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miscellaneous_sectionI do have a piece of meta about another odd-ball pair, but that's mainly a ship manifesto for a different cartoon and I don't want to spam my journal.
Anyway, you can read it on AO3, here, or down below if you like.
For awhile now I have been interested in the dynamic between Mortdred and Cravex. So much so that I’ve actually paired up these two, but I must leave the shipping goggles behind and lock them in a box for this analysis. I wanted to write this because I find Cravex and Mortdred fun characters with distinct personalities. But why though? So I dug through some of the episodes and I really thought about why I think they have great chemistry together. So here’s my analysis on the seedling of Cravex and Mortrdred’s interesting relationship. Let’s dive in and examine their characters individually, their first impressions to each other, the two growing closer during the BEST EPISODE (The Overthrow of Merklynn) and the episodes following after.
1a.) Mortdred
In the first episode of the series, The Age of Magic Begins, when we are first introduced to Mortdred, we are immediately presented that he’s a bootlicker who is selfless to the point of being self-destructive. He’ll spy, steal, and fight for Darkstorm. Mortdred would allow Darkstorm to send him through the trash chute of his castle and think nothing of it. He’ll go into a lair of a dragon to get a spell book for him, even though Mortdred is apprehensive to go in. But let’s get back to the first episode. During the Iron Mountain quest, Mortdred is also shown to be self-degrading as well. When Darkstorm tells him that he displeases him for not taking out Arzon, even though Arzon was gliding in the air and Mortdred couldn’t do anything about it. Mortdred just tells him that he’s right and he’ll get a bow after the quest (here). Later on, Darkstorm tells him that he’s useless just because Mortdred got lost somewhere in the mountain. Again, he answers that he knows.
He can also be a pretty tricky knight. Darkstorm ordering him to fool Leoric, Feryl, and Ectar into thinking there was a knight in trouble needing help. And Mortdred loves every minute of it as Darkstorm and Reekon run off. Ectar makes fun of him, and Mortdred is about to stab a bitch. Finally! Action he’s making for himself! Then Darkstorm calls him back. At the end of the quest, he's rewarded the totem of the Beetle for bootlicking beyond the call of the duty. Mortdred takes great offense, and he’s ready to stab a bitch, again. Until Darkstorm stops him which leads him to beg for forgiveness from his master.
You may have noticed that every time I try to explain Mortdred’s personality and actions, Darkstorm is always present. It seems that Mortdred’s entire being revolves around Darkstorm. Entire self-worth? Darkstorm. Personal opinions? Those are Darkstorm’s. Actions? It’s mixed and yet Darkstorm will butt in somehow. Mortdred is the living embodiment when being selfless to a person of high authority goes wrong. He isn’t open or honest about what he actually thinks, because he would rather stay in his master’s good side. Cravex is the complete opposite of this.
1b.) Cravex
Cravex is first introduced during the Iron Mountain quest, hiding above from the other knights. There are many bee hives in the room, and he manages to cut one of them down to scare off the others. Picking whatever they left behind and possibly selling them for some cash later. But alas he can’t outsmart the magic in the Iron Mountain, and so he gets tossed into a dungeon strung up by his ankles with a few other knights. He gains his freedom from Darkstorm by swearing loyalty to him, but he’s the most reluctant to join Darkstorm’s forces. Cravex warns him to rule him well, or suffer the consequences. In Merklynn’s shrine, Cravex is rewarded the totem of the Phylot (a Prysmosian scavenging Amphithere with the head of a Pterodactyl).
We don’t know what kingdom he’s from or if he’s even part of a kingdom to begin with. But we can quickly gather that he’s resourceful, clever, a trickster, and somewhat money-minded. He’s also very independent to the point of being selfish. Cravex doesn’t care that Darkstorm is of high authority, or anyone else for that matter, he’s going to be brutally open and honest about what he thinks and feels. Good side be damned! Which shows us the disconnect that these two have in the beginning.
2.) First Impressions Between Mortdred and Cravex
During the beginning of the series, Cravex and Mortdred don’t see eye-to-eye. They don’t seem to hate each other, they see each other as obnoxious in some fashion (or even confusing at times). For a few examples, episodes one and two -The Age of Magic Begins and The Dark Hand of Treachery- the scenes’ composition with them is telling. As mentioned before Mortrdred is granted the totem of the Beetle, and he finds that offensive and is about to stab a wizard. The series shows how low Mortdred can go whenever Darkstorm is involved, so he transforms into his beetle form continuing to beg. And Cravex’s face tells us how he feels about Mortdred in the first episode. He laughs it off, but he looks so confused by Mortdred’s actions. One minute Mortdred is standing up for himself, and the next he kowtows to Darkstorm. That sense of self going out the window is extremely off-putting to Cravex. In the second episode, the Darkling Lords gain vehicles and hunt the other knights down. They go to New Valarak and Darkstorm sends Mortdred to deliver his demands for surrender via catapult. That doesn’t work so he gets sent back through the same method, and the screenshot above is a common theme with Mortdred. Mortdred is presented lower compared to the others through shot compositions and angles. Obviously with Darkstorm here.
So Cravex grows more and more frustrated with everyone, especially with Mortdred’s spineless sycophantic behavior. They succeed in capturing New Valarak and it starts to fall apart from here. In the third episode, Quest for the Dragon’s Eye, Cravex finally snaps by Lexor trying to manipulate him. He starts fighting everybody including Cindarr. (That was out of principle for Cravex.) Except Mortdred. He only gets berated for bootlicking and screaming an angered-charged question.
"Have you no will of your own?!"
The answer to this is yes, Mortdred does have a mind of his own. He has seen him act to his own accord before for a brief moment back in the shrine before immediately kowtowing to Darkstorm. It’s just Cravex has no clue why Mortdred keeps lowering himself to Darkstorm constantly. And not just that, but why does Mortdred pour his entire being around one person that treats him like trash. And yet, Mortdred doesn’t look scared by his outburst at all. He looks more annoyed if anything. The man has been working with Darkstorm for two years now, and he has heard this many times before to the point where he’s lost count. But it still annoys him after all this time. Plus, the guy has seen worse from Darkstorm anyway. After all this, they don’t interact or talk much at all. But then The Overthrow of Merklynn happens.
3.) Growing Closer During and After the Magical Apocalypse
Things start to get more interesting around the seventh episode, The Overthrow of Merklynn, where Darkstorm now has all the power he ever wanted with Merklynn’s magic crystal orb. Between Mortdred and Cravex, we the audience get to see different sides of the characters a lot more. And so do those two.
Mortdred being lost in thought at the prospect of servants who are loyal to him much like how he is to Darkstorm, and Mortdred daring to tell Darkstorm to reconsider when he’s about to chant the “sacred secret spell”. Mortdred actually has a different opinion. An opinion that he can call his own. Cravex is shown a world where nothing makes him angry/frustrated, and we don’t get to see his feelings towards this vision. From what I can only guess that he’s skeptical about it. The thought of being able to feel plain happiness, disappointment, or any other feeling that wasn’t drenched in spite would be nice. But it’s almost like he can’t imagine himself being this open to people. Even though in the vision, he’s alone in a nice place with a racing horse. Maybe Cravex thinks it’s better to be feared and have no one close to you. Then being fully open to others to have someone try to manipulate you. Then the world is coming to an end by Darkstorm’s hubris, and Cravex shows more of his vulnerable side. He’s even huffing and puffing trying to stay calm, and he’s the one asking Darkstorm for help. But even when he’s terrified, even pessimistic at times, Cravex will doing anything to stop it from happening. And this is the moment where Mortdred and Cravex finally see eye-to-eye. They’re starting to see each other as equals as the tension of the situation grows. They have a common goal, and they have to act quickly to solve it. But this is a little past the mid-way point of the Visionaries series, and they may have some more bumps ahead to work through, but this is a start. And what an insane start that is.
In the episodes that follow, Mortdred and Cravex are getting along and working better as a team. The spaces and angles get played around as the two interact more and more as the series moves on. Such as in the eighth episode, Power of the Wise, where the Darkling Lords destroy the Eternal Spring so Leoric can’t reverse the aging process from Darkstorm’s spell of Decay. They’re walking out of the mountains, and Cravex is chuckling at the thought of the look on “Old Leoric’s” face seeing the ruined spring. The scene that comes next plays with the composition with how the two now interact. Cravex is ahead of Darkstorm and Mortdred as they're leaving the mountains. Mortdred laughs about the name “Old Leoric”, and we switch to Mortdred facing to the audience but he’s talking mainly to Cravex. Even though Cravex is higher up and ahead of him, this whole scene portrays the two almost talking face to face with no gaps or one being above the other. Possibly to some degree Mortdred sees it that way, but Cravex is still keeping his distance from him since he’s in a group of thieves and backstabbers. Understandable.
The eleventh episode, Sorcery Squared, there are two scenes that show how much Cravex and Mortdred have grown since episode one. During the beginning of the episode; Arzon, Feryl, and Cryotek are moving stone spires out of the eagles' nest and we learn what caused the stone spires to fall. It's the Darkling Lords getting some target practice in, and it's Mortdred's turn in the Dagger Dart. He finds our three Spectral Knights and immediately starts attacking. Arzon struggles with Mortdred and gets stabbed by him, but Cryotek comes in to take care of him. Cryotek gets a hold of him, and he tosses Mortdred to the eagles and they start pecking at him. And this scene here demonstrates that Cravex, to some extent, does care about Mortdred and his well-being. Think about it. Cravex is watching from the Dagger Assualt, he wants to join in because what else are you going to do on a post-apocalyptic Prysmos. He's a little frustrated that he can't do much, but Mortdred is doing just fine by himself against them. Until Mortdred is put into harm's way by Cryotek, but he manages to get away from the eagles in his animal form. This adds to his frustration and it ticks Cravex off, and he jumps in his Phylot form to end the fight right there and then.
Then a magical dungeon mishap ensues and Cryotek now has the Phylot totem with the Bear. The two animal personas are fighting over dominates, and now the Darkling Lords and Spectral Knights must put aside their differences to stop Cryotek and get Cravex’s totem back. They travel to Northalia as the first place to look for him. Cravex and Mortdred decide to take matter into their own hands. The interaction here demonstrates a little more how close they’ve become. Cravex asking Mortdred to help make his enemies suffer in exchange for a reward, and Mortdred turning it down just for the reward of making Cryotek suffer. Just the two of them, together, is just enough for Mortdred and even Cravex judging by that mischievous smile. Oddly Cravex doesn’t get a lot of screen time after this, even though this is about his animal totem.
The last episode, Dawn of the Sun Imps, it’s one hell of way to close it all. It begins with Feryl and Arzon being chased by Mortdred and Cravex in the Skyclaw. During the chase and fight, they find a tomb that has a curse on it. Cravex wants to bust it open because he thinks there’s gold and riches in there. And I like this part of the episode because he’s about to break open the tomb, but Mortdred comes in and he stops him from opening it. The shot with Cravex and Mortdred shows that they’re about on the same level of communication, but as stated before there will be disagreements between them. Cravex does listen to Mortdred, and he even goes along with a vote whether to open it or leave it be for now. He does get outvoted and boy does Cravex sound betrayed by Mortdred. The way he stutters on the word you. In the early episodes he could easily express his anger in words, but here he’s visibly shaking about it. Sadly this all goes no where as the series ends. The characters walk off having enough magic for about a life time.
The Conclusion
While the show and toy-line were failures in Hasbro's eyes back in 1987, there are many great and interesting things that the writers left behind when the series ended. (Whether intentional or not.) But the interactions and growing relationship between Cravex and Mortdred was one of the many fascinating aspects of the show. Because they were so different, and yet through those differences they manage to build each other up and to be more honest with one another. Yet, I find it strange that the writers decided to give them less development compared to the others. Cindarr, Lexor, Witterquick, Arzon, Feryl, Ectar, and Reekon have a moment in the spotlight in their episodes. So, why not have an episode with Cravex and Mortdred have their moment for awhile? The opportunity is there, even in scripts where there are cuts lines with them doing more. Even though they were small acts, they do say something about the characters. Such as in the tenth episode, The Trail of the Three Wizards, the Darkling Lords ambush the knights to capture one of the wizards to find the Lost Shrine. On page 21 of the episode's full script, they’re in the Skyclaw blasting at their enemies and Cryotek chants for his spell of Strength. He gets a hit and they're about to crash. As the Skyclaw is leaving a smoke trail behind, they both jump for it as Mortdred is screaming for Cravex to save him. What does Cravex do? He turns into his Phylot form and grabs him. He saved Mortdred’s life. You could argue that Cravex only did that since Mortderd has the power to make vehicles work. Sure, but I get a chuckle from both reading the script with Mortdred and watching the plead with Lexor at the end of the episode. But, you also have Virulina riding the Skyclaw with no issues in Power of the Wise. The gal used one of the creature summons from the Skyclaw to escape from death. At this point the rules behind the magic are kind of a mess…
Finally in the twelfth episode, Honor Among Thieves, the Spectral Knights are given the Crystal of Detection and Reekon steals the artifact from them. This episode also develops Ectar and Reekon individually and their dynamic. It’s a good episode by all means, but there is one scene where this has bugged me for awhile now. As the second act begins, Ectar and Arzon infiltrate Darkstorm’s castle to get the crystal back. Cravex is sent in to stop Arzon and capture him. Reekon has some soldiers readying their arrows to fire at the both of them. But wait! Someone runs out to try stop Reekon from shooting down Cravex. Is it Mortdred? Nope, it’s Lexor of all people that tries to stop him. Why is that? I don’t know. It's even on page 34 of the full script where Lexor comes in. An odd choice on the writer's part but judging by the other cut lines with Lexor and Cravex, I guess they bonded over pondering Darkstorm's questionable decisions. To reiterate, a strange writing choice but it was surprisingly enjoyable. Either way, the final end result of the scene didn't flow right. Pick one: You keep the lines with Lexor and Cravex so that Lexor trying to stop Reekon would make some sense, or you don't and replace Lexor with Mortdred. But anyway, I mention these cuts because this would have shown us more on how much they’ve grown to care about each other, to see how much these two have developed since their introduction in the series. Because Cravex and Mortdred do have many facets to their personalities that have yet to be expanded upon, or even explored for that matter. But now it’s just another idea added to a pile of missed opportunities. Maybe one day in the future they’ll finally get to do more. And someday, together, they’ll shine.