Ninjago S4 E1

## Plot

Right away, we can see that the animators were told to show off what they could do in the opening scene, even before Wu announces the title, and it looks beautiful. Lloyd is fighting nindroids in what looks like Hiroshi's Labyrinth. There are shout outs to *Indiana Jones*, *Mission Impossible*, and *The Matrix*. He tries to steal some armor, but fails. It's revealed that the whole thing was a simulation at Borg Industries. Borg hid the real golden armor away so no one would ever use it, and he wanted Lloyd to test out the security. The remaining nindroids have been reprogrammed and become his security droids. Wu asked the others to come as well, but they didn't show up. Lloyd claims that they wanted to come, but were too busy. They all know that it's really because of the loss of Zane. Borg hasn't heard from Pixal since the memorial. Wu says that the loss of Zane will either tear the others apart, or bring them closer together. Jay has become a TV show host. Lloyd goes to talk to him. Jay doesn't want to rejoin the team and fight alongside Cole because of his supposed attraction to Nya. Lloyd says that she still talks about him, and says that he'll know where he'll be if he changes his mind. Cole has become a lumberjack. He says that he's tired of fighting, especially with Jay. Lloyd says that he can't hide who he is. Sure enough, he reveals his earth powers to save some workers, which means that he leaves. Lloyd says that he'll know where he'll be if he changes his mind. Kai has become a wrestler. He thinks that Lloyd doesn't need a team and is doing fine on his own. He ran out of enemies to fight, so he came here. He really misses Zane, and thinks that it should've been him. Lloyd says that he always thought he should've been the one, like with the Green Ninja. He asks him to think of someone other than himself. If Kai changes his mind, he knows where to find Lloyd. Some time has passed since Zane's "death". His statue is now covered in moss, bird poop, and graffiti. Dang it Borg, why does this always happen to your statues? In fact, it seems to happen to statues in general in Ninjago. Also, you're rich! You can't pay someone to clean it once in awhile? No one *volunteers* for the honor of cleaning the statue of the person who saved the world? It's like people are starting to forget about Zane, which is heartbreaking, especially later on, because it seems like he's forgotten about them too, even if this is never followed up on. At least the falcon scares the other birds off. I'm just saying, in season 15 and in the sequel/soft reboot series, the ordinary people of Ninjago still honor and remember the ninja and their sacrifices, even years later. Kai meets with the others at Master Chen's Noodle House. Lloyd didn't tell the others that they would all be there. He thinks that they should hire a new ninja. Everyone is against the idea, saying that Zane is irreplaceable. Lloyd cares about Zane too, but they need to focus on keeping their team together. They consider officially disbanding the team. Their conversation is interrupted when some thugs rob the place. Cole and Kai take care of them themselves, since there's only three of them, and admit that they make a good team. They, Jay, and Lloyd chase after them out the back, but they disappear. They find a shrine with four fortune cookies on it and a piece of paper with a drawing of Zane. It says that he's alive. Those thugs really came to deliver a message to them. Inside the cookies are invitations to compete in Master Chen's tournament of elements. It asks that they tell no one and leave their weapons behind. If they want to see Zane again, they have to meet on the pier at midnight. They know it could be a trap, but if there's a chance that Zane is still alive, then it's a risk worth taking. At Garmadon's monastery, Lloyd is packing. He considers taking his weapons, but decides against it. Nya is considering fixing up the Bounty. Garmadon asks Lloyd for help rebuilding it with him, Nya, and Wu. Lloyd claims that he's going fishing with the guys to help their bond, and asks his dad if there are others like them with elemental powers. Garmadon asks why he wants to know, and Lloyd says that it was just on his mind, and he leaves. Garmadon sees a takeout box from Chen's noodle house, and that Lloyd left his fishing pole behind. Realizing that his son lied to him, he follows him. The guys meet on the pier with a bunch of strangers. A ferry arrives to pick them all up. Kai immediately falls for a girl in light orange clothes. They meet Chen's second in command, Clouse, who throws Jay's nunchucks into the water. Garmadon talks to Lloyd before he gets on, saying that Master Chen is a dangerous man. Garmadon knows Chen and Clouse personally. Lloyd goes anyways and tells his dad that it's about Zane; about family. Garmadon knows that he can't stop Lloyd, so he decides to come with him. Clouse claims that there's no more room on the ship. Garmadon gets on anyways and kicks a guy off to show that he's still not to be trifled with. Kai asks Garmadon why he and Wu never told them that there were others like them with powers. There are some things they didn't want them to know. They were led to believe that they were special, but they never questioned where their powers came from. They weren't actually granted to them by the first spinjitzu master. They come from their ancestors, who were his bodyguards. So in other words, their powers are genetic. This doesn't explain Jay, Cole, and especially Zane, but those will apparently be explained in later seasons. This means that Nya could have powers too. The other competitors have managed to unlock their own true potential. There's light, sound, nature, speed, etc. Garmadon doesn't recognize everyone, like the girl Kai likes. Everyone else will be gunning for them, because it's clear that they're ninja who fight with honor, which doesn't mean a lot here. Kai intervenes when he sees the girl being bothered by a guy with huge metal fists. She says that she can take care of herself. His name is Karlof, and he's the master of metal. He and Kai fight. The other guys try to help, but Garmadon tells them that Kai started it, and he can finish it. It's a pretty cool fight. Before Karlof can finish Kai off, Clouse tells them to stop. The girl helps Kai up, and power flows from his hand to hers. They reach Chen's Island. Clouse informs Chen that Garmadon has returned. Chen says that Clouse worries too much and that everything will work out. After all, he holds all the cards. We partially see Zane's new body. He's in a prison cell. It's a long story. He and Pixal were captured by Ronin, a bounty hunter/mercenary we'll be seeing more of in season 5. They were sold to Master Chen, and have been held prisoner ever since. Whatever else they were doing offscreen is a total mystery.