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dragonofdarknesschaos · 5 years

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Omi Analysis Dump

I was talking recently with @rendellstreet about the events of “Juding Omi” and how Omi might have past traumas and triggers based on how the boy reacted to seeing his friends being tickle tortured. I thought Omi assumed his friends and the Ticklebot were laughing at him, this is after Omi teamed up with evil villain Chase to save them all. If Omi being laughed at is a trigger for the boy, then that means he was ruthlessly laughed at and made fun of before the new students joined the Temple. This is why Omi works so hard to be perfect in his martial arts forms, and also why Omi laughs when others don’t master forms on the first try. In Omi’s mind, if he’s not doing his best he has failed everyone. Rendell asked who would be laughing at or making fun of Omi. In XS it’s not really clear, but in XC I would assume other students from before Clay, Kimiko, and Raimundo joined. If there are other students in XC, why not XS? But one thing always bugged me about Omi’s speech right before he joins Chase.

Kimiko, going to hug Omi after his return from the Ying-Yang World: Anyway Omi, it’s sure good to have you back. Omi: But I am not back. I am not coming back. Raimundo: C’mon dude, if this is about before we’re really sorry. Omi, looking into a fire: When I tried to lead, none of you would follow. When I tried to talk, none of you would listen. Only one person stood by me, believed in me, and trusted me. That is where I choose to go.

But is any of that true? At the top of the episode, Master Fung announces that “only One will rise to the rank of Wudai Warrior.” Everyone tries to get Dojo to tell them who will be advancing, but Dojo honestly has no idea. All four Monks misinterpret Dojo’s body language and cues to mean that they are the chosen one. Dojo, realizing that all the Monks misunderstood, refuses to accompany the kids on their next Wu hunt. While battling Jack and his new “army of evil,” Omi announces that he knows Master Fung picked him to advance, and he is oh so sorry that it wasn’t one of his friends. Everyone realizes that Dojo lied to them and go to confront him as soon as they return to the temple, never mind that Jack got the Wu. This is when there’s a sudden attack and Master Fung is kidnapped. The Monks’ focus shifts to rescuing their Master.

The first thing that happens is that Kimiko insists on checking the vault, to ensure that no Wu are missing. Every time Jack has attacked in the past it was to steal Shen Gong Wu. When all Wu are accounted for Omi is the first to blame Jack, despite the lack of evidence. Clay points out that it could not have been Jack; this isn’t the evil boy genius’ MO. Rai asks Omi, who has seen the secret to destroying evil, use his knowledge to help them. Maybe what Omi has learned can help them find Master Fung, Kimiko adds. Omi refuses to share, citing his promise to Chase as a Xiaolin Warrior that he would not share that knowledge. Raimundo questions why Omi should bother keeping his word “to an evil villain” like Chase. Omi, still salty about Rai defecting to Wuya and the Heylin side almost a year ago, says that “I take my word as a Xiaolin Monk very seriously, unlike [Rai]! ... Honor is what separates us from evil.” With a looming stalemate, Clay suggests that they all start putting things to vote. Kimiko adds that Dojo will be the tiebreaker. Dojo doesn’t want the added responsibility. Annoyed, Omi says that he wants no part of this “delicacy” and storms out to spy on Jack.

A good leader listens to their comrades, takes in all that they have to say, and then makes an informed decision that is the best course of action so that the most people are happy and benefit from the decison. A great problem solver offers solutions instead of saying “no” or “I can’t.” Instead of listening to his friends and comrades, Omi jumps to conclusions based on evidence that isn’t there, then shuts down all attempts to change his course of action. In Omi’s mind, Jack Spicer is the only culprit and if his fellow Monks can’t see that, then he’ll just have to go and spy on Jack to get some hard evidence they can act upon. Unfortunately Omi walks in on Jack and company planning to take over the Xiaolin Temple.

After a narrow escape, Omi rushes to warn his friends of the incoming attack, but arrives too late. The temple has been taken over by Jack’s army of evil, and his friends are all strapped into a tickle-torture machine that looks more like a doom’s day device. So what does Omi do? Goes to Chase’s lair to ask for help. Chase makes a final plea for Omi to join the side of evil.

Chase: Remember Omi, there is always a place for you here at my side. Omi: I could never join the dark forces. Chase: Never say never. The world is a complex place. Sometimes our destiny is determined by events that are out of our control.

Through the magic of television both Chase, Omi, and Chase’s army of cats arrive back at the Temple, to the captured Monks crying from laughter. Off screen Raimundo says “I’m tired of laughing” to drive the point home. Presented with Jack’s army of evil, Chase transforms his cat army into warriors and destroys Jack’s team effortlessly. Most of the warriors destroy or defeat their opponents by doing nothing at all or in a single hit. This isn’t even child’s play to them. Chase and Omi preform Tai Chi moves in unison to destroy the remaining Jackbots. Both catch their breath as debris burns around them. Omi approaches the laughing Monks, clearly shook. The Ticklebot turns and laughs at Omi too. Angry, Omi destroys the bot, then frees his relieved friends. While that happens, Chase literally shakes Jack down for the Ying Yo-yo, then presents his find to Omi. Raimundo starts to question the situation.

Raimundo: Hey! Why is [Chase] helping us? Omi: I will explain everything later, but first we must rescue Master Fung. Clay: Whoa, whoa, whoa there partner. We don’t know hooie about this Ying-Yang place. Rai: I vote we talk to Dojo first. Kimiko: I agree. We should think about what we’re getting into. Omi: A true warrior acts first and worries later.

Again, all the Monks are asking Omi what is going on, they want him to talk to them; tell them what is going on. Omi glosses over everything--all that matters to him is rescuing Master Fung. Screw the consequences and fall out, that’s for near-future Omi to deal with! Upon returning from the Ying-Yang World, his good Chi sealed away, Evil!Omi makes his speech.

“When I tried to lead, none of you would follow. When I tried to talk, none of you would listen. Only one person stood by me, believed in me, and trusted me.”

Not once did Omi try to lead effectively. It was always his way or no way at all. Omi never wanted to talk, he did not listen to his so-called friends even once. Though he is unaware of it at the time, Chase “supporting” Omi’s decisions is just Chase going along with his own plan. While Chase believes in Omi, trusting Omi would mean that Chase wouldn’t have had to orchestrate this entire event to get Omi to join the dark forces. Omi acted alone and played right into Chase’s hands. The only person Omi should have trusted was himself. That actually might have been more climactic than whatever the rest of the “___ing Omi” arc was.

But why was Omi, filled with both his Chi, so focused and consumed by saving Master Fung? Not even Dojo--who is notorious for being unable to function correctly if the Master was missing--is terribly distraught. What’s so special about the old man to Omi?

Master Fung and Dojo are Omi’s first and only family before the new students arrived. The two effectively raised Omi since he was a baby; Master Fung is Omi’s entire world for a majority of the young boy’s life. Anyone would act recklessly if they lost their entire world. Especially a child that knew they could save their adoptive parent. If you knew you could save someone who meant the world to you, but friends that you had come to rely on as family said, “no, we need to stop and think about things,” naturally you’d be upset and try to accomplish the task yourself, right?

While that explains Omi’s actions, it also somewhat disproves my suggestion of Omi having “people laughing at him” as a trigger. He destroyed the Ticklebot out of anger, rather than fear. And if being laughed at was so triggering, why laugh at others who are in the same situation he was in that caused the traumatic event? It’s an interesting thought, but not plausible given the evidence.

One last point, if Heylin!Omi made an entire speech that was a lie, and together Omi is brutally honest, if not to a fault, doesn’t that mean that Heylin!Omi can only tell lies to a certain degree? Not even good lies; lies that are blatant as a stain on a white sheet. His defecting speech was actually an apology.

When I tried to lead, none of you would follow. When I tried to talk, none of you would listen. Only one person stood by me, believed in me, and trusted me.

Becomes:

When you tried to lead, I did not follow. When you tried to talk, I did not listen. All of you stood by me, believed in me, and trusted me.

Joining Chase is effectively a self-imposed punishment.

Further on in the next episode, Chase notices that Heylin!Omi only wants to fight all the time; there isn’t very much substance to the young one’s evil chi. Chase agrees to fight Heylin!Omi on the grounds that Omi swear his loyalty to the Heylin Warrior. “I do swear my loyalty to you.” If Heylin!Omi only tells lies, then “I don’t swear my loyalty to you,” is more likely what he did mean. However, the memory is all that’s needed to keep a wholly restored Omi at Chase’s side for the big finale. This opposite talk of sorts would also mean that Heylin!Omi actually got slang right for once. “Bring it off/on--same difference.” And if that ain’t the most opposite thing of Omi, then there must be something wrong with the writers.

TL;DR

Disproved: Omi’s trigger is people laughing at him. This is why he tries hard to be perfect at everything he does.

Omi’s speech before defecting to Chase in “Judging Omi” is a lie. Everything Omi claims the others did is what he himself did in a blind and reckless ploy to save Master Fung.

Master Fung is really, really important to Omi. The old man is Omi’s first and only family... until the others join in.

What if Heylin!Omi can only tell lies as a contrast to Good/Whole Omi only telling (brutal) honest truths? The speech he made before joining Chase is effectively an apology.

#Omi #Xiaolin Showdown #analysis #Judging Omi #_ing Omi arc #Heylin!Omi

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