Since most of the episodes don’t have to be watched in order, G.I. Joe Series 2: Season 2 just jumps right into the action. The season starts off with an episode titled “The Eliminator” which brings Overkill back, just a bit altered. If you remember, Mercer (which keeps making me think of Prototype) defected from COBRA to G.I. Joe. When some secret information is leaked to COBRA, Mercer is suspected of being a spy so he is confirmed to stockade. Really though, Overkill has been reassembled and now calls himself Eliminator. He’s the one that managed to steal the info from G.I. Joe, the secret location of a peace conference. COBRA’s goal is to stop the peace conference, thereby throwing the world into chaos. Once the Joes get this COBRA threat taken care of, the next mission is just as important. They have to rescue the Queen of England. Duke and Scarlet miss this mission because Scarlet has Duke out shopping with her, like a “typical” woman. The Queen isn’t going to be pushed around by COBRA though and even makes them dog sit while she’s there. As is common for COBRA, they are beaten by their own incompetence. In a move different to her shopping trip, Scarlet decides to try and keep up with Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, the ninjas, when they are trying to get to a shrine before COBRA lead by Overkill (yes, he is back to being Overkill instead of Eliminator) can. Who is the world’s greatest ninja though?

The Joes will go to quite a few places this season to try and stop COBRA. They stumble on the lost city of El-Dorado where they run into Pissarro, who is a ghost and has been dead for hundreds of years. The Joes and COBRA discover an underwater city like nothing they ever seen before, but when they start fighting they activate some ancient or maybe alien defense system of the city. COBRA decides to use sonic weapons, so they kidnap a rock n’ roll guitarist named Billy Blaster for his sounds. They convince him that they are the US government so he should help them. Their real mission is to destroy New York City. COBRA Commander buys a theme park. On the surface, it looks like they are trying to influence the minds of the kids, but is there a more hidden reason? In yet another attempt to change kid’s minds, COBRA decides to change history by burning the history books and replacing them with their own versions. While I’m not sure this would work in any possibly scenario, it’s still amusing to think that someone thought of it. The poet William Snakespeare really made me laugh! To try and help kids in a good way, there is the typical anti-drug episode where the dealer is called “The Headman.” One of the Joes, Falcon (Duke’s own half-brother), is even addicted as is Cindi, the younger sister of a COBRA Crimson Guard member. For once, G.I. Joe and COBRA have found a reason to call a truce. The plan calls for them to divide up into two person teams, one Joe and one COBRA. I had to laugh at these partnerships! I think they laid the anti-drug message on just a bit thick, though. COBRA kidnaps General Hawk and replaces him with a duplicate to infiltrate from the inside. This particular episode also doubles as the “stay in school” lesson.

I’m really not sure G.I. Joe has held up as well over time as some cartoons do, but it’s still good for the nostalgic experience. If you’re a fan of the series, I am sure you will want to add the G.I. Joe Series 2: Season 2 to your collection!