The Long Road

08/16/2005 Archived Entry: "MCO"

Mysterieuses Cites D'Or was/is the most memorable show from my childhood. Look here for a synopsis. It's amazing to think that in the 80s amongst Transformers, Thundercats, and G.I. Joe we had a historical/sci-fi/fantasy show whose point was NOT to sell toys to kids but instead to tell a compelling story. Told in what is essentially a 39-part long-form narrative, MCO is miles ahead of most of today's ADD-driven children's shows.

The show derived a lot from the ancient civilizations which used to live in Central and South America. Little did I know back then that even the Olmec and Mu Empires were based on the real world. What really drove my imagination was the possibility that all these ancient empires had long-lost advanced technology. Obviously some things were impossible, but to this day we still aren't certain how the Incas built Machu Picchu. Ever since watching the show as a kid, I've wanted nothing more than to spend a few months wandering around South America exploring the ancient cities of the Mayan and Incan Empires.

Having recently discovered that MCO was available in Quebec, I was excited to be able to rewatch the series. We have copies we recorded onto VHS...but c'mon..VHS. Unfortunately, the producers did not remaster the video or audio and we're left with the same grainy broadcast quality that's been on the air for over 20 yrs. Fortunately, they include tons of extras and the show still holds up fairly well after all these years. The Transformers DVDs I have are sitting on my shelf unwatched because they are so hard to get through - logic and plot holes everywhere, continuity that doesn't even try to exist; MCO on the other hand is still as fun and amazing as when I was 7 yrs old, episode 9 can still manage to make me a little misty-eyed.