Can of Worms

Can of Worms is the fifth episode in the first season of LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu. While dealing with the antics of their new ally, Lloyd, the Ninja struggle to stop Pythor from unleashing the remaining Serpentine tribes, which they learn is the first step in a plan to release a far greater monstrosity upon Ninjago.

Plot


Aboard the Destiny's Bounty, Lloyd informs Kai that Cole beat his high score on Fist to Face 2, angering the Red Ninja when he confirms the information. Inside the dining room, Cole prepares Violet Berry Soup, only to find that it tastes horrible; at that moment Lloyd walks by and claims that he saw Jay messing with the soup. On the deck, Jay activates his Sparring Robot for training, but it begins malfunctioning - Lloyd says that he saw Zane tampering with it before leaving Jay to deal with the aggressive robot. Later, Zane walks onto the deck to grab his laundry when Lloyd passes by, mentioning that Kai had washed his ninja suit with Zane's before walking off. Zane then notices that his white ninja suit has now turned pink.

As all four Ninja meet up inside the Bounty to argue, Sensei Wu comes in to reveal that Lloyd was responsible for their troubles, telling them that he had purposely ordered Lloyd to sabotage them to teach them about the destructive power of rumors. When Cole puts the lesson into question, Sensei Wu admits that he had misplaced his lesson book, only to find that Lloyd had stolen it. Through a speaker in the room, Nya alerts the Ninja to come to the bridge. There, she informs the Ninja that Pythor is on his way to the last two Serpentine tombs, and Sensei Wu immediately commands Kai and Jay to head out to the Venomari Tomb, while assigning Cole and Zane the Constrictai Tomb. Lloyd wants to come along, but Wu puts him to work fixing the damage from his pranks.

Cole and Zane travel to the Mountain of a Million Steps on their Tread Assault and Snowmobile, but upon arriving, Cole notes that their vehicles will not be able to traverse the rest of the way. When Zane points out that they are pressed for time, Cole decides to take a shortcut by climbing the rest of the way up, carrying Zane on his back. They then arrive at the top of the mountain and take a rope down the entrance to the Constrictai Tomb.

Inside, Zane begins reading over the ancient markings on the tomb walls, translating them into a story of the five Serpentine tribes uniting and the four Fangblades. As Zane and Cole discuss what it could mean, they are interrupted by the ground under them shifting. Skalidor pops out of the earth behind them, wrapping his tail around Zane. Cole is quick to rush in, using his Scythe to cause an earthquake and forcing Skalidor to retreat underground. Cole orders Zane to escape, but he is hesitant when Cole is dragged under the ground and thrown back to the surface. Cole uses the Sacred Flute in an attempt to fend him off, however, upon playing it Skalidor resurfaces and constricts Cole with his long tail. Zane rushes in to grab the Sacred Flute and begins playing, but Skalidor cuts it short by using his hand to choke him. Zane barely manages to get out enough breath to finish the tune, causing Skalidor to release the both of them as he holds his head in pain. Cole then takes the opportunity to hit Skalidor over the head with his Scythe and knocks him out cold. Zane and Cole decide that Kai and Jay are likely walking into a trap as well, and the two quickly exit the tomb to aid them.

On their Blade Cycle and Storm Fighter, Kai and Jay arrive at the Toxic Bogs. They stop to observe the acid lakes, realizing that they must travel the rest of the way by swinging across the many vines. The two find the Venomari Tomb's entrance, but when Jay opens it they find the tomb is already empty. Kai leaves Jay's side as he investigates the Toxic Bogs more, only to encounter Spitta who was hiding inside an acid lake. Spitta sprays? venom into his eyes, and as Kai begins hallucinating, he calls to Jay for help. The Venomari and Constrictai all come out of the acid lakes, cornering Kai as he starts to see the Serpentine as Gingerbread men and Christmas elves. After Jay finally rushes to Kai's side, Cole and Zane both arrive as backup. However, Pythor jumps out of the empty Venomari Tomb, stealing the Sacred Flute away when Zane attempts to use it against him. As the Serpentine close in on the Ninja, they step back onto a sinking log in the acid lake. Before the log could completely sink and erode, a rope suddenly appears before them and allows the Ninja to climb to safety. A mysterious figure known as Samurai X flies down, sending out a large net toward the Serpentine which forces them to retreat. The figure inside the large mech jumps out, and the Ninja approach the Samurai to show their gratitude. However, the Samurai sprays them with a gas that causes all four Ninja to lose consciousness, to which the Samurai gets back into the Samurai Mech and flies off. Above the unconscious Ninja, the Destiny's Bounty flies overhead, shining a light onto them.

Later on in the night, the Ninja are conscious again inside the dining room of the Destiny's Bounty, each discussing the Samurai. Cole tells the others to concentrate on the Serpentine instead of the Samurai, and while they fearfully speak of the Great Devourer, Zane informs Sensei Wu that Pythor stole the Sacred Flute. Lloyd blames himself for releasing the first three tribes, but Sensei Wu reminds him that they can only change the future, not the past. An alarm goes off and the Ninja run to the bridge, the monitor showing Serpentine activity in Ninjago City.

The Ninja jump off the Destiny's Bounty and Zane and Cole use their vehicles to safely land in Ninjago City, while Kai, who is still experiencing the effects of the Venomari Venom, hitches a ride on Jay's. After looking around, Zane mentions that they are supposed to be standing in the middle of a massive Serpentine gathering, giving them the idea of looking through the manhole in the sidewalk.

Meanwhile, all five tribes gather together, Skales telling Pythor that he will need more than words to persuade them. While Pythor presents to the large group of Serpentine a speech, the Ninja sneak around making bad comments to get them riled up. The Serpentine begin to lose focus on Pythor, and Skales spots the intruders, sending groups of Serpentine after them. Cole, Kai, and Jay are quickly captured, leaving Zane to flee on his own. However, he uses his pink suit to his advantage and camouflages himself by a pink poster, the small group of Constrictai being unable to see him.

The Serpentine continue fighting among themselves as Skales tells Pythor that he has captured three of the Ninja. Zane swings in above the crowd on a rope, knocking Skales and Pythor over to save his teammates. All four Ninja swing above the crowd in order to escape, making a run for it upon landing. The Serpentine follow and Zane freezes over the hallway with his Shurikens, giving the Ninja the opportunity to jump aboard Zane's Snowmobile. The group of Serpentine begin slipping on the ice, allowing the Ninja to escape.

Back at the Destiny's Bounty, Cole begins talking about their day, noting that they had used the destructive power of rumors to their advantage. As they continue the discussion, Lloyd comes into the room with Zane's ninja suit, announcing that the color is returned to normal. As an apology to Cole, Lloyd hands him a can of nuts, but Cole is skeptical about opening it and goes to the fridge instead, where dozens of rubber snakes fly out at him.

Cast

 * Kai - Vincent Tong
 * Mailman - Vincent Tong
 * Jay - Michael Adamthwaite
 * Cole - Kirby Morrow
 * Zane - Brent Miller
 * Sensei Wu - Paul Dobson
 * Lloyd Garmadon - Jillian Michaels
 * Nya - Kelly Metzger
 * Pythor P. Chumsworth - Michael Dobson
 * Skales - Ian James Corlett
 * Acidicus - Paul Dobson
 * Skalidor - Michael Dobson
 * Samurai X - Kelly Metzger
 * Chokun - Michael Dobson
 * Fang-Suei - Michael Adamthwaite

Trivia

 * The name of the episode refers to the consequences of the remaining Serpentine tribes being released (specifically, the potential that the tribes will unite and unleash the Great Devourer), which Cole referred to as a "can of worms I don't want to open". It may also indirectly reference the series of pranks Lloyd pulls on the Ninja (which indirectly helps them against the Serpentine), including a variation on the "can of worms" prank.
 * Nya makes her first appearance as Samurai X.
 * This is the last appearance of the original outfit of the ninja.
 * The fact that Cole and Zane enter the Constrictai Tomb in search of Pythor, only to be attacked by Skalidor instead may be a reference to how Michael Dobson voices both Pythor and Skalidor.

Errors

 * After Zane knocks Pythor and Skales off the subway, the latter is present near the back of the crowd when the Serpentine react to the ambush.