Ninjago S14 E4

## Plot

At the docks, Pixal unveils the Hydro Bounty, which is a submarine. When she says that it's practically unsinkable though, Cole points out that those kinds of vessels always end up sinking, but the others don't get it. Nya is worried that her powers will freak out on her while they're underwater, and contemplates sitting this mission out. However, Jay says that's exactly why they need her to go. She's the master of water. There's no one more connected to the sea than her. Wu also gets her to go by bringing up the fact that if she stays, she'll be stuck with her mother. She tells her that they don't know how long they'll be gone. Kai tells Ray that he's not going on the mission. Wu wants to study the current and previous masters of fire, and if the pulse hits again, someone has to stay behind to protect Ninjago. Cole is staying too. I think they might be staying because their elemental powers wouldn't be useful for an underwater adventure, Kai might still have aquaphobia, and Cole is right, plus he probably doesn't want to somehow fall or almost fall from a normally lethal height yet again. Nya tells her mom that missions are pretty much the main thing she does. Maya suggests that she take a break and rest a little. Nya says that might be how she used to solve problems, but she gets involved and fixes things. She, Jay, Lloyd, Zane, and Pixal have an epic walk, with some of them sporting new scuba gear suits and family friendly laser guns that can also shoot lines. When Jay winks at Nya though, he accidentally fires his gun twice, scares a seagull, and ruins the epic moment. Zane is the captain, and gives orders in a pirate accent, which he hasn't spoken with since season 5, but I instantly remembered the scene when I first saw this. Like when he pretended to be a detective and failed to solve a mystery in season 12, he downloaded thousands of pirate and sailor movies and novels for this mission. Pixal is at navigation, Lloyd has engines, Nya has sonar, and Jay is at the helm. As they're diving, Pixal detects movement in the aft corridor, even though everyone is on the bridge. When it stops, she assumes that it was a faulty sensor. The Tartarus Trench has never been mapped, so they should prepare for the unexpected. Nya tells Jay that as they go deeper, she can feel the ocean's elemental power growing. It's almost overwhelming. Jay holds her hand for the second time this episode and tells her that whatever is freaking out her powers, he knows they'll find the solution down here. While they're talking though, you may hear slight rustling noises behind them. Someone cleaned the dishes while their backs were turned. Lloyd sees that someone made his bed and left a pillow mint for him. Nya sees that someone already washed her clothes. They tell Zane what's going on. Someone is doing all their chores for them. Jay thinks it's a ghost. Nya says they have a stowaway. They see someone and chase after them, but they disappear, despite the hallway they went down being a dead end. Nya does something that I don't think I've ever seen a fictional character do before, at least in animation: LOOK UP! Sure enough, Maya is hiding on the ceiling. Nya thinks she stowed away with them because she doesn't believe that she can do anything on her own. Maya tells her that she just wanted to be there for her and help her figure this out. Besides, she's the one who said it was important for her to get involved and fix things, so she's here. Nya wants to take her back home, but Zane says they can't. They're miles below the surface. Pixal calls everyone to the bridge. They're approaching the Tartarus Trench. She sees Maya and realizes that the sensor wasn't faulty earlier, and she's the reason why her clothes were pressed and folded. They see all sorts of sunken ships. Suddenly, they're hit by something. Someone is attacking them. Lloyd fires two stun torpedoes, but they hit a rock spire instead of what actually attacked them: A Merlopian riding what looks like a giant stingray or a manta ray. It's some sort of ray. They lose power and start sinking. Thanks to Nya, they're able to land on a ledge and stop their descent, but they're still stranded at the bottom of the ocean. Maya is trying to help Nya fix things on the sub, but she doesn't know anything about mechanical stuff. The battery is dead. Nya tells her mom that she doesn't need help. She's been doing just fine for a long time, like when Maya and Ray left and she and Kai were on their own, raising themselves. She knows they didn't have a choice, and she's not saying it's their fault, she just thinks it's a bit late to help now. She's not a little girl anymore. Zane, Jay, and Lloyd heard the whole thing. Pixal says they have to find a way to recharge the battery. You know, it's kind of weird that Nya and Pixal have the same hairstyle now, although since they both were/are Samurai X, I guess it's fitting. Jay says he could use his elemental powers to charge the battery, but linking him with the type of battery they have would be very dangerous. Zane was hooked up to the Manifestation Gate in season 12, which was a similar device, and he almost didn't survive. Maya comes in and suggests using the power source they've been tracking to give them the energy they need. It's not that far away. They can tap into the energy source with a portable battery, bring it back, and recharge the sub. Pixal reveals two APS mech suits. She was going to make one for each of them, but ran out of time. I feel like APS is a reference to WILFilmApS, the animation company that animated the first ten seasons, which sadly went out of business in 2022. WildBrain has been animating the later seasons. Nya is eager to take a suit. Jay suggests that maybe he should go, but Nya tells him that she's the master of water, and there's nothing but water out there. Even with her powers acting up, she's still the best choice for this mission. Maya will take the other one. She tells her daughter that she does need help, she was the master of water before her, and she still knows a thing or two. If something goes wrong out there, she can help. Lloyd agrees, because his, Zane, and Jay's elemental powers won't be much help out there. Pixal gives Nya the tracker for the energy signal. Jay tells her to be careful. I'm loving the little moments between the two of them, both now and during The Island. They come across hydrothermal vents that spew out something green. Maya helps Nya when one shoots her towards some sharp rocks. Her mom tells her that she knows she's angry at her. She wasn't there for her or Kai, but she had to make a choice. Nya says she knows, but Maya says she doesn't. She's never had to make a big sacrifice like that, and her mother hopes she never does. Sometimes there are no good choices, and that's just how life is. One day, she'll understand. Foreshadowing! They see an underwater temple with giant statues of Merlopians. They go inside and reach a place with air, and a door with primitive writing on it, which predates even the first spinjitzu master. Zane translates it, just like in season 11, but he doesn't know what the 7th word is. Like Aspheera's tomb, it's another warning not to enter. So of course Nya and Maya get out of their suits and explore while he tries to work it out. "Go no further, ye who seeks [something], for the sleeper in the deep must not be disturbed until the end of days." Nya says they have no choice but to enter, since the signal is coming from the other side of those doors. They hide as they watch Merlopians work on something, including a scientist named Glutinous, who observes that a disk they have is burned out, just like the others. He's like an evil Cyrus Borg. Suddenly, the main antagonist of the season finally enters, almost a quarter of the way through: Prince Kalmaar of Merlopia. I was worried that I wouldn't like him, but his design and the way he and Glutinous move grew on me rather quickly, as did his accent and voice, provided by Giles Panton. He shares a lot of similarities with Pythor. Without the second talisman, "it" might not work. All of their previous efforts to awaken the serpent have failed. Glutinous asks for more time, both to study the first talisman and manufacture a stronger replica. They don't even know what the talisman is made of, or whether it's technological or mystical in nature. Kalmaar threatens Glutinous with his trident and yells at him to awaken the serpent now, or he'll be replaced with someone who can. As they insert another talisman and power on a machine, Nya realizes that she's seen an item like it before, and Zane realizes that the sleeper in the deep is Wojira. Pixal tells Maya and Nya. The other talisman is the Wave Amulet. The "machine" is actually the sleeping Wojira. Before the ladies can leave, the fake amulet is destroyed. That's what has been unleashing the pulses, and Nya being so close to it this time makes her glow pinkish or purplish as she yells, attracting everyone's attention. Kalmaar refers to them as surface dwellers and tries to zap them with his trident, but he misses. Nya tells her mom to run as Kalmaar and the guards go after them. They get back in their mech suits, but Kalmaar shoots Maya's, which knocks her out. Nya uses her elemental powers to blast away the Merlopian guards, which shocks the prince. He's able to withstand her attack thanks to his extra squid or octopus like legs, and shoots Nya's mech suit as well, knocking her out. After all this time, fate has finally brought them together. The elemental master of water, who Kalmaar refers to as a usurper, and himself, the rightful heir and ruler of the Endless Sea. He lets out an evil laugh as the episode ends.