Super Friends!—Season 7

super friends season 7 the lost episodes guide list
6.0 Overall Score
Story: 5/10
Acting: 7/10
Visuals: 5/10

Classic Saturday morning fun

Mostly nostalgia fun due to so-so stories and visuals

super friends season 7 opening titles aquaman wonder woman superman

The Super Friends are flying at you!

Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, Aquaman, Robin, Green Lantern, the Flash, El Dorado, Black Vulcan, the Atom, Apache Chief, Samurai, the Wonder Twins, and others are back for more adventures.  When the world is threatened by the criminals of the Legion of Doom, the antics of Mxyzptlk, or threats from space, the Super Friends are there!  From deep in the Hall of Justice to deep space, they stand for truth and justice!

Super Friends!—Season 7 is a DC Comics animated superhero series.  The season aired from September 9, 1983 to October 29, 1983.  The season is often referred to as “The Lost Episodes” (and was released on DVD with this title) because it didn’t regularly air during its original run (it did run in Australia, but the episodes were part of the syndication.

Super Friends was not only a show I watched all the time, but it was a show that all my friends watched as well (pre-cable).  We wouldn’t play “super heroes” or “Justice League”, but we’d play Super Friends.  It was this generation of Super Friends we usually played and I can remember playing Gleek, Green Lantern, Wonder Twins, and Apache Chief…you just had to call your “hero” before you started playing.  Rewatching Super Friends is a lot of fun nostalgia, but nostalgia doesn’t always make for a great series.

super friends season 7 episode 2 warpland superman superfrog

I think we need more Superfrog and his friends

The stories for Super Friends are about as bad as you remember.  Even as a kid, I thought they were a bit ham-handed and obvious.  The Super Friends face a problem, learn a lesson, and everyone is very civil at the end…even the villains.  Trying to get a younger kid to watch Super Friends today might be a challenge since there isn’t any continuity…it is just story after story (so really young kids might like it better).

The stories sometimes are a bit odd as well.  There are a lot of stories that feel like they tie in to events that were happening.  There was an episode where Wonder Woman, Samurai, and Superman were pulled into Bizarro’s video game where they were chased by a very “Pac-Man-esque” enemy through a maze.  There is also an episode featuring an archeologist who looks remarkably like Indiana Jones.  My favorite of the group has to be where a boy and his dog Moosie are pursued by a bear.  The boy falls in a ravine and is eventually found by the Wonder Twins.  The boy learns Moosie “ran away” and finds he can’t walk because it is psychological and he won’t walk with Moosie again.  Superman stages a giant robot attack with fake Kryptonite to force the boy to walk to save him.  I kept expecting Moosie to show up at the end and everything to be good, but Moosie never comes back…implying that the bear did make Moosie his lunch (which is incredibly morbid for Super Friends).

super friends season 7 episode 7 one small step for superman lucy the dog

Hey, Moosie…maybe if I wasn’t a crappy owner and hit a bear with a stick, you’d still be with us

The art is also so-so.  With VCRs being pretty new, no pausing, and harsh examination, the animation doesn’t feel very detailed or consistent.  There are always coloring issues and the framing of shots is bizarre with tons of open space in the frame.  Even cleaned up, some of the images are kind of grungy as well.

Kids are jaded today when it comes to superheroes.  In 1983, you had the Super Friends, Hulk and Wonder Woman reruns, and the occasional Superman movie…and you had to be happy and excited about it.  Now, there are superheroes all over the place from network TV, to the internet, to video games, and of course the movies.  Not all superhero material is kid aimed, but something like Super Friends still is a decent “intro to superheroes”…just don’t expect your children to hold onto it with nostalgia when they start seeing some of the other superhero options out there.  Super Friends!—Season 7 was followed by the retooled eighth season called Super Friends:  The Legendary Super Powers Show.

Super Friends!—Season 7 Complete Episode Guide:

super friends season 7 episode 1 mxyzptlks revenge

“Mxyzptlk’s Revenge”

super friends season 7 episode 1 roller coaster wonder twins

“Roller Coaster”

super friends season 7 episode 1 once upon a poltergeist apache chief

“Once Upon a Poltergeist”

7.1       Mxyzptlk’s Revenge/Roller Coaster/Once Upon a Poltergeist Airdate:  09/10/83

Mxyzptlk’s Revenge—Superman and Batman are pulled into Mxyzptlk’s world where they face danger.  Roller Coaster—The Wonder Twins and Atom try to save kids from a condemned roller coast when they try to use it as an initiation.  Once Upon a Poltergeist—When a Native American spirit begins attacking a building Batman, Robin, and Apache Chief try to stop it.

super friends season 7 episode 2 warpland superman batman

“Warpland”

super friends season 7 episode 2 two gleeks are deadlier than one

“Two Gleeks Are Deadlier Than One”

super friends season 7 episode 2 bulgor the behemoth apache chief

“Bulgor the Behemoth”

7.2       Warpland/Two Gleeks Are Deadlier Than One/Bulgor the Behemoth Airdate:  09/17/83

Warpland—An asteroid headed toward Earth has Superman and Batman investigating…but pulled into a dimension ruled by animal versions of the Justice League.  Two Gleeks Are Deadlier Than One—The Justice League is planning a gathering and realizes that it will bring out its villains.  When Gorilla Grodd replaces Gleek with a robot version, the Justice League could be doomed! Bulgor the Behemoth—A lightning strike turns the writer of Bulgor the Behemoth into a living version of his creation and only Apache Chief and Superman can stop him!

super friends season 7 episode 3 the krypton syndrome jor el superman

“The Krypton Syndrome”

super friends season 7 episode 3 invasion of the space dolls robin

“Invasion of the Space Dolls”

super friends season 7 episode 3 terror on the titanic

“Terror on the Titanic”

7.3       The Krypton Syndrome/Invasion of the Space Dolls/Terror on the Titanic Airdate:  09/24/83

The Krypton Syndrome—Superman finds himself pulled to Krypton just before its destruction, but his decision to save it could change everything.  Invasion of the Space Dolls—Alien dolls invade Earth and the Super Friends must stop them from taking over.  Terror on the Titanic—The discovery of the Titanic turns dangerous when a strange fungus animates the ship into a monster.

super friends season 7 episode 4 revenge of doom

“Revenge of Doom”

super friends season 7 4 a pint of life aquaman

“A Pint of Life”

super friends season 7 episode 4 day of the dinosaur samurai

“Day of the Dinosaur”

7.4       Revenge of Doom/A Pint of Life/Day of the Dinosaur Airdate:  10/09/83

Revenge of Doom—The Legion of Doom is back and targeting the Super Friends for destruction. A Pint of Life—An accident leaves the son of a scientist in danger and the Super Friends searching for his father to save his life. Day of the Dinosaur—When the Hall of Justice sinks into the ground, Wonder Woman and Samurai face off against two warring societies.

super friends season 7 episode 5 return of the phantoms superboy

“Return of the Phantoms”

super friends season 7 episode 5 bully for you

“Bully for You”

super friends season 7 episode 5 superclones aquaman el dorado brainiac

“Superclones”

7.5       Return of the Phantoms/Bully for You/Superclones Airdate:  10/08/83

Return of the Phantoms—An alien accidentally frees Superman’s Kryptonian enemies from the Phantom Zone.  Travelling into the past to kill Superboy, the Kryptonians have their own surprise coming to them.  Bully for You—A teenager who finds Batman’s utility belt tries to use it to get even with his enemies.  Superclones—Brainiac clones Aquaman and El Dorado in an attempt to frame the Justice League.

super friends season 7 episode 6 prisoners of sleep superman

“Prisoners of Sleep”

super friends season 7 episode 6 an unexpected treasure wonder twins gleek

“An Unexpected Treasure”

super friends season 7 episode 6 the malusian blob black vulcan

“The Malusian Blob”

7.6       Prisoners of Sleep/An Unexpected Treasure/The Malusian Blob Airdate:  10/15/83

Prisoners of Sleep—The discovery of a buried canister releases a criminal who haunts peoples’ dreams…and Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman must stop it before it is too late! An Unexpected Treasure—The discovery of a UFO by two boys in the desert means danger for Metropolis when it is programmed to attack.  The Wonder Twins, Hawkman and Hawkgirl must stop the UFO before the city is destroyed. The Malusian Blob—The space shuttle accidentally releases a Malusian monster and Batman, Superman, and Black Vulcan realize it won’t quit until its consumed everything.

super friends season 7 episode 7 attack of the cats

“Attack of the Cats”

super friends season 7 episode 7 one small step for superman wonder twins batman

“One Small Step for Superman”

super friends season 7 episode 7 video victims pac man wonder woman

“Video Victims”

7.7       Attack of the Cats/One Small Step for Superman/Video Victims Airdate:  10/22/83

Attack of the Cats—An experiment to tap into cats’ night vision turns into terror when Batman, Robin, and El Dorado face off against cat people. One Small Step for Superman—A boy injured in an accident in the forest finds he cannot walk again…but it is up to the Super Friends to help him try. Video Victims—Bizarro sends a video game to Earth that traps Superman, Wonder Woman, and Samurai.

super friends season 7 episode 8 playground of doom alien children

“Playground of Doom”

super friends season 7 episode 8 space racers flash

“Space Racers”

super friends season 7 episode 8 the recruiter wonder woman superman space ball

“The Recruiter”

7.8       Playground of Doom/Space Racers/The Recruiter Airdate:  10/29/83

Playground of Doom—An alien ship approaches Earth, and the Super Friends discover giant alien children on board that could doom the planet.  Space Racers—Zan and Jayna patrol for lawbreakers in the galaxy and run into a group of hot rod aliens causing troubles forcing Flash and Wonder Woman into action. The Recruiter—Superman and Wonder Woman find themselves trapped by an alien recruiting for an illegal space ball game.

Related Links:

Super Friends!—Season 1 Review and Complete Episode Guide

The All-New Super Friends Hour—Season 1 Review and Complete Episode Guide

The World’s Greatest Super Friends!—Season 4 Review and Complete Episode Guide

Super Friends—Season 6 Review and Complete Episode Guide

Super Friends:  The Legendary Super Powers Show—The Complete Series Review and Episode Guide

 

Author: JPRoscoe View all posts by
Follow me on Twitter/Instagram/Letterboxd @JPRoscoe76! Loves all things pop-culture especially if it has a bit of a counter-culture twist. Plays video games (basically from the start when a neighbor brought home an Atari 2600), comic loving (for almost 30 years), and a true critic of movies. Enjoys the art house but also isn't afraid to let in one or two popular movies at the same time.

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