Dragons Rising S3 Ep1 thoughts (literally just one scene)
Given that I'm out of a job this month, I literally have nothing better to do than to awkwardly text my opinions about Ninjago Dragons Rising and to build my Skyblock Island on Skyblock.xyz out.
Beware of a spoiler under the cut.
SO!
Once again the utter difference between the approaches to Spinjitsu that Ras and Lloyd come to very much remind me of the original intention of Light-side versus Dark-side of the Force.
--- [Scene transfer: Master Lloyd exits the corridor, closing the door as he enters the courtyard of the Monastery of Spinjitsu. The camera zooms back. Frak runs past on the active Obstacle Course. The camera focuses briefly on Master Lloyd as he looks on, concerned. The camera swings back to follow Frak, he completes the obstacle course by breaking the obstacles with punches and a roundhouse kick. Cut back to Master Lloyd stepping back out of the way of debris, looking more concerned, additional debris falls onto his head and he grunts. The camera zooms out to reveal Alfonzo Frohicky, broom in hand growing frustrated.] Frohicky: (Frustration evident, increasing in volume) Oh no, no, no, no, no, no - STOP THIS! [Frak freezes in a crouch] Frohicky: [stamping broom once on ground] (Angry) As Assistant Keeper of this Monastery I demand you halt! [Looks despondent] Do you know how hard it is to find a proper obstacle course repair man? [Frak shrinks in on himself, gaze down cast] Frak: Oh... Uh... Sorry Mr Frohicky. [Frak jumps off the destroyed Obstacle Course. Frohicky exits scene sweeping away debris as camera pans up to Frak and Master Lloyd watching.] Frak: [Looking confused] Did I... Do something wrong? Lloyd: [Trying to find a polite way of describing the situation] That was a little... Intense. Frak: [Delighted at what he percieves is praise] Thank you! Yes! I channeled all the strength of my rage and hate! Lloyd: [Very much confused and a little concerned, single brow raised] You hate our obstacle course? Frak: (Backpedalling, worried) No! I meant - I channeled the hate inside me to access my potential. [Slight head tilt] Isn't that how you do it? Lloyd: [Raised brow swapped.] That's never been the way of this Monastery. (Grows concerned) Ras... Taught you that? Frak: [Rubs back of his head] Yeeeah? [Tries to explain self] Those kind of emotions give you stength! I've seen it work. Lloyd: (Still concerned) There's more than one source of strength. And physical strength alone isn't always the best way to fight. ---
As always there's an easy way and a hard way to approach Spinjitsu (the Force). Much like the Force, channeling your rage and hatred is an approach that would work and clearly, it works well - but to the detriment of the person that uses that approach of Spinjitsu.
It's easy to see how someone with little knowledge of a healthy way of approaching the Force/Spinjitsu could fall into a spiral of eventual self destruction.
Arin unfortunately fell into that trap of feeling he made no progress (which to me was understandable, if he spent all that time from childhood to meeting Lloyd practicing and developing his own approach to Spinjitsu - he's got a ton of bad habits to undo that Sora hasn't) and when offered a solution - he (again, it's understandable, he's a teenager and Lloyd with his status of The Universe's Punching BagTM was distracted from explaining why it was taking him so long to progress) took it.
I wonder if when I watch the rest of Season 3 instead of just doing a deep dive into ONE FRAGMENT OF A SCENE we'll see the consequences of the 'Dark Side' approach to Spinjitsu start to take hold in Arin? Clearly we have Frak and Arin set up to be foils - one started Light-side and has now touched the Darkside. The other started with the Darkside teachings but has to unlearn them and relearn the Lightside ones.
I probably am not making any sense whatsoever am I?