The Way Back

Overview

Transcript

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“According to Nadakhan. But he never held the real power. We did. All his wishes, he could never make them on his own. He needed us to make them come true. Just like when I wished to be rich, he tried to convince me my dad died. But that wasn't my real dad. My real dad lives with my mom, happy in the junkyard. And how did he manage to capture the greatest ninja this world has ever seen?”

— Jay's speech about how he and his fellow Ninja held the real power of the wishes.

The Way Back
Information
Air date	February 1, 2016 (Asia) July 15, 2016 (US)
Written by	Dan and Kevin Hageman
Directed by	Peter Hausner
Episode guide
Previous	"Operation Land Ho!"
Next	"Day of the Departed"

Chronological order
Previous	"Operation Land Ho!"
Next	Legend of the Brown Ninja

The Way Back is the tenth and final episode of the sixth season of Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu and the 64th episode overall. It aired on February 1, 2016, in Asia, and on July 15, 2016, in the United States on Cartoon Network.

Synopsis

When Nadakhan acquires infinite wishes, Jay only has one.

The Ninja are too late to stop Nadakhan and Nya's wedding ceremony and Nadakhan now has infinite wishes. The Ninja are helped by two unlikely allies and they must shoot the poison dart at Nadakhan so that Jay can make his final wish to stop Nadakhan.^{[citation needed]}

Plot

As Nya prepares for the wedding, the ninja thank Jay's team for their heroics. The ninja plan to raid the Temple of Airjitzu since they don't have the Tiger Widow's venom. Lloyd points out that Nadakhan's power will diminish once he's defeated, which Wu realizes will cause Djinjago's fall and Ninjago's destruction. The ninja set off to confront Nadakhan, while Wu and the rest of Jay’s team return to the city to prepare for the worst.

Arriving at the temple, the ninja are ambushed by several Sky Pirates, as the wedding ceremony begins. Before Clancee can complete the vows, the ninja burst in and object just in time. Nadakhan forces Clancee to finish the ceremony; thus making him all-powerful. Once the ceremony is complete; he renders Nya unconscious, straps a piece of metal to Jay's mouth to keep him quiet, and clones himself so five of him for each ninja and gets rid of their swords. As the mystical doppelgängers attack, Nadakhan condemns Clancee, Doubloon, and Monkey Wretch to random realms, while Flintlocke and Dogshank make their escape.

The ninja escape the temple and run into Flintlocke and Dogshank, who seek to stop their captain and avenge their comrades. After hijacking Misfortune's Keep, they use several sky mines to destroy the clones, before planning their next course of action. Jay removes the metal from his mouth and retrieves the Tiger Widow's venom. He proposes that the ninja distract Nadakhan long enough for Flintlocke to shoot him with the venom. Flintlocke is unsure of whether he can shoot straight still, but Jay assures him that his concerns were only interpretations of Nadakhan's part. This allows Flintlocke to undo Lloyd's wish and regains his ability to shoot properly.

Nadakhan wishes for Delara to be resurrected, using Nya's slumbering form as an avatar. The two lovers reunite until Nadakhan notices his ship has been commandeered by Jay. The ninja fend off the Sky Pirates before crashing Misfortune's Keep into the temple, destroying both in the process. The ninja then fight Nadakhan and Delara, while Flintlocke takes aim atop a Raid Zeppelin. One by one, Nadakhan turns the ninja into golden statues, until Jay is the only one left. As Nadakhan and Delara gloat over their victory, Flintlocke shoots Nadakhan, poisoning him. As a result, he loses control over Djinjago; it collapses onto the city below, causing untold destruction. Suddenly, Jay realizes some of the venom hit Nya as well, poisoning her. Horrified, Jay cradles Nya as she succumbs to the poison. Nadakhan then tells Jay that if he wishes the Djinn mortal, Nya dies, but if Jay wishes Nya well, there is no stopping Nadakhan. Nya pleads Jay to stop him, but Jay refuses if it means losing her, so she says that she never wanted to be apart of Jay's "boy group" anyways, as Jay pleads for her not to say that. Nya replies saying "Guess it's true" and comments that how love stories usually end with tragedy before dying, which leaves everyone devastated, especially Jay.

As Nadakhan prepares to strike Jay with the Djinn Blade, Jay wishes that Nya had taken his hand and that the Teapot of Tyrahn was never found. Nadakhan, being hit with the venom and with Jay’s wish being pure, has no choice but to grant it, and recent events are undone, and Jay suddenly arrives back on that day on the rooftop. Only he and Nya remember what had happened, and the two graciously take each others' hands through Airjitzu. Though the others are confused and don’t remember what just happened throughout the season, they’re happy that Jay and Nya got back together. Meanwhile, in Stiix, Clouse stumbles across the teapot but this time he is unable to retrieve it due to being spotted and chased off by the citizens. As the teapot is buried under scrap metal and shipped off to be junked, a broadcast screen shows Jay and Nya hugging in their embrace, while a floating temple is seen hovering on the horizon.

Appearances

Characters

Cast

• Clancee - Ian James Corlett
• Clouse - Scott McNeil
• Cole - Kirby Morrow
• Dareth - Alan Marriott
• Delara - Kathleen Barr
• Dogshank - Nicole Oliver
• Echo Zane - Brent Miller
• Jay - Michael Adamthwaite
• Kai - Vincent Tong
• Lloyd Garmadon - Jillian Michaels
• Misako - Kathleen Barr
• Nadakhan - Scott McNeil
• Nya - Kelly Metzger
• Ronin - Brian Dobson
• Skylor - Heather Doerksen
• Soto - Alan Marriott
• Wu - Paul Dobson
• Zane - Brent Miller

Miscellaneous

• Khanjikhan (statue)

Non-speaking

• Doubloon

Events

• Alternate timeline

Items

• Djinn Blade
• Gis
  • Destiny
  • Deepstone (Nya)
  • Wedding (Nya)
• Golden Katanas
• Nadakhan's pocketwatch
• Sky mines

Vehicles

• Misfortune's Keep

Locations

• Ninjago
  • Ninjago City
  • Stiix
• Djinjago
  • Temple of Airjitzu

Species

• Djinns
• Ghosts
• Humans
• Nindroids
• Oni/Dragon hybrids
• Oni/Dragon/Human hybrids
• Serpentine
  • Hypnobrai/Venomari hybrids

Trivia

• The final draft of the script for this episode was written on February 21, 2015.
• When asked about the age gap between Nadakhan and Nya despite them getting married in this episode, Tommy Andreasen said, "We never define the specific ages of the ninja. But this wasn’t exactly a traditional wedding."

  

• When the ninja break down a door by blasting all of their powers at it at the same time, the resulting energy explosion resembles Creation or Golden Power.
• When asked why Nadakhan did not use his infinite wishes to make himself immortal, Tommy Andreasen said, "He was very focused on toying with the Ninja… I think he thought himself invincible."
  • It would also appear that a Djinn King's actions are still restrained by the rules of normal wishing, explaining why Nadakhan did not simply erase the ninja from existence after he gained infinite wishes: this would be causing harm.
  • However, Nadakhan did note that, upon getting his wishes, "I don't have to follow any rules!" Additionally, he was able to resurrect Delara and wish romance for her.
• According to Tommy Andreasen, the ninja died when they were encased in gold. However, they were brought back to life when they were turned back after Nadakhan was hit with the venom.
• The splatter of Tiger Widow venom on Nadakhan and Nya's torsos are the same shape as the ketchup on Jay's shirt in "Misfortune Rising".
• According to Tommy Andreasen, Nadakhan only granted one of Jay's wishes, that being that Clouse never found the teapot, while Nya taking Jay's hand this time around was her own choice.
• The book used by Clancee to officiate the wedding is the same book from the Library of Domu in Public Enemy Number One, however this is likely just a case of asset reusage.

Cultural references

• Nya saying that "the greatest love stories always end in tragedy" before dying to the Tiger Widow venom may be a reference to William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. This is somewhat true, as tragedies usually end in the protagonists dying, as with the case of Romeo and Juliet from said play.
• Jay's final wish was similar to Casey Jones in the 2012 version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles episode "The Weird World of Wyrm", where Casey Jones wished that he and the others hadn't found the hypercube in the first place, forcing Wyrm to undo the events that happened, and the Turtles, April, and Casey only having déjà vu of it.
• Jay's final wish to turn back time, prevent Clouse from finding the Teapot of Tyrahn was similar to Shadow and Sonic heading back to Green Hill in Sonic Prime episode "From the Top", where Shadow carries a weakened and exhausted Sonic to Green Hill before he shatters from existence, undoing the events when the Paradox Prism was shattered, causing a revived Sonic to cling onto Eggman's mech instead of destroying the Paradox Prism, Sonic and Shadow only remember the events.

Continuity

• This is the first season finale episode in which Master Wu does not appear in the closing scene; in the previous six finales, he has appeared alongside the ninja.
  • This is also the final episode where Wu has his "Sensei" title before the characters and creators start referring to him as "Master."
• This is the second season finale in the franchise in which P.I.X.A.L. doesn't appear since her debut, following "The Corridor of Elders."
• Clancee apparently showed a sense of admiration for Jay, particularly his devotion and endurance. He first showed this in "My Dinner With Nadakhan" in which he freely spoke about himself and introduced the rest of the crew. While he also complimented him after the "Scrap-N-Tap" round and brought the eyepatch as a gift of being accepted into the crew, this was a trick.
• Unlike other times which he stuttered in his speech, Clancee did not stutter at all while confronting Nadakhan before being banished, signifying his confidence in finally speaking his mind.
• Nadakhan banishes Clancee, Doubloon, and Monkey Wretch to other realms—although the realms they were sent to are not stated.
  • After Jay's wish they were likely returned to the realms to which they were originally sent.
• Flintlocke and Dogshank defect to the ninja's side, after the Serpentine in season three, Pythor in season four, Ronin in season five, and Soto in the previous episode. However, Flintlocke and Dogshank teaming up with the ninja was soon undone due to Jay's final wish.
• This is the only time Delara "appears" and speaks, though she is in Nya's body.
• Jay wears his eyepatch again while attacking Nadakhan, probably to signify his prompting to make his future happen and not because of an injury. However, since he made his final wish, he has no reason to wear one unless he obtains it in some other way.
  • It's unknown where the eyepatch came from, as he had previously thrown it to sea at the end of "Misfortune Rising".
  • When Jay donned his eyepatch, it appeared over his hair as a separate physical object. By the next shot, it was underneath his hair, now part of his face printing.
• The Temple of Airjitzu is destroyed when Misfortune's Keep flies into it, shattering the ancient building to pieces. Moments later, the airship falls off the edge of the floating landmass and is presumably also destroyed.
  • After Jay's final wish, the temple remains floating, foreshadowing at its use in the following special.
• In "Endings," there is a panning shot of the ninja reacting to Lloyd's apparent death, which is very similar to the shot of the ninja reacting to Nya's death in this episode.
• Before Nya leaves in "The Turn of the Tide," she touches Jay's face the same way she does when she is dying in this episode.
• The music that plays when Jay makes his final wish is from the "What Powered Zane" track from "The Titanium Ninja," and the music that plays when the events of Skybound are being undone and events from past episodes are seen is the same one that plays when Lloyd has memories of him and his father from "The Corridor of Elders."
• This episode marks the second time the ninja have altered Ninjago's timeline, the first time was in "Wrong Place, Wrong Time."
  • This, however, is far more major due to the fact that it removes an entire season from having happened, unlike "Wrong Place, Wrong Time" in which only the Mega Weapon was removed.
  • Even though the ninja altered the timeline, only Jay and Nya remember the events that happened before the alteration, although it's possible Lloyd remembers, too, as he said he had a "strange feeling of déjà vu."
• Because the recent events were undone, P.I.X.A.L would be restored to Zane, Lloyd would be back to normal, every Elemental Master would be removed from the Djinn Blade, Nya would be resurrected, Vengestone would have retained its original effect, and Ninjago is restored back to its original state pre-season.
  • However, the Temple of Airjitzu is still up in the air as an anomaly.
• Nya lifts Jay using her Airjitzu at the end of the episode. This parallels a scene from "Infamous", the first episode of the season, in which Jay helps Nya escape from the police by using his Airjitzu.
• This episode marks the return of Jay and Nya's relationship.
  • Jay's final wish did in fact allow Jay and Nya to end up together, as Jay had hoped early on in the season. However, it was Nya's own choice.
    • They once again broke up in "Inside the Maze," due to Jay's memory loss and corruption to Shatterspin.
• After the events of Skybound had been undone due to Jay's final wish, Cole says of Jay and Nya's new relationship, "I don't know what had gotten between them in the first place." This is ironic considering he himself had originally come between them, albeit unintentionally, in Rebooted due to Perfect Match.

Errors

• At the beginning of the episode, Kai mentions that since the Tiger Widow's venom was taken from Nya in the previous episode it would be up to the ninja to slow Nadakhan down. However, since Kai had been trapped in the Djinn Blade since "Misfortune Rising," Kai should not know that.
  • It is also unknown how Misako knew that Jay still had one wish remaining, as Misako had been trapped in the Teapot of Tyrahn (and later the Djinn Blade) since "Public Enemy Number One", which was before any of the ninja encountered Nadakhan.
  • However, it is probable that the ninja were informed of all events that had transpired in between this episode and "Operation Land Ho!"
• When Wu tells the ninja to stop Nadakhan whilst he and the Ninja Replacements prepare for the worst, Echo Zane can be seen with the ninja. However, in the next shot when Jay yells "NINJA-GOOO!," Echo Zane completely disappears, then reappears right next to the Ninja Replacements.
• Several times throughout the episode there are instances where Jay has the Djinn Blade, only for it to disappear in the next shot.
• Lloyd gains a slight English accent when he says "I think we might want to follow him."
• When Cole says "There's too many!" Jay is seen without the strip of metal over his mouth.
• Nadakhan creates three golden statues of past Djinn Kings. However, when the camera pans out in his next scene when he says "The last djinn king," the statue on the far right disappears, and then reappears in the following scene.
• When the ninja encounter Nadakhan after destroying the Temple of Airjitzu, every time Lloyd blinks, his eyes and eyebrows briefly duplicate above.
• When Nadakhan shoots away from the rubble in the temple, all the ninja, except for Jay, have their hoods on, despite not having them on before.
• Around the time Jay says, "He's hit! We've got him!", his distance from the stone path ahead of him varies between shots.
• When Nadakhan says, "Tiger Widow venom", his mouth doesn't move.
• After Jay rushes over to Nya when she and Nadakhan had been hit with the venom, Nadakhan is farther away than what would have been a realistic crawling distance in that time.

Translations

Language	Name
French	Le Dernier Souhait
Polish	Ostatnie życzenie
Portuguese (BRA)	O Caminho de Volta
Spanish	El regreso