The Monkey King Returns

**"The Monkey King Returns"** is the fourth episode of the first season of *The New Legends of Monkey* and the fourth episode overall. This episode aired on 29 January 2018 and became available on Netflix on April 28, 2018.

## Plot synopsis

An eccentric clan of loyal Monkey King zealots guides the group toward a sacred scroll's hiding place, but booby traps and betrayal await them.

## Summary

500 years ago, Monkey hid all seven sacred scrolls on seven different continents, each with a letter that said "Guard with your life."

Present day, Monkey, Tripitaka, Sandy, and Pigsy travel to the Mountain of Fruit and Flowers for the first sacred scroll. Having traveled for days, they take a dip in the lake. All except Tripitaka, who they still believe to be a boy monk. They’re suddenly ambushed by a group of bandits, with the leader, Affe, claiming to be the Monkey King. He claims they protect the King’s relics from demons. Monkey defeats Affe with little difficulty and reveals that he’s ,in fact, the Monkey King. Affe and the Monkey Clan chant his name.

Monkey, Tripitaka, Sandy, and Pigsy feasts with the Affe and Monkey Clan. 500 years ago, they’re forefathers made a promise to protect the sacred scroll. Jiro and Bobbo ask to see his powers, but due to his many years of imprisonment, some of his powers have diminished. Monkey calls upon the Monkey Clan to join him as his army.

Pigsy notices that Bobbo has his eye on Jiro. He advises Bobbo to play his his strengths.

Tripitaka reminds Monkey that they came to the Mountain of Fruits and Flowers to retrieve the sacred scroll, not build an army. However, Monkey isn’t interested in Scholar and Tripitaka’s rebellion. Enraged by his selfishness, Tripitaka chants to inflict pain on Monkey via his crown. Unbeknownst to the two of them, Affe watches from nearby.

For the last 500 years, they’ve kept the scroll safe by cultivating and maintaining a series of traps so that no one could find it on foot. However, since the cloud is not available, Affe asks Jiro and Bobbo to help Monkey, Tripitaka, Sandy, and Pigsy retrieve the scroll as they know how to disable the traps.

Affe, Jiro, and Bobbo lead Monkey, Tripitaka, Sandy, and Pigsy on the path to the sacred scroll. They come across the ancient fire wasps. It’s up to Bobbo to disarm the trap. He disables the first trap but trips the second trap. While the others fend off the wasps, Affe takes Tripitaka to recover the scroll. He offers her a drink from his bottle, which he claims to mix with forest herbs for maximum hydration.

Monkey, Sandy, Pigsy, Jiro, and Bobbo arrive at a shrine, which contains the scroll, but it is guarded by automatic spears that pierce upward from within the ground.

Affe tells Tripitaka how much he enjoyed being a leader and how he’d do anything to keep it. Tripitaka then begins to speak her mind uncontrollably. He reveals that the drink he gave her is a truth serum. He warns Tripitaka that the truth water can also make you feel dizzy. Affe ties her up and asks for the truth. She reveals that she’s not a monk and that her name isn’t Tripitaka. He intends to have Monkey kill Tripitaka in front of everyone, but he first asks Tripitaka to tell him the chant to control Monkey.

Monkey binds his staff to Sandy’s staff and Pigsy’s rake in hopes of using it to retrieve the scroll. However, the pikes suddenly stop moving, allowing them to walk over to the shrine and grab the scroll, only to discover that the case is empty. Affe returns and reveals to Monkey, Tripitaka, Sandy, Pigsy, Jiro, and Bobbo that his family sold the scroll to a demon generations ago. Affe declares himself the one, true Monkey King and orders Monkey to kill Tripitaka. He performs the chant but nothing happens. Sandy explains that the chant will only work for those righteous and pure of heart. As Affe is about to reveal the truth about Tripitaka, he trips and falls onto a spike. Afterward, Jiro and Bobbo lead them on the path out of the Mountains.

Raxion warns Davari that three gods are headed his way. He believes that they can help him translate the scroll. He orders Raxion to find them and take them to the shaman’s breaking ground.

## Cast

### Main

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

### Co-Starring

* Jaya Beach-Roberston as Jiro
* Milo Cawthorne as Affe
* Ryan Cooper as Tribesman
* Daniel Cresswell as Bobbo
* Josh McKenzie as Davari
* Jordan Mooney as Raxion