Summary
The ending to season 2 is eventful and dramatic but also leaves the door open for the third season.
This recap of Netflix series The New Legends of Monkey season 2, episode 10, “Shadow Boxing” (the ending explained) contains significant spoilers.
Check out the archive for all episode recaps.
The opening of The New Legends of Monkey season 2, episode 10, “Shadow Boxing”
Hagfish gives Shadow Monkey a history lesson but he wants to see the Monkey King as he feels he is his brother. Shadow Monkey is just as dumb as the original Monkey ironically. Hagfish calls his new protege ungrateful and puts the Shadow Scroll near a fire which hurts him as it created him. Hagfish takes Shadow Monkey to a nearby village with humans and he hurts one of the villagers.
Lets find the Scroll of Creation
Sandy reminds the group that even though they have the sacred scrolls, the rebellion has been disbanded. Monkey King is positive about the situation, believing they can find the Scroll of Creation. Tripitaka is mad at the Monkey King but he reminds her who the real Tripitaka is. Suddenly villagers run towards them and they are scared of Monkey King because they believed he has attacked them.
Monkey King versus Shadow Monkey
Both Monkeys fight each other and they are too equally matched. Tripitaka tells Monkey King that this fight is a waste of time and they should move on. Shadow Monkey tells Monkey King that they’d be powerful if they were not led by their leaders — he turns around and tries to attack Hagfish — Monkey King helps him. Episode 10, “Shadow Boxing” sees Hagfish’s mistake of trying to duplicate a God. Shadow Monkey stabs Hagfish in the chest and then asks Monkey King to kill Tripitaka, believing that she leads him but he refuses.
Shadow Monkey returns to the Temple and puts the puppet of Tripitaka in the fire. Episode 10 offers a new problem for the ending of season 2.
Monkey King versus Shadow Monkey…again
Tripitaka tells the Real Tripitaka that he can redeem himself if he takes them to the Scroll of Creation. While out skirting perimeters, Shadow Monkey confronts Monkey King again and states he feels his pain. Shadow Monkey states that Tripitaka is a friend and explains what friendship is. The pair fight again but it seems more playful this time. It’s almost like they are in love with each other which wouldn’t surprise anyone. After the fight, they do their own handshake. Shadow Monkey tells Monkey King that if he quits his mission they can do whatever they want, whenever they wanted — Monkey King states he can’t.
But then the conversation turns weird when Shadow Monkey explains that he will handle Tripitaka which panics Monkey King.
We must kill Shadow Monkey
The New Legends of Monkey season 2, episode 10 shows some genuine character growth for the Monkey King.
Sandy tells the Real Tripitaka that Tripitaka was right about most things; Real Tripitaka apologizes for underestimating her. Monkey King reveals to the group that if they don’t kill Shadow Monkey, there will be no world left to save. This is a conversation clearly hurting him because he finally had a companion that he can relate to.
Confronting Mycelia
Real Tripitaka and the group approach Mycelia — as Scroll Guardian she should hand the scroll over to a worthy one which is Real Tripitaka. Pigsy is sick of playing games and demands she leads them to the Scroll of Creation. She tells them the scroll is in the tree nearby. When the Real Tripitaka goes inside the tree, the branches start wrapping around him and Mycelia hails that the scroll has been hers for 500 years and she isn’t giving it up now. Mycelia’s villagers turn up and a battle ensues.
A significant decision.
During the battle, Shadow Monkey grabs Tripitaka; Monkey King grabs them both but Shadow Monkey teleports all three of them to the Demon temple. Both Monkeys fight but Monkey King has no powers there so he is struggling. Tripitaka tells Monkey King to leave and finish the quest — he has a decision to make. Shadow Monkey hurts the Monkey King and then approaches Tripitaka. Monkey King gets up and says he will join Shadow Monkey because the world has never respected him. He suggests not killing Tripitaka as it will be a punishment for her to see the world die and her quest fail. This was obviously a diversion but the drama of it all is entertaining.
Monkey King and Shadow Monkey hug — Monkey King grabs the Shadow Scroll that created his doppelganger and starts folding it half which hurts him.
The ending of The New Legends of Monkey season 2, episode 10, “Shadow Boxing”
Shadow Monkey teleports back to where the Scroll of Creation is so they cannot save the world. Sandy tells Mycelia that if Shadow Monkey wins there will be no world and it will be her doing if she doesn’t protect it. Monkey King turns up with the Shadow Scroll still folded in half and tells Shadow Monkey to return the shadows. Mycelia tells Monkey King to put the scroll into the sun to destroy it for good.
Tripitaka tells Monkey King to not do this but he states he has to; he flies into the air with the Shadow Scroll and aims for the sun. Emotional music starts as all the characters are devastated as Monkey gets closer to the sun. Shadow Monkey disappears from existence. Tripitaka begs Mycelia for the Scroll of Creation. She hands it over and disappears. Tripitaka wants to use the scroll to bring Monkey back but Real Tripitaka tells her that the world needs her and she should not cheat death. The Real Tripitaka dies. As the episode ends, Monkey King hatches from an egg; he is reborn. In the Demon Temple, Monica rises and chants of “Hakura” are heard. She says, “It’s good to be home”.
The ending to season 2 is eventful and dramatic but also leaves the door open to the third season.
