The
subject of this review set is yet another one to officially wrap up one of the
main series of this blog. The featured
series is highly unique in the action/adventure category, and now we’ll see how
well everything comes together in the end with:
Xiaolin Showdown (Season 3)
Basic Premise
You
may not hear it discussed as much as other shows, but Xiaolin Showdown to me is very impressive and fascinating in many
ways. Sure, it’s not as deep or
multi-layered as other shows on this blog, but it still leaves very memorable
impressions on those who see it. The premise
itself has a lot of imagination behind it, the chemistry among the distinctive
cast is strong, and it can effectively raise the stakes to dramatic effect at
the right moments. For that, even with
the basic protagonists and obvious morals driving a lot of the episodes, the
experience is ultimately a winner.
On
the subject of rising stakes, the previous two seasons seemed to have made one
thing clear about the series formula. Most episodes may be about a certain Shen
Gong Wu reveal with a kid-friendly moral at the center, but that’s not the case
with how each season begins and ends.
They follow up on big events that happened at the previous season and
really deliver with intense action, drama, and even emotion. This is especially true following the second
season ending with an awesome mission to try and save one of our heroes, and a
major emotional toll when the mission fails.
Along with a few other moments of drama throughout the season, including
the introduction of an actual threatening villain, Chase Young, this one has a
lot to live up to. Some could say that
this rise in seriousness means major tonal whiplash, and that prevents the
series from reaching high standards, but I find it a decent hook. In a few ways, it’s like the nature of the
show is growing up alongside its heroes, somewhat.
However,
does the final season truly deliver? Well the only way to know is to cover the
13 episodes that make up Season 3. So let’s go, Xiaolin Showdown, Gong Yi
Tanpai, and all that sort of thing!
Now on with the reviews:
Finding Omi
Like the previous season, the third season begins with a break from the usual formula, setting out to resolve the unresolved conflict of the prior finale. The world is still in darkness, Chase Young is still in power, and Omi is trapped as a jungle cat as his reluctant servant. That’s all there is to set up the challenges that need to be fixed, and while the execution isn’t as spectacular as how these conflicts began, the execution is still solid.
Despite the dark setup there’s one major humorous quip coming from what Omi’s friends, Raimundo, Kimiko, and Clay, have to put up. Having gone into the Ying Yang World with the Reversing Mirror Shen Gong Wu, their longtime enemy, Jack Spicer, is now apologetically good. Just as his usual self was obsessively evil, he takes to the opposite extreme the same way. His over-the-top performance and contrast with everyone focusing on the major task at hand makes it work.
Speaking of the task, everyone’s told that the only way to save Omi is to challenge Chase Young for ownership. That’s something to look forward to, but they have one other obstacle to face. In the Season 2 finale, there was an invisible creature that followed them out of the Ying Yang World without an explanation of its nature. Here, it’s revealed that it’s called the chi creature and unsurprisingly, its role is to remove chi of anyone it comes across. With Chase’s intervention, the chi creature gets to the gang and removes their chi save for Dojo and good Jack. The victims are reduced to blubbering simpletons saying nothing but phrases of nonsense. The situation seems crippling, but the remaining Xiaolin Warriors don’t stay chi-less for long. The fix comes fairly quickly with Jack willingly going into the Ying Yang World to get their chi and trap the chi creature in it. Aside from making a duplicate of himself with the Ring of the Nine Dragons while the real him goes back to being evil, the chi creature conflict ends as soon as it starts. It makes the storytelling lack ambition for not really showing off the effects of that monster to their full potential. It does its job with showing what becomes of good Jack, but for how fast resolution comes, there’s little impact.
The Xiaolin Warriors are finally able to face Chase and challenge him for Omi’s freedom as planned, and it’s good to know the featured showdown delivers. It’s a soccer game against the Xiaolin Warriors, Omi included, and Chase and his warriors with Dojo as the ball. It’s excitingly staged, has some good laughs, and it’s rewarding to see the heroes win and Omi become free. While that ultimately makes this like a standard showdown resolution, there is one interesting reveal after this. Omi laments not stopping the conflict before it started through revealing the secret to destroy evil, but Chase says that what he saw was a Reversing Mirror trick. If Omi broke his word, good would have been destroyed. This is enough for Omi to believe that there’s good in Chase all along just as Chase believed Omi could go evil despite forcing him into it. The episode also resolves the Wudai Warrior element of the previous season finale with not one, but all the Warriors getting promoted. It’s a fitting outcome, but given the exact words of one Warrior getting the title, I agree with Dojo saying that Master Fung makes things up as he goes.
This season premiere isn’t as ambitious as it
could be, but with good comedy, character moments, and actions, it’s still a
commendable start.
A-
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where the Xiaolin Warriors go on a mission to find the Bird of Paradise, and learn deep lessons about themselves.
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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