Double Trouble

*“Ninja, today I wish for you to finally meet your match!”*

— Garmadon

**Double Trouble** is the third episode of the second season of *Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu* and the 16th episode overall. It aired on Cartoon Network on August 1, 2012 in the United States.

## Synopsis

*When our heroes are invited back to Darkly's Boarding School, they discover it's a trap set up by Lord Garmadon and his evil replica ninjas created by Garmadon's new Mega-Weapon.*

## Plot

The episode begins with Lloyd honing his elemental powers, by using his Lightning to power a lightbulb. Despite Jay's encouragement, Lloyd loses control of his powers and destroys the lightbulb, much to his anger. Sensei Wu reassures Lloyd that he will become more skilled with time—he spent his childhood hoping to follow in his father's evil footsteps, and it will take time for him to embrace the light. Nya arrives and invites Jay to come to the autobody shop where's she's gotten a part-time job and fixes the Ultra Sonic Raider in her off-time. She also brings a letter for Lloyd from the Darkley's School for Bad Boys. It says that they have now been inspired by Lloyd's change and have become the "Darkley's School for Great Children". They invite Lloyd to receive an honorary award of excellence.

On the *Black Bounty*, Lord Garmadon asks his crew of Serpentine what their next tactic should be to destroy the ninja. After having heard suggestions to recreate the Great Devourer, create more pirates, and create a giant ham sandwich, Garmadon becomes enraged and contemplates a plan. After seeing his reflection in the Mega Weapon, he orders the Serpentine to gather the ninja's clothes and creates the evil ninja.

Meanwhile, the ninja head to Darkley's School For Great Children and are immediately greeted by Brad Tudabone, one of Lloyd's classmates who had previously put fire ants in his bed. The ninja are immediately surprised to see none of the students or teachers in the school, although Brad insists it's Ninja Day and they're all staying hidden in honor of the ninja.

Brad leaves the five in a room to speak to Principal Noble, but it turns out to be another student named Gene. He reveals that they haven't been inspired by Lloyd, but have become worse before dropping sandbags on them. The ninja awaken in a locked room filled with the new teachers, who reveal that once they tried to change the school, the boys trapped them. Furthermore, the award was only a trick to lure Lloyd in so they can make him their leader.

Back in Ninjago City, the clones are searching for the ninja. They arrive at the dojo, but Sensei Wu tricks them into revealing that they aren't truly the ninja. However, he's immobilized by the clones. Before they can begin interrogating him, they hear a call from Nya to Jay asking if he's still coming to the autobody shop.

At Darkley's, the ninja find difficulties getting out of the room. Jay reminds them that he's supposed to meet Nya at the autobody shop, and since he's so punctual, she'll know something's up. This fails, though, when the clone of Jay arrives and tricks Nya into revealing where the ninja are. After the fake Jay kisses Nya to steal the key to the Ultra Sonic Raider, the clones then make off in the vehicle and head to Darkley's.

Zane realizes that since the school was originally made for evil, there must be hidden passages. They manage to find a way out, although they set off many booby traps in the process and find the path they take overrun by spiders. Meanwhile, Lloyd tries to convince the other students he's evil, though they don't fall for it. The evil ninja soon arrive, and the students are shocked, mistaking them for the real ninja. Although they try to fight them off, they're quickly defeated. They then capture Brad and demand to know where the real ninja are.

Lloyd manages to use his inability to control lightning to free himself, but the students arrive soon after telling Lloyd that the ninja have turned evil. The clone ninja hurry to the room the ninja were trapped in, and are furious to see it empty. However, the real ninja arrive and they begin fighting their counterparts.

When Lloyd tells the students they need to help the real ninja, they tie him up again. Gene concludes that if either the real or fake ninja could get a hit on their double, one would disappear and tells them that they should help the evil ninja defeat the real ninja. Lloyd reveals that he's been lying and that he is good, but that Brad is too. He recalls that on his first day, Lloyd didn't know how things worked around Darkley's, and although Brad put fire ants in his bed it was only to show Lloyd how things worked at Darkley's. Lloyd tells the students that each of them have a secret good side to them that stays quiet out of fear of being alone. Realizing this is true, the boys join Lloyd.

To help the ninja, the students sew ninja suits and head out, planning to confuse the Bizzaro ninja during the battle. The plan works, allowing the ninja to land blows on their counterparts. The fake Jay tells the real Jay that getting rid of them won't be that easy, but an enraged Jay manages to defeat the evil Jay once it's revealed he kissed Nya. The teachers enter as soon as the clones are defeated, and tell the boys that although they should be punished, they're going to hold a ceremony in celebration of them becoming good. The ninja head back home in the Ultra Sonic Raider and on the Ultra Dragon after the ceremony. However, Garmadon appears on the screen of the Raider. He tells the ninja he will find new ways to destroy them but is cut off by static.

Zane assumes that the Raider is still damaged, but Lloyd reveals that he's the one doing it. He then uses his power to change the screen to a Tetris-like video game without breaking anything.

## Appearances

### Characters

* Bizarro Cole
* Bizarro Jay
* Bizarro Kai
* Bizarro Zane
* Brad Tudabone
* Cole
* Chokun
* Garmadon
* General
* Gene
* Granny
* Jay
* Kai
* Lasha
* Lloyd Garmadon
* Noble
* Nya
* Mezmo
* Wu
* Zane

### Creatures

* Great Devourer
* Ultra Dragon

### Vehicles

* *Black Bounty*
* Ultra Sonic Raider

### Items

* Mega Weapon
* Tea
* Underworld helmet

### Locations

* Endless Sea
* Ninjago
	+ Ninjago City
		- Grand Sensei Dareth's Mojo Dojo
		- Autobody shop
	+ Darkley's Boarding School for Bad Boys
	+ Sea of Sand

### Species

* Dragons
* Humans
* Nindroids
* Oni/Dragon/Human hybrids
* Serpentine
	+ Constrictai
	+ Fangpyre
	+ Hypnobrai
	+ Venomari
* Spykors

## Trivia

* This episode uses the classic "doppelgänger" plot, where the main villain of the series or episode would create an evil copy or copies of the heroes to defeat them with their skills and power.
* The title serves as a double pun: not only does the ninja have to defeat their doubles, but there are two groups of main antagonists in the episode; the evil ninja and the Darkley's students.

## Cultural references

* The game Lloyd plays at the end may be a reference to *Tetris*.

## Continuity

* This is one of two episodes in which Fangdam has his correctly colored white arms, the other being "Snakebit".
* This marks the first time someone kisses Nya. Jay would later kiss Nya for the first time on-screen in "Island of Darkness."
* The evil ninja's eyes and pale skin are identical to Garmadon when the latter was younger and under the Great Devourer's influence as previously seen in "Battle Between Brothers" and "Tick Tock," most likely because the evil ninja were created by him.
* This is the only episode to feature Nuckal without Kruncha.
* Small Spykors appear in this episode.
* When Bizarro Kai is hit by a smoke bomb, he says "Ow, my eyes, I can't see!" This is similar to when Kai was spit at by the Venomari in "Can of Worms".
* Dodge balls float in a circle around Brad's head when he is hit with one, which is a play on the common animation trope that often involves birds or stars circling around a character's head to indicate a temporary head injury. This technique is also used on Cole with barrels in "The Last Hope" and Lloyd with Golden Dragons in "The Art of the Silent Fist."
* It's likely that after the events of the episode, Nya learned she had been kissed by Jay's clone, as she would have asked Jay why he hadn't called her earlier.
* When Zane mentions the possibility of hidden passages in the school, Kai says to look for a hidden switch. Kai's knowledge of hidden switches is later reflected in "The Mask of Deception" when he over-excitedly searches to no avail for a switch in a bookcase in the Royal Palace.

## Errors

* When the Serpentine watch Garmadon create the evil ninja, Slithraa's markings are gone.
* When Bizarro Cole holds Brad before encountering the ninja, Brad's uniform is blue, but when he's dropped it's black. When he runs off, it becomes blue again.
* When Bizarro Kai picks up Brad to ask him where the ninja are, he wasn't holding on to him.
* To clean up Lloyd's light bulbs, Master Wu used a bucket as a trash can. However, it disappears while he fought the evil ninja.
* When Bizarro Cole says "They're at Darkley's," he seems to say it in Bizarro Kai's voice.
* While the ninja are fighting the dupes in the hallways, their armor disappears and reappears.
* The credits don't list Bizarro Kai, and Bizarro Cole and Bizarro Jay are misspelled with "Bizzaro." "Venomari" (referring to Lasha) is also misspelled "Venomaria."
* Right before Jay defeats Bizzarro Jay, both their eyebrows are not present his reflection of each others armor.