12. Wolo's Lost World
Reviewed by: Purrsia

Main Featured Characters: Wolo, Jeff, Commander Hawkins, Captain Newley, Captain Brack, Commander Hazar
Original U.S. Air Date: 12/17/1984*

Synopsis: This episode opens with the Voltron Force checking out yet another world when Hawkins gets confirmation on what he'd suspected - the seemingly dead planet doesn't have enough air quality to support human life. So it's time to move on.

However, before Hawkins gives the order to lift off, the teams are still doing their exploration thing. Despite the air quality issues, the Air Team is out looking at old ruins - without their helmets on - and wondering what happened to the civilization that was obviously there at one time. Wolo, one of the team members, seems particularly pensive as he surveys the landscape.

Wolo begins to day dream about a day long ago when he and his older brother took a walk through a dark forest on their home planet and something "terrible" happened. The rest of the team notices he's deep in thought, and all he admits to is that the planet reminds him of home. They can't figure out why he'd be taken with such a parched and dead planet and he points out that some people think places like Death Valley on Earth is beautiful (though Rocky makes the good point that nobody *lives* there).

Meanwhile, the Drules are discussing whether or not to attack the Alliance again even though they're not that interested in the planet. Hazar's shower (yeeeeah baby) is interrupted so he can be informed of the plot, which is Brack's wish to destroy the Explorer before it leaves the dead planet. Since some ranking Drules already objected to Brack's plan, Hazar concurs with them by ordering Brack not to attack. Hazar's motivations at this time are his personal feelings toward Brack (irresponsible imbecile were two words he used to describe him) and the fact that the man is popular with the people on the Supreme Council.

Back on the planet, the Air Team leaves Wolo alone to reminisce, and that he does. He flashes back to that day with his brother, with him - as a young boy - worried about the late hour and wanting to go back. His brother teases him about being afraid of the monster that supposedly lives in the forest. To prove he's not afraid, Wolo charges on ahead. Wolo thinks he's being attacked by a monster shortly afterward, but it turns out his over-active imagination made a big deal out of a creeping vine. Embarrased but unhurt, the brothers move on.

Wolo is snapped out of the reverie by an earthquake, one in which his ship beings to sink into the ground (there's an interesting animation error here, when Wolo dashes to his ship - he normally flies the red/white ship that makes up the top of Voltron's arm, but in one shot, it's part of Ginger's fighter jet we see him standing near...doh!). Before Wolo can board his ship, both he and the ship tumble below.

On the Explorer, Hawkins is ready to launch but can't reach Wolo. This concerns him. The rest of the Voltron Force is attending an ecology conference headed by Professor Page. In it, they're trying to study why a life-supporting planet would die out as this one has. Page explained how it almost happened on Earth - due to over-population and violent wars (no doubt of the nuclear variety). All this is interrupted by a call from Hawkins, ordering Jeff to go fetch Wolo.

Wolo is lying in the fissure, hurt, and still flashing back to his childhood. This part of the memory isn't so pleasant with a real monster emerging to attack the children. His brother saved him from the beast, but it seems as though he sacrificed himself to do it. Wolo comes to just in time to witness a robeast bursting from below the earth near him.

Wolo gets to his ship and launches, determined not to let this "monster" prevail. However, one ship against a robeast does not make for great success. Brack is over joyed to see he's got one of the Voltron ships in the clutches of his beast, and he's not too concerned about Hazar's lack of approval either.

Jeff is flying around on the planet solo, looking for Wolo. He notices the fresh fissure caused by the earthquake and reports back to Hawkins. But then, he comes upon the Robeast and it's time to do battle. Wolo's ship is crashed again and he cannot be reached as he's out for the count. Jeff manages to ask for help and the other teams are launched. Jeff manages to get snared by the robeast before everyone else can arrive (btw, here marks another major animation gaffe - as the teams are shown flying through space to Jeff and Wolo's aid, all of them are assembled in their sub-units, including the stratofighter. How that's formed w/o Jeff and Wolo is a true mystery! Once they arrive on the planet though, everyone is in their individual units.) They arrive in time to save Jeff, but Wolo is still out and vulnerable to the robeast. The teams aren't doing well against the robeast and try desperately to get Wolo to respond so they can form Voltron.

Wolo is still out and yet, thinking about his childhood. We get to see the final flashback, as Wolo is running for his life as his brother tries to fend off the forest beast. He turns to see his brother's predicament however, and runs back to try to save him. The boy still gets hurt, and I would say judging by the expressions of the characters, the brother is not exactly "all right". But you know how the American dubs had to soften things up for us, heh heh.

As Wolo comes to and realizes that Hawkins is speaking to him, Brack is gloating about his robeast's success and getting yelled at by Hazar. Brack gloats too soon, for Voltron is formed. The robeast tries to burrow away, but Voltron won't let it.

When the robeast's viny tenticles snare Voltron's leg, Wolo remembers his experience as a child with that vine in the forest and suggests not pulling away but flying at the robeast. It works. The blazing sword is then formed and after a little game of robeast hide and seek (with Wolo being the one who ultimately finds the beast), that's that. It was really a day of redemption for Wolo.

Favorite quotes:

"Hazar is a spineless old woman. Who cares if he approves or not?" - Brack.

"If he calls again tell him I defected and joined the Voltron Force." - Brack, after getting chewed out by Hazar for not following orders.

"Great. Maybe I still have a chance to make it." - Jeff, after Wolo explained that sometimes it takes a long time to grow up.

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