Never Trust a Snake

Never Trust a Snake is the fourth episode in the first season of Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu.

Plot
Zane has a dream of the Falcon perched on some power lines, telling Zane to wake up. Zane bumps his head on the bed above him as he awakens, greeting Sensei Wu and Nya who tell him that they are not safe with Lloyd and the Serpentine on the loose. Zane questions where the others are and Sensei Wu informs him that they are training on the upper deck.

When he arrives on the deck, he notices the Falcon and begins talking to it. The Falcon then flies off, and as the shadow of Lord Garmadon approaches, Zane turns around and questions him. Lord Garmadon tells him that he has returned to retrieve the Golden Weapons, pulling out two silver katanas and rushing into battle.

After Zane dodges him, Lord Garmadon demands the Shurikens of Ice, throwing him into a trash heap upon refusal. Lord Garmadon cuts a rope holding a heavy crate, but before it could fall on Zane the Green Ninja appears, lifting the box and throwing it overboard. The Green Ninja immediately engages in a battle against Lord Garmadon, using the Nunchucks of Lightning to defeat him. Zane wonders who the Green Ninja is as the Falcon perches himself atop the mysterious figure's arm, his hand and eyes in flames and the entire deck covered with falcons.

Zane then awakens again, hitting his head like he did in his dream. However, he is unconvinced that he is awake and believes he is still dreaming. Cole decides to hit him over the head with a pillow to convince him, causing the Ninja to laugh.

Out on the upper deck, Sensei Wu commands the Ninja to warm up with stretches while Zane tells the Ninja of his dream. The excitement of the Green Ninja makes the four do poorly in their warm ups, and Sensei Wu punishes them by ordering them to train the rest of the day until they can answer the riddle "What is the best way to defeat an enemy?" They begin training but are quickly distracted again as Zane tells more of his dream.

Meanwhile, Lloyd travels through the snow with the Fangpyre in order to attack the Hypnobrai. Upon seeing Skales, Fangtom happily greets him and the two begin chatting as they had been friends in the past. Lloyd questions why they are not fighting and Fangtom explains that there is no reason to go to war if the Hypnobrai's new General is Skales. Skales then mentions that if he had released any of the other tribes he would have easily gone to war, and as the two Generals discuss what they will do with Lloyd, Lloyd is quick to escape the scene.

At the Destiny's Bounty, Zane finishes telling the others of his dream and the Ninja immediately argue over which of them is the Green Ninja. Sensei Wu interrupts and comments that because they are not training, they must have figured out the answer to the riddle. None of the Ninja can answer the question, so Kai offers "training" as the solution to the riddle. Sensei Wu tells them they are wrong, and reminds the four they must learn to focus and keep their minds sharp before retreating back below deck. The Ninja decide to come together and figure out the correct answer between them.

As Lloyd traverses through the Sea of Sand with the Map of Dens, he stumbles upon the Anacondrai Tomb and quickly rushes over to its doors. He navigates through using a flashlight, spotting the skeletal remains of the Anacondrai tribe before being startled by Pythor. Pythor apologizes for scaring Lloyd, but Lloyd only questions what happened to the rest of his tribe, to which Pythor explains that they starved without food. The two introduce themselves, and after realizing how alone they both are Lloyd propositions Pythor to be his henchman. Upon seeing Lloyd is in possession of the Map of Dens the General agrees and the two start their friendship.

Later, Pythor and Lloyd cause trouble in Jamanakai Village and raid the village's supply of candy, returning to the Anacondrai Tomb once they are done. While the two rest with their spoils, Pythor asks Lloyd why he has no friends. Lloyd at first lies to Pythor saying that he ran away from Darkley's Boarding School for Bad Boys, but reveals moments later that he instead was kicked out of the school for lacking the amoral ambition to be one of tomorrow's masterminds. Pythor then suggests they head to the school the next morning to get revenge on both the students as well as the Ninja.

Back at the Destiny's Bounty, the Ninja confidently tell Sensei Wu that the answer to the riddle is "teamwork," but Sensei Wu is quick to inform them that their answer is incorrect. As they leave the alarm goes off, and upon arriving at the bridge Nya tells them that there is Serpentine activity at Darkley's.

At Darkley's Boarding School for Bad Boys, Lloyd and Pythor tie up the students in their classroom. As Lloyd and Pythor are on lookout in preparation for the Ninja, Pythor announces that all the traps are ready.

While the Ninja contemplate methods of infiltrating the building, they decide to try Jay's idea of the four holding onto the ship's anchor as Nya drops it into the school. They end up on the lowest floor of the building, and upon noticing the tied up students, Cole frees them by cutting the rope with his Scythe. Afterward they spot Lloyd on the roof through the hole they created, each Ninja taking their own route to the top. However, they are all stopped by the traps Pythor had set up, except for Jay who quickly pursues Pythor as he escapes to Lloyd's location. Upon being confronted by Jay, Pythor takes the opportunity to snatch the Map of Dens from Lloyd's pocket and disappear from sight. As the Destiny's Bounty flies down to the roof's level, Jay grabs Lloyd to bring him to the ship while the other Ninja suggest punishments for his behavior.

Later in the night, Sensei Wu puts Lloyd to bed and reads him a bedtime story. As the Ninja complain to Sensei Wu about a lack of punishment for his nephew, Sensei Wu remembers the riddle from earlier and asks them if they had solved it yet, though they still do not know. Sensei Wu then announces that the best way to defeat an enemy is to make them your friend.

Cast

 * Kai - Vincent Tong
 * Jay - Michael Adamthwaite
 * Cole - Kirby Morrow
 * Zane - Brent Miller
 * Sensei Wu - Paul Dobson
 * Nya - Kelly Metzger
 * Lloyd Garmadon - Jillian Michaels
 * Lord Garmadon - Mark Oliver
 * Kruncha - Brian Drummond
 * Skales - Ian James Corlett
 * Fangtom - Mackenzie Gray
 * Pythor - Michael Dobson
 * Falcon - Paul Dobson

Trivia

 * This episode takes its name from a line of a book Sensei Wu reads Lloyd, referring to the several instances Lloyd had been betrayed by the Serpentine. More specifically, it refers to Pythor, who gains Lloyd's trust in order to steal the Map of Dens for his own purposes.
 * This is the first appearance of Pythor P. Chumsworth and Darkley's Boarding School for Bad Boys. It is also the last time Lloyd appears as a villain, pranks in the next episode notwithstanding - the rest of the season focuses on battling the Serpentine, with Pythor becoming the main antagonist.