#macaque analysis

Before season 5, I was inclined to believe that Macaque's death followed the orignal canon of JTTW, mainly because we didn't have much hints regarding what happened and we could only rely on the canon.

Much of our informations regarding Macaque's death at the time came from season 3 episode 4 "Winning side".

In this episode, LBD confronts Macaque about his insubordination by reminding him of what she did, thus giving us informations about Macaque's past.

She specifically said :

"I who returned you to the mortal plane."

Clearly alluding that Macaque died.

Later on in the episode, Macaque also tells MK : "I had a taste of dying and you know what? Not a big fan."

So there is no doubts that Macaque indeed died and LBD was the one to bring him back, in exchange he had to free her from the tomb with the skeleton key, but as soon as he was brought back, Macaque threw away the key and betrayed her.

During the little montage of pictures showing us how Macaque died, we sees him fighting Wukong.

So clearly Wukong had a hand in Macaque's death. As such, it was easy to draw parallels with JTTW and assume that Macaque somehow attacked the pilgrims (maybe out of jealousy/resentment/feeling neglect) and that's why Wukong fought against him.

But now I have a different opinion!

I) The timeline of Macaque's death.

Macaque's death obviously happened after the brotherhood's failed attempt at dethroning the Jade Emperor.

Considering we also see him argue with Wukong under the mountain in the season 4 specials, we can speculate that he died after Wukong was freed by Tripitaka.

But did he die during the pilgrimage?

I don't think so anymore.

If we take a closer look to the two images of Wukong fight against Macaque (s3 ep4) we can see that Wukong is wearing his Monkey King armor.

However during his pilgrimage Wukong wasn't dressed like this at all. As we can in the season 4 specials :

Moreover, during the fight Wukong is not wearing his circlet. This is for me the most damning evidence that the fight between the two monkeys happened after the pilgrimage.

Now did Macaque die way after the pilgrimage or a few years after its end, we don't really know.

Considering that LMK doens't necessarily always follow JTTW canon (cue the brotherhood members) it's not that crazy to think they changed how Macaque died.

The pilgrimage in itself lasted 14 years. That also means that from the moment he left Wukong under the mountain to the end of the pilgrimage, Macaque was alive and we have no idea what he was doing.

There is more than a decade at play here and we have no idea what this guy was doing.

II) Macaque lost decade of lore.

A) his stay with the brotherhood

In season 4 episode 5 "Court of the Yellow robed demon" we learn through Tang's travel in the scroll of memory that Macaque hung out with the brotherhood for a bit after Wukong joined the pilgrims.

Here Yellow-Tusk says : Now that Wukong has thrown his lot with the celestial host there is no telling where his allegiance lies.

For me here, the "celestial hosts" that Yellow-Tusk is talking about are the pilgrims. They are discussing Wukong being on his pilgrimage and what it means for them.

So this is happening after Macaque and Wukong argument under the mountain.

Peng notice Macaque's quietness and questions him.

Macaque : I just think we should consider all of our options-

Peng : what is there to consider? Wukong made his choice. I say we strike him down.

So clearly Macaque is not agreeing with the others. Even though his friendship with Wukong has already fallen through, he doesn't necessarily wants to attack him, prehaps because he knows that Wukong is a dangerous foe (or bc he's still attached).

For me this reinforce the fact that Macaque didn't search for Wukong to fight, but in fact that Wukong had to intervene and go see Macaque, and that somehow led to their fight.

Macaque has always been a cautious individual. Always warning about the consequences and the dangers of their actions. He wouldn't have seeked Wukong for a fight on a whim.

In season 4 episode 8 "the brotherhood", we learn Azure perspective of what happened.

It's interesting to see that Macaque is not involved in the creation of Camel Ridge City.

And that by the time Wukong is sent to strike down the remains of the brotherhood, Macaque is no where to be seen.

Now if we compare shots of S4ep5 and S4ep8 :

We can clearly see that those are the same places. Meaning, Macaque didn't necessarily helped create Camel Ridge, but he was still with the brotherhood after its creation.

My personal interpretation is that he left when the brotherhood ignored his advice and decided to stand against Wukong, thus explaining why he is not here when Wukong strike them down.

Prehaps influenced by DBK who presumably ditched the brotherhood after the fight against Heaven to stay with PIF, Macaque in turns also decided to abandon this ship.

Timeline :

Brotherhood against Heaven - > Wukong emprisonnement-> Monkeys fight under the mountain-> creation of Camel Ridge City/ Wukong liberation by Tripitaka - > Brotherhood discussing Wukong's stance - > Macaque ditching the brotherhood.

B) Loneliness : the push towards self-destruction.

We know for a fact that Macaque highly valued Wukong compared to the rest of the brotherhood. He made Wukong the center of his universe. As we learn in season 2 episode 7 "shadow play", Macaque had a very "us against the world" type of thinking when it cames to his relationship with Wukong.

Macaque also never truly belonged in the brotherhood. He didn't have the same ideals, was constantly insulted by Peng, and was generally more quiet around them.

So I personally think his "break up" with Wukong under the mountain impacted him way more than we think. It was his whole world crumbling. So much that he seeked company with people he didn't truly like (the brotherhood).

So when he ditched the brotherhood, he was completely alone, save for the wild monkeys on FFM, but despite being charming they don't necessarily brings the company he truly desires.

In the season 4 specials, when Macaque see Wukong's memories, he says "Wukong was on a path of self-destruction, we all were. But when he met the monk, it send him down a different path."

So Macaque admits that he was also on that path. But contrary to Wukong who had Tripitaka saving him from that path, Macaque had no one. This also imply that Macaque didn't have the opportunity to leave the path of self-destruction, and thus that his demise somehow had to do with himself more than anything.

C) Macaque controlled by his own powers.

In season 5 episode 7 "in the pagoda", both monkeys relive their memories of the fight.

Here Wukong says : Macaque stop! Don't make me do this.

While Macaque is laughing maniacally in the background.

For me this imply that Macaque was doing something (most likely destructive) and that Wukong was sent to stop him.

Macaque out-of-character laughter could be a sign of his loss of control.

I personally think that Macaque here was destroying himself, and everything around him. This gathered the attention of Heaven that sent Wukong to stop him. It is also entirely possible that Wukong stepped up himself to prevent Heaven from dealing with Macaque (Heaven's punishment most likely being torture/emprisonnement and Wukong wanting to prevent that from happening to his ex-friend).

But unfortunately, either Macaque was killed by Wukong during the fight or he destroyed himself, leading to his inevitable death.

In season 5 ep 9 "sacrifice", Xianglu asks Macaque "That power, who gave that to you? Who did you make a deal with?", implying that Macaque's powers is not his own.

Macaque response to this is confusion.

For me this imply two theories :

The beginning of the theories are the same : after ditching the brotherhood Macaque made his own journey as a twisted imitation of Wukong's. But instead of Wukong (who was surrounded by friends and seeked peace) Macaque closed himself off and seeked power

1 : there he met someone that gave him chaos powers, but Macaque was unable to truly control them and those powers took over, leading to the fight but also to Macaque's memory loss of this period.

2 : Macaque was born with those powers but because he was never interested in strength, he never seriously trained, and thus had no idea he had those kind of powers. On his lonely journey, Macaque was sinking in self-destructive tendencies, so much that those powers took over him.

In both theories, Macaque lose control of himself and let his powers go crazy. It was most likely a slow process that gradually weathered his mind, so much that he lost some of his memories of it (thus explaining his confusion towards Xianglu's questions).

And that's why I think Macaque's self-destructed, and that Wukong was the unfortunate executioner of this situation.

It's also possible that Macaque's death isn't necessarily that far away compared to the events of LMK. At no points do we see Macaque being confused by modern technology, he's able to perfectly imitate Sandy's van in season 3, get a dojo in season 1 or even get a job at the local theater in season 2.

The things is, Wukong also is not that phased with Macaque's reappearance. In fact when he talks about Macaque, he never mentions death.

Season 5 ep1 "Strings that bind" :

Wukong : what about you, you just came back.

It's interesting to see that Wukong refers to Macaque resurrection as "coming back". It's possible that Wukong is not aware of Macaque's death, and that during their fight, Macaque managed to get away and that afterward his powers killed him.

But somehow, it also seems as if Macaque believes Wukong killed him?

Prehaps, the person that gave Macaque his powers assumed Wukong's appearances and killed him off after the fight.

Or Heaven itself found Macaque and killed him off after the fight while assuming Wukong's appearances.

There might be a third party at play here.

Macaque at the time was in a highly unstable state, he wouldn't have seen through the disguise.

S4 ep2

In this episode we get our first flashback of the brotherhood. It's rather interesting to see how Macaque was in the past.

With the first frames of the flashback we already know that Macaque was rather reserved contrary to the other member of the brotherhood.

In those two very similar shots we see how Macaque is totally obscured by Yellow-Tusk bulky form as they burst out laughing. This tells us Macaque is a rather quiet individual who isn't as loud as the others and perhaps that he doesn't have a place yet within the brotherhood.

Macaque is also the only one who expresses his worry about the brotherhood plan. I think it's a great callback to his JTTW counterpart and his ability to hear the future, because we know that Macaque is right here. Macaque has always been a very cautious individual with a very good foresight, but he wasn't listened to. We see how Wukong prefers to goof around rather than listen to him.

I think it's also interesting to see how Macaque doesn't answer to Peng's quip about his cowardice.

He's angry about it, like we can see in this shot, but he's still in the background, obscured by Yellow-Tusk form, and he doesn't say a word back. This shows how Macaque wasn't a very confrontational individual. He didn't like to argue or fight. Maybe he didn't even want to bother himself because he knew changing Peng's mind wasn't possible.

In the same scene, Macaque is the only one who doesn't applaud or doesn't give any praises to Azure Lion when the others insist that Azure should be on the throne. But he also doesn't say anything or does not express any validation when Azure says Wukong should instead be on the throne.

Macaque is the only one here who doens't raise his glasses or burst out laughing.

I think it tells how Macaque doesn't believe in Azure ideals, but he also knows Wukong and doens't expressly thinks Wukong is a good choice for the throne.

In the end, the only one capable of changing Macaque mind and stopping him from worrying is Wukong.

Wukong : relax bud. When this is over we'll be back here basking in the sun and getting fat on fruits for the rest of, well, forever ! Like we always wanted.

Macaque : whatever you say, Wukong.

I think it's interesting how Macaque smile the moment Wukong says “like we always wanted”. Because that's probably what is the most important for Macaque, their shared dream. Not the brotherhood dream but the dream he shares with Wukong and only Wukong. Macaque is probably reassured by this, reassured that Wukong didn't lose sight of their shared desire and didn't let his quest of power blind him. Here Wukong shows that even though he let Azure feeds his ego, his dream is not the throne but a peaceful life with his bud.

And so Macaque abandons the subject, not because he's convinced that the brotherhood ideal is good, not because he believes in Azure's dream, but because he believes in Wukong. Macaque is in the brotherhood for Wukong, for this peaceful dream he shares with Wukong, he was never instered by anything other than Wukong and that's probably why he doens't even try to befriend the brotherhood.

But at the same time, Macaque is too quick to abandon the subject. He never put himself forward, maybe he's not even willing to oppose Wukong. He's putting himself in Wukong's shadows, perhaps even unconsciously.

The phrasing “Wathever you say, Wukong” does have the underlying meaning that Macaque would agree no matter what Wukong says, because he believes in Wukong more than anyone else in this world, he probably believes in Wukong more than he believe in himself.

I would like to point out that while LMK do takes a lot of liberties with JTTW, the Six-eared Macaque being a part of the brotherhood was actually a theory discussed before LMK even came out by Lam (2005). The Six-eared Macaque would be in fact the Macaque King seen in the beginning of the novel and one of Sun Wukong sworn brothers (In Anthony Yue traduction of JTTW the Macaque King is translated as “Monkey Queen” but that's just a matter of traduction, in the French version I've read the Macaque King is indeed male.)

Here is a very interesting article if you want to know more about JTTW Macaque :

S2 ep5

Macaque appears briefly in this episode, once again in a flashback taking place in the brotherhood era, presumably after the battle with the Jade Emperor and their inevitable loss.

Yellow-Tusk and Peng are discussing Wukong's betrayal and how he chose the other side, but we can see that Macaque is physically away from them, there is a distance between them that indicates a conflict of opinions. Macaque doesn't think like them.

Peng : You're characteristically quiet, Macaque

Macaque : I just think we should consider all our options before we-

And Peng cut him before he could end his sentence. Once again, Macaque is never listened to, his opinions are brushed aside (interesting to notice that Wukong wasn't the only one not listening to Macaque, everyone was constantly ignoring him despite his good foresight). Moreover, Peng confirms Macaque's quiet nature when they calls him “characteristically quiet.” But I do think it's interesting to see Macaque lingering with the brotherhood, he probably joined them only because of Wukong but still he's part of the group and does not abandon them once Wukong is captured, he still tries to talk and reason, even if it leads to nothing.

Macaque probably walked out of the brotherhood after this exchange. Fueled by DBK example who most likely left once he met PIF on the battlefield, Macaque decided that, since nobody listened to him, he would go search for Wukong himself.

The brotherhood was a toxic group where nobody truly listened to the others.

Yellow-Tusk, while wise at times, never stepped up until it was too late.

Peng only wanted to prove their strength and kept insulting Macaque (perhaps by fear of Macaque surpassing them or by frustration of Macaque potential being wasted in Wukong's shadow).

Azure was blinded by his admiration of Wukong and put him on a pedestal without considering his flaws. If Azure saw Wukong for who he truly was instead of his idolized version, he would have known Wukong wasn't meant for the throne.

Wukong joined only to feed his ego and got lost in his search for power.

Macaque never stood up for himself and quieted himself by fear of opposing Wukong.

All in all DBK was the healthiest out of all of them and that's probably why he walked out of this toxic group the moment he met someone who truly cared for him : PIF.

S4 ep 9

Macaque appears at the end of the episode and it's the first time in the whole season that we see him in the present, and not just him through a flashback.

MK is talking about Wukong to a lil monkey after his outburst, very much projecting onto him.

MK : Do you think Monkey King ever felt like this? Maybe that's why he stayed on this mountain, just having a good time with you guys. Cause you know he'd be out of the way where he couldn't hurt anyone he cared about.

Macaque : Or he was doing his usual Wukong thing being a lazy peach eating idiot, ignoring all the world's problems.

It's interesting to notice that Macaque appears throughout his shadow powers, MK's surroundings turn purple and Macaque figures slither in the darkness without really revealing himself. His voice also echoes all around the place, making him seem everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Something that gives him a very menacing feeling.

And once again, even if he's “redeemed” , Macaque 's spite towards Wukong didn't lessen and he does whatever he can to darken Wukong's image. After we saw how Macaque treated Wukong in the past and seemed to greatly admire him, I think it's not far-fetched to suppose Macaque sees himself in the way MK idolizes Wukong. And that's perhaps why he tries so hard to break this image MK has of Wukong, because beyond the obvious spite, Macaque doesn't want this image that betrayed him to persist. But at the same time, Macaque is building another image of Wukong who is as twisted and false as the idolized version.

When someone hurts you it's always easier to tell yourself this person never cared about you, because in a way it's more terrifying to admit people who care about you can hurt you willingly. I think that's mainly why Macaque is trying so hard to keep this image of Wukong, the image of someone lazy who doesn't care about anything but power, because it's easier for him to process, it's also easier for him to hate Wukong if he sees him in that light.

I think it's also important to notice that Macaque came for MK, it portrays a certain amount of care from the reserved monkey.

Despite being “redeemed” in the previous season Macaque is still portrayed as an ominous figure. MK's reaction is also a testament of how Macaque's character is not blindly accepted by the “good guy” team.

MK : stop if you're here to mess with me then… Go for it guy. I don't care anymore.

MK first took a defensive pose before giving up and letting Macaque do whatever he came here for. This shows that while very forgiving MK didn't forget Macaque's past as a villain (and perhaps the betrayal he went through) and is still quite cautious around him.

But still there is a certain amount of trust between them, Macaque still proved himself last season and that's probably why MK abandonn his defensive pose so fast.

Macaque : You know it's not fun when you say it loud. Nice tail by the way, that's new.

MK doesn't answer Macaque's light taunt and keeps staring in the distance. Once Macaque sees that MK is going through a very odd and straining situation he stops trying to question him and instead choose to show MK something :

Macaque : Come on, misery kid, I got something to show you.

I think Macaque lil pun on MK's name (Misery Kid) is quite funny considering the situation but also shows a certain amount of familiarity.

This scene is important because it shows the ambiguity of Macaque character. Despite being redeemed, he didn't become a “good guy” and instead still sticks to his taunts and ominous entrances. Macaque is not blindly accepted by the team, he's not an enemy anymore, but it would be far fetched to call him an ally. It's a natural progression of his character after last season.

It's also interesting to notice that Macaque is probably lurking on FFM, he could have stayed in his dojo (which we saw in s1) and yet chose to stay where his “enemy” (Wukong) rules. Macaque undoubtedly cares for this place and might even consider it home despite Wukong presence. And Wukong probably knew Macaque was lurking on FFM and didn't do anything to throw him away, this is a silent olive branch in its own way. Wukong accepts Macaque presence on his land but doesn't go all the way to welcome him either.

S4 ep 10

The episode starts with MK playing a video game created by Macaque. I think it's really funny how Macaque's video game is very similar to Wukong own video game that we saw in the earlier season. It makes you wonder if Macaque snopped around Wukong's house, saw the video game and decided to do the same.

They're also both in Wukong's house as we can see in this shot :

Macaque obisouly came here before if his video game work so well on Wukong’s consol, this shows a certain amount of familiarity. I personally think Macaque lurked around and inside Wukong home while Wukong wasn't here. The lil monkey is also very familiar with Macaque. I think it's a neat lil detail considering Macaque in JTTW wasn't very upcoming with Wukong's subject (he ate one after Wujing killed it, and while carnivorous tendencies can be common within monkey, macaques are not known for this. I personally think that, more than an act of cruelty, this act was made to contrast with Wukong pure breath stated in the previous chapters of JTTW. A show of how JTTW Macaque didn't want to pursue Buddhism for its teaching but only for glory).

Gotta love how Macaque is so proud of his anime-style drawings. Also did Macaque voice everything in his game? Cause I can't get over him saying “How would I provide for my starving family now??”, 😭😂.

Obviously the video game doesn't catch on with MK, and he leaves the house feeling even more frustrated. I do love the way Macaque rolls his eyes at MK's dramatic way of leaving, like you aren't dramatic Macaque. But beyond that it does show us a more genuine side of Macaque, he's a grumpy dude.

Macaque : Alright Misery Kid, you were supposed to realize by now that the choices the game is giving you aren't the only choices you've got. Life isn't some pre-written thing like a video game where you have to do what the tutorial says.

MK : ok, well, kinda a weird convoluted way to make a point don't you think?

Macaque : Whatever, point is it's time to start making your own choices. Something I wish I learned a lot sooner than I did. You don't want to fight Azure cause people might get hurt, you don't want to not fight him cause people might get hurt. Then do something else. Only you got to decide who you are kiddo.

Lots to unpack there!

First, I can't help but think Macaque’s video game is made to mirror Wukong's. In Wukong’s game, MK learned his lesson (that sometimes you can't rush into a battle and you can use something else than brute force) through the tutorial (the game figure of Wukong). And here Macaque specifically says “life isn't some pre-written thing like a video game where you have to do what the tutorial says”. I do think it's on brand for Macaque to create an entire game to challenge Wukong's way of teaching. Besides the spite, I do think Macaque is right, MK doesn't have to follow the tutorial (Wukong), he can make his own choices, he can separates himself from the idol he's been chasing for so long and stop putting himself to the same standard, because he's not the same person.

Second, I like how MK's sarcastic remark can be linked to Macaque's very shady lesson in season 2. Macaque really is not very good at being upfront with his teaching (probably because he's always trying to spite Wukong while doing it, one way or another, and it makes his teaching confusing).

Third, oh boy, Macaque saying that you have to make your own choices with a faded drawing of Macaque and Wukong in their respective drawing style.

Macaque indeed never truly made his own choices in the past. He always chooses to follow Wukong rather than his own instinct and opinions. Wukong was the one to lead, and Macaque was the one to follow. I think it's telling how Macaque says “something I wish I've learned a lot sooner than I did”, he regrets how he was in the past, how he never stood up for himself. And at the same time, he's reaffirming that he changed, that he's not like that anymore. He's not following anyone anymore, everything he does, he does it because he wants to.

But at the same time, I do think Macaque is trying too hard to not be like his younger self, to the point where he's constantly trying to oppose Wukong (a contrast of how he was in the past). While conflicts can be healthy, too much conflicts are very much not, especially when Macaque keeps feeding into this false image he's building of Wukong, to push himself to hate Wukong even more.

We'll return to this point in the season 4 specials because there will be developpement on Macaque part.

So I've reached the Tumblr limit for images yet again. I'll do a separate post for the season 4 specials like I did with season 3.

Hope what I'm saying is not that oblivious 😅, really those posts are just me rambling on Macaque.

Anyway, like always, you can disagree with me, no hate.

By theory, Macaque shouldn't return. He has everything he wanted this season : freedom. Yet he does return. He saves MK from the possessed Wukong by portalling him away.

This lil action tells us two things :

First, Macaque never left. He presumably stayed close to MK to watch the events unfold and when MK was put in danger he decided to intervene. This shows that Macaque does care about MK enough to stay behind even if he has the choice no to, but at the same time Macaque doesn't feel confident enough to reveal himself until MK is put in danger. And even then he doesn't show himself, perhaps because a possessed Wukong is quite intimidating and LBD is still near.

Second, Macaque portals MK where Mei is training with Red Son. This is not a coincidence. Clearly he meant for MK to be in a safe environment with known faces. And it also shows that it's not just MK that Macaque has been keeping an eye on after his flee but the whole team.

This scene serves us as an audience to indicate that Macaque did not leave but at the same time he's not fully on the team yet, even if he helps he does not reveal himself.

We see Macaque again some time after when the team are all together. It's interesting to see that Macaque chose to appear from Red Son shadow.

At the moment Red Son was the most isolated person of the team, while everyone was at the front of the frame, he was in the background.

Macaque chose to appear in Red Son shadow specifically because :

First, he came as an ally and didn't want to appear threatening. It would have spooked the team way more if he suddenly appeared in front of them. He was also perhaps more nervous than he appeared and wanted to put some distance between him and the team.

Second, it held significance. Red Son is here as a “reformed villain”, or at least he's here to help. Having Macaque emerge out of Red Son's shadow is a way to portray the same intentions : Macaque wanting to help.

Macaque : I hope I'm not interrupting. But if you're making a plan to defeat the Lady Bone Demon, I know a guy who might be able to help.

He makes his intentions clear by calling out the team plan, and offers them what I'll call a “peace offering” to be more easily accepted. We know that the not-mayor will not be of any help to create the plan (as we can see in the next episode) but Macaque, here, was more looking for a “proof of his goodwill” than a truly helpful hostage. By giving the team the henchman of the Lady Bone Demon he's proving how he's not on her side anymore.

The not-mayor reveals himself to be quite useless. And we got this shot of Macaque :

We can see how he's completely cut from everyone. He's cut from the circle, alone to the side of the frame, yet he's also tied up. I think it physically represents Macaque right now. The team is still suspicious of him, they tie him up, but at the same time he's not being interrogated nor being circled by the team. His place is ambiguous, in a weird in-between.

I think it's telling how it's Macaque who provides the inside information that the team tried so hard to pull out of the not-mayor. Macaque, out of anyone here (except the not-mayor), is the one who knows LBD best. He spent a lot of time with her. Moreover we already established that Macaque is a good observer (we can see how throughout season 3 he successfully gets a lot of the team characters simply by observing them), so we can easily assume that as much as he observed the team, Macaque also observed LBD.

And then, perhaps because he showed he was willing to go against LBD, MK includes Macaque in his plan to defeat her. And this is Macaque answer :

Macaque : Look, I brought you the Lady Bone Demon's lapdog but I'm not up for being a hero, kid…

I think it's pretty telling that Macaque is not fully on board with being a “good guy”. He spends so much of his life painting himself as the darkness to oppose Wukong's light, so much time building his act as a villain, even if he wants to oppose LBD, he's still reluctant to join the team and call himself a hero.

Even when MK proved how wrong Macaque's idea of a hero was, it's difficult to change the way you see things overnight. Macaque spent much of his rebirth hating heroes because of what happened with Wukong. He blamed everything on Wukong's status as a hero. So calling himself a hero stings for him.

And MK knows this, perhaps that's why we get this exchange :

MK : Stop you keep playing at being this bad guy, acting as if you're just in it for you. But I know, deep, deep down, you're not that guy. Help us. Make it right.

Macaque : I'm not a hero, bud.

MK : Then be a warrior.

MK just got it. He knows Macaque has been putting on an act since the beginning. He's acting as if he's only caring about himself yet he comes back to save MK even after he has the choice to flee far away from this. MK calls out everything we established about Macaque those previous seasons, how everything Macaque showed was just part of a performance to either enact his vengeance or appear more intimidating in stressful situations.

MK's words “Make it right” are pivotal in Macaque redemption processus. It can be interpreted as MK asking for help but it's also a way to offer Macaque a chance at proving his goodness, at setting the records straight. MK offers Macaque a chance to right his wrongs.

And while MK is doing his lil speech, Macaque is not trying to put on another mask either :

Macaque is genuinely surprised that someone calls out his act, or even picks up on it.

Yet still Macaque looks away and refuses, not because he doesn't want to right his wrongs but because calling himself a hero would be too much for him. It would question everything he is, everything he built those last years, and Macaque is not ready to abandon everything about himself and become a “hero.”

That's why MK's next words are Macaque saving grace. Because that gives Macaque familiarity. He doesn't have to cast away everything he is, or even the entire identity he built, instead he can be something familiar while still trying to right his wrong.

He can be a warrior.

It's important that Macaque doesn't jump on the occasion of being a good guy. It wouldn't have felt genuine otherwise. The fact he has the occasion to right his wrong but still doesn't call himself a hero provides a balanced in-between.

Macaque : What can I say? I'm dramatic.

Yes. Yes you are. Look at how dramatically you put your cape on!

Both Macaque and Red Son preparing themselves in the same shot is not coincidental. It's an emphasis on both their journeys to get here. If you don't see Red Son as a villain, you can't see Macaque as one either, there are differences between the two but at this very moment the show portrays them in the same way : the redeemed villains.

Macaque and MK confrontation with LBD is very important because Macaque is not just helping MK in a roundabout way, he's directly confronting the one who tormented him all season (LBD), the one he preferred to flee rather than fight before the specials.

LBD : MK the Monkie Kid and the Six-eared Macaque, here to embrace oblivion?

Macaque : The opposite actually. I'm kinda on this whole living streak thing right now, so we were hoping maybe you could call off this whole end of the world thing? Would really help us out.

We can see Macaque is still trying to diffuse the situation but this time it's interesting to notice that instead of doing it like he used to (with sarcastic quips and threatening smiles) he adopts an attitude closer to what Wukong would have done. Wukong is always the one to joke around and make light of a situation. Macaque actions and words are closer to what Wukong could have said if he wasn't possessed. Perhaps Macaque is trying another method to handle stressful situation without his villain persona now that he's in the good guy team, or in his way Macaque unconsciously imitates Wukong because Wukong is the only example of a hero he has.

This similarity between Wukong and Macaque in this particular scene is further emphasized by this action :

I don't have the exact episode in which Wukong twirl MK above his head the same way Macaque does in this scene but I know it happens in season 1.

I think the fight between Macaque and Wukong is quite interesting because the sequences is the exact same as their fight in s1 ep9, yet Wukong uses something he never used before : his laser eyes. It does makes me think that LBD is pushing Wukong to be way more violent than what he is and forces him to use power he doesn't naturally wants to (like his laser eyes that are particularly destructive). That could explain why Macaque is so easily defeated and so soon too, because Wukong is pushed beyond his limits and forced to abandon his fighting ethics.

I do love that to defeats LBD everyone in the LMK cast have to steps up and join forces together. But what I really love is the two scenes we got that emphasize Wukong and Macaque in particular. How they acknowledge the other despite everything that happened between them :

First we get their shared look and nod when everyone is coming together to merge their forces and power up MK's mech. This simple look speak volumes of how easily they can understand each other, they're on the same wagelenght even after years of being ennemies, it speak for itself of their bond.

The second is when they're side by side to push the staff on LBD, it's a nice way to hint at their rekindling relationship. They are in this together despite being ennemis since the start of the show.

Even if not everything is good between the two of them, far from it, this wordless acknowledgement that we see in those two scenes, of them fighting side by side, really ties up Macaque redemption quite nicely.

Then, after LBD defeats, we get the after-fight party that nicely ties up the series.

And obviously we get a fight between Wukong and Macaque.

Macaque : You're done with that right?

MK : actually I -

Wukong : Actually he was saving that for me. Cause you know, I'M his mentor *agressive eating*.

Macaque : Still the same Wukong. Doing what he wants with no regard for other.

Wukong : Oh yeah, yeah I'll keep that in mind next time you scheam with the ennemy and almost get us all D.E.D.

MK : You know you two are the same right?

Wukong/Macaque : I'M NOTHING LIKE HIM!

Macaque wanting MK's bowl of noodle because perhaps he doens't feel comfortable enough to ask Pigsy for one and MK is the only one in the team he feels comfortable talking too right now is one of my personal headcanon.

So first, I think that might be the first healthy fight between Macaque and Wukong. Instead of any of their other fights where they hid their true feelings between mask of nonchalance, here they are openly expressing their anger and frustration to the other. We can see Wukong is still salty about Macaque taking his place as MK's mentor, mayhaps he felt like his place was endangered. Macaque answers with a comment on Wukong's selfishness. Wukong, probably hurt by this, reply with a comment on Macaque working with LBD and endangering them all. Unlike before, all their bickering are direct and more in tune with the present. They're not trying to purposefully hurt the other by digging at past insecurities (Macaque fear of not being enough, Wukong unhealthy way of coping), instead they comment on recent events (Wukong stealing MK's noodles, Macaque working for LBD). Which I think is an improvement, no matter how tiny it is. It shows that they're not trying to hurt the other as much as before, they're not going at the other throat, even if they're still frustrated and angry.

Also, MK is so right when he says they're the same, it's even more funnier because they have the exact same expressions on their faces.

Wukong : Hey! Where do you think you're going!?

Macaque : Don’t know, somewhere I could do a bit of scheming probably. See you around MK.

Wukong : Eugh, I hate that guy so much. Acting like he's so cool!

I do like to think Wukong is questioning Macaque about where he's going because he doesn't want to see him go, 😌.

Macaque callback to Wukong comment minutes earlier is a funny lil quip to annoy him before disappearing. Also his soft tone when addressing MK does really shows he cares about the kid in his own way.

Wukong last line is so funny because no one said Macaque was cool, you're betraying your own thoughts here Monkey King.

All in all, I do think Macaque redemption was handled really well. Each episodes showed us a new layer of his character. His evolution, based on his actions alone, was logical. No matter how much you think Macaque hurts the team, you cannot erase the fact he saved MK twice this season, and keep doing so in later seasons. But I think we also have to remind ourselves that Macaque character arc is not finished yet!

Also, the voice over talking about “redemption” and having one of Macaque first genuine smile in the entire series is so heartwarming for me. The fact MK also draw Macaque smiling 🥺🥺

That was my study of Macaque in season 3 specials! Hope you liked it. If you have any more theories or if you simply disagree you can talk about it, I'll be glad to hear about it.

I'll post my study of Macaque in season 4 in another post!!

LMK season 3 is really the payoff of the two previous seasons. While still appearing episodic we actually delve into the main plot that has been brewing since LBD first appeared. Macaque, my main focus here, is also more present in the continuity of the season than in the previous ones. He appears more frequently and I think what is important is that each of his appearances gives us a new layer for his character.

S3 ep1

Macaque appears in the middle of the episode to attack the team while they're fleeing on the airship. He's actually the first person to attack them after the whole LBD fiasco and it's probably why the team, at first, thinks it's LBD that is attacking them. The colors are also very bluish and turn from dawn-like yellow colors to cold-night blue very quickly the second Macaque starts to attack. I think the predominance of the blue at the start of the attack can be a reminder of LBD and her overwhelming presence on both the team and Macaque himself.

The colors change to purple (Macaque's own colors) when Macaque leaves his airship and jumps on the team's airship. Perhaps because Macaque feels more in control at this very moment.

I think what is important in this scene is the banter between Wukong and Macaque which reveals exactly what makes the two monkeys tick and where they stand exactly. We know the two monkeys know how to hurt the other, so we have to see everything they say as a form of personal spite tailored to annoy the other. It's also very interesting how Macaque reacts and how he tries to be in control of the situation.

Also it's just funny how the whole team think LBD is attacking and then they hear :

Macaque : OOOOOH WUKONG!

And they're like : Oh nvm it's Macaque.

The first exchange goes like this :

Wukong : Oh that's a relief, I thought it was someone important.

Macaque : ah, always the comedian, huh. Hey, kiddo, you miss me?

We know Macaque struggles a lot with self-worth and abandonment, especially after analyzing the shadow play. Macaque felt like he was cast away by Wukong, left in the shadows. Wukong knows it, perhaps that's why his immediate answer to hurt Macaque (while still adopting a very laid-back attitude, Wukong tends to use jokes to diffuse and control the situation) is to joke about how Macaque is unimportant.

In response, Macaque calls Wukong a “comedian”, which I think is an insult of Wukong's jokester attitude and how he never takes anything seriously. It's highly probable that Macaque knows Wukong's coping mechanism considering they were very close in their youth, so the fact he still calls out Wukong on his not-so-healthy way of handling any stressful situations might be even more hurtful for Wukong. But Macaque changes the subject afterwards to MK. Perhaps because he doesn't want Wukong to elaborate on Macaque being unimportant or simply because he's focusing on the two targets set by LBD.

The second exchange :

Macaque : ooooh, looking a lil bit banged there Monkey King. The kid too. Looks like our old friend the Lady Bone Demon really did a number on you guys.

Wukong : So what, you're her puppet now? I mean, makes sense you did always have a sidekick kinda vibe.

Again, Macaque uses Wukong's title as some form of insult, the fact he's insisting on the title specifically while also calling out Wukong's injuries might just be a way to hurt Wukong pride as the Monkey King and rile him up. Qualifying LBD as “our old friend” is also very sarcastic. In a way he's calling out how LBD is Wukong's old enemy and so, in a sense, trying to hurt Wukong by guilting him.

In response, Wukong keeps tapping into Macaque's insecurity of being a “shadow” but this time he goes as far as to call him a “puppet” and even a “sidekick”. Macaque is visibly upset by this, he leaps out of his airship and crashes into Wukong to shut him up. But the second he had Wukong pinned on the airship he smiles again, as if trying to regain control of the situation, and resume the banter.

Macaque : eh, You know me. There is a new player in town just feeling out which one is the winning side.

This line will be very important in the later episodes of s3. While it might not seem like much right now, it's important to notice that Macaque doesn't include himself on LBD’s team. Instead he qualifies her as a “player” and justify his actions (him doing her bidding) by saying he's “feeling out the winning side”. This means Macaque hadn't decided which is the winning side yet and this is an important factor to take note of to understand what happens in the later episodes of the season.

Of course, Macaque strategy after jumping on the airship is to separate both MK and Wukong and put some distance between them. But it's interesting to notice that instead of taking them both directly in his airship, he takes the time to address his mission and to belittle them. Of course, I do think this line serves as exposition for the audience as for why Macaque is attacking the team, but I do think it's also a way for Macaque to assert his dominance and try to be in control.

Macaque : the two of you are such a mess, can't imagine why the LBD wants me to bring you back. Look at you, you're all used up.

In the previous seasons Macaque was rarely frowning, he did at some points but, at least when he was fighting, he always put on a fanged smile. But in the beginning of this season Macaque slips up a lot more, his face switches between frowns and smiles. It can be an indicator about how the stress he's put under by LBD is affecting him and makes him more nervous, making his mask of nonchalance crack a lot more. Someone did point out in the comment of my last study that Macaque in general smile to be more threatening and I wholeheartedly agree with this. Macaque “smile” is a way for him to mask how he truly feels and appear more intimidating. We can link this to monkey's behavior (macaques’ in particular) who hiss/smile each time they feel threatened to intimidate their opponents.

If we take this into account, him trying to belittle MK and Wukong and put them down might be a form of reassurance for him, it would explain why he's stalling here instead of directly bringing them to his airship and be done with it.

The last bit of the scene is also very interesting because it really shows Macaque's habit of using quips and belittlement as a way to be in control of the situation and to hide his discomfort.

When Mei attacks Macaque we can clearly see his nervousness despite his smile because of the sweat on his face :

And what does he do after this attack? Immediate sarcastic insults :

Macaque : ah you must be the dragon girl I hear so little about. Lil girl you can shoot me all you want it won't do you any good.

Macaque sarcastic quips and comments are a response to any threats around him. This will be shown many times in this particular season and I think it's very important to notice it. Because he will stop being so sarcastic and smiling so much in later seasons.

S3 ep2

Macaque's appearance in the second episode of the season is very brief and he only attacks Ao Guang. His only purpose here is to be the threat the team had to flee from, he doesn't show much. I was kinda surprised to see him use his shadow staff, one of the rare occasions he does, and I might think it's because he sees Ao Guang as a real threat.

Of course this apparition is meant to establish Macaque as a recurrent villain. He was not defeated after ep1. It put an expectation in the viewer mind that Macaque will reappear a lot afterward and he's not just a one episode villain.

[This is an apparté but Macaque doens't attack Ao Guang because he feel like it. I've seen this misconception of this scene a number of times and I would like to clarify that Macaque is under LBD order here. LBD issued her order before s3 ep1 and gave Macaque the compass to track down MK and Wukong. Here, Macaque objective is to bring back MK and Wukong to LBD. Ao Guang knows Macaque is on the enemy side, and MK and Wukong are leaving. So of course Macaque is not going to pretend and try to befriend Ao Guang. He has to act fast to catch the escaping team. He doesn't have the time to be buddy-buddy with Ao Guang. My guys, Macaque doesn't attack random city in his free time bc he feels like it 😅. Also, I think people greatly exagerate the scene, blowing it out of proportions. Macaque is attacking Ao Guang specifically, he's not doing a full blown genocide inside of the city. Come on, respectfully but also with a grain of salt, did we watch the same show? Or did a more bloody version of LMK exists somewhere and I wasn't aware of it?]

What I think is an interesting detail and something we see a lot in this particular season is the way Macaque's eyes gleams :

He never truly did this in the previous seasons while it happens a lot in this particular one. The only difference between Macaque this season and the previous seasons is the stress he's put under because of LBD. Makes you wonder if Macaque mental stability influences his powers (either it emphasizes them or takes a hold over him). It could also be simply a way for Macaque to appear more threatening and hide the pressures he's putting under.

In any case, LMK doesn't really have a defined magic system so the intricacies of how spells and magic work are a bit lost on us. Macaque's powers however are the most mysterious out of all the cast's because it does not stem from JTTW. I'll come back to that in season 5 because a bit more is revealed about Macaque's powers in it.

S3 ep4

In this episode Macaque appears two times, once at the very beginning and another just after the first half. The episode immediately focuses on Macaque, with the first minutes being of him alone in the desert with the wreckage of his airship, so we can easily assume this takes place right after he was ejected from the team's airship in the first episode of the season.

We can also already tell this episode will focus a lot on Macaque based on the title, “winning side”, which is a call back to Macaque words in episode 1. So we know this episode will be pivotal in our view of Macaque in this season.

It's actually the first time that we see Macaque when he's alone and with no one watching him, all his previous appearances were of him interacting with different people or simply fighting those people. And the first thing we notice in those few minutes of Macaque being alone and how he acts when alone is that he's not smiling, quite the contrary in fact he looks weary and very angry. When he looks at his reflection in the compass (which we don't even know what is yet at this point) it's the angriest expression we ever saw on his face, with his eyebrows twitching and his screams echoing in the background as he's reminded of a memory.

These brief minutes really prove everything we already established at the beginning of this study : Macaque nonchalant, almost sadistic attitude at times, is a show he puts on to appear more intimidating. Same can be said with his fanged smile. It's a way for him to regain control of stressful situations. Proof is, none of them appear when he's alone and thus not feeling threatened.

Sorry to disappoint but if you thought Macaque was a sadist who enjoyed hurting people, you were fooled by his act.

So just after this scene we dive into a memory of Macaque. Presumably the memory takes place just after LBD took over the city and the team escaped on their airship. Since Macaque appears on top of LBD's mech, which was created in season 2 ep 10, and the staff is within her grasp, I think it's a fair assumption.

Macaque's immediate reaction is to : first try to attack the not-mayor (the one who pushed him at LBD's feet via a portal, but the portal closes) then to notice the staff and immediately put on his usual smile :

Macaque : the staff, the city… You've been busy.

The fact the not-mayor had to bring Macaque already tells you Macaque is not very loyal to LBD to begin with, which is the continuation of what we saw in season 2 ep7 where the not-mayor strangled Macaque, a physical act of violence who tells you everything about the relationship beforehand.

The confrontation that follows between LBD and Macaque is the confirmation of all the assumptions we gathered. We even have a neat lil exposition about where Macaque stands in all this when LBD reminds him of his story and why he should be loyal to her.

It's interesting to see that Macaque tries his usual method of controlling the situation (quips, nonchalant attitude, fanged smiles) the way he does with MK and Wukong, but contrary to them LBD is not falling for it and doesn't let him take one breather.

LBD is also floating above him, which is already a physical representation of their relationship, they're not equals.

LBD : Tell me, what madness overcomes you that you would forsake your oath? When did you decide to betray me?

Macaque (trying to be nonchalant) : Listen Lady Bone De-

LBD : Have you forgotten who I am? What I am? I, who returned you to the mortal plane all in exchange for such a little favor that when the time came you would free me, aid in my pursuit, but no, with the first breath of a new life you rebelled against your claims.

The second Macaque tried to hide behind his mask of nonchalance LBD cuts him and reminds him of : 1 a very traumatic experience for him, 2 what she's capable of, 3 the fact he betrayed her and thus she has the right (in her mind) to punish him. I think the sentence “What I am” is probably the most threatening thing she could have said at this moment because it paints her in a very dehumanizing, almost monstrous, way, the use of “what” generally reserved for objects or creatures in this specific context. She doesn't even let him speak nor let him diffuse the situation, she cuts right to the facts to make Macaque uncomfortable, to make him submit to her. It's interesting to see how LBD talks and shifts the blame entirely on Macaque without any speck of empathy for his situation at the time. She uses the adjective “little” to qualify her favor as if to say what she demanded of Macaque wasn't much to begin with and that it was the least he could do after what she did for him. And then she uses the phrasing “rebelling against your claims” to put the blame entirely on Macaque, and how he's disloyal (even if I don't think their deal was fair to begin with. Macaque was in hell, dead, we don't know his mental state when LBD approached him but I warrant it wasn't good and he could have agreed to anything at this point). LBD makes herself the savior and victim in this scenario, the imagery when she evokes how she returned Macaque to the mortal plane paints her as a savior, she basks in white and floats above him while he kneels before her, his chains fading away, I think it's very telling of how she view her relationship with Macaque.

Macaque : You want something?

LBD : I have one more chance for redemption. Bring me the Monkey King and his protégée and perhaps you will be worthy of my mercy.

Macaque : Convenient, alrighty then, seems like they've got a bit of headway so-

The use of “redemption” in LBD speech is once again a way to justify her actions and puts the blame on Macaque, she also paints herself as merciful by letting him go. I think it's very ironic to talk about redemption at this moment with Macaque considering what will happen after and what Macaque true redemption will be like. For LBD, Macaque's redemption is for him to obey her orders and not fail, whereas for MK, Macaque's redemption is to give him the choice by reaching out to him and giving his hand. “Being worthy of mercy” is also such a weird phrasing, normally speaking mercy is something you grant to people you have the power to harm, it's a form of leniency, there is no concept of “worthiness” in it. What LBD offers is not mercy, really.

And then the moments Macaque tried to put on his mask of nonchalance again with the use of funny terms like “alrighty” LBD cut him, again, chains him and threatens him :

Macaque : What is this!?

LBD : a reminder. It seems you cannot be trusted to willingly follow the path of destiny. But know this, if you betray me again, one misstep, one mistake, and I'll erase the very memory of you. Now bring them to me, my champion.

The threat at this point is even more menacing than a simple death threat, especially for Macaque which had already been “forgotten”once by Wukong and, likely, is afraid of being again. LBD ends her speech with a mark of ownership on Macaque with the phrasing “my champion” which really tells you everything about how she treats Macaque, he's an object to her, a possession.

It's, I think, very ironical that in LBD first speech she paints herself as the savior that wiped away Macaque's chains (the image is literally of her breaking those chains) BUT she still puts different chains on Macaque, she didn't free him at all, she broke his chains to recreate them afterwards. And we can see that Macaque is not at all fooled by her hypocritical view of herself and that's perhaps why he casted away the skeleton key when LBD gave it to him.

There is an impossibility of speech between LBD and Macaque, she doesn't let him speak and keeps cutting him over and over again. It's very interesting to notice it because it is a perfect reflection of how LBD controls Macaque : she controls him through violence. Cutting someone so hard each time they try to speak is, in a sense, a form of verbal violence. And LBD is constantly trying to dominate Macaque through violence : When the not-mayor comes to Macaque in season 2 he strangles him, here LBD cuts him everytime he tries to speak, he's put in chains at the end of the scene and the not-mayor pushes his head on the ground while LBD floats above. She forces his loyalty through fear and violence, and that's why it'll never be genuine.

Their relationship is defined by violence. LBD does not view herself as Macaque boss, she view herself as his master. If you want to understand Macaque as a character, you have to talk about this violence. Because, while yes, Macaque will be violent in this season, the most he ever was, and we DO NOT brush his actions aside and coddle him (he's older than all of us I think he doens't need coddling), we have to understand why he's doing it. Now, if the reason why he's doing all this doesn't sway you, and you still think he's irredeemable, then I guess that's your opinion and we have very different views. But, in my case, I think context matters. Because the context tells us about Macaque's character. If you take this violence out when you try to talk about Macaque and specifically what he did in season 3 (I'm not talking about the other seasons) then you're leaving key elements out of your analysis, thus painting Macaque in a wrong sadistic light. Leaving the matter of redemption aside, to understand what drive Macaque this season and the reason behind his actions, we need to take his relationship with LBD seriously, it's the core of everything in S3. You can't talk about Macaque in S3 without talking about LBD. So is Macaque just a sadist who likes to hurt people, or is he trying to survive?

After this scene Macaque reappears in the other half of the episode. He creates a copy of the van to isolate one half of the team and thus have more chances of success in capturing MK. One thing which I think is a cool detail is that Macaque modus operandi is always about tricking and putting on a performance, a show. In season 1, Macaque staged the whole attack on the city with his shadow monster. In season 2, he makes himself appear as a human storyteller and here he's staging yet another performance by tricking half of the team with a perfect copy of their own van.

It shows how Macaque is a highly cautious individual who rarely if ever rush into situations, especially into fights. Maybe that's one of the reasons why he's feeling even more pressured by LBD, he's on a time race because of her and thus has less and less time to put on performances.

Another detail which I think is important to notice is MK's frustration just before the “copied van” scene. MK tries hard to get his powers back but nothing seems to work and he's frustrated about it. He even qualified the only power he got back, gold vision, as a “baby power”. Macaque, once he appears, will directly challenge MK about this struggle.

Of course, the first thing that Macaque does is to seperates Mei and Sandy from MK, once again Macaque is cautious enough to not fight the three of them at the same time if he has the choice to not to. It's also incredibly funny that he imitates Mo's moews to lure Sandy away, it does show he has been observing the team very closely to know their behaviors. For Sandy Macaque's uses Mo, but for Mei he knows she'll never leave MK's side so he uses a more direct approach by separating her physically without even trying to lure her like he did with Sandy.

Once MK is alone Macaque traps him and ties him up with his shadows. I think the dialogue here is very important, especially between MK and Macaque because it does reveal a lot about Macaque himself and where he stands now.

Macaque : You really think you're gonna get away from me, bud? Aw, forget you lost your powers? Careful, you might hurt yourself!

On top of appearing particularly threatening he dug right into MK's insecurities that were exposed the scene before which is his lack of powers. It does make you wonder if he listened to MK raging about the loss of his power. In any case, he's clearly trying to provoke MK here.

MK : What do you-

Macaque : want? What are you doing? Come on kiddo, do I have to explain everything? I'm handing you over, to the lady Bone Demon.

Once again, Macaque is taunting and mocking MK, going as far as to have one of his shadows take MK appearances and imitate his voice with a very ridiculous high-pitch. Contrary to Wukong, MK doesn't answer any jabs with one of his own and remains level headed. Macaque in this episode is really laying on thick with the mocking and the taunting. While he was like that in previous episodes, it was more directed at Wukong specifically, but even then Macaque jabs were more subtle. Here, he's purposefully riling up MK as much as he can.

Macaque : Come on! Fight back. Maybe I'm not giving you the right motivation. Should I bring your big blue friend in here and smack him around? What about the girl? Gold vision? Really? Enough of these baby powers.

MK : stop talking!

Macaque : That's more like it!

In this sequence Macaque is at his zenith in terms of threatening. His eyes glows violet, he's smiling as he fight, appearing almost like a sadist. It creates very daunting shots. He also directly makes threats to MK about the one thing Macaque knows MK values more than himself : his friends. We also have the confirmation that Macaque had indeed been listening to MK at the beginning of the episode because he uses the exact same phrasing MK used to describe gold vision which is “baby powers”. But this doesn't make sense. Macaque's goal here is to bring back MK to LBD so why is he trying so hard to rile up MK and make him fight back? Why is he making himself so threatening compared to his other appearances? While it's true that Macaque had always been one to rile up people, especially Wukong, we already established most of his sarcastic quips are a response to any perceived threats around him and a way for him to regain control of the situation. But here Macaque is already in control, he doesn't have to use those quips and insults. Moreover, we established that Macaque is a highly cautious individual by analyzing his modus operandi when it came to fighting, so why is he taking the risk to anger MK?

Macaque clearly has a hidden agenda here.

I also think it's really cool how there is a parallel between MK and Wukong with this shot :

Yet MK is so different from Wukong in the way he responds to Macaque taunts, he never insults back.

MK : Why are you helping her? LBD? Look I get you're a bad guy but you know she wants to destroy everything, right?

Macaque : yeah see I had a taste of dying and you know what not a big fan so I'm choosing to be on the winning side.

MK : She's using you. We have a plan, you could help, we could stop her together.

Macaque : You can't even stop me. Now first I deliver you, then I come back for your hazbin master and finally I'll repay my debt and be free of this nightmare. Anyway I assume you won't’ be coming quietly sooo-

Okay, a lot to unpack here.

First, MK, while still acknowledging that Macaque is a villain, tries to reason with him. And while it's in character for MK to do that, I do also think MK does it because he knows Macaque can be reasoned with and that he's a more confusing individual than a mere one-dimensional villain (as he learned in season 2).

Second, the fact Macaque talks about his death to justify him “being on the winning side” is a clear indication of the drive that pushes Macaque this season : survival. It's not about powers, it's not about tormenting, Macaque this season is about survival. It was established in the scene with LBD and it's confirmed here by Macaque himself through his words. It's important for the audience to know this because it changes everything about how we perceive Macaque from now on in this season. Macaque wants to live, especially after knowing what death feels like, which means that on top of not following LBD willingly, he's also running along to assure his survival. The use of “being free of this nightmare” really drives the point about how Macaque views the situation he's in. It's a nightmare, he doesn't enjoy it one bit which we cannot really fault him for after what we saw at the beginning of the episode and how LBD treats him. It's important for the redemption processus, while it's true you cannot erase your actions, the motives behind the actions are still very important, it's not for nothing that extenuating circumstances exist in court.

Third, Macaque responding to MK by saying “You can't even stop me” is a great indicator about how Macaque currently feels. Right now, with MK powers being gone, LBD is unfortunately the “winning side” for Macaque.

Macaque : What a hero ! Two friends about to be crushed and you do nothing?

MK : Let them go, you can take me I don't care. Just let them go.

Macaque : Or what? You aren't the monkie kid anymore. Your powers are gone, your staff are gone, you're nothing.

MK : No, I'm the monkie kid.

Macaque : What was that now? I couldn't quite hear you!

This exchange right now really is the last push you need to understand Macaque's agenda better. In this moment Macaque could have everything he wanted, MK was literally serving himself on a silver plate yet Macaque still refused and instead kept taunting him with the one thing he knows MK will get angry about (as he learned in season 2) : his friends. Furthermore, the “I couldn't quite hear you!” is clearly a lie for someone called the Six-eared Macaque, we also learn later in the same season that Macaque has sensitive hearing, clearly Macaque could hear MK perfectly.

Macaque : he still has powers. Good. Things got a lot more interesting.

And that's Macaque's hidden agenda. He wants MK to have his powers, he wants the scale between LBD and MK to be more balanced. Because Macaque's agenda all along was choosing the “winning side”, Macaque goal for this season is survival. Since the beginning of the season, in episode 1, Macaque was already talking about the winning side, moreover the very title of this episode is “winning side”. Macaque is playing a two-faced game here. What I think might confuse the audience in this episode is the dichotomy between imagery and dialogue. Macaque is extra threatening here, every shot of him is taken out of a horror movie, he looks like a full-blown sadist and even goes as far as to hurt MK's friends physically. So when you see a Macaque being this menacing you do think he's in full-blown villain mode. Yet when you take a closer look at his actions and at his words you realize that he's playing a far more subtle game in this war. And after seeing how he's treated by LBD you understand why he's playing this two-faced game. LBD is not a stable ally. Her sense of justice is skewed by her perspective and even her definition of mercy is wrong. She thinks she's in the right and that makes her dangerous, because that makes her impossible to be reasoned with. Macaque knows this, he saw it first hand, so he needs to widen his options without expressly angering LBD.

Also, with the first scene of the episode, I think it's fair to assume that Macaque is pushed by a sense of desperation. He doesn't have the time to sugarcoat what he's doing, he needs MK to step up and regain his powers, and if for this he has to go an extra mile he will.

Because he wants to survive this.

Also, MK going for Macaque blinded eye to defeat him was a nice detail, especially since we can heavily speculate that Wukong was the one responsible for this injury. Everytime MK fights with Macaque, the way MK's moves and throws his punches is very reminiscent of Wukong, which is very natural considering MK is Wukong's mentee, so of course he'll pick up Wukong's habits when it comes to fighting . Yet you know MK is different, especially in this episode where instead of responding to Macaque's insults the way Wukong did in the first episode, he instead tries to reach out to him. MK could have been salty about what happened in season 1 (we know the betrayal hurts greatly based on what he says in season 4, about how everyone betrays him and he feels like a fool) yet unlike Wukong he doesn't respond to the quips.

This episode is really important in the redemption processus, it shows that Macaque agenda is different from LBD's and as such he's not really on her side, the only side Macaque is on is the “winning side”. It also shows the very unbalanced, almost slave/master relationship that LBD and Macaque has which will greatly help to understand Macaque's decision at the end of the season.

Macaque this season is running a survival game and he's trying to get all the chances on his side.

S3 ep8

Macaque doesn't reappear after this until the end of the season. The middle of the season is more focused on the samadhi fire and the different rings. Story-wise, it's necessary to involve Macaque with the rings one way or another for the progression of the plot, if the team managed to get all the rings without any difficulty on Macaque's parts it would have been quite odd. If we take into account the locations of the other two rings (DBK forteresse and the moon) which were two very difficult locations for Macaque to even enter, having him appear at Lantern City was really inevitable.

So Macaque first appears when the team are discussing the rings and what to do about the talent show. This serve as an exposition for Macaque to learn about the samadhi fire and the team's plan but it also highlights a few interesting thing :

Macaque is really tailing the team. In this particular scene he's hiding in the ceiling and eavesdropps on them and it's not the first time he does this (we established he eavesdropped on MK when he repeated MK exact phrasing “baby power” in ep4). On one hand it shows his cautiousness, but on another hand it means Macaque doesn't attack the team at every chance he gets. He could have attacked when Wukong was still meditating or when the team was sleeping, yet he never did. Once again because his goals does not align fully with LBD.

Macaque : the samadhi fire, huh. So that's how you're gonna beat the Lady Bone Demon.

Just after this line Macaque hears LBD threats echoing in his ears : “one misstep, one failure and I'll erase the very memory of you.” and mumbles “We'll see about that” with a very threatening shot. I'll like to point out that this shot is the very similar to the one used in ep 2 when Macaque is attacking Ao Guang :

So clearly it's a face that means he's going to take action. The fact he says “we'll see about that” just after being reminded of LBD threats is a way to indicate he's challenging LBD right now. He knows LBD can be destroyed by the samadhi fire and that gives him an outlet, a hope he didn't have before.

So, yes, right now Macaque decides to betray LBD. For the rest of the episode he will act for his own agenda and not on LBD's orders. Which is I think very important to point out, because if Macaque already betrays LBD this early on in the shows it means that, if given the chance, he would be willing to go against her.

He's willing to go against her.

So Macaque follows Tang until they arrive inside of the giant lantern where the ring resides.

And once again Macaque will first try to belittle Tang to assert his dominance but also perhaps to make him agree with his viewpoint and makes this easier for him :

Macaque : have more guts than I thought. It's… Tang, right? You know it's funny, I thought you're smart, I mean look at the guy he got glasses. If anyone knows where the legendary samadhi fire is, it's the guy sitting in the wing while his friends are busy having fun without him.

So first Macaque tries to adopt a more friendly approach. He's not following LBD's orders right now and he doesn't necessarily want to fight with Tang either. He tries to appear friendly by first praising Tang about his guts (which I think is very well-though considering Tang could be seen as the more cowardly of the bunch, thus by acknowledging his “guts” Macaque gives Tang a sense of validation he doesn't often hear). Then he validates and acknowledges him by saying his name and after this he praises another trait of Tang which is his intelligence. Macaque insists on the legendary nature of the samadhi fire to give a sense of pride to Tang (as if the samadhi fire was an incredibly difficult artifact to find) and he ends his lil speech by trying to create a wedge between Tang and the team.

When he sees that his speech didn't have any effect on Tang and, on the contrary, Tang pushes Macaque away, Macaque immediately adopts a more drastic method by kicking Tang away from the ring.

I think it's telling how Macaque approaches situations such as those. His first and foremost method is always tricking. It's not violence but manipulation, trying to make the other agree to his views and resolve the situation efficiently without having to fight, because fighting can be way more unpredictable than manipulation.

After Macaque kicks Tang away, we got this exchange :

Tang : Stop, the samadhi fire is humanity's last chance.

Macaque : Well humanity is gonna have to find something else. The samadhi fire is my best chance to get as far away from her as possible.

Tang : Surely even you can see that unless we stand together..

Macaque : together? Remind me again exactly what it is you contribute to the team? They seem to get along just fine without you. Don't take it personally Tang, you're buddy Wukong values people by how useful they are to him. Take it from me as an expert in what happens when you get too close to the King. Look out for number one, cause if you don't, no one will.

Here, Macaque is not even hiding what he's trying to do anymore. Like I said beforehand his goal in this season is his own survival. He doesn't even want to use the samadhi fire to fight LBD but to escape her. Which I think speaks volumes of Macaque's character, despite hating LBD he doesn't think of hurting her, he's thinking of escaping her, because escaping is less dangerous than fighting and Macaque is a very cautious individual when it comes to those matters.

With that being said, I think Macaque's behavior concerning Wukong spoke volumes of how much Wukong really means to Macaque. The only time Macaque is not as cautious as usual is when he's faced with something related to Wukong. In season 1, he goes above and beyond to angers Wukong and fights with him, going as far as using his mentee. For an individual as cautious as Macaque, angering someone like Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, is not very in character. Except that Macaque cautiousness goes out of the window when it concerns Wukong, his logical side is being flooded by his own feelings and he loses sight of anything else. In season 2, MK showcasing the same behavior as Wukong is enough for Macaque to take a very impulsive decision and improvise his whole lesson.

Macaque is logical in everything he does, cautious with every plan, every attack, except when it concerns Wukong. Because in this case, his feelings take over.

Macaque's last line : “together? Remind me again exactly what it is you contribute to the team? They seem to get along just fine without you. Don't take it personally Tang, your buddy Wukong values people by how useful they are to him. Take it from me as an expert in what happens when you get too close to the King. Look out for number one, cause if you don't, no one will.” is very telling about his feelings. First, reminding Tang of his place in the team (or lack thereof) can be seen as him unconsciously relating to Tang, or at least relating to the image of Tang he got in this episode. Tang is benched, “benched” being the title of the episode, and that can remind Macaque of how Wukong also “benched” him in their youth. Then, because of course he did, Macaque keeps going back to Wukong even if Wukong didn't have anything to do with Tang being benched in this episode, it's MK who benched Tang. So not only does it tell that Macaque is not really talking about Tang at this moment but himself, it also shows that at least 70% of Macaque's brain is plagued by thoughts of Wukong (and again 70 is a generous number). Macaque is obviously feeling salty about what happened with Wukong. But beyond that he seems to have a very skewed image of Wukong he created after what happened between them.

We can say that this scene is one of the rare moments of Macaque being genuine, he doesn't smile nor try to be sarcastic, he's genuinely speaking how he feels. He paints Wukong as this cruel person that puts value on people and doesn't care about companionship. He takes his experience with Wukong and tries to justify Wukong’s behavior by saying that Wukong never cared about him. The use of “King” is at the same time meant as an insult but also paints Wukong as this power-driven person who only cared about his position. Macaque constructs an image of Wukong based on everything he lived through and fuels his own hatred with this fake image. Macaque knows Wukong is not like that, he lived with the guy, he knows him, yet he tries to lie to himself, to justify his own hurting and shift the blame entirely on Wukong.

Of course, Tang doesn't agree with this and goes on about the importance of friendship. I think it's a nice detail that Tang defeats Macaque with the help of Pigsy’s singing because it truly does illustrate Tang's speech about standing together with his friends, and winning together.

Moreover, the fact that Macaque was affected by Pigsy's singing is a great callback to his JTTW counterpart. The Six-eared Macaque is canonically described in JTTW as a being with a “sensitive ear”. Having Macaque share the same sensitivity is a nice character trait.

So after this, Tang manages to get a grip on the ring and flee while Macaque is electrocuted by the lantern lighting.

And then, LBD arrives.

Immediately, all lights within the city goes out and everything is plunged in an eerie dark blue.

She knows how to make her entrance.

What is interesting is that contrary to the other interaction between Macaque and LBD, this time Macaque is not even trying to appear intimidating or control the situation. There are no quips, no smiles, no attempts of diffusing the situation, because based on their last interactions he knows it's useless. Macaque is scared and he knows his attempts at being intimidating leads to nothing, so when she chains him, ready to quite literally erase his existence, the only thing he can do is reveal the existence of the samadhi fire.

The situation is even more terrifying because LBD is not even in the frame when she chains Macaque, she gives the illusion of being everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

Then LBD gives a fraction of her power to Macaque (which literally makes him scream in pain) and we are left with this last daunting shot (image 2), with Macaque mask passing purple to blue. I like to think that the last shot is a parallel to the third image, where Macaque decided to betray LBD and work for his own goal. The fact that we get more or less the same close up with Macaque’s mask really emphasizes on how Macaque now doesn't have any choices anymore.

The third image is Macaque being determined to follow his own agenda and betray LBD, and the second image is Macaque being caught up by LBD with no choices anymore.

He's at the end of this two-faced game he has tried to play since the beginning.

S3 ep9

First with the title of the episode being the “King, the prince, the shadow” you know it's going to be about Wukong, MK and Macaque.

After the end of the previous episode Macaque is desperate and it shows. For the first time, he doesn't answer Wukong quips even when they're still tailored to pick at his insecurities.

Wukong : So you got bone demon powers now, huh ? Well it is on brand for you to have a worst version of everyone else’s powers.

This quip is made to pick at the same insecurity :Macaque feeling like he's just a shadow, that he's just following Wukong's leads and that he will never be enough. But Macaque doesn't answer, he doesn't even look at Wukong. Instead he takes the rings from Nezha and turns around. Wukong tries again to rile him up but it doesn't work. The fact that Macaque who until now always took the time to answer Wukong's quips doesn't even take the time here speaks volumes of his desperation.

Then Macaque easily sees through Wukong trick and destroys the rings, who turn out to be just hair. The fact Nezha wasn't able to tell the difference and rushed after Wukong but Macaque recognized Wukong's trick at first glance testify how much Macaque knows Wukong and how his mind works.

Macaque : I couldn't care less about what the Lady Bone Demon wants.

This line is important, because after the end of the previous episode you'll think that Macaque will never rebel against LBD, yet again he's not following her orders, he's still on the mindset of taking the samadhi fire and freeing himself from LBD hold. But now more than ever he's out of time, he's driven by despair.

And then we get this shot as Macaque slowly walks towards the mountain (after realizing the rings are with MK) :

I love this shot because despite Wukong being the one physically trapped in the ice, Macaque is also shown to be trapped in it. His reflection is like enclosed in the ice, showing how even if he's free of movements, in reality he's also trapped by the ice, by LBD, enchained by her.

Macaque's next actions are all driven by despair, he's violent, decisive, he wants the samadhi fire and will not take no as an answer. Yet still he tries to talk, still he tries to convince the others. This shows he doesn't like to hurt people, he doesn't want to hurt them, but he doesn't have the luxury to sugarcoat what he's doing. He needs the fire.

Here are some example of Macaque trying to avoid confrontations :

Macaque : Don't get in my way, kid. I don't have time for you. I'm just here for the samadhi fire then I'm done with you all.

And then when MK does get in his way he grabs him and tries to make him understand how much Wukong doesn't have a plan, how much of a mistake it is to trust him.

Macaque : This was the Monkey King's great plan? How do you still not see that he has no idea what he's doing. How about this for a plan? Stay down MK or I will put you down.

The scene is violent, and Macaque is probably upset that those people trust Wukong so much and are willing to follow his lead without questions (perhaps he sees himself in them, how much he followed Wukong without never denying him anything, how he never questioned his lead).

[This is an apparté but people always put a lot of pressure on Wukong for being the one to fix things, for being the one to lead. And I don't think it's fair.]

After this Macaque catches Mei by the throat and poses an ultimatum to Tang (who is the only one able to move and activate the fire) : give the samadhi fire or Macaque will hurt his friends. Macaque knows Tang values his friends a lot after the previous episode and that's probably why he goes with this particular method.

S3 ep10

So the samadhi fire is freed and Macaque finally achieves his goal. We can see how the ice that was slowly crawling over Macaque arms and consuming more and more of him (a symbol of how much LBD was slowly possessing Macaque) is burnt away along with blue chains, the symbols of LBD hold on Macaque.

Macaque is free!

And Macaque first reaction when Wukong rushes towards him in anger is to flee, even if he hates Wukong, he doesn't want to fight right now, his goal is to flee far away from here. I like the detail that Macaque already prepares himself from Wukong's punch and turns his head the moment Wukong raises his fist. It could be an instinctual response to Wukong's fighting stance considering Macaque was at the receiving end of it quite a number of times.

Then, after Mei is consumed by the fire, we got a particularly meaningful exchange between MK and Macaque, while Wukong tries to protect MK from the fire by placing himself at the front.

Macaque : she's completely out of control. If there is a time to go it's now!

MK : No! Mei is my best friend, I'd never abandon her when she needs me.

The fact that the camera focuses on Wukong when MK says those words and that Wukong himself looks back at Macaque with what could only be described as a pained look (most likely of regret)... It's the first time in the whole series that Wukong shows Macaque something other than spite and annoyance, and in turns Macaque looks shocked and doesn't even know what to think of those words.

They both are thinking of what happened to them at this moment. Of how, somehow, they both failed each other and abandoned the other at their time of needs. And there is a lingering regret between them of what could have been, but also of what is right now. It's important to show us this as an audience, to understand the depth of their relationship and how, despite the apparent hatred, there is still something underneath.

MK : We're heroes, it's what we do.

That, I think, is the nail in the coffin. Macaque spends a whole episode in season 2 telling MK how much heroes leave their friends behind, how much heroes chose the world over their own loved ones, how light inevitably brings darkness and that it is impossible for heroes to save both the world and their friends. And MK, here, is proving Macaque wrong. He's redefining everything that Macaque believed about heroes, everything he thought was true because of his own experience with Wukong.

But Macaque still chose to flee at the end of this, and we really cannot blame him, because from the start his goal was surviving, it was to flee far away from this mess.

Yet he comes back later on in the specials and that's something. For the guy who said “Look out for number one, cause if you don't, no one will” to come back even after being freed, even after achieving his goals, that says something about Macaque as a person and how much he really cares.

So, this post is already quite long and I reached the Tumblr limits on how many images I can put in one post (and I do want to show you guys particular frames and shots in the specials) so I will do a separate post for the season 3 specials!

Thanks for reading this very long rant of mine really, like always you can disagree with me it's really all about interpretations.