Change Your Image
jason-166-146324
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
MASK: Panda Power (1985)
Panda Power Drain
After watching the first 26 episodes in sequential order, "Panda Power" is by far the worst. The plot is centered around M.A.S.K. rescuing panda bears from V.E.N.O.M. who has kidnapped them from China to Easter Island. Mayhem and the crew also kidnap a sculptor to produce statues of their likeness on the island. I'm an animal lover, but after basically dealing with global terrorism throughout the series, this plot is lame. The mere fact that V.E.N.O.M. would take the time to transport bears 10,000 miles to use as a shield against M.A.S.K. is just plain stupid. Scott and T-Bob appearances are littered with bad jokes. Matt's big panda power plan is a letdown. And there is no bookend to saving the sculptor at the end of the episode. As much as I am a M.A.S.K. fan, I would never recommend this episode to anyone who isn't already a fan.
MASK: Blackout (1985)
Blackout won't leave you in the dark!
Blackout is a really good episode that features T-Bob playing an important role in defeating V.E.N.O.M. instead of his usual comic relief role. There was good suspense at the commercial break with Matt Trakker left helpless and Thunder Hawk crashed. There were times that the bad guys seemed more prepared than the heroes. The ending was a little abnormal as the characters only smiled instead of the usual laugh. I found a few minor flaws and the puns seemed overwhelming at times which made me take a few points of my number rating. But overall I enjoyed watching and felt the episode fit well in the M.A.S.K. universe.
MASK: A Matter of Gravity (1985)
New Vehicle Comes At A Price
After 29 episodes, M.A.S.K. gets a new vehicle as V.E.N.O.M. destroys Firecracker with a gravity weapon and Hondo MacLean is surprised with "Nightstalker" aka "Hurricane" at the end of the episode. I really enjoyed the end scene with the agents huddled around Hondo, but the episode itself had some flaws. After V.E.N.O.M. steals coins from the Philadelphia Mint, there was no bookend scene where M.A.S.K. recovers them. Jackhammer shoots off one of the gull-wing doors on Thunder Hawk and Manta saws off the Rhino battering ram grill which was really good. However, V.E.N.O.M. never exploits these two battle scars and retreats easily after losing their protective crystal armor. Also, Matt informs the crew that Switchblade's gravity weapon also acts as a force field, but Gloria's Aura mask inexplicably penetrates the field at the end of the episode and is able to redirect the weapon. Finally, the lack of travel scenes between locations made some of the episode feel rushed. It was also confusing trying to determine at what point in time the final Nightstalker unveiling scene took place.
This could have been a great episode if the writers had paid a little more attention to the details. However, I still enjoyed it.