Episode 5: Treasure of the Moks
Thundarr, Ariel and Ookla come upon a Mok chieftain who is being chased by scuba gear-wearing goons in the employ of Cordon, Queen of the River pirates. Cordon’s clumsy pirates prove no match for our heroes, but the cackling pirate queen catapults bee hives at them from her ship, which is an aircraft carrier built on top of river logs. Ariel suggests they hide from the attacking bees by jumping in the water, but Thundarr reminds her of a fact we know well after 4 episodes and that’s that Moks hate water. Thundarr uses his sun sword to start a blaze that drives the bees away, but Cordon and her pirates escape.
The Mok chieftain informs the heroes through guttural growls that the pirates were after treasure found in a Mok village upstream. On the way there Thundarr comments that Cordon is as evil as she is beautiful, and Ariel fishes for a compliment from Thundarr but gets only silence.
They pursue Cordon to a battleship graveyard where she is gathering “fire lances”, aka missles, to use on the Moks. Thundarr foolishly cuts a roped missile down and it explodes, knocking out the heroes and allowing them to be captured. Cordon has them thrown in an abandoned submarine, and after inexplicably allowing Thundarr to keep his sun sword she summons a lobster monster with a whistle and sends it into the sub to eat them, which is ironic as the lobstrosity is red and ready to eat. Ariel and Ookla escape the sub by being shot out of torpedo tubes and Thundarr vanquishes the lobstrosity by sinking the sub.
The heroes beat Cordon and her pirates to the village, which is in the shadow of a dam despite Moks hating water, and Ookla catches the eye of a very attractive lady Mok. Cordon attacks and hijinx ensue, including a comical walk the plank moment between Ookla and a pirate. Cordon launches a catapult of missiles at the dam destroying it, and the Mok village is flooded. The Moks seek higher ground as the pirates attack the treasure stronghold, conveniently still above water atop a dirt mound, and Thundarr saves Ookla from drowning while trapped under a missile. The heroes battle the pirates in the stronghold and best them with Errol Flynn style theatrics, but Cordon accesses the treasure chamber. The joke is on her though cuz there is no treasure, and the heroes round up the pirates and lock them in the empty treasure chamber.
Afterwards the heroes ask the chieftain where the treasure is hidden, and he reveals that the dirt mound the stronghold is built on is actually made out of gold. Thundarr enjoys the irony that Cordon is trapped inside that which she covets, and wishes the chieftain a long life as the heroes ride out.
Definitely noticing some recurring themes and ideas here but still a gangbusters episode. Sad Ookla didn’t make time on screen with the lady Mok. 5 stars.