Citadel of Doon (Xiaolin Showdown Season 2 Episode 2) - 'Toon Reviews 35

If you like this review and want to stay updated for what else I have in store, become a follower of this blog, click here to like the official Facebook page, and click here to follow me on Twitter. Now on with today's review:

Citadel of Doom

Just as we started this season with a bang, this episode is a just as amazing continuation to all its major league intensity.  It’s practically nonstop excitement as our heroes with Jack Spicer in tow continue their mission to stop the now all-powerful Wuya. 

We start with them shaken up even more now that Jack’s time machine has sent Omi to the past with no way of getting back.  Then before they can do anything else, Wuya’s rock minions show up and capture them.  They have an option to swear loyalty to her which Raimundo even vouches for as he further realizes that all his riches mean nothing without his true companions.  Even with things as dire as they are, Jack may bluff under cowardice, but the Warriors refuse to give in thus landing everyone in the dungeon. 

However, it’s at that point where the episode picks up even more when Omi suddenly appears to break them out when they least expect.  You’d think that this is the work of some time traveling Shen Gong Wu he got from the past, but the way he got there is far more inventive than that.  That said, we will eventually get to an episode about a time traveling Shen Gong Wu later this season.  For now, as seen through a flashback, a simple comment from Grand Master Dashi about waiting for solutions to come is revealed to have inspired Omi’s big decision.  Waiting is just what he did, but frozen in a block of ice at the future sight of Wuya’s palace created by his main Shen Gong Wu, the Orb of Tornami.  Considering that this would require waiting 15 whole centuries and the real world repercussions like hypothermia, I applaud the story for being this surprising. 

Now, even though Omi is back and with a secret weapon of a puzzle box to defeat Wuya, the fact that he can’t get it open keeps the stakes risen.  Rather than a typical showdown most episodes pride themselves on for a climax, it’s an all-out siege on Wuya’s palace which she’s beyond prepared for.  Omi and Jack directly face her with the box which Jack, who opened it before, can’t open now, leaving them open for Wuya’s onslaught of attacks.  Kimiko, Clay, and Dojo distract her minions and buy them a lot of time, but then things get intense again when Raimundo deduces exactly what they’re doing. 

At the end of this action, Wuya is all set to flat out have them crushed, and seeing it about to happen is a pretty frightening sight.  Then, all of Raimundo’s attempts to get his friends to join him win out as they lead to a fitting conclusion where he’s the one to open the box and imprison Wuya again.  What’s more, following an awesome and triumphant escape from her palace, Raimundo shows even more growth by realizing how much work he has to do to make up for going bad.  Sealing the deal for maturity is turning down a promotion to Xiaolin Apprentice, his failure of getting the status having turned him bad in the first place, and works for it.  After all this excitement daring to break from the norm, we seem all set to go into a fresh new direction with the series.  This great feeling is somewhat devalued with the last scene of Wuya’s puzzle box being found by Katnappe, but it’s honestly more of an issue in the next episode. 

For now, with all its action, development, and legit threats raising the stakes, this is a very grand conclusion to this season’s premiere arc.

A+

The Ranking

1.      Citadel of Doom

2.      Days Past

 

The next Xiaolin Showdown review highlights the first new Shen Gong Wu of Season 2, The Shard of Lightning.
Next time on MC Toon Reviews is "Beaned" and "Old Iron Man" in Hey Arnold.

If you would like to check out other Xiaolin Showdown reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.