Ninjago Review: Season 3

[Master Inika]

“The Surge”

Wow! What a great episode. Honestly one of my biggest criticisms of Ninjago has been that Ninjago City just looks generic and not all that Lego. Metru Nui, locations in the Lego Star Wars episodes, even Makuhero City all make me want to play with Lego and make my own cities, but Ninjago City has always just been… meh. I LOVE New Ninjago City, though. The Blade Runner aesthetic works so well for it and gives Ninjago its own flavor that I find it’s really been lacking.

            I also like how the Overlord has been reworked into a more Makuta-like villain. I found his introduction in Season 2 rushed and unfocused, but here I feel like there is far more narrative consistency in terms of his character and what he can and cannot to. It honestly reminds me of what I liked about Reign of Shadows. You can’t defeat this guy, you can just escape to fight another day.

            The episode does a great job setting up the future episodes. I’m excited to see what comes next. Honestly, my only criticism is that Zane’s father dies off-screen. At first, I was a little confused and thought Cyrus Borg was Zane’s dad. But this is looking to be a very Zane-centric season, so hopefully we’ll explore later on how his passing has affected him.

            The absence of Misako and especially Garmadon is another criticism of mine. Reforming Garmadon has been such a big push so far, the fact he does not appear, nor is even mentioned in the season premier is a glaring omission for me. But Lloyd in general does not appear until the very end, so I will be forgiving for now.

            Zane and PIXAL’s interaction was cute. I felt like there was an opportunity when they are fleeing the city for PIXAL to try to convince Zane she was on their side and give him some conflict, but I am sure her femme fatale moment will come later. Honestly, having entered this season totally blind, I was surprised the conflict started so early. I found PIXAL so wholesome and endearing it was a little rushed how quickly she turned evil. But then again, she is a robot.

            Also… Nya with Cole? Drama! I’m surprised I’m saying this (probably because the scene does not overstay its welcome), but I am curious to see where they will take that plotline.

“The Art of the Silent Fist”

I’m glad Pixal had her femme fatale moment before actually turning good.

            Lol, the cameo from the Magician and Clown from Series 1 of the Collectible Minifigures was unexpected and funny.

            The Nya and Jay moment was tense. Not gonna lie, I’m surprised Nya would talk like that to him. Jay has been nothing but good to her. They’re handling the love triangle well, but I thought it was not properly set up. Much like the overarching plotline. The original Lloyd vs. Overlord battle was a confusing letdown, but I am thankful for the dynamic it set up for this season.

            Coming off of the heels of Bionicle, though, I’m just thankful for romantic content at all.

            OMG. Zane went to save Pixal instead of get the Techno Blade. He really is in love.

            I find it funny that the eponymous Art of the Silent Fist is just dodging. But it is an interesting angle for the reformed Garmadon. The fact that we get a good look at Sensei Garmadon at all is pretty impressive. Most franchises, like Star Wars, end with the Big Bad’s Heel–Face Turn.

            I think with Min-Droid being introduced in episode 2 and the techno-dragon overshadowing the nindroids as meaningful opposition, the nindroids have had the shortest transformation from Serious to Silly.

            Oh, so Zane just got the Techno Blade back offscreen. I thought they were building up to his saving her costing the ninja one of the blades. I guess they’re not going to go that route to keep the Techno Blades from being too much like the Fang Blades, but it still would have been a good plotline. (On the subject of the Techno Blades, the joke about them not actually being sharp was hilarious.)

            Whoa… after Pixal and Zane have their moment, Nya and Cole are the first ones to walk up behind him. That’s some pretty deep foreshadowing. At least, it might be. I don’t know yet.

            The final shot of Lloyd and Garmadon walking along the road is pretty beautiful. The animation definitely has more money behind it this season. I also like the moments with Lloyd and Garmadon together. After two whole seasons of them fighting, it’s cathartic to see a real wholesome dynamic between them. It feels earned and makes me feel rewarded for staying with the show long-term.

            (Kind of funny, but even though he says he dropped the “Lord” he’s still called “Lord Garmadon” in the end credits.)

“Blackout”

This was a good episode. The action and drama were both really great. I was both dreading and looking forward to the love triangle coming to a head. Jay is usually such a positive character, and to be honest Cole has gotten very little characterization since the pilot. Zane and Pixal continue to be cute, wholesome relationship goals.

            It’s funny that Garmadon is good and Wu is evil now.

            Garmadon and Lloyd was actually a very good and philosophical episode. I was not expecting such a meditation on how the people over-relied on technology being like Lloyd relying on his new powers. Not even BIONICLE broached that idea with its golden character, Takanuva. That would have been a fascinating idea, the Avohkii and his light powers as something he used as a crutch. It makes me wish the plotline of the Toa Nuva losing their powers had happened after Takua became Takanuva, somehow.

            The Ravture just doesn’t look like a LEGO animal to me. I find the way they animate non-LEGO animals super weird, especially because I think it could have been a cool small set. I miss the days of the early BIONICLE games, when designers and animators would use LEGO assets to essentially animate their own MOCs. The Ussal, I believe, was animated in MNOG before actually getting an official set form in 10023.

            The fact that the Serpentine’s identity is revealed in the credits as Pythor is kind of disappointing. I was honestly hoping it was Skales.

“The Curse of the Golden Master”

Wow, Skales got married and has a cute son and wife! That’s really wholesome. Skales continues to be my favorite character.

            When the Overlord says “Good,” the subtitles have it as “Lord.”

            I can’t help but notice how clean and tight the animation is. It’s really come a long way since 2011.

            How do I feel about the Serpentine’s reform? It doesn’t make any sense at all in the context of the story until this point, but I like the possibilities it opens up going forward. Skales and the other Serpentine are just so affable that I had trouble taking them as villains for most of Season 1 anyway.

            The idea that Lloyd could grow up to be power-hungry like Lord Garmadon is a poignant one. It’s interesting how, even reformed, Lord Garmadon still influences the show as an antagonist. It could be a good allegory for generational trauma for kids, too. I know as a kid, watching The Empire Strikes Back for the first time, I was bewildered by the idea that Luke could fall to the dark side, but seeing how frustrated he got quickly with Yoda made me realize it was not that ridiculous of an idea. Lloyd has much of the same traits as Luke and Anakin. He has a strong sense of justice, but he can also be impulsive and need excitement. And, like Luke, he sacrifices the greater good to save someone he cares about in the short term. I am excited for how this develops.

“Enter the Digiverse”

The subtitles get it wrong again when recapping the last episode. “Protect the young!” becomes “Protect the gun!”

            You know, you could view this season of Ninjago as just a wholesome, kid-friendly version of Blade Runner with Zane, Pixal, and Cyrus Borg as Deckard, Rachael, and Eldon Tyrell.

            I just realized that, with Pythor, General Cryptor, and corrupted Wu all together, the antagonists have more distinct characters than the Stone Army or the Serpentine did. It’s a shame they’re not playing off each other more, it presents some good comedic potential. As much as I enjoy the post-apocalyptic Ninjago citizens, having seen The Lego Movie Part 2 do it better limits my enjoyment somewhat.

            Lol, the Overlord’s “too big to fail” line was funny and period-appropriate. Surprisingly real for a Ninjago line.

            Overall, this episode feels like a mini-reboot (pun intended) of the story thus far. The new terms like “Digiverse” (which makes me laugh) and “Digital Overlord” are used, in my opinion, without proper introduction. Still, it is a solid episode with good action, pacing, and character moments. It reminds me of TRON: Legacy, which is always a good thing.

            Zane and Pixal continue to be my favorite ship on the show.

“Codename: Arcturus”

This is a really minor nitpick, but “over and out” isn’t actual radio speak. “Over” means you’re expecting to hear something back but “out” means you aren’t expecting to hear anything back, so it doesn’t make any sense to say.

            Oh, geez… are Nya and Cole/Jay just in an open relationship now? I knew they would drop that plotline for a few episodes when the world was at stake, but it just takes me by surprise seeing the three of them watching a movie together. It’s their personal business, I guess.

            Me, moments later: okay, it makes a little more sense. Still, Nya calls it a “double date,” even though that’s not what that means usually.

            That remixed Ninjago beat was sick.

            Calling back to that weird time-travel episode was a risk, but I think it justified itself. Crazy, wacky stuff happens every Ninjago battle. I never thought the Golden Weapons would be relevant again. It would be like the Toa having to go into space to retrieve Lehvak-Kal to stop Makuta from returning.

            Actually… *runs off to start writing fanfiction*

            At first, “Enter the Digiverse” felt too much like a climactic finale. I was concerned the follow-up would feel too tacted-on. I’m pleased to report that the final two episodes are gearing up to really be something, though, plus it was a clever callback to Cole’s earlier “ninjas in space?” comment.

            I occasionally find myself wondering what Dareth or Misako are up to. The show has so many characters, though, that I understand we can’t check back up on everyone. Sometimes I wonder if the show used up its “wacky races” episode too early, because of how many characters there are for them to choose from now.

            When Garmadon became good, I was initially afraid he would essentially just become a second Sensei Wu. I am pleased with the degree of nuanced expressed by the writers, though. Even though he is good, he still has his own personality. He is more austere than Wu, more like a real Zen master would be. I find his and Wu’s interactions, demonstrating their different styles for training students, to be fascinating. It reminds me of the differences between Dume and Vakama.

“The Void”

The opening really shows off the skill of the animators. After a whimsical zero-gravity scene, Zane’s near-miss being lost in the vacuum of space does a really good job keeping the tension up. Even though he’s just a Lego minifig, I feel his fear of the vast emptiness.

            This is kind of hilarious, but the secret code to the extra spacesuits is “1234.”

            The entire ending chase sequence is just perfectly done. It’s engaging, consistent, and, most importantly, makes me want to buy my own LEGO Ninjago Space Rover at Toys R Us for only $29.99.

            The space bugs, too, look like they fit in the world. They do not actually look like Lego, but unlike some other elements of Ninjago fauna, like the falcon, still look like they belong in their world.

            General Cryptor is a character I feel has not been sufficiently explored. Unlike Samukai or even the Serpentine generals, I feel he does not have an identity beyond being just a larger version of the regular Nindroid. Only his appearance at the end of the battle, when he reappears to gloat against the ninja before leaving, gives him a bit of villainous grandiosity. I wish he had more moments of personality like this before.

“The Titanium Ninja”

Even though it’s so late in the season, it’s nice seeing Cryptor finally getting some characterization. For a robot, he sure is good at villainous taunting.

            The ship-building scene, I thought, would be a good look at the LEGO side of LEGO Ninjago, with the Arcturus breaking up into actual LEGO pieces. That didn’t happen, unfortunately. Even at this stage, Ninjago just doesn’t lean into its LEGO-ness as much as it can, even when the narrative hands it the opportunity to.

            I don’t know how funny I was supposed to find Pythor sacrificing himself for the Overlord, but I found it pretty funny. It was also weirdly noble of him. I’ve been waiting for him to double-cross the Overlord for a while. It is especially strange because in this same episode, it was Pythor’s idea to attack the citizens. Having him demonstrate genuine loyalty to the Overlord (and immediately be punished for it) sends a weird message.

            Zane’s sacrifice (and resurrection) were excellent. That entire sequence felt like, for this generation, what Matoro’s sacrifice was for us. But at the same time, I can’t help but feel like it was all too brief, over so quickly it did not have time to resonate emotionally. Matoro died and did not come back to life, not even on the Red Star. I knew Zane would return; however, I thought they would at least wait until the Season 4 premier to bring him back. It feels too much like the show is refusing to let such a gripping emotional moment really stick.

            The episode and season as a whole were very good. I would still say that Season 1 was my favorite, but this is probably an improvement over 2. Between the Digiverse, space, the love triangle, Pixal, plus Zane’s storyline (not to mention Garmadon and all the other characters), this season had a lot to juggle and I felt everything received the time and attention it deserved. (Except Misako. Nya and Pixal are not enough, Misako would have made a good addition to the Wu/Garmadon mentor team.)

            I’ll ask those who have been plugged in to Ninjago, how good is Season 4 and the rest? Should I continue this review series or switch to something else, like LEGO Super Heroes? I’m interested in what you, the readership, have to say. While I did enjoy watching this season, I do not necessarily feel that I must continue watching. Perhaps if I had watched it as a kid on TV every week, it would be different, but bingeing each season quickly does feel chaotic and rushed. I have heard mixed things about the later seasons, so I leave it to you to see where this review series goes next.

[Chronicler06]

Season 3 was one of my favorite seasons of Ninjago, probably thanks to the futuristic themes and the space setting later on. I'm actually quite interested to see what other viewers really think of this show, so I would certainly like to read more of your reviews. I've watched up until the end of Season 10 (haven't had an opportunity for a while to watch any further), so I will say this much: I found Season 4 to be rather interesting, Season 6 was easily my least favorite of the seasons I've watched so far (it ended in a way that made me feel like the whole season didn't matter at all), Season 7 made up for that with such interesting world building, and Season 10 ends in a way that feels to me like a proper finale (unlike how Season 2 was originally intended to be), so that's my suggestion of how much further I'd like to see you keep going with these reviews. (I might get back to you later on the most recent seasons if I ever get around to watching them at some point.)

[Master Inika]

5 hours ago, Chronicler06 said:

Season 3 was one of my favorite seasons of Ninjago, probably thanks to the futuristic themes and the space setting later on. I'm actually quite interested to see what other viewers really think of this show, so I would certainly like to read more of your reviews. I've watched up until the end of Season 10 (haven't had an opportunity for a while to watch any further), so I will say this much: I found Season 4 to be rather interesting, Season 6 was easily my least favorite of the seasons I've watched so far (it ended in a way that made me feel like the whole season didn't matter at all), Season 7 made up for that with such interesting world building, and Season 10 ends in a way that feels to me like a proper finale (unlike how Season 2 was originally intended to be), so that's my suggestion of how much further I'd like to see you keep going with these reviews. (I might get back to you later on the most recent seasons if I ever get around to watching them at some point.)

Thank you for your words. If I can track down the DVDs of the next seasons, I'll keep the series going. I purchased all the Ninjago DVDs I have so far in a bulk lot on eBay.

[Chronicler06]

From a very brief search I just did, the DVD releases apparently stopped after Season 8 (no idea if the "Day of the Departed" special from between Seasons 6 and 7 was ever included among those DVDs). If you need alternative ways to watch the series, I have seen it available on Netflix (can't say for sure if everything is there, as I had watched the series elsewhere before I started regularly using Netflix, so perhaps I'll consider rewatching it there at some point). I know some of the early season episodes have been available on YouTube for a while, but I haven't checked in recent years to see if any later episodes have since gone up as well. I guess what I'm trying to say is that if DVDs don't pan out as an option, there are quite a few other alternatives you can consider using.

[Master Inika]

6 hours ago, Chronicler06 said:

From a very brief search I just did, the DVD releases apparently stopped after Season 8 (no idea if the "Day of the Departed" special from between Seasons 6 and 7 was ever included among those DVDs). If you need alternative ways to watch the series, I have seen it available on Netflix (can't say for sure if everything is there, as I had watched the series elsewhere before I started regularly using Netflix, so perhaps I'll consider rewatching it there at some point). I know some of the early season episodes have been available on YouTube for a while, but I haven't checked in recent years to see if any later episodes have since gone up as well. I guess what I'm trying to say is that if DVDs don't pan out as an option, there are quite a few other alternatives you can consider using.

I guess that's a problem for future Master Inika to deal with. Thanks for the heads-up.