#(and also didn't really enjoy most of the contestants in s4 even though there were some returning people)

[calypsolemon]

ns crystalized thoughts so far, spoilers beyond this point

I felt it was a bit rushed but i mostly really liked the different ways the ninja coped with nya's loss, the way it was different from s4 when they lost zane. I particularly enjoyed that jay was being a bit of a dick about the fact that he copes differently than everyone else and that his assumption that noone cared/ remembered besides him actually ticked kai off. I've been waiting for a kai vs jay fight forever and this one payed off

super loved how nya remembered and kept fighting to get back, also the dragon form is badass even if we aren't going to get it anymore after this

ASPHEERA yall dont understand how abnormal i am about her and how she came back. I love that she and wu had their petty contest moments, i love that lloyd kept his word to her despite it all. Most of all I just appreciate how much time was dedicated to her and the issue of breaking her out, and her characterization is just 👌

the fact that kai and jay were just smiling when they succeeded even as they were being put in jail because who fucking cares? they got nya back. its so :)

that being said, honestly I feel like the season got weaker in this second... fourth? half? whatever. It was a little frustrating to see the ninja, especially lloyd, so insistent that they were better than everyone else at the prison like. with the argument that ppl doing crime chose to be there, as if the ninja didn't just experience being strongarmed into breaking the law in order to save their friends. I dont expect cutting commentary on the prison industrial complex by ninjago or anything but it just kind of felt emotionally disconnected from everything we just experienced. I dont think they had to be nice but I just think lloyd shouldn't be mouthing off about displaying good behavior and crime being a choice when the last 2-3 eps were literally ABOUT that not being the case for the ninja

kai jumping across that gap with his fire powers was sick as hell tho ngl

I'm SO glad dareth and skylor have both returned and both seem to have a somewhat significant role this season. Especially dareth, I'm happy to see him here not just being made a laughing stock of

it was again, kind of rushed, but i appreciate nya Going Thru It, and her return to samurai x. also appreciate that pix was supportive even though she's taken the role at this point, they can share and the true samuraishipping can begin :)

I have mixed feelings on the sally ep and zane's arc. On one hand I like what they were going for, but I feel like some subtlety and interconnectedness with the rest of what was going on was lost. I didn't personally want to see zane having a breakdown or something after turning his emotions back on, but its frustrating that he turned it back on and didn't show any reaction of his grief returning, something like a bittersweet cry of relief would have been nice or something. Also sally was kind of treated a bit like a joke as well which sucked bc i liked her and her story :(.

sorry to fugidove fans, but I hate him. Maybe if he stopped being touchy-feely towards jay even after he set his boundaries multiple times I would have appreciated him more, but as is I was supposed to find that funny or something when it wasn't, and i hated it

oogh tho it picks up again with the mechanic stuff. Very cool to see him fight the ninja, I really liked the creativity of these sequences, and lloyd posing as him was funny as hell

my girl rumi is BACK hee hee hoo hoo, I saw it coming from a mile away but its fine because i like it when she exists and does her thing, and im just glad she didn't die that horrible death in s9 and that was the last we saw of her or anything

thats it, i might have more in-depth thoughts on these things later that i may or may not share, but these are it for now