The Lion Guard S3 E16

## Plot

I remember seeing the plot synopsis for this episode, and worried that it was going to be a clip show. Don't worry, it's not. The villains attack once again. The Night Pride is exhausted from their patrol, but they keep fighting them. Rani tells Nirmala that Chuluun is in the trees. Kion and the Lion Guard show up to try and help, but Kion's orders conflict with Rani's. She tells him that she's in charge, and he finally asks how they can help. The Lion Guard will take Ora while the Night Pride handles the leopards. Okay, I know Bunga is immune to venom, but I think it'd be better for the six animal group to take on the two leopards while the four animal group takes on the one lizard. Then again, the Night Pride is tired, especially Baliyo, so I wouldn't really recommend that they fight anyone right now. Anyways, they force the bad guys to retreat again. Kion apologizes to Rani for accidentally making things worse. Rani says his team did help, but he has to follow her lead from now on. Bunga says that Kion is great at taking the lead. Rani says he has potential to be a great leader. Fuli tells her that he's already a great leader, but he isn't so sure. He points out that he became the leader of the Lion Guard when he got the Roar, but now he can't control it. Mama Binturong comes back and eavesdrops on them again. She learns that Kion is scared to use the Roar and doesn't want to lead, and Rani has been busy ever since she became queen. The Lion Guard decides to patrol during the day so the Night Pride can get some rest and go back to patrolling only at night. Kion and Nirmala leave to continue his healing. Fuli tells Anga to take the lead on patrol until she gets back, and talks to Rani about Kion. She thinks he's even worse than when he got there. He's totally lost his self-confidence. Rani tells Fuli to trust Nirmala. Fuli leaves, and Rani admits to Surak and Baliyo that she's worried that Fuli is right about Kion. Nirmala brings Kion to Pratibimba, the titular Lake of Reflection. She tells him that his scar might never go away, but it doesn't make him who he is. It's only skin deep. There's much more inside him. He just has to remember that. She heads off to sleep. For Kion to complete his healing, he has to look inside himself. He has to reflect on what he's done and what he has yet to do. How can you reflect on something if you haven't done it yet, or are we using Star Wars logic here? I never understood that until I watched *Star Wars Rebels*. Mama Binturong tells Makucha, Ora, and Chuluun what she learned. They'll attack at sunset when the Lion Guard is tired, and before the Night Pride gets there. While in another bamboo forest, the Guard finds a giant panda named Heng Heng and a troop of four golden bamboo lemurs led by a male one named Kely. They're fighting over who gets to eat their favorite bamboo stand. The Guard decides to take them to Rani to sort it out. But she has to sleep, and you guys know this. Sure, she's not sleeping when you talk to her, but still. Why can't you just resolve this on your own? Ono is with you guys, and he's really smart. Sure, the panda and the lemurs are being super petty, since there's bamboo everywhere, but still. Heng Heng can't come back later, because pandas have very specific times for when they need to eat. Then have the lemurs come back later. Rani sees Kion at the lake. The one note of continuity from episode 14 that I skipped over was Nirmala making tree frogs jump on Kion so he could learn to control his frustration. They were really cute. Kion is worried that if his scar never fully heals, he won't be able to use the Roar, so he might not be able to lead the Lion Guard. Rani asks him if he really needs the Roar. Queen Janna said that the Roar was destined to return to the Tree of Life. Maybe she also meant that it should stay there, even if Kion leaves. The Guard shows up with Heng Heng, Kely, and his troop. Kely and his friends had been there since sunrise. Heng Heng has to eat in the morning, the afternoon, and the middle of the night. Rani tells them to take shifts. She and the Guard leave so Kion can get back to his healing. She tells Fuli that she's worried about Kion too. Maybe this is as healed as he's going to get, like with Ono's eyesight. And if that's the case, then it's time for the Guard to head back home to the Pridelands. Kion doesn't think he can lead them without the Roar though. They all tell Rani that Kion is the best, with or without the Roar. She suggests that they talk to him while she gets some sleep. Fuli tells him that his scar is making him doubt himself, but they don't. He's always been a great leader, even before he had the Roar. Fuli and Anga sing a great song… but it's interrupted by an almost three minute long "flashback" that's not a real flashback to all of them as toddlers or babies. Also, Kion, Bunga, Beshte, and Ono don't join in, even though these six characters have never had a song together. The closest we got was *On The Last Night* for the original five in the season premiere, and *Friends to the End*, which Bunga and Kion didn't participate in, but at least Kion had the excuse of not being there at the time. Even Makini sang in that one! Anyways, the pseudo flashback. All of them look and sound adorable, even the so-called "bad guys". Fuli tells Kion that a hyena is in the Pridelands, and he's trying to steal an egg. There's no time to tell Simba, so Kion, Fuli, Bunga, and Beshte decide to stop the hyena themselves. Unbeknownst to them, a young Anga is watching them. The hyena turns out to be a young Janja. So cute! And then a young Chungu and Cheezi show up. It's too cute! Look at their little baby eyes! Kion, Fuli, Beshte, and Bunga were able to scare away Janja, Chungu, and Cheezi; and get the egg back… which hatched to reveal that inside it was a little baby Ono, who says his first word, "Hapana!" which is Swahili for "Oh no!" which later became his name. Humanity wasn't designed to handle this level of cuteness! Anyways, back to the present. The Roar may have made Kion the leader of the Lion Guard, but it's not what made him a leader. He's always been one. Ullu tells everyone that Makucha, Ora, Chuluun, and Mama Binturong are headed back up the mountain pass. She leaves to warn the Night Pride. Kion takes command of the Guard again. Anga tells him that the bad guys have already cleared the mountain pass. They realize that Mama Binturong's plan is to attack them when they're tired and before the Night Pride gets there. We actually see Ora bite Beshte onscreen on the leg, and it looks and sounds really painful. When Bunga sprays him with pheromones, we even see blood, and unlike in the Outlands volcano, I can tell that it's blood thanks to the natural lighting making it bright red. Too bad Disney edited it out in reruns. Cowards. Surak, Baliyo, and Nirmala arrive. Kion takes charge and gives better orders this time, as Rani watches from outside the Tree. Anga throws Mama Binturong out, and Makucha, Chuluun, and Ora retreat once more. Nirmala looks at Beshte's leg. He'll be fine. The venom is already starting to wear off. Right, hippos have really thick skin. Surak and Baliyo help Beshte up. Rani shows up and tells Kion that Fuli was right. He is a great leader. Bunga asks him if he's ready to use the Roar again, but he's not sure. The next morning, he tells Mufasa that for the first time since he got his scar, he finally feels like himself again. It doesn't make him who he is, and maybe the Roar doesn't either. He mentions what Queen Janna and Rani said about the Roar returning to the Tree of Life, and possibly staying. Mufasa was a great leader, and he didn't have the Roar. Kion thinks he could be a great leader without it too. He's ready to give it back. However, Mufasa reminds him that he never led the Guard, so Kion can't return the Roar to him. It was never his. He tells Kion to go to Cikha Escarpment. He does… and meets a new lion in the clouds: Askari, the leader of the first Lion Guard, and the original owner of the Roar of the Elders. Kion tells him that he's not sure he can control the Roar, so he's come to give it back. He doesn't need it anymore. However, Askari tells him that means he's ready to learn everything the Roar can do. Hell. Yes. And that's where the episode ends.