Shout! Factory presents G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero - The Full Sunbow Series

Part 3 (of 5) - Discs 9 through 11

Yes, I skipped Disc 8, and I'll be skipping Disc 12, leaving them both to the end, since they're both chock full of special features, but no actual episodes. Discs 9 through 11 wrap up Season One, and they wrap it up in impressive fashion, to boot. Like I did with the previous entry, I'll also put links up to the JoeGuide.com episode summaries because...well...they're awesome.

DISCS 9 through 11

Disc 9 (Season One)
44. Bazooka Saw a Sea Serpent
45. Excalibur
46. Worlds Without End (Part 1)
47. Worlds Without End (Part 2)
48. Eau de COBRA
49. COBRA Claws are Coming to Town
50. An Eye for an Eye

Disc 10 (Season One)
51. The Gods Below
52. Primordial Plot
53. Flint's Vacation
54. Hearts and Cannons
55. Memories of Mara
56. The Traitor (Part 1)
57. The Traitor (Part 2)

Disc 11 (Season One)
58. The Pit of Vipers
59. The Wrong Stuff
60. The Invaders
61. Cold Slither
62. The Great Alaskan Land Rush
63. Skeletons in the Closet
64. There's No Place Like Springfield (Part 1)
65. There's No Place Like Springfield (Part 2)

As with Discs 5 through 7, I continue to be surprised looking back at these episodes just how many of them were actually really entertaining. I really loved the two-parter format, and every one of them was good, once again, as long as you could look past the unrealistic plot lines and non-realistic nature of the stories themselves. From a pure character standpoint or for entertainment value, these Sunbow episodes hold up remarkably well even twenty-seven years later.

Disc 9 features laughers like Bazooka Saw a Sea Serpent, but also has the epic two-parter, Worlds Without End, featuring an alternate reality where COBRA rules the world and the Joe team are freedom fighters. This introduces the death of a few Joe members for the first time, and actually writes out some characters by having them stay in this alternate world to combat COBRA's rule. Excalibur was actually a somewhat neat episode, too, with Storm Shadow handling Quick Kick with ease. Eau de COBRA had Flint and Lady Jaye teaming up against Destro and the Baroness, and also had some nice Firefly action intertwined as well.

The tenth disc had fan favorite Hearts and Cannons, which showcased a nice "buddy" relationship between Footloose and Dusty, which (while it never caught on like Bazooka/Alpine or Leatherneck/Wet Suit) was a kind of funny dynamic. But by far the highlight of this disc was the two parter "The Traitor" where Dusty supposedly betrays the G.I. Joe team and joins COBRA. A very cool two part story with some neat characterization, and it kept folks guessing.

Eleven discs wraps up Season 1, and it ends on a pretty strong note. Even though there didn't appear to be any over-arcing continuity through the Season, There's No Place Like Springfield rounds off the season excellently. Once again it sort of features an alternate reality story, but it's actually a complex "mindscrew" COBRA is playing on Shipwreck in order to try and track down a top secret formula. They once again use the Synthoids and really put Shipwreck through the emotional ringer, something you didn't see a whole lot in the Sunbow series. Lots of cool events, some neat twists and turns, and quite possibly one of the strongest two-parters in the series history. This disc also has The Invaders, featuring the Sunbow debut of the Oktober Guard, as well as Skeletons in the Closet, a great low-key story with Flint, Lady Jaye, and Destro.

Looking back, I'd say the Eleventh Disc might even be one of the strongest single discs of this set...but I've still got plenty to talk about with Disc 13 through 17.