Divide and Conquer

"Divide and Conquer" is the sixteenth episode of Season 2 of The Lion Guard, and the forty-second episode of the series overall. It premiered on January 11, 2018.
==Official synopsis==
"The Guard faces two attacks, so Kion enlists the help of Tamaa the Drongo to help them be in two places at once."
==Plot summary==
When Janja and his clan begin to hunt Twiga and Juhudi, the Lion Guard rushes to their defense. In the midst of the chase, Ono spots Reirei and her jackals attacking a group of pangolins on the other side of the Pride Lands, and Kion is forced to split up his team. While he and Beshte continue to pursue the hyenas, Ono leaves with Bunga and Fuli to take on the jackals.
As Beshte and Kion continue racing after the hyenas, Janja orders his lackeys to stop them. With four hyenas on the attack, Beshte and Kion quickly become overrun, and Beshte suggests to Kion that he use the Roar of the Elders to stop the attack. Kion refuses, afraid that he will harm Twiga and Juhudi, and the two are forced to continue fighting outnumbered.
Up ahead, Twiga lashes out at Janja, kicking him away from her. Janja then calls a surrender, and the hyenas bank a hasty retreat. Beshte and Kion check on the status of the giraffes and then follow after the hyenas to make sure that they have left the Pride Lands.
Meanwhile, Fuli and Ono arrive to fend off the jackals. The fight begins, but the jackals scatter around Fuli, making it impossible for her to catch them. Reirei then changes strategy, and the jackals begin to pelt Fuli with the curled-up forms of the pangolins. However, when the pangolins land, they unfurl and release gas into the faces of the jackals, causing them to flee. Fuli and Ono check on the status of the pangolins, just as Bunga rushes up, out of breath. Ono comments that the jackals are returning to the Outlands, and Fuli speeds away to ensure that this is the case, leaving Bunga to catch up again.
The Lion Guard regroups at the edge of the Outlands, where they watch the jackals flee into the shadows. Kion expresses concern that his team is weaker when split up and wonders why both groups had given up so easily. Though Beshte tries to brush the scrapes off as a coincidence, Ono catches sight of the hyenas and jackals converging in the Outlands, confirming Kion's suspicions. Bunga is unaffected and comments that all they have to do is be in two places at once, which gives Kion an idea.
The team travels across the Pride Lands to where Tamaa the drongo is performing for a group of Pride Landers, using his voice to imitate other animals. At the Lion Guard's arrival, Tamaa quickly explains that he is no longer stealing from other animals, but rather using his voice to earn food from them. Kion assures him that they are not checking up on him and then recruits him to help with the hyena-jackal situation. Though hesitant about the danger, Tamaa accepts.
In the Outlands, the hyenas and jackals come before Scar, who orders them to attack Rafiki, the knowledge-keeper of the Pride Lands, who can sense the presence of the Lions of the Past. Janja and Reirei proceed to argue over which faction should take on Rafiki, but Scar ends the fight by selecting Janja to eliminate Rafiki, while Reirei creates a diversion elsewhere.
After the meeting, Janja gloats to Reirei over Scar's decision to send the hyenas instead of the jackals. Reirei rises to the bait, proclaiming that jackals are the smartest species, and the two begin to sing "We're the Smartest", in which they argue over which faction is more intelligent.
Back in the Pride Lands, Ono spots the jackals chasing down a herd of gazelles, and Kion orders his team to pursue them. In the meantime, Ono watches for hyenas from above. Shortly into the chase, Ono catches sight of the hyenas stalking Rafiki, and Kion quickly changes course, sending Tamaa ahead to deal with the jackals, while the Lion Guard defends Rafiki from the hyenas.
Tamaa catches up to the jackals, where he corners them in a clearing by impersonating the voices of the Lion Guard. Reirei is pleased that they have managed to attract the Lion Guard's attention away from Janja, but Goigoi worries that they will be harmed in the process.
Meanwhile, the hyenas close in on a meditating Rafiki. As they stalk closer, a fire catches nearby, worrying Cheezi, but Janja informs him that it is all part of Scar's plan. Just then, Rafiki notices the encroaching hyenas and moves in for the attack, defeating them with unexpectedly efficient martial prowess. In the midst of the tangle, Janja spots the Lion Guard closing in and realizes that their plan is falling apart.
Across the savanna, Tamaa attempts to imitate Kion's Roar, but the spectacle merely confuses the jackals, who had expected to be blown away. Reirei then notices Tamaa's tail feathers through the trees and pounces on him, pinning him to the ground and realizing that Kion has tricked them. The jackals promptly leave to assist the hyenas, while Tamaa rushes off to warn the Lion Guard.
In the meantime, the Lion Guard has joined forces with Rafiki and defeated the entirety of Janja's clan. With defeat eminent, Janja attempts to flee into the fire, but Scar rises up from the flames, demanding that Janja face his enemies instead of run like a coward. Janja protests that they are outnumbered, but Scar points out to him that the jackals are closing in to help finish off the Lion Guard.
In the midst of Scar's conversation with Janja, Kion catches sight of the strange phenomenon, confused at what he has witnessed. Before he can investigate further, Tamaa appears with a warning about the jackals, and Kion orders him to reach safety, while the Lion Guard and Rafiki take on Reirei's pack.
A fight instigates, in which the Lion Guard and Rafiki beat back against the combined force of the hyenas and the jackals. In the midst of the battle, Tamaa manages to save Kion by imitating Beshte's voice and distracting Janja, giving Kion the opportunity to take down Janja. The hyenas and jackals retreat, and Tamaa expresses pride in his work for the Lion Guard.
Rafiki approaches the Lion Guard and thanks them for their help in saving his life. He then notices Kion approaching the site of the fire, which has died down to embers and burned grass. Rafiki joins him and notices a strange mark carved into the dirt, which he believes represents a great evil. Greatly troubled, Rafiki decides to consult the paintings of the past about the matter.
==Voice cast==
===Starring===
*Max Charles as Kion
*Joshua Rush as Bunga
*Diamond White as Fuli
*Dusan Brown as Beshte
*Atticus Shaffer as Ono
*Khary Payton as Rafiki
*Andrew Kishino as Janja
*Vargus Mason as Cheezi
*Kevin Schon as Chungu
===Guest Starring===
*C.J. Byrnes as Tamaa
*Alex Cartañá as Twiga
*Ana Gasteyer as Reirei
*Phil LaMarr as Goigoi
*David Oyelowo as Scar
==Appearances==
==Trivia==
* The way Rafiki uses martial art skills to fend off Janja's clan is a reference to how he fends off Shenzi's clan in The Lion King.
==Media==
The_Lion_Guard_Premiere_New_Episode_Promo_2018|A preview for "Divide and Conquer"
Lion_Guard_Scar%27s_Scheme_Divide_and_Conquer_HD_Clip|Scar plots against Rafiki
The_Lion_Guard_We%27re_the_Smartest_song_(with_lyrics)_Divide_and_Conquer|The "We're the Smartest" musical sequence
Lion_Guard_KION_SEES_SCAR_Divide_%26_Conquer_Clip|Kion sees the spirit of Scar
==References==
Category:Episodes
Category:The Lion Guard Episodes
Category:The Lion Guard: Season 2
Category:Real world