Hope Must Never Die

**"Hope Must Never Die"** is the first episode of the first season of *The New Legends of Monkey* and the first episode overall. This episode aired on 28 January 2018 and became available on Netflix on April 28, 2018.

## Plot synopsis

After a demon steals a magical crown from warrior monks, an orphaned girl flees the monastery in a quest to awaken the long-petrified Monkey King.

## Summary

Scholar reminds his men that the demons rule their world while all their Gods are either dead or hiding. So now it's their sacred duty to find the Monkey King, who was the protector of the gods. He was presumably destroyed centuries ago, but the truth is that he’s been buried in stone, and they’ve tracked him down to a single valley. Scholar shows Gaxin the Monkey King’s crown. Only the crown can release him. And with Monkey, they must find the sacred scrolls and bring them to the Western Mountains. With the scrolls, they can defeat the evil that has plagued their world.

Scholar then bestows Gaxin with a new name — Tripitaka. It is a sacred name known only to the gods. And when they hear it, they will know he's the chosen one. A gust of wind blows the door open.

A Font Demon has found them. Scholar hides the Monkey King’s crown inside a small compartment in a wall. He hides the young girl as well, whilst Tripitaka fights the demon. She watches from behind the wall as the demon kills Tripitaka and badly wounds Scholar. The demon recovers the crown and leaves, dropping an explosive on his way out.

The girl comes out from behind the wall to check on Scholar. With his dying breath, he tells her that she must find the Monkey King before handing her Monkey's staff, disguised as a hairpin. The girl proceeds to scale the mountain. She is nearly struck by lightning, which reveals Monkey buried inside.

Unable to awaken Monkey without the crown, she retreats to the village of Palawa, where she meets Monica, the owner of a tavern. Monica feeds the girl and offers her boarding, but tells her she’ll have to work it off by washing dishes, cleaning, and serving.

While serving a customer, the girl realizes that the man is in fact, a Font Demon, who is cloaking his true form. She accidentally spills ale on him and when he gets up to clean himself, she notices the Monkey King’s crown in his sack.

The girl asks Monica if she remembers what it was like before the Gods disappeared. Monica insists that she isn’t that old. She admires that the girl knows how to look after herself even in the frightening world they live in. The girl wonders if the Gods will ever return. A wise man Monica once knew used to say "Hope must never die."

In hopes of stealing the crown back from the Font Demon, she asks a bard at the tavern to play "The Dance of The Moon," which is a lullaby. The demon slowly drifts off to sleep. While he slumbers, she recovers the crown and exits. He awakens and reveals his true form. He demands to know who took the crown. Monica tells him that whatever has happened, she’s sure she can help. The demon uses his telekinesis to choke Monica. Just moments away from killing her, the bard reveals that the servant girl stole his crown and fled.

After the demon leaves, Monica tells Pigsy that his boss will want to know that there’s a new demon in town. However, Pigsy doesn’t seem interested.

A monk offers her safe haven in his monastery. While it was once a place of wisdom and worship, now all they can do is meditate on the fate of the world. She reveals to the monk that the demon is after her because he has the Monkey King’s crown. In order to get out of town, the girl will need a disguise. So the monk cuts off her hair and gives her a robe. The monks attack the Font Demon while the girl escapes with the crown. However, he catches her scent and follows her to the mountain. She manages to get the crown on the Monkey King’s head just as the demon yanks her off by her ankles. The Monkey King awakens and confronts the Font Demon. He flicks his fingers, but it seems that he is without his power.

The girl returns his staff to him, allowing Monkey to defeat the demon. The girl tells Monkey that she’s Tripitaka and that she needs his help.

## Cast

### Main

* Chai Hansen as Monkey
* Luciane Buchanan as Tripitaka
* Josh Thomson as Pigsy
* Emilie Cocquerel as Sandy (credit only)

### Co-Starring

* Jarred Blakiston as Font Demon
* Matt Bowden as Innocent Civilian
* Phil Brown as Man Font Demon
* Jayden Daniels as Gaxin
* Rachel House as Monica
* Aaron Jackson as Baron
* Min Kim as Young Monk
* Leand Macadaan as Musician
* Cameron Rhodes as Head Monk
* Daniel Sing as Scholar
* Tian Tan as Patre
* Stephen Ure as Mercenary

## Notes and Trivia

* Sandy is credited despite not appearing.