Ninjago S11 E12

## Plot

We finally get something that I've been wanting for awhile, considering the show's extensive timeline and lore: A flashback episode. It turns out that the story Acidicus told Jay, Cole, and Kai was almost entirely wrong, and even when it got things right, the circumstances were very different. As a child, Wu complained to Garmadon about going to the lake and swimming everyday, and wanted to go into the valley of the Serpentine. Surprisingly, *Garmadon* was the one who wanted to follow the rules, but Wu convinced him to come with him. Damn, Wu was a brat when he was originally a child too. They were caught and brought before the leader of the Serpentine, King Mambo the Fifth, who recognized them as the children of the first spinjitzu master. Their foolishness has endangered the fragile peace between their two species, and has put the king in a difficult position. He decides to put them in a cell for the night so they can think about what they've done. Wu and Garmadon fought about whose fault it was when Aspheera showed up and introduced herself. She was training to be a sorceress in service to the king, and asked the kids if they really knew spinjitzu. She said she'd let them out if they became her friends and shared the secrets of spinjitzu with her. Garmadon took the deal, and Aspheera made Wu promise her. When they got back home, their father asked them where they had been. Garmadon claimed that they caught a fish at the lake, but the line broke and they spent the rest of the day trying to re-catch the fish. When their father questioned this, Wu changed the subject and asked him what he was working on. It was a scroll called the art of forbidden spinjitzu. Garmadon asked if it was for them, but their father told them that it was too powerful and sent them to bed. Wu couldn't sleep that night. He knew his brother wouldn't keep his promise to Aspheera, but he felt like he had to. He agreed to teach her spinjitzu, but only after she promised to never use it for evil, and they began training. Garmadon eventually saw them together and confronted Wu about it. He warned him that he couldn't trust a snake, and Wu shoved him for insulting Aspheera, so he pushed him back, which resulted in Wu getting hurt. They barely spoke to each other for weeks after that. Wu saw villagers leaving their homes and asked one of them what happened. He learned that Aspheera overthrew King Mambo using spinjitzu, and is conquering the human lands. He told Garmadon, and the two decided to put aside their anger to try and undo what they had done. They disobeyed their father again and took the two scrolls of forbidden spinjitzu to amplify their elemental powers of creation and destruction. It was as if they had reached their true potential in an instant. It was wondrous, but also terrible. They went to the valley again and saw Aspheera defeat King Mambo using spinjitzu. That night, Wu confronted Aspheera about breaking her promise, but she didn't seem to consider it evil to be powerful, strong, and ambitious, and told him that he had a lot to learn about the world. He told her that she taught him to never trust a snake. Garmadon took care of the guards while he fought Aspheera, who called him a deceiver for not teaching her the forbidden power of spinjitzu. He was about to attack her even after she yielded, but he snapped out of it in time and dropped the scroll. King Mambo was restored to power, and peace returned. Aspheera was magically imprisoned in a pyramid, and would remain so until her sins are forgotten. I'm honestly surprised that a children's show got away with saying the word sin. Wu refused to release Aspheera, who called him a treacherous deceiver. Even if it takes a thousand years, she will have her revenge. And that was *just* episode 11. See? Eleven minute stories *can* be full and compelling, like in Amphibia. We only had one story line to focus on, instead of two or three, so the episode felt longer than it was, at least to me. It didn't have pointless dialogue or comedy to bloat the already limited run time. Unfortunately, later seasons of Ninjago tend to have the ninja split up into smaller groups, so this doesn't happen often enough. Besides, it's not like this is the longest page I've ever written. That would probably be one of the movie or extra length episode pages instead. The next episode starts with Jay, Cole, Kai, and Pixal questioning and chewing out Wu for what he did. Kai in particular is seeing red. Look, Wu isn't exactly my favorite person in the world, mostly because season after season it's revealed that he knew about a potential threat to Ninjago and never told anyone, including the ninja, when it would've been relevant and practical to do so to make sure those imprisoned threats were never released. While he may have been a brat as a kid, he was still a child! Children don't fully understand the ramifications that their actions can have. Hell, I'm a young adult and I still consider myself to be pretty impulsive. He even finally admits in season 7 that he made a mistake. Like Mistaké said, she's wise because she's made many mistakes, but she learned enough not to repeat them. Wu admits that the others are right, and says he was young, reckless, and foolish. The monastery is attacked by Aspheera and her army. Their father was angry when he found out that his sons used the scrolls of forbidden spinjitzu to defeat Aspheera, and hid them, but Wu doesn't know where. Cole, I love you, but that's kind of the whole point of hiding things in the first place. The first scroll was at the museum, so an archaeologist or explorer must've found it at some point, which means someone like Clutch Powers might know where the second one is. Zane, Nya, and Lloyd are *still* in Ninjago City, which is *still* being attacked. Oh my god, we get it! I'm so tired of the city setting. Go somewhere else! How has that plane not run out of fuel by now? The others contact them, and they learn that Aspheera is attacking the monastery, Wu is the deceiver, and Clutch might know where the second scroll is. He's in the hospital, recuperating from everything that's happened to him today. Meanwhile, Pixal activates a new defense system she installed while renovating the monastery, which slows down Aspheera's army… for a few seconds, because Aspheera uses the scroll to destroy the weapons, and Firefang blasts the doors. Wu, Pixal, and the guys enter the secret base. All of the exits are surrounded by Pyro Vipers. Kai continues to blame Wu for everything that's happened. Cole tells him that it's time to lay off and focus on what to do next. He tells Wu that Aspheera stole Kai's elemental powers, so he feels useless now, which he blames him for. Pixal has been working on a new mech, but it's not complete yet, and Kai once again remembers that he doesn't have his powers when he can't weld the metal. Wu seems to agree that he's the one to blame. Lloyd, Nya, and Zane find Clutch Powers and ask for his help again, but he refuses to go on any adventures. Besides, he has a broken leg. When Nya mentions what they're looking for, he tells them that the scroll is at the Explorers Club. He still refuses to help them out with his membership status, and when Nya tries to take him by force, he presses the emergency call button, and the staff makes them leave. Holy shit Nya. I swear, she's been extra aggressive since season 8. Sure, as season 5 showed us, she's always been stubborn and headstrong, but this is basically attempted kidnapping. Is this version of Clutch Powers sleazy? Absolutely. Does that mean he deserves this? No. Bring Ronin back so he can teach Nya how to be chill again! When Aspheera tries to blast Char for suggesting that they take a break, he dodges, and her shot hits the target that reveals the secret entrance to the base. Pixal locks down the elevator. The guys wish the others were here, and decide to fight. However, Wu says he'll pay for his own mistakes alone. He knows Aspheera will kill him, but he says that might be for the best, because Kai is right. He can't be their master and teach them to take responsibility if he runs away from his own. He apologizes for the fact that Kai had to pay for his mistakes, and walks away to make amends by giving himself up to Aspheera. Kai apologizes for his misplaced anger and recent behavior. They all make mistakes, but Wu giving himself over to Aspheera would be another one. She can't be trusted. She'll still be dangerous and on the loose. Besides, they're a family. They stick together no matter what. Wu and Kai hug as everyone prepares to fight the Serpentine.