So heading north of the Capital Wasteland into Pittsburgh... wait, sorry, I got the wrong story about a place full of slaves where they are forced in gladiatorial combat for freedom in a place called The Pitt.
Anyway, the cats reach a city built around a large pit in the middle of a desert. It's a city of dogs. Why are they here? Am I the only one who remembers that whole spirit stone / book of omens thing? Did we just entirely gave up on that plot? I know I mentioned it in "Native Sons", but at least there they were in a mountain, so you could try and pretend it was related... Kinda. Okay, so not at all.
Anyway, Panthro's clearly been here, and he's got bad memories of this town. He doesn't want to stay, or say what happened here. We learn Tygra's very anti-dog. The kittens go off in search of bone stew their own subplot, Lion-O charging Snarf with keeping them out of trouble. The adult cats however find a flier advertising a new main cast member a cat gladiatorial fighter. Lion-O is enraged at seeing one of his people so enslaved, and Panthro notes she'll have to survive "The Pit". We see the titular pit where a robot fights a gladiator by tossing it's own head around as a spiked ball. Seriously. Worst. Robot. Ever.
The cats see the fight and head to find the person in charge, a dog named Dobo. Dobo has no intention to let his prized cat slave go. But it turns out him and Panthro do go way back. We see Pumyra, as she fights the silly robot with a wrist crossbow that shoots out lasers (really)* and easily defeats the machine. Dobo advises Lion-O to not try anything.
Meanwhile the cats eat bonestew when they spot a Raccoon pick-pocketing a dog. The racoon approaches them, introducing himself as Tookit (Really) and they tell him they too are pick-pockets. Yet they let him circle them and only after he left they realize he took their weapons. He runs into the crowd and they go off after him.
Anyway, Lion-O sneaks into the pit's cells, guarded by the same S&M Bulldogs that guarded Kaynar. Why did he not send Tygra, who can, ya know, turn invisible? As he reaches Pumyra's cell, she reconizes him and shouts at him to go away angrily. This wakes up the guards who capture him, and Dobo takes the gauntlet and the sword from him, jailing him in the cell next to Pumyra and promising he'll get to fight her in the pit.
Outside the Pit, Dobo actually returns the sword and gauntlet to Panthro, telling him he's willing to cut Lion-O a break because of him and Panthro's history. Rather than fighting 100 matches to earn his freedom, Lion-O will be free after a mere 1 match, against Pumyra. We learn that Panthro was at one point imprisoned here (When? Was it after escaping Mumm-ra? Didn't he have the tank then? How did he get captured?) Dobo and him were partners in the Pit, fighting side by side. Dobo admits Panthro taught him to survive, but one day he escaped, leaving Dobo behind to fight for his freedom alone. Dobo is evidently bitter about it, but still shows respect of Panthro.
Meanwhile, back at the Twins subplot, they catch up with Tookit, who just stone a shiny tea saucer. He explains he doesn't know why he steals, he's Kelptovoyant - he steals things he will need in the future. He uses the saucer to blind a dog who falls, drops his money, which he catches in the saucer. The twins want they stuff back, but he goads them into a pickpocketing challenge first. They remember there's more than one of them, and they both are bigger than him and beat the crap out of the little shit, showing him Pickpocketing sometimes doesn't compare to a good ol' mugging. They agree.
In the cell we learn why Pumyra hates Lion-O, he never rescued his people who were waiting for him, and got enslaved. And she's bitter over it. Now she wants nothing of his help, but rather looks forward to revenge for the people he abandoned.
The fight is about to begin. Tygra and Cheetara says cats will not fight one another for Dogs' entertainment, but Dobo doubts cats are that noble. Lion-O pleads to Pumyra that they should stand together for their freedom. She won't have any off it, and attacks, though it's clear Lion-O's not going to fight back.
Meanwhile, Tookit makes the kitten steal one dude's cane, one dude's buttons, and one lady's blankets, coz his Kleptovoyance tells him to. the kittens do it, but then want their stuff so they can return the stolen loot. Too late as the owners have spotted them and give chase. Tookit uses the stolen gear (which the kittens somehow decided to take with them when fleeing) to trip the cane's owner, crush the button's owner under rocks carried from a cart, likely grievously wounding or killing him, and making the lady fall off a ledge where he can then take the money that falls out of her. What a likeable character. He then leaves without giving the Kittens their stuff, and they realize they've been duped again, and set up off after the raccoon, to hopefully murder him in an alley.
Meanwhile, Lion-O still refuses to fight Pumyra, and even as she wounds him, he refuses to lay down and die, standing up, saying he will honor his words to stand by her. During the fight, Panthro reveals to Dobo he escaped because he learned their next match was to be to the death, against one another. And Panthro felt there was a good chance he might win and kill Dobo. Lion-O's stubbornness makes Pumyra reconsider, and she tells Dobo she will not kill her king. He's about to order both their death, but the crowd's been won over (somehow ...) and he relents, giving them both their freedom.
After the fight, Pumyra bandages Lion-O, and he asks where the other cat slaves are, and she points to the mountain of Plun-Darr. To be conitnued....
The episode's decent. Though the subplot for the twins is annoying, distracting from the much better A plot, and I think Tookit might replace the Drifter as my most disliked character. Worst part is, you can tell his "kleptovoyance" will come into play and his stealing the kids' gear will most likely play into the next part's resolution. I only can hope he gets beaten to a pulp shortly after.
Pumyra's okay. She doesn't get much character development, and her decision to accept Lion-O as king does tend to come off as a bit contrived. Still, time will tell.
Dobo is however main surprise of this episode. Easily the most complex character the show's given so far, and I include the main character in this. He's a slaver and evil, yes, but his friendship for Panthro despite his perceived betrayal by the latest makes him a complex character. I hope we see more of him in the future.
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