Saturday, January 03, 2015

Saturday Morning Cult-TV Blogging: BraveStarr: "Wild Child"


In “Wild Child,” BraveStarr and Thirty-Thirty learn of a lost child in the desert. When they find him, this so-called wild child is injured, and believes that the Dingo Gang of bandits is his family.

Meanwhile, the Dingos discover a lost city in the desert and find it guarded by Sarko the Hunter, a kind of savage barbarian and evil denizen of the long-lost metropolis.  

The last of his race, Sarko lives in a constant state of rage because his only son died saving his life.

Ultimately, Sarko is able to relate to the wild child and show compassion for the boy, because of his own situation…




                     
“Wild Child” features a cool setting -- a weird, alien lost city -- and introduces an unusual and mysterious character, Sarko.  

I’d like to know more about Sarko’s people, the city, and how the metropolis was built on New Texas, but the episode never gets that far.  Very little is actually explained.  The alien city and Sarko -- who is sometimes incorporeal -- are just there, waiting to be discovered. Once more, however, the visualization of the city is amazing.  I would have loved to see a few episodes devoted to its builders, or its exploration.


Instead the episode belabors the idea that “violence is weak” and that “love is strong.”  The wild child “softens” Sarko’s heart, and makes him an ally against the Dingo bandits.  Like all Filmation entertainment, “Wild Child” is message-heavy, and yet the story is entertaining too.

Next week, I’m going to cap off my coverage of BraveStarr for the time being, with the episode “Jeremiah and the Prairie People.”

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