Code Lyoko S4 E1

## Plot

First of all, the new opening is amazing. The animation is great, and William is now a main character, so he's promoted to the opening credits. Yes! I love him as a bad guy. He just looks so cool! Plus he doesn't talk nearly as much. The group makes up an excuse for William's disappearance by saying that he went overseas to stay with his dad. Now they just have to find him as soon as possible. Thanks to the data Jeremie and Aelita got from Franz Hopper at the end of the previous season, they've just about recreated Lyoko. Milly and Tamiya are still mad at Jeremie because he ran out of an interview in that episode. They also had an argument over the newspaper. Sissi is eavesdropping on them and hears Odd talk about that disco film of Jim's that he almost blackmailed him with back in the third season premiere. Sissi talks to Milly and Tamiya and tells them that she's made herself editor in chief of the newspaper. That night at the factory, the moment of truth arrives. The gang sees that they were able to recreate Sector 5. They still need to work on the other sectors, but it's a start. After they leave though, something comes out of one of the scanners. Sissi spilled Jim's secret to the school, and now Jim thinks that Odd told everyone. This means he'll be punished for something he didn't do. Oh, and that thing that came out of the scanner? It was William. The genuine article, alive and well. He can't remember anything after being possessed by the Scyphozoa, aside from waking up in the factory that morning. There's no activated tower on Lyoko, so they're not dealing with a specter or a clone. Now they have to explain his sudden return to Delmas. Jeremie wonders how William didn't fall into the Digital Sea when Lyoko was destroyed. Sissi and her new entourage barge into Aelita's room uninvited and start asking her questions about her past. William shows up and kicks them out. However, he's been under XANA's control this whole time thanks to the Scyphozoa. He knocks Aelita out and takes her to the factory. Milly and Tamiya become BFFs again, get fed up with Sissi, and quit. Jeremie tells Ulrich about William and Aelita when he picks up the signals of their cell phones. Odd is unreachable at the moment. Jim is making him dance to disco until he gets all the steps right, and he has to do it in ridiculous, oversized clothes too. It's either that, or he'll be put in a different class. William and the still unconscious Aelita are in Sector 5. Ulrich and Jeremie arrive at the factory not far behind them. When Sector 5 was recreated, Aelita and Jeremie got rid of the key trip procedure, so no one will have to do that again. Aelita wakes up, attacks William as soon as she can, and runs away. Ulrich catches up to him. However, XANA sent some Creepers to keep him busy. Instead of fighting Ulrich, William uses his new ability, Super Smoke, to catch up to and attack Aelita. He knocks her out again. If I could only list one complaint so far, it would be turning Aelita back into the damsel in distress she was in the first two seasons. I did not like that. I have never liked that and I never will. Yumi finally arrives at the factory. Odd is able to get out of his forced dance practice when a bunch of female students come in, say that they liked Jim's film, and ask him for his autograph. Yumi helps Ulrich with the Creepers. Odd finally shows up at the factory. William is taking Aelita to the Celestial Dome area. He plans on throwing her into the Digital Sea. If he does that, then she'll be virtualized forever, just like her father. Ulrich is devirtualized by a mine from a Manta. Yumi almost falls into the Digital Sea, but she's devirtualized at the last second by Odd. He saves Aelita and destroys William's Manta. This isn't a problem for William, who can survive in the Digital Sea, somehow, in a way that I don't think is ever explained. Maybe XANA or the Scyphozoa made him immune to it or something. They don't know why XANA wants to throw Aelita into the Digital Sea. Now with William gone again, they have to think of another excuse for his absence, and Delmas might not buy it this time. Milly and Tamiya don't hate Jeremie, because now they hate Sissi more.

## Review

This was a pretty good season premiere. It had great continuity nods and even an interesting subplot or two. Assuming they're not dropped in the next episode, I'd love to see how Sissi handles being editor in chief, or how Milly and Tamiya will fill their time now. They could always hang out with Hiroki and Johnny. We haven't seen those two in awhile. And I love William as a villain. I know I've already said that, but he's a *really* good villain.