G. I. Joe - Season 1.2

As Hasbro's other major cartoon-driven toy line, the '80s version of G.I. Joe wiped away any semblance of reality its 12-inch '60s and '70s counterparts strove so hard to capture. Gone were the days of the personality-deprived action figure propelled by a variety of accessories to outfit them with for whatever branch of the military a child saw fit. The G. I. Joe of the '80s was one of the near-future, featuring bright outfits, guns that shot lasers and a terror organization led by a masked weirdo for an enemy; it may have been a better glimpse of the future than anyone realized. Driven by its cast of characters, the accompanying comic and television show developed personalities for each toy, only adding fuel to kids' desire to own them all. The second half of the cartoon's first season followed a similar pattern to its first half, adding an expanded cast of characters. Re-watching these episodes as an adult is certain to shatter childhood memories of the program; the quality of the animation will be enough to turn many off from the get-go. Those that are able to make it through a single disc of episodes will no doubt be shocked how the eight-year-old version of themselves was so easily seduced by such poorly developed, good-versus-evil plot lines. But there's no accounting for the power of nostalgia, and it's surprising how many of the episodes I remember from my childhood. Not included in the first half of the season were bonus features. Thankfully, here we get an extremely informative documentary about the evolution of G.I. Joe, from doll to action figure, classic toy commercials and of course, a bunch of those ridiculous/awesome "And knowing is half the battle…" PSAs.