So the Sultan has spies. Who are apparently in such a position that they can hear about Mozenrath’s plans.

Aladdin expresses discomfort in not knowing what they’re up against, and Jasmine only seems to know that her father’s spies think Mozenrath’s weapon could “spell Agrabah’s doom.” (They’re probably also how Aladdin knows about the crystals.)

But let’s TALK for a minute about these supposed spies. Because I’d like to know how they know that.

Provided they’re non-magical it’s conceivable that there could be someone who’s been squatting in the city and gathering information. It’s possible, but who is that capable of surviving in these conditions (and defending themselves if caught) that we haven’t as an audience met yet?

It’s implied later that Mozenrath bought this weapon, so it’s possible that somebody just got lucky while they were watching someone else that’s of interest to the crown. In fact, more than once it’s mentioned in the series that Mozenrath does do business with other people, both here and in “Vocal Hero,” at the very least. There may be people planted in various places throughout the seven deserts who are on the lookout for him, especially after the incident at Dagger Rock. The Sultan is now aware of Mozenrath’s power and he is deemed a threat.

I’m kind of sad we never get to meet these spies and informants. Because remember – I’ve inferred more than once that Jafar used to run a lot of things. Unless the Sultan shuffled his staff recently, there’d probably be some interesting and shady characters mixed in.

Magic-Detectors

We learn from Aladdin that Mozenrath’s streets are decorated with these crystals on spires because they glow whenever something magical comes by. (Presumably magical things that Mozenrath himself didn’t make or his army would set them off all the freaking time.)

They’re here because Mozenrath wants to know when something magical that’s not him or his is wandering around his kingdom. I’ve expounded more than once on the notion that Mozenrath seems to take drastic steps to avoid a fair fight (or an unfair one that’s not in his favor), and whether it’s because he’s collecting or because he’s paranoid as Hell that other magicians are going to come and try to kick his ass, we’ll never know for sure.

The point is that he’s got one Hell of an alarm system set up on his property.

In this case, the crystals are glowing because Mozenrath’s new magic weapon has arrived in the city.

So Aladdin and Jasmine are sneaking around the Land of the Black Sand at night.

OH MY GOD THIS IS SO COOL.

No really, as a kid I was so excited to see this because you never got to see Aladdin and Jasmine doing this stuff.

As equals.

Tooling around in enemy territory, sans magical aid, being total badasses. For justice.

This is one of the most serious “missions” I’ve ever seen them go on, that we see from them period.

I NEVER WANT THIS TO END.

Also Abu thinks he’s Batman.

Some observations about the city in the Land of the Black Sand and some slight headcanon.

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What’s interesting is that some of the shots in this episode just look like they were darker repaints of the Marketplace in Agrabah, but some of the other glimpses we get of the scenery suggest something else entirely:

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Like parts of it are in obvious disrepair, but others, like in the first shot, say that while the place is abandoned, it might not have always been that way. This raises some interesting questions, because other than Mozenrath, people obviously don’t live here right now.

And I highly doubt anybody did when Destane was still alive. Possible theory on what this place used to be, below:

A citadel is a fortress that protects/surrounds a single town, and Mozenrath’s home is identified in his originating appearance as a citadel. In essence, what we’re looking at here is the (very well preserved) remains of what was likely a military installation, with a working population in the city itself that provided food, shelter, trade, etc for its citizenry as a whole.

In my imagining this place used to train and house soldiers for a king’s army, an outpost of sorts. However, as I mentioned in my review of The Citadel, there is very likely an active volcano somewhere close by (which is why the sand is black), and the place was deemed unsafe for people to live in, and most, if not all, evacuated. Likely in a hurry.

Most (all but one) of the Mamluks Mozenrath has made are of soldiers because those are the only people that stayed.

If said volcano is still active (and spewing ash and chemicals into the air like it appears to be doing), then there’s probably other factors involved in Mozenrath’s slowly failing health (mentioned in “Two to Tangle”) other than the gauntlet.

Production Code Episode 71: The Wind Jackals of Mozenrath

I mentioned in my introduction to “The Secret of Dagger Rock” that I’m reviewing these two episodes out of production order, because even if Dagger Rock was produced after this one (as Episode 74), the way they’re written suggests they were always meant to air the way they do in the actual airing order, with Dagger Rock as Mozenrath’s second appearance and this as his third. The way that Jasmine operates in this episode and the way that Mozenrath interacts with her makes no sense if Dagger Rock happens afterward, and vice versa. That’s the most I really have to say on the matter, and we’ll have much more interesting things to cover, like:

1. Jasmine and Aladdin going on secret spy missions for the Sultan.

2. Jasmine being a badass in general.

3. Our first introduction to Mozenrath’s anti-magic items and his magic-detecting crystals.

4. A conflict for Genie that isn’t totally contrived and/or insufficiently explained.

So tune in with me, and enjoy the ride! For those that are curious and want to see other episodes and liveblogs, here is a link to the Episode Masterlist.

Conclusion: Okay, it’s cool that Jasmine and Sadira think up a solution quickly.

They need a key, or lockpicks, and we already know Sadira doesn’t carry those in this dress because I don’t think she thinks princesses are practical. But Abu has some.

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Yeah I’m sure these work on all kinds of locks.

What’s fun is Sadira trying to talk Jasmine through it, but she doesn’t know what any of these are, especially not by name. “Don’t they teach you anything at the palace?”

“Well, not thievery!”

But she successfully unlocks the manacles with a little instruction, and they’re both actually kind of excited about it!

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I think Sadira didn’t expect her to get it so quickly, because Sadira doesn’t know she’s a “fast learner.” So she’s like – genuinely impressed by this, and suddenly they’re connecting. Which is nice, if a bit rushed.

The way the dragon is defeated is a nod back to something Jasmine was doing earlier that I conveniently didn’t talk about because I actually didn’t count on it being relevant. Apparently Genie was teaching her bullfighting.

So with a little help from Sadira lifting her out of the way in time, they manage to destroy the dragon.

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And of course the kiss had to happen, but once Aladdin is awake again, I think all he remembers is when he was getting up to leave and SUDDENLY JASMINE IS THERE.

Jasmine, who doesn’t want him to grovel because he knew he was doing something inappropriate, even if Sadira outsmarted him into doing it.

And honestly, I think they’re both just kind of sick of him at this point because they’ve been chasing his goofy ass all over the desert trying to keep him alive.

So Sadira apologizes to Jasmine, for the first time fully acknowledging her agency in all of this and showing she understands she’s not only been horrible to Aladdin but to her as well.

And honestly? I think Sadira realized she liked spending time with Jasmine more than pretending to spend time with Aladdin. They clicked.

So Jasmine steals her for girl time and tells Aladdin he can’t come with them.

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I’m…mostly cool with this. I think this was a conclusion they reached in a very haphazard manner. This episode is badly animated and clumsily written, and I think if they’d shown Sadira and Jasmine working together a little more BEFORE they went out into the desert, or made this segment longer so we could see more of it, it might have felt less tacked on, but I appreciate what we’re getting from this.

Sadira gets it. After failing three times she not only realizes she’s not going to get Aladdin, but after spending time with Jasmine (after basically taking every step she could in previous episodes to keep her out of the picture) and seeing they have chemistry, I think she wants to have a friend more than she wants to have a boyfriend.

And Jasmine seems like a better friend for her than Aladdin.

“This was fun. Let’s do this more often.”

I like that.

And that’s exactly what they’re going to do.

Want more episodes? See the Episode Masterlist.
Hop on over to the Series Theories page for organized rambling.
Send me an ask if you have questions or requests or just want to talk about any ideas YOU got from reading all this.
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For just a second I thought Jasmine was going to do something awesome.

She grabs a rock and runs for Carpet. I’m thinking “Hey, Mechanicles has appeared at least once so far. She knows this is a machine. Maybe she remembers Aladdin messing up one of his creations by shoving something into its moving parts. That’s really crafty, Jasmine! This is why I love you as a character!”

And then

I’m so done with everything about this episode.

I WAS RIGHT.

So Genie knows mixing magics is bad but apparently gave little thought to mixing magics with advanced animatronics (which is essentially the same as magic if you ask any Disney imagineer.)

So naturally this dragon robot goes bonkers and tries to kill Sadira, like it was programmed to do.

Interesting that the first person that Sadira calls to for help is Jasmine and not the “Dragon Slayer” she built.

Because this isn’t her fantasy. Or rather, when she dreamt this up she never thought about what it would feel like to actually be helpless and in danger. Aladdin is armed with a ladle that he thinks is a sword. Aladdin is not even half was crafty as he usually is. Aladdin cannot deal with this.

Jasmine, you are her last hope.