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The Emperor
Scorpion Strikes Back
There’s a lot riding on this episode to make it one of the
show’s grandest experiences. We got the
return of one of its most creative forces of destruction, the reveal of a
powerful Shen Gong Wu to stop it, and another threat of the end of the
world. For the most part, the episode
lives up to the greatness, but doesn’t feel like more than a standard episode
to teach the Xiaolin Warriors about teamwork.
There’s a planetary alignment that attracts all of the Shen Gong Wu,
although somehow the vehicle Shen Gong Wu and those belonging to Jack get a
free pass. This phenomena is an omen of
the formation of Mala Mala Jong, who as you may remember is a demon warrior
comprised of Shen Gong Wu. This is a
bigger deal than his first appearance because way more Shen Gong Wu have been
revealed in this time and will therefore make him more powerful. In addition, his threat will increase if able
to become a four-person group known as the Fearsome Four and there’s only one
Shen Gong Wu that will make that happen.
Jack’s moments in the episode mostly feature him goofing around with the
duplicating Shen Gong Wu, the Ring of the Nine Dragons. It’s funny to see all the random variations
of Jack at his disposal, but how are they all competent? Isn’t the Ring supposed to divide the user’s
maturity to infantile degrees? Anyway,
their competence and Omi insisting he doesn’t need help lead to Mala Mala
Jong’s new formation, the fight with Jack turning out to be a distraction. Mala Mala Jong later takes the ring and is
instantly the Fearsome Four, apparently a big sign of the end of the
world. Honestly though you’d never guess
the end is near without everyone saying it is.
There is hope to stop the Fearsome Four with the reveal of the Emperor
Scorpion, which can control all Shen Gong Wu.
As interesting as this sounds, its power is a guarantee we won’t see
much of it after this episode given that it’s too much of an easy win for the
users. The Warriors go after the Emperor
Scorpion in the center of the Earth, but their lack of teamwork through each
Warrior going after one Mala Mala Jong is their downfall. Not only do they not beat the Fearsome Four,
but Jack nabs the Emperor Scorpion and controls them all. Once again, this isn’t exactly the best way
to foreshadow the end of the world given how Jack approaches being evil.
One thing I will say is that it is nice that
no one blames anyone for their lack of teamwork. They lament on it together and even bring up
logical points when Omi blames himself for Mala Mala Jong forming in the first
place. They soon realize working
together also involves doing what they do best to contribute to a bigger
situation, and they do so by using their natural elements when necessary. This puts up a strong fight against Mala Mala
Jong, especially when they enter a Xiaolin Showdown for the Emperor
Scorpion. It’s a uniquely staged one
where it’s mostly dark as the Warriors and the Fearsome Four hang from
ropes. Through hiding all beacons shining at
them, giving directions, and finding a way to light things up, this may be the
Warriors’ best use of teamwork to date.
They win the Showdown and become more enlightened as a result, but not
without having some fun by making the Fearsome Four use Jack as a
basketball.
Despite a few contradictions
and the staging not matching descriptions, this is a great episode to give the
Xiaolin Warriors’ dynamic welcome development.
A
The Ranking
1. Citadel of Doom
2. The Evil Within
3. Enter the Dragon
4. The Deep Freeze
5. Days Past
6. PandaTown
7. The Emperor Scorpion Strikes Back
8. The Sands of Time
9. Master Monk Guan
10. Crystal Glasses
11. Dreamscape
12. The Shard of Lightning
13. Hear Some Evil, See Some Evil
14. Sizing Up Omi
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where Clay meets up with his disturbingly jealous younger sister.
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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