| Read transcript |
|---|
| “ | I'm okay, but if we're going to stop [Orangutank], I have to rely on my animal instincts | ” |
—Axel Mulligan, "Savage Axel" | ||
"Savage Axel" is the seventeenth episode of the first season of Power Players. It premiered on January 3, 2020, on the official Cartoon Network website, and it later premiered on February 2, 2020, on TV on Cartoon Network.
Synopsis[]
Bearbarian helps Axel get in touch with his wild side as Orangutank "liberates" nature from an apartment building - tossing potted plants of all sizes out the window and onto innocent bystanders below![6]
Plot[]
The episode opens with Orangutank and Porcupunk arriving at the backyard of the Monkey Toys. Porcupunk is visibly annoyed at Orangutank for arriving to plant a seed in the backyard instead of coming to fight the Power Players, but Orangutank explains to him his plan; once he plants the seed on the ground, the seed would grow into a giant tree and nature would take over the city so he could rule the new jungle as a king. However, much to Porcupunk's chagrins, he points out that a tree would take many years to grow so it'll be impossible for Orangutank's jungle plan to work, but he tells the cyborg gorilla toy that he has a better idea.
Inside the living room, Action Axel is participating in an obstacle course with his friends by racing around the room. Action Axel asks Slobot for a shortcut, and he manages to be in the lead in front of Sarge Charge and Masko. However, Action Axel's attempt to win the race fails when Masko pounces onto his shoulders and accidentally get themselves tangled up, allowing Sarge to win. Action Axel, oblivious that he have cheated to try to win, questions out loud why he doesn't win even though his victory lap was programmed into his exoskeleton screen. Bearbarian points out that he doesn't win because he "relies so much on gadgets" and no gadgets can match any instincts. Sarge agrees with Bearbarian's statement, telling Action Axel that technology is meant to help him and not replacing. So with all that, Bearbarian decides to train Action Axel to rely on his "primal instincts" without any need for technology.
Outside, Masko and Sarge both watch Bearbarian and Action Axel as the teddy bear teaches the kid how to use his reflexes and roar like a wild animal to "find his place and balance". However, both times Action Axel gets tossed around by Bearbarian because of his inability to use his primal instincts and he, at one point, lands near the soil where Orangutank planted his seed which angers the cyborg gorilla toy when he and Porcupunk are both watching the four Power Players nearby. Action Axel is unaware of the seed being planted and when he uses his jet-boots to rocket himself back to where Bearbarian is, he unintentionally applies Minergy to the seed. Action Axel readies himself for the next part of his training, and Bearbarian throws his World Breaker hammer at
him. Action Axel, closing his eyes and hearing the World Breaker coming, manages to duck down and avoid getting hit by the hammer. Action Axel is delighted that he managed to dodge World Breaker without using his weapons and believes that he does have primal instincts.
However, Action Axel's training comes to a halt when a potted plant suddenly lands on top of his head and the flower pot breaks into pieces. Action Axel scolds Bearbarian for ruining Uncle Andrew's favorite plant, but Bearbarian defends himself and saying that it wasn't him who broke the flower pot. Sarge turns around and sees that Orangutank and Porcupunk are the ones who are destroying the potted plants by tossing them to the ground. Action Axel is about to call Slobot for help, but Bearbarian reminds him not to use technology and instead, he must use his own instincts. While Masko catches the falling potted plants, Action Axel climbs up the fence to take care of the villains. But Orangutank launches him off the fence by his discs and Action Axel crashes into the wall of the house.
While Masko leaves to check if Action Axel is okay, Sarge suggests to Bearbarian to take the enemies from the other side. But on their way, Bearbarian stumbles upon the seed Orangutank have planted which ticked Orangutank off that he threw Porcupunk at them to stop them from disturbing the seed. After Masko checked on Action Axel, the latter decided that if he wanted to defeat Orangutank and Porcupunk, he must rely on his primal instincts that Bearbarian had taught him. But before Action Axel is about to get back on top of the fence, he realized that the two toy villains are not there and they’re now in the backyard. He also noticed the seed in the ground and realized what Orangutank’s intent was. He warns Bearbarian and Sarge that Orangutank doesn’t show up to destroy anything above ground and that instead, he’s trying to protect the seed below ground.
And just as Action Axel thought, the seed grows into a Minergy-infused carnivorous plant and starts attacking everyone around it. After the plant tosses Porcupunk out of the backyard, it grabs Bearbarian by its vines. Sarge pulls out his blaster to fire at the plant, and Bearbarian asks him what he’s doing. Sarge tells the teddy bear that he’s using his primal instinct, something that Bearbarian taught Action Axel, but Bearbarian tells them they must use primal instinct during training and this is a real battle they must fight with their technological weapons.
The plant has also captured Sarge and Masko, leaving Action Axel to take care of Orangutank. By remembering what Bearbarian has taught him, Action Axel uses his primal instincts to dodge Orangutank’s attacks and Orangutank unintentionally fires his discs at the plant’s vines, freeing the Power Players. Orangutank tries to talk to the plant to continue attacking the Power Players, but because he walked too close to it, the plant sees the cyborg gorilla toy as its prey and chases after him. Action Axel fires a blast at Orangutank and sends him flying inside the plant’s mouth. The plant then spits Orangutank out of its mouth and he ends up flying away from the backyard.
But even though Orangutank and Porcupunk have been sent flying out of the backyard, the only threat left in the backyard is the plant. Masko is about to question whether or not they should take care of it, but Sarge assures him that without Minergy, the plant should be returned to the soil. Action Axel transforms back to his civilian form and tells the toys that they should help him clean up the mess in the backyard before Uncle Andrew gets home. Bearbarian compliments Axel for using his primal instincts during his fight with Orangutank and that his training has been completed. Axel jokingly roars like a wild animal in return and makes the Power Players all laugh in amusement, but they all stop when they hear a noise nearby. Axel tells the toys that they should ignore it before they all start cleaning up the backyard, unaware that the plant they fought earlier is the one making the noise because it has fallen in love with a sunflower in the garden.
Characters[]
Major Characters[]
Minor Characters[]
- Bobbie Blobby
- Galileo
- Slobot
- Uncle Andrew (mentioned)
- Civilians
Trivia[]
- In the French version, the episode is called "Instinct primaire", meaning "Primarary instinct".
- Despite being friends, Orangutank revealed that he wants to have Porcupunk as his "manservant" once he successfully rules the city as a jungle.
- The scene when Action Axel is getting up the fence while Orangutank is tossing down the potted plants at him is a homage to the 1981 arcade game, Donkey Kong. Coincidentally, not only it had video game sound-effects playing in the background, but Orangutank is in place of the titular character throwing down the obstacles.
- Uncle Andrew's favorite plant is revealed to be a pink unknown flower type.
- Based on Masko’s comment after the carnivorous plant grabbed Bearbarian with its vine, t’s implied that Bearbarian doesn’t like vegetables.
- According to Orangutank, the seed he planted in the backyard is supposed to grow into a tree. However, Action Axel unintentionally causes the seed to grow into a carnivorous plant after his jet-boots fires out Minergy at it. Because of this, it's heavily implied that Minergy can also cause a seed to grow into a monstrous sentient plant instead of a harmless plant.
- This is the sixth time when one of the character's name is mentioned in the title. The other are "Attack of Thermometron 9000", "The Dynamo Dynamic", "Porcupunk Rock", "Bobbie Not Blobby" and "Joyride".
Errors[]
- According to the Cartoon Network description, Orangutank is trying to liberate nature "from an apartment building [by] tossing potted plants of all sizes out the window and onto innocent bystanders below". However, this never happens in the episode. Instead, Orangutank and Porcupunk are both seen tossing down Uncle Andrew's potted plants in the garden at Axel's backyard.
Gallery
 Click here to view the gallery. |
References[]
- ↑ http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch/power-players/listings/
- ↑ https://fly-pow-bye.tumblr.com/post/190038953574/see-it-firsts-for-132020
- ↑ https://usa.newonnetflix.info/info/81204650
- ↑ https://www.france.tv/france-4/power-players/power-players-saison-1/1360839-instinct-primaire.html
- ↑ https://www.tvpassport.com/series/power-players/398542
- ↑ https://www.cartoonnetwork.com/video/power-players/savage-axel-episode.html