Old Friends

Old Friends

Production
Episode	1.05
Running time	23 min
Original Airdate	August 19, 2011
Director(s)	Yoshiharu Ashino Sean Song
Writer(s)	Tab Murphy
Animators(s)	Warner Brothers Animation Studio 4°C
Distributor(s)	Warner Brothers
Chronology
Previous Episode	Song of the Petalar
Next Episode	Journey to the Tower of Omens
All Episodes	Episode Guide

Old Friend is an episode from the re-imagined series of ThunderCats. Written by Tab Murphy, it originally aired on August 19, 2011.

Story

After saving the ThunderCats from Slithe and his Lizard Army, Panthro gets to work fixing the damage that the ThunderTank suffered during the battle. Despite Lion-O’s attempts o strike a conversation with him, Panthro remains reticent. He then reveals that he needs Thundrillium for the tank. The Cats then make tracks for the nearby Cloud Peak Mine which is currently occupied by Grune and the Lizards.

Panthro recalls the day he met Grune when they both were very young. They rose very quickly through the ranks of the Thunderian Army eventually being promoted to generals. They even trained Lion-O and Tygra when the two princes were younger. Grune always craved more power, and thus was extremely devastated when King Claudus chose Lynx-O to be the General of his army. Claudus then sends the two on an arduous quest, to search for the fabled Book of Omens.

Panthro and Grune travel for many grueling days without ever locating the book. Grune increasingly becomes more and more angry at Claudus for sending them on what appears to be a wild goose chase. One day, Grune hears a voice calling to him and promising him unlimited power. Following the voice, Grune and Panthro arrive at the Black Pyramid where, ignoring Panthro’s objections, Grune frees Mumm-Ra from his tomb. The evil mummy promise Grune power if he brings him the Sword of Omens. A battle ensues between Grune and Panthro with Grune eventually throws Panthro down a deep chasm.

In the present time, the ThunderCats make their way into the Cloud Peak mine where Grune and the Lizards are amassing Thundrillium to power Mumm-Ra’s army. The heroes and the villains come face to face but before they can engage in battle, the Driller makes his entrance, distracting the Cats for long enough to allow Grune and his army to escape. Lion-O defeats the robot, a feat that impresses Panthro. The ThunderCats manage to escape with a handful of Thundrillium just before the mine collapses. Panthro finally accepts Lion-O as his leader and pledges eternal loyalty to him.

Characters

Lion-O

Tygra

Panthro

Cheetara

WilyKit

WilyKat

Snarf

Claudus

Thunderian Soldiers

Grune

Mumm-Ra

Driller

Lizards

Vehicles

ThunderTank

Locations

Cloud Peak Mine

Thundera

Black Pyramid

Trivia

• The Driller makes his debut in this episode.

• In this episode Panthro mentions the "samoflange", a word that became popular after it was mentioned in the infamous ThunderCats Outtakes audio clip.

• The young Grune, who was still a good ThunderCat, has two saber teeth. But the older Grune, who has become evil, has only one saber tooth. This is clearly a nod to his character in the 1980s ThunderCats series who also had two saber teeth when he was a good ThunderCat and only one when he turned evil.

• In this episode we see that the young Panthro had a tail. It is never explained how he lost it.

Notable Quotes

Panthro: You're standing on my samoflange.

Grune: And remember, what you cannot earn can always be taken.

Panthro: You'll have my loyalty when you can show me you can do more with that Sword than just carry it around.

Mumm-Ra: Open it and I'll grant you the power you desire, the power you deserve!

Panthro: All those deaths and you're still not the king!

Media

This episode was released on the following media:

DVD

• ThunderCats: Season 1 Book 1
• ThunderCats: Complete Series

VOD

• ThunderCats: Season 1 - Amazon Prime Release

Episode Screenshots

Official Preview Clips

ThunderCats - Old Friends - Clip1

ThunderCats -Old Friends - Clip 2-1