Hair of the Dog

Hair of the Dog

Production
Episode	2.19
Original Airdate	October 1, 1987
Writer(s)	C.H. Trengove
Chronology
Previous Episode	Runaways
Next Episode	Vultureman's Revenge
All Episodes	Episode Guide

Hair of the Dog is an episode from the original series of ThunderCats. Written by C.H. Trengove, it originally aired on October 1, 1987.

Official Summary

Alone at Cats' Lair, Lion-O and Snarf are spied upon by Mumm-Ra, who decides to break into Lair and attack them. Mumm-Ra sends Ma-Mutt to capture Snarf, who has left the Lair briefly to collect candy fruit from the nearby Berbil Village. Bringing Snarf to Mumm-Ra at his pyramid, Ma-Mutt transfers into Snarf and vice-versa. Mumm-Ra poisons the candy fruit and sends Ma-Mutt/Snarf back to Lion-O at the Cats' Lair. After eating the candy fruit, Lion-O falls ill and discovers the truth about Ma-Mutt/Snarf, but already poisoned, he collapses. Ma-Mutt secures the Lair and Mumm-Ra arrives to take command. At the Tower of Omens, Snarfer tells Lynx-O that he had a nightmare in which Snarf is turned into a dog. Together they contact the Cats' Lair. Deducing from Ma-Mutt/Snarf's voice that something is not right at the Cats' Lair, they go to investigate. Mumm-Ra attacks the ThunderCats as they arrive by sticking Ma-Mutt/Snarf on them. This proves to the arriving ThunderCats that this is not the real Snarf. Lion-O awakens from his poisonous sleep, summons the Sword of Omens to his hand, and signals the other ThunderCats. They arrive to assist Lion-O. Snarf, in his Ma-Mutt form, escapes from Mumm-Ra's pyramid by reciting a variation on Mumm-Ra's transformation incantation, which transforms him into Snarf-Ra, The Ever-Living. As Snarf-Ra, a huge version of himself, Snarf along with the ThunderCats, finally defeat Mumm-Ra and Ma-Mutt. Snarf is restored to his normal self once again.

Official Moral

Snarf, through determination and the power of Mumm-Ra's pyramid, is able to become something he isn't. He is transformed into an inflated creature possessing augmented strength and powers. He uses these powers to help expel Mumm-Ra from the Cats' Lair, but in the end, uncomfortable in his transformed self, he asks Lion-O to use the Sword of Omens to return him to his usual stature.

When we are unhappy with ourselves, it is common to visualize being something or someone we are not. For example, after we have failed in some task, we become aware of the qualities we may lack. And we may become envious of others we see us having those qualities. We may even try to model ourselves after them or other persons we admire. This can be positive if the qualities we seek to gain are within our capabilities. But there is a limit to how much we change and if we try to become something that is outside our potential or too different from what we really are, we are only inviting unhappiness. There is no substitute to developing a quality for real, because then we don't have to pretend. It is authentic if we emulate another and develop a characteristic that fits our nature. But it is artificial if we try to take on a characteristic that doesn't fit us. Snarf teaches us in this episode that we are most happy when we accept ourselves as we are and grow within our natural boundaries.

Summary

Mumm-Ra swaps Snarf and Ma-Mutt's bodies and sends the latter into Cats Lair to poison Lion-O.

Story

While Panthro, Cheetara, Tygra, WilyKit and WilyKat fly off in the Feliner on a mission, Lion-O and Snarf are left alone to guard Cats Lair. Seeing this as a golden opportunity, Mumm-Ra sends Ma-Mutt to kidnap Snarf while the latter is picking Candy Fruit. Ma-Mutt carries Snarf to the Black Pyramid where Mumm-Ra swaps the consciousness of the two.

The Ma-Mutt/Snarf then heads to the Lair where he offers Lion-O a poisoned Candy Fruit that Mumm-Ra gave him. Lion-O falls ill and collapses while Ma-Mutt uses the Lair’s Search Light to signal Mumm-Ra. Changing into his ever-living form, Mumm-Ra arrives at Cats Lair and locks Lion-O in a room.

At the Tower of Omens, Snarfer has a nightmare about Snarf, and he gets suspicious after talking to Ma-Mutt/Snarf via the telescreen. He along with Bengali and Pumyra head to Cats Lair to investigate but Mumm-Ra retracts the drawbridge, leaving both Bengali and Pumyra hanging precariously over the cliff. Lion-O calls the Sword of Omens to his hand and summons the other ThunderCats.

Chained inside the Black Pyramid, Snarf sees the Cat Signal inside Mumm-Ra’s cauldron. He then utters a modified version of Mumm-Ra’s chant in front of the Ancient Spirits of Evil and changes into Snarf-Ra, the ever-living, a gigantic and powerful version of himself.

Snarf-Ra then flies to Cats Lair, rescues Bengali and Pumyra, and heads inside to help Lion-O. In his new powerful form, Snarf-Ra is able to easily defeat Mumm-Ra and send him packing. Lion-O then uses the Sword of Omens to transform Snarf back to his original form.

Characters

Lion-O

Tygra

Cheetara

Panthro

Snarf

WilyKit

WilyKat

Lynx-O

Bengali

Pumyra

Snarfer

Mumm-Ra

Ma-Mutt

Vehicles

Feliner

ThunderStrike

Locations

Cats Lair

Tower of Omens

Black Pyramid

Trivia

• Panthro, Cheetara, Tygra, WilyKit, and WilyKat only appear at the beginning of the episode, and only Panthro has speaking lines.

• This is the second episode to feature a colossal version of Snarf saving the day. The first one was "The Wolfrat", in which Snarf grows to gigantic proportions because of the antidote that Tygra invented to reverse the effects of Vultureman's Miniaturization Gas. Coincidentally, both episodes were written by C.H. Trengove
• At the end of the episode, there are eight chairs around the council table and only three ThunderCats. In both earlier and later episodes there have been only six chairs, even when more than six ThunderCats were present.

Goofs

• At the start of the episode, one shot of the Feliner shows Bengali instead of Tygra sitting next to Panthro.

Media

This episode was released on the following media:

DVD

• Season 2 Volume 1 DVD
• Season 2 DVD
• Seasons 1 & 2 DVD

Episode Screenshots

External Links

• ThunderCats 1985 cartoon series on Wikipedia
• ThunderCats on ThunderCats.org