Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu – Season 7: Hands of Time

This is not the movie.

We should probably address that first. While The LEGO Ninjago Movie is playing in theaters right now and does feature the same characters, it is very different from the show. The movie is a reboot of sorts – same characters, but new personalities and plotlines. Season 7 of Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu premiered earlier this year before the movie’s release and has no plot-connection to the movie.

Here’s the official description for the season:

“When Master Wu attempts to settle the score with an old adversary, he quickly realizes time isn’t on his side. That’s because Acronix and his twin, Krux, the two fallen Elemental Masters, can manipulate time to their advantage. Now the despicable Hands of Time are determined to seize control of Ninjago! With Wu suffering from the effects of the Time Punch, the ninja must battle on their own. The stakes are raised when a slithery army of Vermillion warriors join the enemy. Can our heroes prevent these time traitors from collecting all four Time Blades and rewriting Ninjago history?”

(*Spoiler Warning – The rest of this review will contain spoilers for the past six seasons and the TV special, Day of the Departed*)

One of the best parts of Lego Ninjago is the writers’ decision to focus on one main character each season, and Season 7 is no exception. Whereas Season 6 revolved around Jay and the TV special heavily featured Cole, Season 7 is a Kai story. It could be argued that Season 4 was also Kai-centric, but this time around he is sharing the central storyline with his little sister, Nya. Given the supportive role she has always played for her team, it’s nice to see Nya have more involvement in the central storylines this season. As the Elemental Master of Water, she’s come a long way from being the damsel in distress of Season 1. Nya is now unquestionably the equivalent to all her ninja counterparts.

As the season kicks off, the six ninja (Kai, Nya, Jay, Cole, Zane, and Lloyd) are helping the museum curator, Dr. Saunders, repair damage done to the museum in the Day of the Departed storyline. This scene helps give us some context for the season and really helps to explain Cole’s storyline. Kai and Nya may be the central characters, but each other ninja also gets a smaller storyline. Hardly any time seems to have passed, so it makes sense that Cole is still getting readjusted to his living body (he was alive, then became a ghost, then returned to a living state . . . it’s a really long and complicated story, but a good one). This scene also briefly sets up Lloyd’s story for the season. Lloyd is working on his journey to become a Master and someone who can lead his team. For now, Lloyd is in charge when Sensei Wu is not with the group.

So where is Wu? He is skipping the clean up to take care of another problem he hasn’t shared with the ninja. What we aren’t immediately told is that Wu is waiting for an enemy that he and his brother, Garmadon, last faced almost forty years ago. This enemy is one of the two Elemental Masters of Time named Krux and Acronix. When Wu and Garmadon last faced the Time Twins, Krux and Acronix were stripped of their powers. Wu fused those powers in four time blades and attempted to launch them into the future, but Acronix managed to follow the blades. Now, forty years have passed, and Wu is waiting for the return of Acronix. While Wu has been waiting all these years for the return, no time has passed for Acronix.

As predicted, Acronix is teleported to the monastery where Wu is waiting for him. The two battle alone, but Acronix now has two advantages: not only is he now forty years younger than Wu, but he also has the green Time Blade that allows him to speed up time. The ninja, sensing something is wrong, arrive to help, but they’re too late to stop Acronix from hitting Wu with a “Time Punch” that will cause him to rapidly age. Before escaping, Acronix reveals that he knew Kai’s father.

Wu later explains that the parents of Kai and Nya were also his former students. The father, Ray, was the Elemental Master of Fire and the mother, Maya, was the Elemental Master of Water. The couple helped Wu and Garmadon remove the power of time from the Time Twins and build the Time Blades. The green Time Blade speeds up time, the red pauses it, the blue temporarily slows time down, and the copper reverses it. This information about their parents’ past drives Kai and Nya to try to find their parents. This is a season-long quest for them.

In addition to finding their parents, Kai and Nya, along with the rest of the ninja, must find Acronix and stop him from acquiring and uniting all four Time Blades. If he can, he will create something called the Iron Doom – a nearly unstoppable force that can change every moment in time. Acronix is not alone. A former friend reveals himself to be an enemy (one of the best twists of the season!). Acronix also finds allies in the Vermillion, an army of snake warriors. Kai is devastated when his father’s mark is found on the armor of a Vermillion soldier. Have his parents been villains the entire time? Kai makes learning the truth his top priority.

This season also introduces a mystery. Nya previously gave up her identity as the Samurai X to take her place as the Elemental Master of Water, but someone dressed in her armor arrives in a battle just in time to save the life of one of the ninja. Who is wearing the suit? Is this new Samurai X really a friend or covering some darker intentions? We’re given several clues throughout the season.

So, who is the new Samurai X? Can Kai and Nya find their parents? Will the ninja be able to find a way to save Sensei Wu? And where the heck is Krux in all this? You’ll have to watch the season to find the answers.

And you should watch it – it’s a really good season of an already excellent show. Lego Ninjago, at face value, appears to be aimed towards younger audiences with the objective of selling connected LEGO sets, but there is so much more to this show. The characters are likeable, the plotlines are entertaining, and the stories are often challenging.

Yet again, Season 7 is no exception.

This season is the standard length of ten episodes, but they go by quickly. Like previous seasons, this show does not shy away from a powerful and emotional finale. By the last episode, the lives of two loved ones are at stake, characters are scattered throughout time, and history is being rewritten. While the season does wrap up with some closure, two crucial storylines, including the fate of one major character, are left on cliffhanger endings (sorry, no specific spoilers here). I can’t wait for the next season to get some answers.

The only flaws of this season are with Zane and Jay. These are two fan-favorite characters who really could have been given more to do this season; however, time (no pun intended) is limited when you only have ten episodes. Zane and Jay also got plenty of screen time when they were the central characters in Seasons 3 and 6, respectively. Given the humor provided by these two, this serious season could have benefited from just a bit more screen time for the both of them. This is not a huge flaw though. Season 7 is obviously meant to have a more serious tone than Season 6’s pirate storyline.

All in all, Season 7 is another excellent season of Lego Ninjago. They handle time travel well and provide an emotional and thought-provoking story. The cliffhanger certainly leaves you wanting answers and to see the next chapter in the story. Given the creators’ recent announcement that Season 8 will be subtitled Sons of Garmadon, I’m very curious to see where this story goes next.

Additional Information
The quality of each episode looks a bit better than when they originally aired on TV. It’s not a Blu-ray upgrade, but the small details are easier to see. Plus, the lack of commercials is always nice.

This release does not come with any special features or extras.