Ninjago S13 E10

## Plot

A member of the Lowly wakes up Cole, because it looked like he was having a nightmare. Wu and Vania have woken up, and they're glad that he's okay, especially Vania. The Lowly introduce themselves as Korgran of Metalonia, the place Karlof is from; Plundar the thief, who returns Cole's throwing star to him; and Fungus the sorcerer. They're the trio that the Geckles told Kai and Zane about. Cole asks them for help, since they're a party of adventurers, but Fungus tells him that they wouldn't be much help. They failed the only quest they ever attempted, which is how they wound up down here. Korgran tells them how he came to Shintaro… and we transition to the 2D animation again, which was completely absent from season 12. Apparently most people didn't like it. I think this one looks bad on purpose though, because it's clearly a reference to old cartoons like *He-Man*, *Star Trek*, *Ghostbusters*, etc. Korgran is portrayed as huge in the flashback, but he's just a regular mini-figure in 3D animation. It's not like they can't make a model for him, since Dogshank and Killow exist. Then again, those characters were created and animated by a different animation studio, although Killow does later appear in Wildbrain animation. Korgran is shirtless, so maybe they thought it would look too weird, or maybe that's just how he looked in the past, and he shrunk once he was trapped down here due to a lack of motivation and depression a la Okino, or malnourishment, or a lack of vitamin D without exposure to sunlight. Also, apparently his ax can talk, but only to him, because magic. Or he's crazy. The voice sounds feminine in the Greek dub, which I actually like better than the male voice in the English dub. Anyway, Korgran's father was tired of his behavior, because in his desire to complete a quest, he attacked their allies without realizing it, and told him that the king of Shintaro had issued a summons. Fungus and Plundar had also answered the call and came to Shintaro. Oh my gosh, toddler Vania and for real baby Chompy are so cute! King Vangelis asked them to journey deep into the mountain to find the skull of Hazza D'ur and bring it to him, so he could see it destroyed with his own eyes. Only then would Shintaro be truly safe. They got past all of the dangerous traps and creatures, including spiders, where a baby Adam joined them. They found the skull, but when Korgran picked it up, his arms turned black. He told the others that the skull was evil and tried to overtake him. He picked it up with his ax to take it back with them. Before he could destroy it in front of Vangelis though, the king said that power like that could be used to protect Shintaro. When they told him about the skull's evil, he dropped them into the mountain. Meaning that he was already a vile person even before he had the skull, so his actions now aren't simply the result of its influence. I personally think the story would've been better if the skull *had* corrupted him and was the real main antagonist, but I understand that might have been seen as too similar to Zane and Vex's story in the second half of season 11. Imagine if Vangelis was doing all of this because he wanted to bring back his wife, like Gabriel Agreste's goal in *Miraculous Ladybug*. That would make him and Cole foils to each other, since they've both lost loved ones before. Seriously, where is Vania's mom? This is especially egregious when you consider this season finally gives us answers on what happened to Cole's mom. Sure, another sympathetic/reformed villain might also have been too similar to Unagami, but their motivations are different. Anyways, Korgran, Fungus, and Plundar call themselves the Lowly because there's no one lower than them. Vania has accepted that her dad is evil, but she's still upset about it. Cole tells them that a long time ago, he promised that he would never give up, and he's not letting them give up either. Their friends are out there somewhere. They need them. Someone has to stop Vangelis, and that someone is them. From now on, they're the Upply, because that's where they're going: Up! It immediately becomes sad though when we see who Cole made that promise to: His mother, voiced by Erin Matthews. When he was an adorable little kid with his old hairstyle, he said he didn't want her to be sick anymore, and she told him that we don't always get what we want. Lou told her that he got in trouble at school. Cole says it wasn't his fault. One of the kids is a bully. He's always picking on the little kids, and Cole got in a fight with him. He apologizes to his mom and promises not to fight anymore, but she tells him that she's proud of him, and has him promise instead to always stand up to those who are cruel and unjust. Cole is leading the others through a tunnel. Plundar thinks it's pointless. They've been down here for years, and if there was a way out of Rock-Bottom, they would've found it by now. Fungus tells him it doesn't hurt to have someone else take a fresh look. They reach another dead end. Plundar says they don't need a leader to help them fail more, and when Vania tells him that Cole is a great leader, he points out that he's been leading them in circles, because they're back in Rock-Bottom. Cole gets angry and frustrated and throws a rock in the pool. Wu asks him what's on his mind. Ever since he saw his mother's locket, he's felt her presence. He knows she has a connection to this place. Wu tells him that his mother once told him that her powers were stronger when she was closer to the earth. Cole has never been further underground; never been more surrounded by what powers him. The Skull Sorcerer thought he was burying them, but what if he was actually bringing Cole closer to the earth, the source of his elemental powers? Wu tells him to stop worrying so much and let the earth connect with him. It works as Cole and rocks start glowing and floating. He punches the ground, which causes it to glow orange as it goes down into the pool. Cole tells the others that he can feel a tunnel down there. It might be a way out. Everyone follows him, even Plundar. He saves Vania and Wu from drowning again. When Wu points out that he saved his life, Cole tells him that he's done the same thing for him a thousand times. Aw! Cole touches the ground again, which shows them that the path they need to take to get to the right tunnel is across the lava. Plundar isn't happy about that. Cole tells him that he isn't either, and while the path might be filled with danger, and it would be easier to turn back, they can't stop the Skull Sorcerer and save their friends if they're trapped down here. Plundar says they can't help them if they're dead either. Someone finally said the d word! Cole tells him to roll his dice and take a chance, and he does. Adam easily gets across because he's a spider. Cole senses tremors in the ground beneath them. They're not alone. They're attacked by a lava monster. Cole tells Korgran to distract it. He cuts off the tentacles with his ax, but they just grow back. Cole uses his powers to throws rocks at the monster. He tells Wu to throw the lava balls it's spewing right back at him. Vania tells him where they're coming from, and he changes their direction with spinjitzu. Cole tells Fungus to distract him with one of his spells, but he says he'll do more than just distract him. Cole sees a boulder above the monster and tells Plundar to sneak around and nudge it. Plundar tells Adam to do it, since he's already safely across. Before the monster can hit Plundar, Fungus freezes it in ice, but it quickly starts melting. Before all of it can melt though, Adam drops the boulder on the monster. Cole saves Vania from the lava. Once they leave, Cole uses his powers to seal the passageway in case the monster comes back. Plundar tells Cole that he was wrong about him, and says he's alright in his book. They still have a long way to go though, and unbeknownst to them, the lava monster is still alive, and starts melting through the rock.