Long kept secrets come out as the Samadhi Fire is reforged. Something terrible is happening to Mei, and the heroes' team is pushed to the breaking point.
Tropes:
- Breaking the Fellowship: At the end of the episode, Mei flies away and isolates herself in the wilderness to avoid hurting her friends with the Samadhi Fire, which in turn prompts Monkey King leaving to fight Lady Bone Demon by himself out of guilt. MK joins Ne Zha to go after him, while Pigsy, Tang and Sandy split off to search for Mei.
- Call-Back: When Macaque tells MK that they’ll be killed if they stick around any longer during Mei’s Super-Power Meltdown, the latter responds that he will never abandon his best friend when she needs him because that’s what heroes do — words that both reference and oppose Macaque’s cynical breakdown of heroism in Shadow Play.
- Cooldown Hug: MK does this to a Samadhi Fire powered Mei, charging into her flames to embrace and comfort her over having to bear the burden of this power.MK: Mei! You have to stop! I know you’re upset, and that’s okay! I know what it’s like to have a power you don’t know how to control! You feel like the fate of the world is in your hands and you have no idea what to do! But you always have my back, and help me through it! We will figure this out! Together!
- Didn't Think This Through: Monkey King’s “plan” he assured the team of having throughout the season amounts to this - as he didn’t really have one. His intended outcome was to somehow have the Samadhi Fire ritual be preformed on himself once all of the rings were collected — including the unknown fourth one within Mei — and then use the fire to destroy Lady Bone Demon on his own...while having no real idea of how he would be able to achieve any of that, considering the Samadhi Fire is repeatedly stated to be uncontrollable. He also never thought it appropriate to tell the team any of this, including the truth about Mei. In the climax, he outright admits he was really just making things up as he went along.
- Downer Ending: Mei is forcibly forged with the other rings of the Samadhi Fire and turned into a Person of Mass Destruction, running away from MK and the others out of fear of hurting them — and Monkey King, who knew about the fourth ring within Mei and hid it, is crushed with guilt under the realization of how his actions have repeatedly hurt MK and his friends, deciding to leave the former behind once more to try and defeat Lady Bone Demon alone. However, the ending does contain some hope; Ne Zha joins the heroes, he and MK heading off to stop Monkey King while the others stay behind to look for Mei — who is unexpectedly found and offered “fire-training” by Red Son.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Because of Macaque’s cynical opinions on heroism and friendship, he is genuinely stunned when MK expresses that he won’t abandon Mei when she loses control of the Samadhi Fire, even if it means risking his life to save her.
- Meaningful Look: When Macaque suggests leaving while the Samadhi-powered Mei is out of control, MK expresses that she is his best friend and refuses to leave her behind — prompting Monkey King and Macaque to share a silent look before the latter leaves.
- Missing Steps Plan: Played for Drama midway through the episode, as it turns out Monkey King (rather unsurprisingly) only had one real idea about his “plan” to stop Lady Bone Demon — that being to remove the Samadhi Fire from Mei so he could use it himself...maybe. This shoddy attempt at thinking through a situation this serious understandably prompts bafflement and outrage from the others.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Long ago, Monkey King briefly botched the ritual to extract the Samadhi Fire from Red Son and form four Samadhi Rings, and a piece of it fused with Mei's ancestor, making him a sentient forth Ring. This was somehow passed down throughout the Dragon family until it reached Mei.
- Super-Power Meltdown: Mei has a big one of these when forcibly forged with the Samadhi Fire due to being an unknown fourth ring — losing control upon learning that Monkey King knew about this all along and nearly burning her friends alive in blind rage and pain. Luckily, MK is able to stop her; see Cooldown Hug.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Monkey King is on the receiving end of this from multiple sources throughout the episode; from Nezha and MK when he reveals his “plan” to stop Lady Bone Demon with the Samadhi Fire has been entirely thought up on the fly — and from Mei, who absolutely rips into him for lying to the team and putting them all in danger, which has led to her becoming the very unwilling vessel for the power of the Samadhi Fire. What really pisses her off what how Monkey King's actions, and sometimes inaction, often endanger her friends, especially MK.Monkey King: This wasn’t supposed to happen! I thought if I could get the Samadhi Fire out of you — without hurting you, of course — then I could put it inside myself, then...I don’t know, use it to burn out the Lady Bone Demon or something? I was kinda making this up as I went—Nezha: THAT was your plan?!MK: That’s not a good plan!!Monkey King:...Yeah, to be honest, this is the first time I’ve said it out loud, so...Mei: We trusted you! All of us! How could you lead us into this fight without a real plan?! Time and time again, I’ve watched you put MK in danger, leaving him to figure out everything on his own! Don’t you realize you’re hurting the people who care about you the most?!
