Puppet Master

**"Puppet Master"** is the fourth episode of the second season of *The New Legends of Monkey* and the fourteenth episode overall. This episode became available on Netflix on 7 August 2020.

## Plot synopsis

On the path to the Scroll of Creation, the demon Hagfish reveals who's pulling all the strings when he traps Tripitaka in his doll collection.

## Summary

General Khan, Dreglon, Mothrax, Gorm, and Cranius gather to discuss Monkey as he journeys to the Valley of Despair. With Khan’s army unprepared, Gorm is ready to kill the Monkey King himself and become the one true demon king.

Monkey, Tripitaka, Sandy, Kaedo, and Pigsy travel through the Valley of Despair in search for the Scroll of Creation. They are unknowingly being tracked by Gorm, Mothrax, and Hagfish. Mothrax releases a gas that makes Monkey overly affectionate. Tripitaka, Sandy, and Pigsy then become affected by the love potion. While they’re distracted with each other, Mothrax retrieves the Scrolls of Immortality and Knowledge. However, when Sandy sprays Tripitaka, Monkey, and Pigsy with water, the potion wears off.

As Mothrax escapes with the sacred scrolls, Hagfish trips her and binds her with rope. Monkey, Tripitaka, Sandy, Kaedo, and Pigsy arrive, and Hagfish pretends to be a helpless victim. He claims that he’s a puppeteer who only desires to create a puppet show about a legendary hero such as Monkey. He then offers to lead them to the road.

Whilst every sleep, Hagfish takes Monkey’s staff from his hair and replaces it with a replica. He then tries to stab Monkey in the neck with a pin but it breaks, so he turns his attention to Tripitaka and stabs her with the pin, transferring her soul into a Tripitaka puppet, thus allowing him to gain control of Tripitaka’s body.

Tripitaka awakens Monkey, Sandy, Pigsy from their sleep to inform them the scrolls are missing. Pigsy suspects it’s Hagfish, but he controls Tripitaka into saying that it was Kaedo who stole the scrolls. They find the scrolls under his pillow and force him to leave. However, Pigsy’s suspicion of Hagfish grows.

Hagfish uses Tripitaka to ask the Scroll of Knowledge how to puppet a god and how to create his own god for evil. She reveals that he would need the Scroll of Creation. They come to a crossroads. Pigsy would like to part ways with Hagfish, but Tripitaka comes to his offense and tells Pigsy to clear obstacles ahead. Monkey and Sandy are unsure of what to do and start to suspect that Pigsy is right and that Tripitaka isn’t herself. They ask Tripitaka about the scrolls, but she hasn’t a clue what they’re referring to as she’s being controlled by Hagfish, who then notices Kaedo watching them and claims that he’s after the scroll.

Pigsy encounters Gorm in the woods. He tries to kill him with his take but fails.

Monkey and Sandy chase after Kaedo, who has circled back and catches Hagfish in the process of killing Tripitaka. He throws a ninja star in Hagfish’s chest and knocks him to the ground. As Kaedo helps Tripitaka up, Hagfish makes her stab him with the Fangkris blade. Kaedo is poisoned and falls unconscious, but not before removing the pin from Tripitaka’s neck, thus giving her full control of herself. Monkey and Sandy return. Gorm arrives soon thereafter with Pigsy, who is barely conscious. Monkey reaches for his staff but Gorm has it. Without his staff, Monkey and Sandy battle against Gorm. Tripitaka notices that Kaedo has disappeared. She then uses Mothrax' love gas, forcing Gorm and Hagfish to flee with the scrolls.

## Cast

### Main

* Chai Hansen as Monkey
* Luciane Buchanan as Tripitaka
* Josh Thomson as Pigsy
* Emilie Cocquerel as Sandy

### Co-Starring

* Fasitua Amosa as Dreglon
* Michelle Ang as General Khan
* Natasha Daniel as Mothrax
* Atticus Iti as Kaedo Zef
* Tawanda Manyimo as Gorm
* Simon Prast as Hagfish
* Joel Tobeck as Cranius

## Notes and Trivia

The episode title, *Puppet Master*, refers to Hagfish.