dig into that ancient science and use it to his advantage.

Parenting

SPEAKER_01 23:07

I also found that the subplot involving Crone and Axrill highlights that theme that runs through this show in terms of the relationship between parents and their kids. Now, again, we don't really get to know these two characters beyond what we are told about them from the story, which isn't much. But as a parent, Axaril's betrayal, he didn't mean to do it. He was trying to save his father's world, and he thought that he was doing something else. Of course, the father can come back in and oh, well, you should have known better. You don't want to do that. It's a pretty hard lesson to learn, but it is something that comes up all the time. We know it from previous episodes between Cashin and Mandrake, and then even from Flash and Rick. Yeah, this is something, this one of these overarching themes that follows these characters in these different stories.

"Achilles' heel"

SPEAKER_01 24:10

So the other one that I picked up on, the age-old sci-fi trope of the Achilles heel. In this particular case, it was a literal Achilles heel because that was where Kashin was able to move in to get into the interior of the giant hulking robot, that massive, invincible exterior, which is countered by a vulnerable interior. A la Star Wars. So this allows the weakest and the smallest member of the team to play the most vital role, and again, reinforcing the message that everyone, regardless of who you are or your physical stature, has a role to play in being a hero.

Red & Blue Option

SPEAKER_01 24:57

One of the really fascinating elements of this particular episode that I found was when Kashin finally gets to the central location for the Annihilator. He gets to the control panel. There is this shot where we have all of these light up buttons, but there are two very distinct buttons, the red button and the blue button. And of course, Rick is able to determine later on that these, these in fact are the two buttons that will be able to either save the day or destroy us all. I did some research into it, this notion of being given two options, both the red and the blue. And of course, that was made famous from The Matrix, but the Matrix was in 1999. And what I went to look for was there any other instances that I didn't know about, some philosophy that I was unaware of where there is this motif of having to make a choice and narrowing it down to either a red or a blue. And to be honest, I couldn't really find anything. So this notion of having to make a decision and using red and blue in the decision-making process, this predates the Matrix by over 10 years. So I'm not saying that had an impact, or that was specifically what the Wachowskis were thinking when they wrote The Matrix, but I will not lie, I found it fascinating. I picked up on it right away, the choice between the red pill and the blue pill. Of course, in this, I want to say they kind of flip it a little bit because in The Matrix, the red pill was intended to show the truth. It was intended to be that vessel that brings Neo into the real world, whereas the blue pill would return him to his normal life. In this episode, it's the blue pill that saves the day, whereas the red pill would have been the bad choice. But it I still appreciated that visual cue. Like I said, I picked up on it right away. It took me right back to the Matrix.

Non-DVD trivia

SPEAKER_01 27:27

A little bit of non-DVD trivia here. Crone and Axrill are from Altair. Now, Altair has two points of interest for me. The first one being that we're going back to that those references to one of my favorite all-time movies, Forbidden Planet. Altair was the name of the planet where the main plot takes place. Specifically, it was Altair 4. And the daughter of the one of the main characters, I I hesitate to call him a bad guy, because technically he wasn't a bad guy. But then again, you know, he was the he was clearly the antagonist, Morbius, but he had named his daughter Altera, and that character was played by Anne Francis. That was the first one. The other one that I found interesting was that Altair was the name of the computer, the famed Altair 8800. And this was based on an Inter 8080 microprocessor. It was invented by a guy named Ed Roberts. I'm not saying that I'm this big computer history buff guy. I do know a lot about computers and their history. But to be honest, I actually learned about Altair from way back in the day when I watched the movie Pirates of Silicon Valley. And that was the movie that it did take some liberties in terms of the history, but it cataloged the ascension of both Apple and Microsoft in those early days. But the Altair was that first computer that uh Paul Allen and Bill Gates had started working on or programming for. So I thought that was pretty cool. One of the other things from this episode, I watched Defenders of the Earth when I was a kid. And the way that I remember this show, I remembered it as Mandrake was the one who had the revolving door of powers. Basically, you know, if they needed a power for an episode or they needed something to happen to move the plot forward, Mandrake was their guy. But upon this rewatch, we're now eight episodes in, and I'm actually finding that Jeddah is playing that role. When we're introduced to her, we know that she has telepathy. Then as the show has gone on, that telepathy has turned into telekinesis. Now she has this random pendant of mystery that channels something. I did appreciate that we got a little bit more into Mandrake and the powers that he possesses. I will be interested to see again upon this rewatch if they bring up again that orb at the tip of his cane, if that plays into any of the other episodes. Calling forth the powers of the universe, again, I'm getting strong Doctor Strange vibes. I didn't necessarily remember that, but again, upon this rewatch, like I'm starting to pick up on these things. And so it's really interesting. Now, as far as product placement is concerned, I did find it a little curious. I even went back and I looked at it. So the helicopters that the kids fly in on when they are getting ready to confront Garak's and his ice robots, when you look at them visually, it is clearly the claw copters from the toy line, with the exception that the claws are not there. So the overall design is it is the clawcopter. As I was watching it, I'm like, huh, why did they do that? Were they rushed for time? Was it was it not a concern? Like, I just, it's one of those things that I wish that there was somebody that I could ask and be like, okay, why did you guys do that? Like, you know, why didn't you you're already there? You have the toy, you have the tie-in, but why not go that little extra mile and really make it part of so that the kids right away know, yeah, that's a clawcopter. They were that was one of the things that they were so good about doing in G.I. Joe that you just knew 100% right away which vehicle that they were showing off in any of the particular episodes. So, whereas again, with defenders, I'm finding that, yeah, you know, sometimes they do, sometimes they

No backstory & credit

SPEAKER_01 32:10

don't. The only other thing about this episode that I picked up on that was a little frustrating, and I mean, again, I'm not expecting deep analysis, but Callistro. He just shows up, no background, no nothing. He's just like, I'm the greatest magician ever. And then when they're done with him, they're literally done with him. You don't hear anything about him again. No follow-up whatsoever. So it kind of made me laugh, but I thought that he could be one of those that makes an app puts in an appearance later on and does something. I mean, he can be a decent foil for Mandrake, but yeah, we got nothing on this guy. So that was that was annoying. Now, one last thing that I picked up on as I was going through the credits of the show. The supervising story editor for this particular episode was in fact Stan the Man Lee. And it made me go back a few episodes to see if his name was on any of the others. And near as I could tell, I only didn't go all the way back, but I did find it that he was also the store supervising story editor for Cold War. So I thought that was pretty

DVD trivia (that isn't there)

SPEAKER_01 33:21

cool. Now, moving on to the episode trivia from the DVDs. Okay, as I'm going, like I know what these are, right? So I am looking for them as I am doing the rewatches of the show. And I just was like, okay, well, that really didn't seem like that big of a deal. I don't get it. So for example, one of the first ones is they talk about when Jeddah orders Kisa to rescue Kishin when they are in the danger room, they're in the hallway. The animation appears to show Kisa carrying Cashin through the closing door. That's the trivia. Yeah. Okay, so you watch it, and Kisa carries Kishin through the closing door. Great. Thanks for pointing that out. No big deal. The next one, when Callistro leaps onto the stage to challenge Mandrake, he leaps onto the podium, but then this makes him look very small. However, again, upon watching it, I'm looking at it and I'm like, well, but it's also a vantage point. You are seeing it from Mandrake's view. You have like a shoulder view, right? So of course Mandrake is going to appear big because you're looking right over his shoulder, and then Callister jumps up and immediately puts himself in front of the podium. Well, yeah, he looks small because it's from a distance. So I didn't I didn't really get that one either. The next, they comment about the odd animation style or the odd drawing choice that they make looking for particular crowd members as they're painting the shots while Mandrake and Callistro are dueling on stage. Again, this is essentially just a filler sequence. So, I mean, I wasn't expecting like, you know, super high accurate representation of these characters, especially considering that this is an 80s animated show. So again, that was one of those where I'm like, yeah, okay, wow, thanks for thanks for bringing that up, but uh it really didn't strike me that much. But anyway, that was the episode trivia according to the DVD. So I keep going through those. Some of them are interesting and I find them useful, and then other times I'm like, wow, so

Commentary with my daughter

SPEAKER_01 35:45

what? Now stay tuned for the five-minute review that I did with my daughter of this episode. It was a fun little discussion. So, Eliza, I thought I'd ask you, what did you think of the episode?

SPEAKER_02 36:02

I liked it very much.

SPEAKER_01 36:05

So you thought it was pretty good?

SPEAKER_02 36:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:08

What did you like about it?

SPEAKER_02 36:10

I just liked that everyone always and like helped each other and like just to save the town, and p like they did very brave things just to save their city. And I just like that.

SPEAKER_00 36:27

Yeah, that was probably a good idea.

SPEAKER_02 36:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:29

What do you remember about the episode?

SPEAKER_02 36:31

I remember that the alien well first the alien told Ming a long story ago when the when a a big giant robot, when a big giant robot got shot into earth and fell in a swamp surrounded by dinosaurs when they were alive. And the annihilator got could not be defeated by the outside, but it could be defeated by the inside. But then it sank, but since it was sitting there for so long, it sank down to the bottom of the swamp, and now it's just laying there waiting to destroy the defenders.

SPEAKER_01 37:22

Now, I guess then not to give the story away, but does it succeed in defeating the defenders?

SPEAKER_02 37:32

The annihilator?

SPEAKER_01 37:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 37:33

Kind of. Yeah, pretty much.

SPEAKER_01 37:35

So it defeats the defenders.

SPEAKER_02 37:37

No, no, it doesn't.

SPEAKER_01 37:38

It does not. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 37:40

It doesn't.

SPEAKER_01 37:40

And now how is it that it doesn't?

SPEAKER_02 37:43

Because Cushin um crawls inside of the robot and uh goes to the control panel and presses the blue button to turn off the a robot so that it doesn't destroy the entire town.

SPEAKER_01 38:02

Was that brave?

SPEAKER_02 38:04

Yeah. Very brave of him to do that.

SPEAKER_01 38:08

You look like you were gonna say something.

SPEAKER_02 38:10

No.

SPEAKER_01 38:10

No? Okay. Now you and I have watched a couple of episodes of Defenders of the Earth. What do you think of it?

SPEAKER_02 38:16

I I just like it because like the Defenders always win, one, and like two, they always find like amaz like they always like find amazing ways to help each other, to help the town, to help everybody.

SPEAKER_01 38:30

And I just Do you have a favorite character?

SPEAKER_02 38:33

Yeah. Kisa is my favorite.

SPEAKER_01 38:36

So you're not even talking about a uh you're not even talking about a person.

SPEAKER_02 38:41

But if I had to say a person, then it would be Jeddah would be my favorite.

SPEAKER_01 38:47

So you're able to identify because that's a female superhero.

SPEAKER_02 38:50

Uh-huh. And I just like her because like I don't know, she's just nice and yeah. I just like her.

SPEAKER_01 38:58

Alright. Well that's good. But you but if you had a favorite character, you like Kisa the Black Panther.

SPEAKER_02 39:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:05

Is there anything else you want to talk about with uh with this particular episode? Anything else, any other thoughts that you have?

SPEAKER_02 39:12

Not really. No, not really.

SPEAKER_01 39:15

Alright. So you want to bring a conversation to a close?

SPEAKER_02 39:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:20

Okay. You know how you do that, right? Tell everybody goodbye. Goodbye.

Outro

SPEAKER_01 39:25

That will then bring us to the conclusion of this episode, episode eight, The Sleeper Awakes. I will be back here in two weeks' time, and we will review, or I will review, the episode number nine, The Revenge of Astra. Until then, I think that's a good question.