Xiaolin Showdown Season 3, 2005-06
ALERT: a bunch of episodes are about to start auto-playing all at once.
I recommend SOUND OFF until you can pause them. Sorry about that.
When you’re working on an animated TV show (or any kind of TV show, for that matter), one of your happiest moments comes with these words: “We’ve been renewed for another season.” An even happier moment is when you hear, “And we’re starting right away.”
Back in the commercial TV network days, production was usually tied to a yearly cycle. You’d start early in the year, work on storyboards throughout the spring and summer, wrap in the fall shortly before episodes started to air, and wait around until the start of the next year to find out if ratings earned you another season. Typically, you couldn’t afford to take all that time off so you’d go find some other job and risk not being available to come back. This happened a LOT, and always meant a bunch of new people would get hired and start from scratch on the following season.
On the other hand, if your show racked up some great ratings and even scored a Daytime Emmy, execs didn’t have to wait to decide. They could issue that renewal right away and the crew could just roll right over into the new season. It was better for the crew (no layoffs), better for production (no training lag) and better for the show, which benefitted hugely from the crew’s experience. That’s how it went for Xiaolin Showdown, and that made it possible for me to present you with a season 3 overview of one of my favorite shows.
Season 2 had 26 episodes, but this time we went back down to 13. This was also an artifact of the pre-streaming era. Three seasons was usually the limit, since the dream goal back then was to put together a syndication package that you could sell for reruns. Cartoon reruns tended to be broadcast daily instead of weekly, so you’d need over 50 episodes to keep viewers satisfied. This season brought the total package up to 52, which was the magic number. Any more than that, and a syndication package might price itself out of the market. Those were the rules. I didn’t make ’em up.
Two directors from season 2 stayed on, Jeff Allen and Stephen Sandoval, and I was good friends with both of them. Supervising Producer Eric Radomski was our over-boss, and he was overjoyed to have a well-oiled team on the field. It turned out to be one of the few times I got a chance to contribute to EVERY EPISODE of a season. My technique and drawing speed allowed me to do an act for every show. (Our next series together would be Shaggy and Scooby Doo Get a Clue, on which I broke even that record. Click here for more.)
Xiaolin season 3 accounted for most of my employment through late 2004 and early 2005, after which I moved on to other shows like Teen Titans, Legion of Super-Heroes, and Spectacular Spider-Man. Of course, I enjoyed working on all of them. But nothing quite matched the spark, enthusiasm, and unbridled fun of Xiaolin Showdown. In many ways, we all made that show our own and those characters became our family. I hope I’m lucky enough to have that experience again. But if I don’t, I have nothing but gratitude for getting to do it even once.
The series won a Daytime Emmy award for sound editing in 2005. It was nominated for three additional Daytime Emmys, one Annie Award, and one Golden Reel Award.
These episodes originally aired on Kids’ WB from September 2005 to May 2006, and were subsequently rerun on Cartoon Network and Boomerang. Season 3 was released on DVD in 2017 and can now be seen on Amazon Prime.
Wikipedia page | Episode list on Wikipedia | Fandom.com page | All episodes at Internet Archive
Season 3 Episodes
1. Finding Omi
Director: Stephen Sandoval
Airdate: September 17, 2005
Chase Young rules the world with Omi at his side. The others try to figure out how to rescue him without surrendering. Chase releases the Chi Creature to drains the chi out of Master Fung and the monks, leaving Jack Spicer and Dojo to get them back. Once rescued, they challenge Chase to a Xiaolin Showdown: a soccer game with no Shen Gong Wu involved.
My portion (Act 3) runs from 14:15 to the end
2. Bird of Paradise
Director: Jeff Allen
Airdate: September 24, 2005
Now that the young monks have achieved status of Wudai Warriors, their challenges have escalated. Master Fung assigns them their first Wudai Quest, to find the Bird of Paradise in Chase Young’s domain, the Land of Nowhere. Using their new Wudai powers, they must overcome obstacles that Chase Young has put in their way.
My portions (Act 2) run from 7:35 to 12:00 and 18:55 to the end
3. The Life and Times of Hannibal Roy Bean
Director: Jeff Allen
Airdate: October 1, 2005
Jack returns to the Yin Yang world where he frees the most evil force of evil–Hannibal Bean…
A new Shen Gong Wu, the Moby Morpher, has been revealed. Kimiko manages to get it, but it is soon stolen by Hannibal Roy Bean, the villain responsible for turning Chase Young evil. Hannibal Bean tricks Omi into freeing him from exile and now plans to unleash a whole new type of evil upon the world.
My portion (Act 1) runs from the start to 7:50
4. Omi Town
Director: Jeff Allen
Airdate: October 8, 2005
In an attempt to find Omi’s family, the warriors travel to a town where everyone looks exactly like him. There, Omi finally finds his ‘parents’ and decides to stay with them on their run-down farm. With him out of the way, Wuya, Hannibal Bean and Jack plot to break into the Temple to steal Shen Gong Wu.
My portion (Act 1) runs from the start to 4:20
5. Treasure of the Blind Swordsman
Director: Stephen Sandoval
Airdate: November 5, 2005
Master Fung sends the Warriors on a quest to find the Treasure of the Blind Swordsman. While on their quest, the Warriors will find their new Wudai Weapons, each chosen for a particular monk. However, Wuya and Jack are hot on their trail, and Hannibal Bean is secretly plotting something of his own.
My portion (Act 1) runs from the start to 6:05
6. Oil in the Family
Director: Jeff Allen
Airdate: November 12, 2005
A new Shen Gong Wu is revealed, the Rio Reverso, a Wu that can revert any object into its original form. Jack goes after it with some help from Wuya and schemes to make an army of dinosaurs from oil. Wuya steals the Rio Reverso and ends up creating an adult T-Rex.
My portion (Act 3) runs from 14:30 to the end
7. The Return of Master Monk Guan
Director: Stephen Sandoval
Airdate: November 19, 2005
With Hannibal Bean creating so much evil in the world, Master Fung sends the Warriors and Dojo to a new temple, which turns out to be run by Master Monk Guan. Due to the rough training and hostility with Guan, Raimundo quits and seemingly joins Hannibal Bean.
My portion (Act 3) runs from 16:45 to the end
8. Dream Stalker
Director: Jeff Allen
Airdate: November 26, 2005
Raimundo is still visiting Master Monk Guan’s Temple, but whenever he falls asleep, Hannibal Bean enters Raimundo’s mind to bring out his worst fear and use it against the monks. While they are busy fighting his fear, Bean puts his plan into motion to slowly break down Raimundo.
My portion (Acts 1 & 2) runs from 4:25 to 13:40
9. Chucky Choo
Director: Stephen Sandoval
Airdate: February 11, 2006
Chucky Choo, Dojo’s old dragon buddy from his youth who has turned into his foe, turns up with his usual con games. After Chucky sells fake Shen Gong Wu to Wuya, Jack, and Cyclops, they hunt him down and the monks get caught up in the chase, but more make Shen Gong Wu only make things harder.
My portions run from the start to 3:50, then from 14:00 to the end
10. Wu Got the Power
Director: Jeff Allen
Airdate: February 18, 2006
Hannibal Bean gets into Omi’s head while he is sleeping and seduces him into taking all the elemental Shen Gong Wu. If Omi can master the power of the elements, he will become the Xiaolin Leader. But Bean has other plans for Omi’s new ability.
My portion (Acts 2 & 3) runs from 7:30 to 15:15
11. Hannibal’s Revenge
Director: Stephen Sandoval
Airdate: February 25, 2006
Evil in the world has grown so widespread, it’s almost impossible to follow. Kimiko uses her ingenuity to connect herself to a satellite so that she can read the world’s thoughts. Meanwhile, Wuya teams up with Hannibal to destroy Chase Young and steal all the Shen Gong Wu.
My portions run from 8:15 to 11:25, then from 15:40 to the end
12. Time After Time, Part 1
Director: Jeff Allen
Airdate: May 6, 2006
Time is drawing near for Master Fung to determine which monk will be the leader, so he assigns each a final quest. Omi decides to go back in time (with Dojo) and stop Chase from joining the dark side. But after a jump forward to the future for information, he finds that things have not gone as planned.
My portion (Acts 2 & 3) runs from 6:30 to 17:15
13. Time After Time, Part 2
Director: Stephen Sandoval
Airdate: May 13, 2006
Omi uses time travel to stop Hannibal before he can turn Chase to evil. But in doing so, he changes the course of history and turns the world upside down. As all the villains gather together for a last Xiaolin versus Heylin Cosmic Clash Showdown, the Xiaolin Dragons charge in, resolute as always.
My portion (Acts 1 & 2) runs from 7:30 to 13:15
Production designs
