Okay, so Balkar's levitating fruit trick doesn't work anymore. What a disaster. The little curmudgeon should keeling over along with Mara.
We take it Balkar is able to levitate fruit because of the power of the Sagar Tree. He himself says that the Tree shields the surrounding forest and all who dwell within it from harm. So he has no innate magic; he borrows from the Tree he serves, and when it starts to fail, he can't perform his magic anymore. Yet the animators don't take time to show the slow decline of the Tree. Mara becomes the symbol of the planet's failing magic.
This episode never answers the obvious question: if this is such a great idea, why didn't the Overlord have this little brainstorm earlier? Watch the episode and you'll realize it's because it isn't such a good idea. In fact, it could wipe out all life on Sagar as we know it. That's right, no more Trobbit antics, no more sappy Sagarese wildlife, no more talkative Mermanites or spunky wood sprites or desert dwellers that look like desert sprites. There won't be anybody left for the Overlord to oppress, but that doesn't seem to faze him one bit. You have to feel sorry for the poor Vizier, who obviously wants no part of this disaster waiting to happen. And happen it does, in the form of a very nasty energy beast called Brillirant, who doesn't particularly appreciate being given orders by some helmeted guy in purple underwear.
For a silly idea, this episode has a knockout ending. It isn't everyday you see Mara phase out of existence to save the Sagar Tree, or the Overlord about to be turned into a slushie by one of his own minions. Blackstar is perfectly content to watch the action from the sidelines, until he realizes Brillirant isn't exactly his friend either. The choice he makes is the sole reason for watching this episode, and one hell of a choice it is, too. He's got to rescue the evil bastard so they can make quick work of Brillirant; the scene in which they defeat the energy beast together is so good, Filmation decided to reuse it in the He-Man episode "Evilseed."
Balkar has the best line in the entire episode. Glancing out the window of the besieged Tree, he sees the pair flying toward him. "It's Blackstar," he says, then adds, in awe, "and...the Overlord."
Their alliance, of course, lasts only as long as it takes to send Brillirant back to where he came from. But Blackstar forgets rather quickly and lets his guard down to show off in front of the Trobbits. The Overlord, who desperately needs to save face at this point, goes on the offensive with a blast from the Powersword and an ominous warning, "Never turn your back on an enemy." It's actually some pretty good advice, and Blackstar really deserves to be shot in the back for slipping up.
Well, actually, he is.
Some macho swordplay ensues, Mara intervenes and the Overlord escapes to scheme and plot anew. And nobody even thanked him for showing up to help get rid of Brillirant, though when you think about it, the whole mess was his fault in the first place.
This episode was never made available on U.S. video.