The Bitter Rose

At the Royal Palace, Man-At-Arms presents a gift to King Randor and Queen Marlena: a painting of the famous Bitter Rose. Man-At-Arms explains that the Bitter Rose was formed by the tears of a goddess who climbed Rose Mountain every day to look for her husband returning from the war, but he never did. Dree Elle fawns over the fable, and Orko, wishing to do something to make her happy, decides to bring her the Bitter Rose.

Orko plucks the Bitter Rose from Rose Mountain, causing the mountain to crumble. The avalanches threaten the home of the Insect People, prompting a messenger to fly to the Royal Palace and request help.

At Snake Mountain, Skeletor observes the events and sends Beast Man and Trap Jaw to steal the Bitter Rose. He-Man, Battle Cat, Man-At-Arms, and Teela protect the Insect People’s village from the never-ending avalanches.

Meanwhile, Orko is captured by the Evil Warriors and taken to Snake Mountain, but Garth of the Insect People arrives and saves him. Racing across Eternia, Orko and Garth are picked up by Man-At-Arms and Teela in the Wind Raider, and the heroes make their way to Rose Mountain with great haste. Beast Man and Trap Jaw pursue them in the Roton, but their laser blasts accidentally hit the Bitter Rose and wither it.

The heroes return to the Royal Palace seeking a scientific solution via the Maturator, but it appears that the Bitter Rose cannot be saved. Just when all appears to be lost, the true love between Orko and Dree Elle brings the flower back to life.

They return the rose, stabilizing Rose Mountain. The rose transforms into a goddess whose bitterness has finally been cured by Orko's act of love in giving her as a gift to Dree Elle. The goddess allows vegetation to grow on Rose Mountain and disappears, finally fulfilled.

**Man-At-Arms:** "Today Orko nearly made a terrible mistake by not listening to that small voice in all of us that tells us right from wrong: our conscience. When Orko decided to impress Dree Elle, he suspected that he might be doing something wrong. Whenever you're in doubt about what you should or shouldn't do, stop for a moment and listen to your conscience. It'll usually tell you what's right or wrong. But just in case you're still not sure, talk it over with your family or someone else who cares about your. See you soon."

John Erwin as He-Man/Prince Adam, Beast Man and Garth

Alan Oppenheimer as Skeletor, Man-At-Arms and Battle Cat/Cringer and Shaman

Linda Gary as Teela, Dree Elle and Queen Marlena

Lou Scheimer (credited as Erik Gunden) as Orko, Trap Jaw, Insect Person and Insect People messenger

1. Behind the scenes: Script was approved June 29, 1984 and final script revision took place on Steptember 26, 1984. The character model for the Rose Godess was designed by Gerald Forton. This episode was story-boarded by Dave Russell.
2. Continuity: The animated sequence of Prince Adam patting Cringer on the head was previously seen at the very end of Diamond Ray of Disappearance. The close-up of He-Man lifting and throwing is re-purposed animation from Dree Elle's Return also seen in A Bird in the Hand and The Gambler. The animation used in the sequence in which He-Man uses a crescent kick to remove a large rock was previously part of a fight sequence seen in Quest for He-Man.

A Paul Dini-scripted morality fable using a magical-rose premise to address obsession and self-control. The episode is structured around a slow-burn deterioration of Teela’s judgment rather than a Skeletor confrontation, an unusual structure for the Filmation run.

Catalogue source: heman.fandom.com (CC BY-SA 3.0).