Ninjago S11 E28

## Plot

Episode 27 is another flashback episode showing how the evil characters got to where they are now. After years of wandering in the wilderness, a normal looking Vex came across a castle and saw warriors marching in formation, before he was caught by them and sent to their leader, Grimfax. Vex offers him his services as an advisor, and tries to prove that he'd be better than his current one by telling them about the Formlings, claiming that they're a tribe of dangerous shapeshifters that are scheming against Grimfax. However, he knows who Vex really is, and says the Formlings have never troubled them before, and they won't trouble them. He at least offers him food, water, and decent clothes before sending him on his way. Vex vows that they'll all regret this. He'll return, and when he does they'll wish they had treated him better. One day, the Titan mech and Zane fall out of the sky. He doesn't show himself when Zane asks if anyone's there, and spies on him. He watches as he uses the scroll of forbidden spinjitzu to move the mech into a cave. Vex continues to spy on him as he records his message. It's revealed that if anything were to interrupt the diagnostic, it could cause his operating system to reboot, which could cause either a system failure or memory loss. You can probably figure out what happened next. Vex took the staff, but it didn't work for him, so he unplugged Zane, which erased all of his memories. Vex lied to him and claimed that he was his loyal advisor, and Zane was the Ice Emperor, the ruler of the Never-Realm. His "scepter" is really the scroll of forbidden spinjitzu. Vex claims that warriors cast him out of his home. Basically, Zane is a puppet ruler, and Vex is the real antagonist. He's like an older male version of Harumi. Seeing that the odds were against him when Zane controlled all of his warriors, Grimfax bowed down willingly. Zane became the Ice Emperor, the scroll was frozen to his hand, and he caused an eternal winter. Picking up where episode 25 left off, Lloyd calls Zane by his real name and asks how this is possible. He tries to jog his memory, but nothing happens. He realizes that the scroll of forbidden spinjitzu must've corrupted him somehow. That's part of the reason. Zane says he's been holding the scepter for many decades, and Lloyd realizes that time must be different here. In actuality, Tommy Andreasen said that Aspheera blasted Zane into a different realm *and* into the past, and that they figured Zane was there for sixty years. So, did the eternal winter also cause everyone to stop aging? That would mean that Akita has the mind of a seventy something woman inside a child or teenager's body. Right, because I didn't feel bad enough for her before. When talking doesn't work, Lloyd tries to get Zane to put down the scroll by force, but that doesn't work either. Vex wants to kill him, but Zane orders that he be locked in the dungeon. Meanwhile, Kai, Cole, Jay, Nya, and Krag reach the Land Bounty. They manage to scare off a pack of wolves, but they could come back at any time, so they better fix the Snow Bounty fast. I gave it a new name, since we're going with environment appropriate ones. Lloyd wakes up in the dungeon and meets the other prisoner… Kataru. He thinks that his sister was frozen with everyone else, but Lloyd tells her that she's alive and free, and how she thought he was dead. The dragon Boreal did take him, but it didn't kill him. It brought him back to the castle as a prize for the Emperor. But… why? I appreciate the willingness to say the word dead, but it'd be nice if they could also say it in situations where the characters ARE actually dead, like Dr. Julien, Cole's mother Lilly, Garmadon for a few seasons, the first spinjitzu master, Morro, etc. Kataru has been here for a long time. He eventually gave up trying to keep track. He thinks that escape is impossible, but Lloyd tells him that there's always a way. Vex shows up and tells them that the shackles he and Kataru are wearing are made of corrupted ice. They can prevent a Formling from changing shape, and they can also contain Lloyd's powers. He still has hope though. Akita is still out there, and so are his friends, and if there's one thing he knows, it's that ninja never quit. The wolves come back; Cole, Jay, and Krag fight them off, and Nya finally gets the Snow Bounty to start. Akita sneaks into the castle. Grimfax frees Lloyd and Kataru. Cool season 9 callback, even if it feels way more random here. At least season 9 *had* an actual resistance. This is literally three people who have only just met. Even if Lloyd is counting Akita and his other friends, plus Krag, my point still stands, because that's still less than a dozen people who have never even met before.