When Plot Contrivances & Random Power-ups Almost Ruin Your Character

Monkie Kid: The Flaws of "Benched"

Oh, Monkie Kid. Season 3 of this show really gave me a headache. The writing was incoherent, and the “Rule of Cool” became an overbearing plague (throughout the rest of the series, honestly). But one episode in particular really irked me. In this post, I’ll explain how the backwards, confusing writing actually made me appreciate a character I didn’t care much about.

Never thought that I’d be defending Tang of all characters, but I really think this episode does a disservice to his character. The premise of the episode focuses on Tang feeling useless in the group, so he tries to get the fire ring in an effort to prove himself.

My issue? Not only is Tang’s insecurity baseless, but also, he doesn’t actually prove his worth in a satisfying way. If in the past this insecurity had been established or if the show had repeatedly illustrated Tang’s uselessness, then this episode would have a leg to stand on. But this comes out of nowhere and is in fact contradictory to Tang’s past contributions. And the way he obtained the fire ring is so contrived that to give Tang any credit for this accomplishment would be undeserved.

Tang is the knowledge keeper. He knows almost everything about Monkey King, Journey to the West, and any other ancient Chinese mythos. He’s the one MK goes to for information when dealing with these supernatural situations. Dumpling Destruction is one of my favorite episodes of Season 2, and that is a moment where Tang’s knowledge saves the day. Also, can’t forget that he was the one who knew the ingredients’ locations for the spider antidote in ROTSQ¹. So, for Tang to suddenly feel like he doesn’t have a role in the group or that there wasn’t a moment when his friends had to rely on him is odd and takes me out of the episode. And it’s not even like he’s the odd one out when it comes to power. Pigsy doesn’t have any superpowers either, so Tang isn’t even the only “normal” one in the group.

This is kind of like that Mei episode Coming Home where an insecurity of hers is introduced and resolved in 11 minutes and never comes into play again. It seemed to me that the real goal of that episode was to give Mei the Dragon Blade. And now, I’m having Deja Vu because once again an insecurity is brought up and pretty much dealt with by the end simply to give one of the main characters a plot item. So, in the end, Tang gets the magical artifact of the episode, the fire ring...oh and powers too because why not.

This mess of an episode reminds me of Sokka’s Master from Season 3 of ATLA, where Sokka suddenly feels inadequate because he can’t bend, despite never expressing this insecurity beforehand. And even expressed content at being the only normal one in the group for he had other strengths to rely on such as his intellect, intuition, creativity, humor, and warrior spirit. But even though Sokka’s Master had a questionable premise, it at least emphasized what was great about Sokka and what he brought to the group dynamic. Obviously, if you’re going to have an episode about a character questioning their worth, you’re going to want to showcase why that character is important. Unfortunately, Benched does not do the same for Tang. How Tang is able to retrieve the fire ring is one of the most contrived scenes in the show. The writer’s hand was so heavy in that one sequence. Let me break it down:

Tang is in the giant lantern with Macaque. After Tang gives his speech about friendship, Pigsy sings so powerfully that it causes a shockwave within the giant lantern. How does he do this exactly? Not explained, he just does. Then Tang is able to protect himself with a bubble forcefield that manifests out of nowhere. The Gold and Silver Demons are also here and rigged the giant lantern with powerful lights. So, while Macaque is getting electrocuted and tossed all over the place, Tang grabs the fire ring. AND THEN, how does Tang escape? The giant lantern literally flings Tang out of itself and into the safety of his friends. And Macaque is just frying in the giant lantern. Just...wow. So, Tang doesn’t even accomplish the task thanks to his own merit and abilities. Tang doesn’t get away with the ring because he outsmarted Macaque or something. We get random power singing, random forcefields, and instead of escaping on his own, Tang is literally thrown out of a conflict.

You have an episode where a character feels useless and tries to prove themselves by accomplishing a goal. But that actual accomplishment is not thanks to the abilities that the character already possessed and simply utilized, but instead thanks to random power ups and plot conveniences. So, I can’t even praise Tang for getting the fire ring because he didn’t do anything.

Now I thought to myself, how would I rewrite this Tang-centered episode to better reflect his strengths and what he brings to the team? And here is my suggestion:

I would keep the competition element in, even though the Gang could have just grabbed the fire ring and bounced. But then the episode would be over in 5 minutes. However, instead of a talent show, it’s a trivia battle with the questions centered around Sun Wukong and anything JTTW related since the Lantern City revere him. Tang and MK are gonna perform the best since they’re fanboys. Mei, Sandy, and Pigsy don’t do great since they don’t care about that stuff, and Wukong freezes up due to his stage fright. In order to keep Macaque in this episode, you can have him disguise himself and enter the competition. He would do relatively well since he was Wukong’s best friend. Of course, Macaque could also go get the fire ring himself, but let’s say that since he never followed Tang, he never finds it. The competition proceeds with Tang and Macaque neck-in-neck in terms of points and it’s down to the last tie-breaker question. And this question can be something that Macaque doesn’t know because either he was already abandoned or dead. Tang knows the answer, wins the competition, and gets the fire ring. Macaque is obviously not gonna let rules stop him and tries to get the ring. A scuffle can occur here. I mean Wukong, Mei, and MK are there so it won’t be an easy fight for Macaque. Macaque gets incapacitated, which gives the Gang time to run into the train and leave. You can still have the Lady Bone Demon appear and give Macaque the power up to end the episode.

“But what about the Inkypages² scene?” some of you may be asking. It’s gone. Get rid of it. It never should have existed in the first place. In my opinion, it’s a pretty pointless scene. The whole thing of trying to compare Macaque to Tang doesn’t work for me. Tang feels useless because his friends are leaving him out of a band activity? And also because MK doesn’t think he’s cool, which baffles me because I was sure the opposite was true (Dumpling Destruction is right there). And despite always hanging out with these people and even helping them save the day, because he’s the only one not included this ONE TIME, all of a sudden, he feels inadequate? I’d be a little insulted if I was Macaque. He was best friends with Sun Wukong who not only abandoned him but, to his knowledge, killed him as well. Their situations aren’t even on the same wavelength. I’m honestly confused why the writers wanted to compare these two. Tang is constantly surrounded by friends and people who care and include him, and Macaque is all alone and now a slave to Lady Bone Demon. For Tang to think, for even a moment, that his friends don’t care about or need him is unbelievable. If Season 3 illustrated moments where the Gang were repeatedly leaving him out or moments where Tang felt inferior, then this episode would have a foundation. But those scenes don’t exist. If anything, the opposite is true, making the premise of the episode contrived.

The giant lantern scene doesn’t really do Macaque any favors either honestly. You can sum up his lines with “Macaque hates Wukong and thinks he sucks.” But I know he does. I’ve known that since his first appearance in Season 1. And we already know why too. Because Wukong abandoned and killed him (allegedly). We don’t learn anything new here. Instead of Macaque repeatedly telling us about their relationship, it would be nice to actually be shown through a flashback or Wukong himself. Not in this episode of course, but in the future. Also, Macaque is projecting again. While it was understandable in Shadow Play and with MK, Macaque is so off the mark when it comes to Tang that it’s a little ridiculous. And it’s even more ridiculous that Tang even hesitated after Macaque’s words. Tang should be scratching his head after Macaque’s wild assumptions. I know Macaque is good at manipulation, but I feel like Tang would have to be an idiot to believe any word Macaque says here. At least about the part of his friends being happier without him.

But those are my thoughts on Benched. I wish I could say this is an isolated incident. But the issue with Tang’s powers becomes even more egregious in the Season 3 finale. Within a day, Tang is so powerful and adept at using his abilities (without any training) that he’s able to completely negate and reverse Lady Bone Demon’s corrosive magic and save the world³. Doesn’t really matter how well-animated a fight scene is if everything happening is nonsensical. Also, I think “very useful character suddenly feels useless” is one of my least favorite writing tropes.

1. Revenge of the Spider Queen for the uninitiated. Title of the Season 2 Special Premiere

2. Inkypages is the ship name for Macaque x Tang. The fandom is clever in this department. Not gonna lie.

3. Goodness gracious. Sooo many random power-ups were happening in that finale.