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Katnappe
One of the show’s biggest strengths is its
extensive variety of villains. Eccentric
and whiny Jack Spicer and seriously thinking Wuya are the most prominently seen. However, there are several episodes devoted to other villains of different
interests and personas.
This episode’s
featured villain, introduced at the end of the previous one, is Katnappe. She's the alter ego of a girl Jack knows who’s obsessed with cats, right down to
dressing like one and making incessant cat puns. She also means serious business in fights,
taking out Jack’s robots with her bare claws or her small yet destructive robot
kittens. Now that Jack’s constant
failures to obtain Shen Gong Wu are becoming an issue, Katnappe is the best way
to counteract them.
Speaking of Shen
Gong Wu, although it was revealed and obtained in the last episode, this
episode shows a lot of the Golden Tiger Claws. They’re a glove of claws that rips a hole in
the fabric of the universe that can transport the holder anywhere he or she desires. It’s a cool fictional idea brought to life,
and the scenes of the Xiaolin Warriors trying them out feel believable to how
they’d work in reality.
The appeal of the Golden Tiger Claws crosses paths with Katnappe when
Omi challenges her to a Xiaolin Showdown for the more constantly used Changing Chopsticks. However,
Omi’s desperate desire to use the Golden Tiger Claws in a Showdown is his
downfall. He doesn’t prepare himself for a baddie like Katnappe and loses
them and the Chopsticks to her.
The
episode then goes in an interesting direction. Instead of waiting until the
next Xiaolin Showdown to beat Katnappe, the Warriors try to better understand
her so they can stop her on their own. Doing so comes with enjoyably crafted
escapades. First, they’re put through a
seemingly easy task of stealing a jade elephant from Master Fung for a week
without chores. They lose the challenge when he prevents their chances of
winning by breaking it. That’s victory
enough for him, and the kids pay the price by hand scrubbing the floor (or
skating with scrubbers in Raimundo’s case).
This event plays a role in learning the importance of knowing Katnappe
before catching her. They get their
chance to learn about her through reports of her robbing malls after she quit
working for Jack and Wuya and stole the Golden Tiger Claws. Although she defeats them swiftly, their research
and first encounter give significant information about the shady cat
fanatic. It all leads up to a grand
conclusion where they put her interest in leisurely locations and cats together
and track her down to a cat-themed amusement park. The park itself is mostly used as a
backdrop for the confrontation and doesn’t have its rides and attractions play
an actual role the takedown which is a missed opportunity. Still, it's satisfying enough that everything the
warriors went through pays off. There’s even boldness from Omi who badly
wanted to use the Golden Tiger Claws. He sends them to the center of the
Earth so no one, including villains, will be able to use them. Even if he doesn’t get the chance to use them
(at least not until later in the season), it’s great that he’s mature enough to
do what’s right for all and not just himself.
This episode has a lot to love. There's a new fun and creative
villain, a big look at one of the more interesting Shen Gong Wu, and an
engaging villain defeat strategy whose steps neatly fall into place in
the end. That’s entertainment enough for
me.
A
The Ranking
- Katnappe
- The Journey of a Thousand Miles
- Like a Rock
- Tangled Web
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode that puts Raimundo on the path of great development and introduces a special kind of Xiaolin Showdown, the Shen Yi Bu Dare.
If you would like to check out other Xiaolin Showdown reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.
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