The Harmattan

"The Harmattan" is the second episode of Season 3 of The Lion Guard, and the fifty-seventh episode of the series overall. It premiered on September 7, 2019.
==Official synopsis==
"A powerful dust storm called the Harmattan traps the Guard and Makucha's leopards. Ono uses his knowledge of the harmattan to send Makucha and his cronies into a whirlwind." Accessed 12 November 2019.
==Plot summary==
While en route to the Tree of Life, the Lion Guard arrives at the first landmark of their journey: a waterfall in the Back Lands. With the help of Anga, the team's new Keenest of Sight, they spot the next landmark, an iroko tree, in the distance.
The team starts toward the tree, only to be thwarted by Makucha, who demands that they leave his territory. He and his friends, Fahari and Jiona, attack the Lion Guard until a dust storm called a harmattan interrupts the fight. Anga uses her eyesight to guide the Lion Guard to a cave by the waterfall, but Makucha and his friends have already taken shelter there.
Kion, irritated by the pain in his scar, nearly starts a fight with Makucha, only for his friends to calm him down. Makini encourages him to chew on tuliza in order to clear his head, and he does so. At peace once more, Kion implores his team to leave, but Makucha explains that a harmattan can last for weeks and that he does not want them staying in his territory for so long. He offers to guide them out of his territory, and despite Fuli's protests, Kion accepts the offer.
Together, the leopards and the Lion Guard venture out into the harmattan. They take shelter in a canyon, but a loose rock tumbles down toward Kion. Makucha shoves him out of the way, saving his life, much to the shock of Fahari and Jiona. Makucha merely claims that he had been trying to save himself.
After the rescue, the team moves on. Makini chatters with Anga about the Tree of Life and reveals that many sick animals journey there for healing. Makucha draws his friends to the side and schemes to lead the Lion Guard off a cliff and force Makini to lead them to the Tree of Life ("The Tree of Life").
Makucha leads the Lion Guard to a canyon that ends in a cliff. However, the Lion Guard cannot see the danger through the dust. Ono gets blown away in the storm and realizes that the direction of the wind has changed, which means that Makucha is leading them astray. Too late, Bunga falls off the cliff and only narrowly grabs on to a branch.
Ono arrives and warns his team members, who turn to face Makucha and his friends. A brief scuffle breaks out, with Anga rescuing Bunga from falling over the cliff. The winds begin to pick up, and Ono warns the Lion Guard to take shelter behind rocks. The leopards do not hear his warning and get blown away. An enraged Makucha resolves to follow the Lion Guard to the Tree of Life, but his friends refuse. Makucha then leaves to track the team on his own.
With the danger abated, the Lion Guard arrives at the iroko tree. The team assures Ono that he is a valuable member of the team. They then set off for a two-peaked mountain, the next landmark in their journey.
==Voice cast==
===Starring===
* Max Charles as Kion
* Joshua Rush as Bunga
* Diamond White as Fuli
* Atticus Shaffer as Ono
* Dusan Brown as Beshte
* Bryana Salaz as Anga
* Landry Bender as Makini
===Guest starring===
* Steve Blum as Makucha
* Nolan North as Fahari
* Ace Gibson as Jiona
==Appearances==
==Trivia==
* "The Harmattan" is the first episode of The Lion Guard to not feature an individualized title card. Additionally, it features the voice of Gary Anthony Williams as opposed to James Earl Jones and Max Charles.
**Although the title cards are gone, the titles are still spoken as the episode begins. This had become a standard form with all Disney Junior shows as of mid-2018, starting with Fancy Nancy.
* The episode was released early on August 3, 2019, on DisneyNOW.
==References==
Category:Episodes
Category:The Lion Guard Episodes
Category:The Lion Guard: Season 3
Category:Real world