The third season is upon us. While the show was originally planned to only have two seasons, the overwhelmingly positive response to it caused it to keep going. As the name implies, this season is a soft reboot, as the ninja have retired and lost their powers, meaning that they'll start from zero again.
In the time since the last episode, Ninjago City has been rebuilt into the futuristic New Ninjago City under the guidance of the genius inventor Cyrus Borg. The ninja, who have become teachers in the intervening time, are invited on a tour of Borg Tower, where Zane falls in love with Borg's android assistant, PIXAL.
Soon enough, the ninja discover that the Overlord is still around, having taken the form of a computer virus. To help them, Cyrus Borg gave the ninja new robes and mysterious Technoblades, capable of hacking any technology. As the ninja attempt to leave New Ninjago City as per his advice, they learn that the Overlord wants Lloyd for some mysterious reason. In the end, the ninja smuggle both Lloyd and the Technoblades out of the city, but Wu is captured.
Various Observations:
-We get a new Weekend Whip remix! Not sure how I feel about it, though. I think I prefer the original version.
-You know, this is the only time the elemental kimonos are ever used in the opening. Kind of strange that we still see the techno robes earlier in the intro, though. Bit of a spoiler, innit?
-I like Kai's recap of last season's finale, and everything that happened since. I imagine a couple of years must have passed between the two seasons, right? Ninjago City's transformation into the futuristic New Ninjago City must have taken a while, particularly given that it was completely devastated by the Stone Army.
-I can't really see the ninja as school teachers. They clearly don't even like their job, so I'm not sure why the writers thought it would be in character. It is nice to see Lloyd's former school again, though.
-Zane can be remote controlled? Are we seeing the start of him being written more as a robot that's also a ninja rather than a ninja that happens to be mechanic rather than organic in nature.
-What in the world was Zane teaching the kids? Something about catapults?
-So Wu is the headmaster. But ... why? Since when was it his aspiration to run a school? A tea shop like in season 5 I could see, yes, but a school?
-Zane presses some buttons on his ... arm, not in the panel he has on that very arm, and suddenly is able to control ice? I thought the ninja can't use their powers without the Elemental Blades!
-What? Immediately after Zane cools Jay's pudding, Jay complains they don't have powers! I would expect the show to remain consistent for at least ten seconds!
-The gag about boundaries is fun. Good on you, Nya!
-You know, the scene with the ninja anticipating danger, a menace, or something similar, has been consistently used in the show's advertising on German TV.
-I like that Jay and Nya are both hyped about getting to visit Borg Tower. Makes sense that they'd be the most interested in a reclusive tech genius.
-Why does Zane kick Jay in the behind to shut him up? That feels highly out of character for any of the ninja, but especially the patient and polite Zane!
-Kai has suddenly turned into a boomer, ranting about how people should learn from the past, rather than get excited over "disposable fads" like flying cars. He sure didn't complain when it was a flying ship or a mech suit that can beat down Stone Warriors.
-The students talk like the Ultra Dragon or Ultrasonic Raider are still around, making me wonder why the dragon didn't show up to help later on, given that they are a sentient being.
-So the ninja haven't been to the city since Lloyd fought the Overlord? I guess I can buy it, but it seems a touch strange that they never visited Dareth, went to buy a comic, or helped with the clean up, like after the fight against the Devourer.
-Wu continues to get the most laughs out of me, as his wise words are actually just him being excited about the offer to visit Borg Tower.
-The first look we get of New Ninjago City is really cool. It has a clear cyberpunk theme, and the blues everywhere give it a distinct look.
-The postman has upgraded from his bike. Good for him, I say.
-Cole also still has his earth-based super strength! The consistency here is worse than pudding!
-Borg Tower is such an iconic place, isn't it? I can understand why, it's shape certainly sticks out.
-I like Zane stating he stands for peace and freedom, completely misunderstanding PIXAL's question. That's far more in character than his kick from earlier.
-Aww, Zane is adorable when he's in love.
-Wait, how does the Perfect Match Machine work? Where'd it get the data about Nya's "boy's club" line? Only Kai was around when she said that! Is this evidence of the Overlord tampering with it to create a rift in the team?
-I like that Cyrus Borg acknowledges the irony of someone with his name working in the tech industry.
-You know, I'm sad that Dr. Julien passed away in the time since last season. He felt like a part of the ninja's family.
-Cole still hopes that every surprise wil lturn out to be cake, I see.
-I must say, props to Lee Tockar. He really sells Cyrus Borg as a genius trapped in his own tower, terrified of what he brought about but masking it with motivational lines.
-Jay assuming Kai is being rude about Borg's claw-wheelchair is fun. It did kind of sound like it, didn't it?
-Why did Borg only make four Technoblades? Shouldn't he have made one for Lloyd, as well?
-Once PIXAL reveals her true self, her green eyes change to red and she drops a one-liner. Dramatic, isn't she?
-Zane complaining that the Technoblades shouldn't be called blades if they're not sharp is also good. I guess it just took a bit for everyone's characterization to properly settle.
-Why are the ninja pulled out once the window shatters? What's the air pressure outside?
-I love that even the window cleaning bot tries to fight the ninja.
-Man, Borg's desperate sobs as the Overlord operates on him are ... certainly something. I keep being surprised by what Lego allows to be shown here.
-Wait, why do Kai and Zane suspect the Overlord to be behind what's going on? Cyrus Borg only said "he". For all the ninja know, this could be a new villain. Oh, wait, nevermind, Borg did mention that he shouldn't have built on the site of the Overlord's death, so that works as an explanation.
-Now that Zane somehow figured out how to activate his Technoblade, I feel like I should talk about something I've noticed. The Technoblades utilize the wielder's elemental power, right? There are particle effects, and the blade glows in an appropriate color. Therefore, the color of the blade does not work as an indicator of their intended wielder. Instead, I believe the wielders got mixed up, since Borg never gave them to the ninja directly. Just look at the Technoblades for a second.
-Nya just ... kicks PIXAL in the face. Nope, not going to get held hostage again. That's fun.
-Now Kai surprised that the Overlord is back? Wasn't it Jay who doubted it?
-The fact that the techno robes block the facial recognition programms of the Overlord is never brought back, even though it should, logically, render the ninja invisible to the Nindroids.
-I love that Dareth apparently just made his way into Lloyd's room at Wu's school. It's never explained how or why, but it's funny.
-You know, the ninja are causing a lot of explosions in a densely populated city. Like I said back season, this feels a lot less triumphant now that we know Harumi's backstory.
-Wow, Lloyd instantly purges the Overlord from the systems of the attacking bots. I guess it makes sense, even if the Overlord retakes control soon enough.
-Huh, Jay is the one to quell Zane's doubts? Usually he's the pessimist.
-The fake-out of Wu not actually running off to do things by himself, leading to him failing utterly works, because that's what he did in the pilots and season 1, so we, just like the Overlord, believe it's what he did here, as well.
-Another episode in which the ninja have to admit defeat, huh? Sure, they got away with the Technoblades, but Wu was captured, and the Overlord got scans of Zane he now uses to build a nindroid army.
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