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The Last
Temptation of Raimundo
It’s kind of remarkable that Raimundo is a much more
fleshed-out character than he seems.
He’s got a relatable arc of not advancing as fast as his friends, and
several instances have shown him as the Xiaolin Warrior to come up with the
solutions to complicated problems. This
continues here where even though he gets himself into trouble, his actions are
out of genuine nobleness.
There’s a
comet passing over Earth that is said to possess all the Shen Gong Wu. For that, no one is allowed to use them for
three days to prevent something awful from happening. Wuya, who’s well-aware of this occurrence,
plots to get one of the Warriors to give into temptation to use them
anyway. Her way to do this actually
brings a good reason to give into temptation.
With Jack’s help, they set off a volcano near Raimundo’s home town in
Brazil, and Raimundo is the only one aware of this. He’s quick to use some of the Shen Gong Wu to
go there and save everyone which gets him praised as a hero.
When he arrives back at the Temple, the
effects of the comet unfold when one of the Shen Gong Wu, the Golden Tiger
Claws, won’t come off. Not only that, but
they enact on their own and Raimundo can’t seem to stop them. He tries explaining his good reason for using
the Shen Gong Wu, but none of his friends will believe him. They’re under the impression that he’s just
slacking off and being a wise guy which may have been true in the show’s early
days, but they really should see he’s more mature now.
Through watching over him, Raimundo still
gets to more Shen Gong Wu which transforms him into a monstrous muscular
creature where the artifacts control his moves and thoughts. Adding to the threat of this occurrence, Wuya
plans to use this opportunity to take control of Raimundo as soon as the Shen
Gong Wu absorb all his free will. It
makes sense that she’d go through with this as he really does lose the power to
think for himself as more Shen Gong Wu attach to him.
As for his friends not believing the volcano,
they only do so after Dojo looks around Brazil and finds out that Raimundo was
telling the truth all along. It’s nice
that they regret not believing their friend, especially Omi who sets out to act
more trusting for the episode’s remainder, but couldn’t they have done this to
begin with? Anyway, when Wuya finally
does control Raimundo, they’re all quick to challenge her to a Xiaolin Showdown
for his freedom. It’s a creatively
designed one taking place in a small-scale model of several world landmarks,
and Wuya proves to fight very formidably. She easily takes two of the three
wagered Shen Gong Wu and dares to use some that weren’t wagered. Still, our heroes find a way to stand strong,
and it’s nothing short of fun to watch fighting take place amongst famous
landmarks. There’s also an inventive way
to get through to the real Raimundo playing to the Warriors’ team dynamic. Through using the often formed Dragon X Kumei
formation, Raimundo is inclined to involuntarily say the name like he’s
supposed to. From this little instance,
he’s able to win the Showdown for his friends by expanding upon this instance
of free will, rips off the Shen Gong Wu controlling him, and losing Wuya.
So Raimundo’s friends learn to be more
trusting of him just as they should. The
episode really shows how noble he has become at this point in the series
through taking great pains to protect the innocent, and staying true to himself
despite all intensity.
A+
The Ranking
1. Citadel of Doom
2. The Last Temptation of Raimundo
3. The Evil Within
4. Enter the Dragon
5. The Deep Freeze
6. Days Past
7. PandaTown
8. The Emperor Scorpion Strikes Back
9. The Return of PandaBubba
10. The Sands of Time
11. Master Monk Guan
12. Screams of the Siren
13. Crystal Glasses
14. Dreamscape
15. The Shard of Lightning
16. Hear Some Evil, See Some Evil
17. Sizing Up Omi
18. The Black Vipers
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where Jack rules over the Warriors with green monkeys and Chase Young moves forward with his master plan.
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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