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The “classic’ He-Man show of the 1980s was often light-hearted and even campy for a show that was centered around the eternal battle between good and evil. Rarely did “the bad guys” (Skeletor and his gang) intend to kill or even injure anyone. Often times, the side of evil was defeated more by their own incompetence than the heroic acts of the good guys.

Perhaps it’s this reason that one of the series’ final episodes, “The Problem With Power,” is generally regarded by its devoted fan base as one of the best of the 130 episodes produced. The episode stands out due to its seriousness and depth.

For those new to the series, this episode creates an existential dilemma for Prince Adam when he, as He-Man, is deceived into believing he has caused an innocent man’s death. Overcome with feelings of guilt and unworthiness, he renounces the power given to him and vows never to use it again. Teela, captain of the royal guard, feels it is her responsibility to vanquish Skeletor in He-Man’s absence, which causes Prince Adam great anxiety in addition to his remorse.

Here is a nice scene from the episode showing Prince Adam casting the sword of power into the abyss of Greyskull.

According to the episode’s writer, Larry DiTillo, this scene was written as an homage to Prince Valiant.

This episode is available on both “The Best Of He-Man and The Masters Of The Universe” DVD and the 5-disc boxed set, “He-Man: Season Two, Volume Two.” The boxed set version features an insightful and entertaining commentary track by Larry DiTillo.