Samurai Jack 3.13

XXXIX: Jack and the Labyrinth

Jack enters a pyramid in search of an artifact which will help him return to the past but he is not alone. There is another man in the labyrinth inside the pyramid who seeks the same artifact. The two men eventually meet. They argue. They are attacked by the guardians of the pyramid. They flee together. They escape but the artifact is destroyed.

Samurai Jack 3.11

The Birth of Evil

XXXVII: Part 1

A dark shape is chased through space by three gods (Ra, Rama, Odin). They attack it. It fights back but they strike it down. They seem to have destroyed it but a piece of it survives and makes its way to Earth. It crash lands on Earth in the time of the dinosaurs.

Samurai Jack 3.10

XXXVI: Jack, the Monks, and the Ancient Master's Son

Jack encounters a couple monks who come from the Shaolin Temple. They fight but soon realize that they have received the same training. The monks take Jack to the Sholin Temple which is hidden from Aku. The ancient master, who protects the other monks from Aku, recognizes Jack. He was just a boy when Jack came to the Shaolin Temple to train.

Samurai Jack 3.09

XXXV: Jack and the Haunted House

Jack follows Kumi, a young Japanese girl, to an old house. He has trouble finding her once he gets to the house. The house turns out to be haunted by a demon that has stolen Kumi's family.

Samurai Jack 3.08

XXXIV: Jack and the Swamp Wizard

Jack meets a wizard in a swamp who tells him a story about the titan Cronus. The wizard, who is actually Aku, leads him on a quest to recover the three gems of power that once belonged to Cronus. The gems were hidden on Earth. Each of the gems is protected by a different sort of trap.

Samurai Jack 3.07

XXXIII: Jack and the Annoying Creature

Jack meets a large, blue creature which follows him around.

This episode is a collection of moments involving Jack and the annoying creature. It follows him. He tries to lose it. It destroys a gem that might have helped him return to the past. It saves him from a quartet of robots. The episode ends with Jack and the creature walking off into the sunset together.

Samurai Jack 3.06

XXXII: Jack and the Traveling Creatures

Jack's quest to return to the past and undo the evil that is Aku continues. This one is all about the quest although Aku does not make an appearance. Jack is helped along the way by three creatures who eventually lead him to a passage back in time but it is protected by a guardian who refuses to let Jack use it.

Samurai Jack 3.05

XXXI: Jack and the Scarab

Aku frees an evil trio of beasts, the minions of Set, from an ancient Egyptian prison. In repayment for freeing them he asks them to destroy Jack. Aku knows that Jack is headed their way. He disappears and leaves the minions of Set to their dirty work.

Samurai Jack 3.04

XXX: Jack and the Zombies

Jack wanders into a graveyard and is attacked by an army of zombies. Individually the zombies are easily defeated but there are a ton of them. Aku shows up and steals Jack's magic sword. He chases Jack through the graveyard. Jack manages to hold his own for a while without the sword. Aku changes shapes a number of times. He captures Jack eventually and tries to kill him with his own sword only to discover that the sword may not harm one who is good. Jack grabs the sword and goes on the offensive. Aku runs away in the end after turning into a mouse.

I vaguely remember this episode but I didn't recall how great it was. Not my all time favorite but it has a lot going for it. There isn't a lot of dialogue. The action is beautifully depicted. This is a visual feast.

Samurai Jack 3.03

XXIX: Couple on a Train

Jack is pursued on to a train by Ezerkiel Clench and his wife Josephine. They are bounty hunters looking to strike it rich by turning in Jack. Most of the episode takes place on a train.

I didn't recall much in the way of details about this episode but I do recall Ezekiel and Josephine. I think in my mind I got this episode conflated with 2.11 (Jack Is Naked) which also had a lengthy scene that takes place on a train.

This is what I think of as a lesser episode of this show. The visuals are great but there's a little too much in the way of clunky dialogue for my taste.

Samurai Jack 3.02

XVIII: Jack and the Rave

Jack fights an evil DJ who serves Aku and has hypnotized the children of a small town with his music.

Love this one. Not in my top 5 but lots of fun. I really dig the wordless scenes both at and away from the rave. I adore Jack's disguise that he uses to to get into the rave, especially the pacifier. I like the dancing, especially when all the teens imitate Jack's dance moves.

One thing that struck me as weird is that there is only one adult in this story, other than Jack and the DJ. Where are the rest of the parents? If all the kids are from this town how come only one parent is shown?

Samurai Jack 3.01

XXVII: Chicken Jack

Jack angers a wizard when he accidentally bumped into him. The wizard turns Jack into a chicken. Chicken Jack is captured by a man who forces him to fight in an arena against other critters.

It takes Jack a few minutes to figure out what has happened. He tries talking. All that come out are chicken squawks but in his head he heard his own voice. It isn't until he sees his own reflection that he realizes what has become of him.

Unlike many episodes of the show this whole episode is set in a city.

This one reminded me of 2.03 (Jack and Smackback), primarily because Jack is forced to fight for the pleasure of others.

Not perfect but I like it.