M.A.S.K. Episode 1: The Deathstone

by Jason Gross on 10:12:00 PM in M.A.S.K., V.E.N.O.M.

Episode 1: "The Deathstone"

Air Date: Sept 30, 1985

PLOT: V.E.N.O.M. steals a meteorite with life-giving powers. Matt Trakker and M.A.S.K. help a scientist retrieve the meteorite and save a hurt Hondo MacLean.

In the upcoming weeks, we'll be breaking down the individual episodes of the M.A.S.K. cartoon on our new podcast called MASKast! We'll examine the overall plot and characters/vehicles that are featured in each episode. When available, we'll also post the actual cartoon to give everyone an opportunity to watch and vote in our weekly rating poll. You'll also want to post your comments as we'll feature your feedback and comments in each MASKast. We also encourage you to vote in the weekly poll (posted on the blog) with your rating based on the following scale of 1 to 5:

5 = Great! A signature M.A.S.K. episode
4 = Good. A few flaws
3 = Okay. Not great but not poor either
2 = Cheesy episode
1 = Awful! A M.A.S.K. episode to be forgotten!

VOTING CLOSED: 66% of voters rated this episode "5" (21 Total Votes)

Leave your reviews and comments below!
Subscribe to one of our podcast feeds for current episodes and also visit the MASKast archive to download individual episodes.

About Jason Gross
Jason Gross is an '80s kid trapped in a 40-year old body and has loved M.A.S.K. from the very beginning. He also contributes his retro pop culture knowledge to the Rediscoverthe80s.com website.

Wyatt Bloom is a lifelong M.A.S.K. fan as well as several other '80s properties including Knight Rider, Dukes of Hazzard, Airwolf, and Voltron. He also enjoys creating sound systems and the occasional deejay gig.

Besides the AOM website, Jason and Wyatt are lifelong friends who have also collaborated on a M.A.S.K. screenplay and cohost the MASKast podcast. They were also privileged to particpate in a M.A.S.K. 30th Anniversary panel with voice actor Doug Stone at Retro Con in 2015.

2 comments:

AnonymousFebruary 4, 2012 at 11:15 PM
Being a pilot/first episode, you kind of have to grade on a curve. Scott being there (and I'm actually a fan of Scott & T-Bob) and Hondo being hurt felt a bit forced for the story, but otherwise it was a good introduction to the characters and the series concept.
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Anna S. KjolbergFebruary 5, 2012 at 4:31 PM
I think this is a good introduction to the series. There might have been some more background information, but it`s not necessary. Several of the scenes in this episode I can very easily see in a live action movie, for example the scene when Matt Trakker takes the elevator down to his little underground vehicle and tells it to go to the M.A.S.K. headquarters. (Can it go anywhere else?) The background music in this episode is fantastic, especially in the scene when Rax and Dagger are chasing Professor Stevens in the beginning and the always fantastic music when the computer chooses the agents for this mission. In this episode the music continues a little longer than through the actual choosing, which is good. I also love the beginning when we see the meteor fly through the sky and hit earth. It really puts you in the right mood.
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