Ninjago S1 E7

## Plot

After Zane spends over ten minutes underwater, the guys reflect on everything they've accomplished and wonder if they've already reached their true potential. They ask Wu about it, but find him looking at a katana. He explains that they might've reached peak physical condition, but they haven't unlocked their full inner potential yet. Everyone has obstacles that block them from unleashing their hearts, even him. He tells them that when he was a boy, he and his brother were the best of friends. He lost this very katana one day. They knew their father would be mad if he found out, so Garmadon told Wu to go get it. He was too scared and refused, so Garmadon went to go get it himself. He told his brother to never put off till tomorrow what can be done today. However, he was bitten by a snake and fell unconscious. That snake was the Great Devourer. Its venom could turn anything evil, which is what happened to Garmadon. Wu blames himself for what happened. He's going to find someone who can help them save Lloyd. Meanwhile, the five tribes are united, but they haven't discovered a clue about where the four Fang Blades are. While hanging up flyers in case anyone has seen or owns one of the Fang Blades, Zane sees the falcon again. The guys follow it since it always leads them to good fortune. It leads them really, *really* far away. One by one, everyone but Zane stops to catch their breath. Despite seeing a sign warning them about things called tree horns, Kai encourages Zane to keep going while he waits for the others. Zane is led to a snowy birchwood forest when something happens to the falcon and it falls. Zane sees that it's a robot. He also finds another robot that declares he's intruding and attacks him. Zane defeats the robot and discovers a symbol on the back, which is also on the back of the falcon's head, as well as a hollowed out tree door. It leads to a secret workplace. He finds the blueprints for the falcon and fixes him. He also discovers another blueprint that shocks him. Wu buys some traveler's tea from a shop. The other guys find Zane in the workshop and ask him if he's okay. He reveals that *he's a robot, and he never knew.* This explains why he never knew his parents. The reason he didn't have a sense of humor was because his funny switch was off. The others accept him for who he is, but he doesn't feel right. They leave to give him some privacy. However, they're attacked by tree horns. It turns out that the big robot was supposed to protect the lab. Whoops. Zane discovers a memory switch and turns it on. He regains his memory. His father was a scientist named Dr. Julien. He cared for him and taught him many things, like how to cook. He also created the falcon. When he was on his deathbed though, he turned off Zane's memory switch so he wouldn't have to experience pain, loss, and grief. I… have no words. He says that he was built to protect those who cannot protect themselves, and that it's time to begin his next stage in life. Zane sheds a tear and finds the family photo they took. He feels better and leaves with the falcon, only to find the rest of the guys getting thrashed around by tree horns. They encounter the queen. Zane knows who he is now and unlocks his true potential, freezing the queen in ice, which causes the others to retreat. Pythor finally figures out that the riddle means that they have to combine the venom in the five staffs, which pours onto a piece of paper. Now they have the map to the four Silver Fang Blades. Wu uses the traveler's tea to create a portal to another world, which he goes through. He encounters Garmadon on the other side.

## Review

This is one of the best episodes in season 1, and the series in general. It's easily in my top five list of greatest episodes. It's emotional and well written, with phenomenal voice acting, animation, music, and more. Everything about this episode was amazing. I especially like the falcon's leitmotif, which they actually brought in a live violinist for instead of using a synthesizer for that part. I think this was also the first, or at least one of the first episodes where the guys refer to themselves as brothers, which is just so sweet! I love found family stories.