Legends: Rebirth-The Monogrammed Printing Plate of Guten...

[The Bandit King]

Episode 38: The Monogrammed Printing Plate of Johann Gutenberg

The camera winds and twists its way through a thick jungle of strange and exotic plants. After a few wrong turns, it finally stops in front of an ancient Mayan temple. At the base of the temple, a giant stone head sits. Suddenly, the head’s eyes light up and it begins to speak:

“Legends of the Hidden Temple: Rebirth!” These words appear on the screen. “With your guide, Kirk Fogg! And here he is now!”

A middle-aged man wearing a denim shirt and blue jeans swings in on a rope. He drops down and runs up the Steps of Knowledge, microphone in hand.

“Thank you! Thank you, everybody! Nice to see everyone again! It’s good to see you again, Olmec! Welcome to Legends of the Hidden Temple: Rebirth. The rooms are filled with lost treasures protected by mysterious Mayan Temple Guards. Only Olmec knows the legends behind each of these newly discovered treasures in his temple…which one are we gonna hear about today, Olmec?”

“The legend of the Monogrammed Printing Plate of Gutenberg,” Olmec replies.

“Ah, the Monogrammed Printing Plate of Gutenberg,” Kirk repeats. “Well, one of these six teams will have a chance to retrieve the Printing Plate—will it be:

“The Red Jaguars?” The camera zooms in on each team as they are introduced.
“The Blue Barracudas?
“The Green Monkeys?
“The Orange Iguanas?
“The Purple Parrots?
“Or the Silver Snakes?

“They’ll have to pass some tough physical and mental tests, but in the end, only one team will have the right to enter Olmec’s Temple. But first, they have to cross the Moat, and Olmec will tell us how they’ll have to do that today…”

Olmec begins to explain the Moat Crossing:
“Before you, a large tree has fallen across the Moat. When Kirk gives the signal, one player from each team will begin walking across the tree until they reach the other side. Once you’re safely across, your partner will cross in the same way. You may use the branches and roots of the tree as handholds; however, if you fall or if a knee touches the tree, you must go back and start again. Once both players reach the other side, run over and hit the gong.” Kirk hits the Silver Snakes’ gong to demonstrate. “The first four teams to hit their gongs will go on to the next round!”

“All right, let’s get started,” Kirk says. “Teams, are you ready?”
All six teams scream and cheer in response.
“Mr. Olmec, are you ready?” Kirk asks.
“Let’s rock the Moat,” Olmec replies.
“Okay,” Kirk says. “On your mark, get set, GO!”

The first members of each team rush out onto the tree trunk. The Purple Parrots’ boy falls off after only a few steps due to not using the branches for leverage, but everyone else uses them. The Blue Barracudas’ boy makes it across first, followed closely by the Green Monkeys’ girl, the Silver Snakes’ girl and the Red Jaguars’ boy. The Orange Iguanas’ boy is a little slower, and reaches the opposite side about six seconds after these other teams. The Green Monkeys’ boy and Blue Barracudas’ girl each make it across successfully, and they ring their team’s gong. “Two teams—oh, three teams!” Kirk says as the Silver Snakes’ boy rings his gong. “Only room for one more team!” The Purple Parrots’ boy makes it across, but the Red Jaguars’ girl is not so lucky—she falls in after losing her grip on a tree branch. This allows the Orange Iguanas’ girl to make it across and hit the gong, ending the Moat crossing.

“There we go—there’s our four teams!” Kirk shouts as he rushes over and stands beside the Silver Snakes. “Silver Snakes were over with no problems, they did it; and going on to the Steps of Knowledge will be the Silver Snakes…and the Orange Iguanas…” Kirk briefly pauses between each team’s name to allow applause. “And the Green Monkeys…and the Blue Barracudas! Red Jaguars and Purple Parrots weren’t quite fast enough, but that’s okay—we’ve got a great gift for them anyway, and here’s what it is!” They receive a $50 gift certificate from Old Navy.

[The Bandit King]

Kirk and the remaining four teams are now standing atop the Steps of Knowledge. “As the quest continues, it’s now time for Olmec to tell us about the Monogram Printing Plate of Gouda-berg. But teams, pay attention, because your knowledge of the legend could bring you a step closer to Olmec’s Temple…”

Olmec begins to tell the story:
“Without question, the most important person in the history of printing was a German man named Johann Gutenberg. He worked in Munich in 1439 as a goldsmith, making instruments for use in churches. Legend has it that one day, two of his benefactors came into his shop with some orders.
“‘Johann, we need two baptismal basins by next week,’ one of the benefactors said.
“‘Sehr gut,’ replied Gutenberg. ‘But mein goodness—you look terrible! Didn’t you get any sleep last night?’
“‘Nein,’ said the other benefactor. ‘We were up all night hand-copying a 2000-page Bible. There’s got to be an easier way to copy those things…’”
“‘Hmm,’ said Gutenberg. ‘Come back in a few days—I think I may have a solution for you.’
“Two days later, the benefactors visited Gutenberg again, and found him hard at work on a large wooden device.
“‘Mein word!’ they said. ‘What in the world is that?’
“Gutenberg showed the men the device, whose sole purpose was making printed material. Perhaps most importantly, he showed them a series of small metal plates, each with a single letter on them.
“‘This big thing I got from China—it’s called a printing press. But these metal letters are my own invention. I call it: movable type!’
“Gutenberg claimed that in the same time that a book could be hand-written, the printing press could make hundreds of books. By using movable type, the time for printing a single page was cut from a few days to a few minutes. Using his new process, Gutenberg printed many products, from playing cards to the Bible he has now become famous for. As thanks for his contributions, one of the shop’s benefactors carved Gutenberg’s initials in one of the wooden presses with a chisel, and gave it to Gutenberg. When he died, the printing press fell into disrepair, and eventually fell apart—except for the piece with Gutenberg’s initials on it, which found its way to the Temple. Your quest is to find the Monogrammed Printing Plate of Johann Gutenberg and bring it back here.”

“All right, thanks, Olmec,” says Kirk. “But tell us, where is the Printing Plate?”

“The Monogrammed Printing Plate of Johann Gutenberg can be found in the Snake Pit,” Olmec replies. The camera zooms in on the large printing plate, adorned with the letters “J.G.” at the top, positioned on the guardrail at the front of the room, and then cuts back to Kirk.

“Ooh, the Snake Pit…” Kirk replies. “Okay, teams, you’re now standing on The Steps of Knowledge. In a moment, Olmec’s gonna ask you a question. If you think you know the answer, stomp down on the ancient marking there in front of you. If you’re right, you’re gonna move down to the next level, but if you’re wrong or run out of time, I’m gonna give the other teams a chance.” Kirk begins descending the Steps. “The first two teams to make it down to the bottom level will be one step closer to Olmec’s Temple. Olmec…we’re now ready for your first question.”

Olmec begins:
“Was Gutenberg from: Germany, France, or Spain?”
The Silver Snakes ring in. “Germany?”
“That is correct,” Olmec replies. The Silver Snakes step to the second level.
“Silver Snakes, step down,” Kirk instructs. “Next question, Olmec.”

“Was Gutenberg’s occupation: goldsmith, blacksmith, or John Smith?”
The Green Monkeys ring in. “Goldsmith…?”
“That is correct,” Olmec assures. The Green Monkeys step down one level.
“Green Monkeys are right behind ‘em,” Kirk narrates. “Next question.”

“Did Gutenberg originally make: gold jewelry—”
The Silver Snakes ring in early. “Uh, the printing…press?”
“That is not one of our three choices,” Olmec explains. “The three choices are: gold jewelry, golden church instruments, or—”
The Blue Barracudas ring in. “Gold church instruments.”
“That is correct,” Olmec replies. The Blue Barracudas join the Green Monkeys and Silver Snakes on the second step.
“Now step down, Blue Barracudas,” Kirk says. “It’s close, but we still need two teams—next question, please.”

“According to our legend, what book were the benefactors up all night writing: the dictionary—”
The Silver Snakes ring in. “The Bible?”
“That…is correct,” Olmec responds. The Silver Snakes step down to the penultimate step.
“Silver Snakes are now just one step away,” Kirk observes. “Anything could happen, though—Olmec, continue.”

“Did Gutenberg get his printing press from: India, China, or Mongolia?”
The Blue Barracudas ring in. “China?”
“That is correct,” Olmec responds. The Blue Barracudas join the Silver Snakes on the last step.
“Whoo—now the Blue Barracudas are just a step away,” Kirk narrates. “Still looking for two teams—next question.”

“To make the printing press function more smoothly, Gutenberg invented a series of metal plates to insert in the printing press.”
The Silver Snakes ring in early. “Movable type?”
“That…is correct!” Olmec booms. The Silver Snakes jump down to the bottom step.
“And here’s our first team for the Temple Games,” Kirk exclaims. “Still need one more team. Who’s it gonna be—the Blue Barracudas, the Green Monkeys, or the Orange Iguanas? Next question, Olmec.”

“Did the metal plates each represent individual: letters, words, or pages?
The Green Monkeys ring in. “Uh…letters?”
“That is correct,” Olmec replies. The Green Monkeys step down to the next-to-last level.
“Green Monkeys are only one step away now,” Kirk narrates. “Still time for the Orange Iguanas, though—next question, Olmec.”

“Which of these is a type of printing: incognito, intaglio, or impresario?”
The Green Monkeys ring in and guess. “Uh…in-tally-o?”
“That…is correct!” Olmec replies. The Green Monkeys join the Silver Snakes on the final step.

“We’ve got our two teams right here,” Kirk says as he runs over and stands between them. “They are the Green Monkeys, and the Silver Snakes! Nice job, guys! Orange Iguanas, Blue Barracudas, you guys did great, too—you’re not goin’ away empty-head—handed. We’ve got a great gift for them, and here’s what it is!” They receive WarioWare DIY for the Nintendo DS Lite.

Kirk is now seen standing between the two advancing teams. “These two teams are gonna be playing for the right to enter Olmec’s Temple, and they’re gonna do it right after this!”

The camera pans in on the base of the Silver Snakes’ torch next to the Moat. It snakes up the shaft until it reaches the small snake-shaped sculpture at the top. The title appears onscreen, and we fade to a commercial.

[The Bandit King]

We return from the break to find Kirk standing in front of the Temple with the two remaining teams.

“Welcome back,” he says. “Now, as we know, is when the glory goes to the fastest and the strongest…

“So let’s hear it for Michael and Alyssa of the Green Monkeys!” The audience claps for the brown-eyed girl with shoulder-length brown hair and the taller blue-eyed boy with bushy black hair.

“And Kevin and Julie of the Silver Snakes!” The audience claps for the short blue-eyed girl with long ash-blonde hair and the much taller brown-haired boy with brown eyes.

“All right, you guys, are you ready?” Kirk asks.

“Yeah!” they reply.

“Go get ready for the Temple Games,” Kirk says, and the teams follow his instructions. “Now, in these Temple Games, our teams are competing for…” Kirk retrieves a Pendant of Life from his pouch and holds it up to the camera. “…Pendants of Life. The winning team is gonna need the Pendants they win to protect themselves from the dreaded Temple Guards as they make their way through the Temple. There are three Temple Games—Olmec, tell us about the first one, if you please…”

“My pleasure,” Olmec replies. The black lights under Olmec come on as he begins to explain the first Game:

“Gutenberg took an existing invention from China—the printing press—and made it much more practical by adding movable type. In this game, you will be spelling out a message to be loaded into the printing press later. When Kirk gives the signal, propel yourself up to the net and grab onto it. Then, climb to one of the edges and grab a piece of a message, come back down and place it on the correct position on the printing plate. The pieces must be grabbed in the correct order—if you grab the wrong piece, it won’t count, and you cannot put it back and try again. The first player to correctly spell out ‘THE GUTENBERG BIBLE’, or…the player who’s further along at the end of sixty seconds…wins.”

“Just remember to grab all the pieces in order,” Kirk reminds the players. “Let’s put sixty seconds on the clock!” The clock slams down in the bottom corner with a loud gong sound effect. “On your mark, get set, GO!”

Michael and Kevin each leap up onto their net using the trampoline and make a dash for the first tile, which is a “G”. Michael grabs his tile with about 54 seconds left, brings it back down, and places it beside the “THE” tile that each team is given. Kevin brings his “G” down and places it beside his “THE” tile only two seconds later. Michael jumps back up onto the net and grabs the “UT” tile without much trouble, but Kevin is right behind him every step of the way. The boys have a little trouble climbing up the net to get the middle tiles of the phrase, but they remain fairly even throughout the game. When the clock finally reaches zero, Michael has just placed the “B” tile and is going back for another one, while Kevin is just climbing down the net with his “B” tile.

“Okay, that’s it!” Kirk shouts as he rushes back onscreen. “Come on down, guys—that was a close game, neck-and-neck all the way through! Let’s see how each team did…it looks like the Green Monkeys got ‘THE GUTENBERG B’, and let’s go over here…the Silver Snakes got up to ‘THE GUTENBERG’. The Green Monkeys got more of the message, so they get the half Pendant of Life!” The audience applauds for a second or two. “Don’t worry, Silver Snakes; you guys can catch up in this next Temple Game. It’s also worth a half Pendant—Olmec, tell us about Temple Game #2…”

Olmec begins:
“Some of the first items to be printed on Gutenberg’s press were playing cards. By using movable type, Gutenberg could arrange the numbers, suits, and pictures on each card. In this game, you’ll have to retrieve all four card suits. When Kirk gives the signal, crawl out to the first cube, grab the card suit you find there, come back and place it on one of the four cards you see behind you. Then crawl out to the next cube. Along the way, you must avoid the swinging obstacles. The first player to retrieve all four suits, or…the player who’s further along at the end of sixty seconds…wins.”

“We’re not playing with a full deck here—just four cards,” Kirk jokes. “Let’s set the clock for sixty seconds!” The clock slams down in the corner with the usual sound effect. “On your mark, get set, GO!”

Alyssa and Julie each crawl out to the first cube and grab the heart. They both bring theirs back without getting hit, and stick it on the playing card-shaped board at about the same time. They each crawl out to the second cube to grab the diamond, but Julie is hit on her way back, allowing Alyssa to take the lead with about 42 seconds left. Julie manages to get the diamond on her next try, but Alyssa pulls ahead by successfully retrieving the club with about 19 seconds to go. Julie manages to avoid the sandbag on her way to retrieve her club, and brings it back with seven seconds left. Alyssa tries to bring back the spade, making a mad dash to bring it back when the clock reaches two seconds. However, she is hit by the sandbag, and time expires soon afterwards.

“Okay, that’s it!” Kirk shouts. “Come on back here, that’s the time…let’s see how each team did.” Kirk glances back at the teams’ boards. “Looks like the Green Monkeys got the hearts, the diamonds, and the clubs, so that’s three suits. And over here, the Silver Snakes…they also got three suits! Both teams get the half Pendant of Life!” The audience applauds for a few seconds. “So now, the Green Monkeys have one full Pendant, and the Silver Snakes have a half Pendant. Now, it’s time for the third and final Temple Game. It’s worth a full Pendant of Life—Olmec, tell us about Temple Game #3…”

Olmec begins to explain the final Temple Game:
“Gutenberg’s printing press spread across not only Europe, but the entire world, in a matter of only a few years, allowing news from all over the world to be read about thousands of miles away. In this game, you’ll only have to help the printing press spread throughout four areas. On the wall before you are the names of four places that were very prominent in Gutenberg’s time—Germany, England, France, and the Ottoman Empire. When Kirk gives the signal, one player from each team will shoot a ball up to their partner on the wall. Their partner will then catch the ball, and stick it on the first target. Then climb up to the second target and try again. The first team to cover all four targets, or…the team that’s further along at the end of sixty seconds…wins!”

“This is for the Temple,” Kirk explains. “Let’s put sixty seconds on the clock!” The clock appears in the bottom corner, ready to go. “On your mark, get set, GO!”

Both girls shoot a ball up to their male teammate with the slingshot. In response, both boys catch the ball and place it on the target marked “Germany”. Each team manages to cover up “England” within about seven more seconds. Once both teams reach the third target, the trouble begins—no one catches a ball for a full forty-two seconds, and balls fly everywhere. Michael finally catches a ball and places it on “France” with about nine seconds left. By sheer luck, the very next ball Alyssa launches is high enough to be caught by Michael, and he sticks it on the final target with four seconds to spare.

“Okay, that’s it!” Kirk shouts as he appears back onscreen. “Come over here, guys—not easy to aim and shoot those cannonballs, is it? Guys, you can come down here…the Green Monkeys got all their targets covered before time was up, so they get the half Pendant of Life. That gives the Green Monkeys two Pendants, the Silver Snakes got a half Pendant—the Green Monkeys are goin’ to the Temple!” Michael and Alyssa jump up and down and high-ten one another. “Silver Snakes, you guys also did great. It was really close, but we’re not sending you guys home with empty hands. We’ve got a great gift for you guys, and here it is!” They receive a custom-made Legends of the Hidden Temple: Rebirth watch.

As the prize disappears off-screen, Kirk is seen standing between Michael and Alyssa with his hands on their shoulders. “They did it—now, we’ll see if the Green Monkeys can make it through Olmec’s Temple; retrieve the Monogrammed Printing Press of Johann Goo-dumberg, right after this!”

The camera pans in on the Shrine of the Silver Monkey and zooms in on a gargoyle-like sculpture at the back, spewing fog into the room. The title appears onscreen, and we fade to a commercial.

[The Bandit King]

We return from the break to find Kirk standing in front of the Temple with the winning team.

“Welcome back to Legends: Rebirth,” he says. “The Green Monkeys have proven themselves worthy, and now they’ve earned the right to enter Olmec’s Temple. But first, Olmec’s gonna give them some information to help them retrieve the Monogrammed Printing Plate of Goo-dum-berg…”

Olmec begins to explain the layout as the camera gives us a first-person tour of the Temple:
“You could start…by running up the stairs to the Crypt! Grab the book from the skeletons, and pass into the Rope Labyrinth! Maneuver through the ropes, and climb into the Magician’s Chamber. Pull the rabbit from the correct hat, and a door may open into the Clockwork Room. Set the clocks for the correct time, and pass into the Room…of the Golden Torches! Light the correct torch, and open the door to the SHRIIIINE of the Silver Monkey! Assemble the statue and you may be headed toward the Room…of the Secret Password. Find the tablet with the correct inscription and shout it out to open the door to the Pharaoh’s Secret Passage. Slide down the tunnel to the Dungeon, where you could smash through the wall into the Dark Forest…but beware of the Temple Guards that may inhabit the trees! Find the key in the tree, and you’ll enter…the Snake Pit. Place the snakes in the hollow stump, and you’ll gain entry to the Atlantean Altar. Uncover the tile that lets in the waters of Atlantis, then…crawl through the Labyrinth, climb through the Ledges, race down the stairs and back through the Temple Gate! The choices are yours and yours alone!” Olmec pauses. “You won 2 Pendants in the Temple Games. Who’s going first?”

“I am,” says Alyssa.

“Very well, Alyssa,” Olmec replies. “When Kirk gives the signal, you’ll race through the Gates into the Temple and make your way toward the Monogrammed Printing Plate. Hidden inside the Temple are Temple Guards assigned to protect three specific rooms. You can trade your Pendant for an extra life and go on, but…if you’re caught without a Pendant, you’ll be taken out of the Temple, and it’ll be Michael’s turn to enter and try his luck. If you can reach the Printing Plate, all the doors of the Temple will instantly unlock, and the Temple Guards will vanish. Return through the Gates with the Monogrammed Printing Plate of Johann Gutenberg in three minutes, and you’ll both be handsomely rewarded…and here’s how!”

• Just for making it this far, they’ll get a sports package from Outdoor Products.
• If they can grab the Monogrammed Printing Plate within three minutes, they’ll also receive a bicycle from Mongoose.
• And if they can bring the Monogrammed Printing Plate out of the Temple before three minutes expires, they’ll win a trip to Santa Monica, California.

“Will they make it out with the Printing Press and claim that whole prize?” Kirk asks. “Let’s find out. Both you guys need your mouthpieces in—get in position here, and now let’s set the clock for three minutes!” The clock slams down in the bottom corner of the screen with a loud gong sound effect.

“Olmec, lower your gate.” Olmec moans gutturally as the gate is lowered, and the black lights under him go out.

“All right—Alyssa, are you ready?” Kirk asks.
“Mm-hmm,” Alyssa says through her mouthpiece.
“On your mark,” Kirk begins, “get set, GO!”

Alyssa darts up the stairs, clutching her Pendant. She enters the Crypt and pulls all three books, finally opening the door to the Rope Labyrinth after pulling the leftmost book (2:52). “There—into the Labyrinth!” a live Kirk narrates as Alyssa enters the room. “This girl runs track, she plays soccer—she knows how to get it done!” After struggling for a few seconds in the middle part of the room, Alyssa finally makes it to the bottom of the Rope Labyrinth, where she hits the actuator for the door to the Atlantean Altar. It opens, so she enters the room. She pulls one tile off the back wall, but the first TEMPLE GUARD emerges before she can pull any more (2:30). “Oh, Temple Guard!” Kirk exclaims as Alyssa screams loudly. “Give ‘em the Pendant, and he’ll leave you alone!” Alyssa fumbles with her Pendant for a second or two before chucking it at the Temple Guard, who catches it and retreats out of the room. Alyssa pulls three more tiles off the back wall until she removes the top-left tile, releasing a flood of blue light into the room and opening the door to the Clockwork Room (2:19). After checking to make sure the door to the Snake Pit didn’t open, she begins climbing the ladder up to the Clockwork Room. “Two minutes, fifteen seconds—she’s making great time so far!” Kirk narrates. Alyssa enters the Clockwork Room and looks at the clock on the central door set for twelve o’clock. She quickly goes to work aligning all six clocks in the room for the same time, and when she finishes, only the door to the Magician’s Chamber opens (2:0. She climbs the ladder into the room and heads to the front of the room, where the three hats sit on the pedestals. She waves her hand over the middle one, and immediately, a small stuffed rabbit jumps out as we hear “Ta-dah!” She pulls the rabbit all the way out of the hat, and the door to the Room of the Golden Torches flies open (1:55). Alyssa dashes into the room, but is immediately ambushed by the second TEMPLE GUARD (1:49).

“Oh, there’s a Temple Guard! Go, Michael, go!” Kirk shouts, and Michael takes off like a rocket. He follows Alyssa’s path exactly, not noticing the open door to the Room of the Golden Torches from the Clockwork Room (1:32). “He’s gotta run like the wind; he’s only got about a minute and a half to reach the Printing Press!” Kirk narrates. When Michael enters the room where Alyssa was removed, he grabs the golden-tipped torch from the back of the room and brings it up front. He touches the leftmost torch, but nothing happens. He tries the one immediately to the right of it. It begins to glow a bright golden color, and the door to the Shrine of the Silver Monkey opens (1:15). He progresses into the room and heads to the shelves at the back, grabbing all three pieces of the statue in one swoop. He brings them back to the front and places the base without any trouble (1:06). After having a little trouble with the middle, he gets it turned around right, and ultimately jams down the head, opening the doors to the Dark Forest and the Room of the Secret Password (0:57). “All right, monkey’s done—now where’s he headed?” Kirk asks no one in particular. Michael answers his question by taking the longer way around, entering the Room of the Secret Password. Before he can do anything, though, the third TEMPLE GUARD emerges from the secret door at the back of the room (0:45). “Oh, a Temple Guard was waiting for him!” Kirk laments as Michael hands his Pendant over. “No, wait—I forgot he had that last Pendant! He can keep on going!” Michael opens the leftmost cabinet, takes out the tablet inside, removes his mouthpiece, and screams “Dr. Livingstone, I presume!” Nothing happens, so he heads to the back of the room and takes the tablet out of the cabinet there. “Long live Olmec!” he shouts, and the door to the Pharaoh’s Secret Passage opens (0:34). He quickly scrambles down the slick passage, entering the Dungeon in no time, and breaks down the wall into the Dark Forest (0:23). “Twenty-three seconds, and he’s only one room away!” Kirk excitedly narrates. The camera shows Alyssa, jumping up and down and cheering. When the camera shows Michael again, he is reaching into the stage-right tree, but he comes out empty-handed (0:17). He reaches into the stage-left tree, and comes out holding a key. He inserts it into the keyhole near the door to the Snake Pit, and the door flies open (0:10). “There, he’s got it—nine seconds to grab the Printing Press!” Kirk narrates. After scrambling through the door, Michael enters the Snake Pit (0:04). He makes a mad dash for the Monogrammed Printing Plate, coming within several inches of it—but time runs out before he actually grabs it!

“NOOOO!!!” Kirk shouts as Alyssa drops to her knees and hides her face in her hands. “He was SO close! They each came so far, and Michael was just only seconds away from grabbing the Printing Plate! If only they had just a few more seconds…tough break for this team, but I know they had a great time, and they still get the sports package for being such good sports. Unfortunately, we’ve gotta get out of here—if I was in charge, we’d be here all day long! We’ll see you next time, and just remember—it’s not just Legends, it’s Legends: Rebirth! Buh-bye!”

Michael emerges from the Temple, without the Printing Plate, and stands beside Kirk and Alyssa. The camera shows the Monogrammed Printing Plate as the credits begin to roll. We also see shots of the Snake Pit, the Dark Forest, and the Dungeon. The last thing we see before the Stone Stanley logo appears onscreen is Kirk with his hands on Michael and Alyssa’s shoulders, comforting them as they all wave to the crowd.

[The Bandit King]

The Monogrammed Printing Plate of Johann Gutenberg
Season 1, Layout 5
Artifact Location: The Snake Pit
Team: Green Monkeys (Alyssa Meyer & Michael Cooke)
Pendants: 2
Result: Ran out of time

If this episode wasn’t a nail-biter, I don’t know what is. The Green Monkeys pulled it out in the clutch in both the Steps of Knowledge and the Temple Games—they just couldn’t quite make it in the Temple Run.

Alyssa was a pretty fast contestant, and also was aware of her bearings in the Temple. She got caught up a little in the Rope Labyrinth, but other than that, she was a great contestant. She was finally taken out in the Room of the Golden Torches with just under two minutes left.

Michael was a fast, intelligent player as well, but he made one crucial mistake that cost this team at least a second-prize victory. When he finished putting together the Silver Monkey, he failed to notice that the door downward to the Dark Forest had opened. Instead, he headed to the Room of the Secret Password, where a Temple Guard was hiding. Impressively, he did make it all the way to the Snake Pit, and was only about a mere foot away from grabbing the Monogrammed Printing Plate before time ran out.

If Michael had taken the Shrine-Dark Forest passage instead of the longer way around, there’s no doubt in my mind that this episode could have resulted in a victory. This team was great, but was short-changed by a slightly inattentive player. Too bad…

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Notes and Trivia: This is obviously the closest someone comes to an artifact in Season 1 without actually grabbing it.

“The Monogrammed Printing Plate of Johann Gutenberg” has the longest title of any episode of Legends: Rebirth. However, it’s still shorter than “The Comet-Embroidered Battle Flag of William the Conqueror”, the longest Legends title of all time.

Temple Diagram made by JTH1

[The Bamboo Forest]

Exciting temple run. Shame that they didn't get a close grab - I think the team deserved it even if Michael made the small mistake.

[The Ancient Warrior]

Possibly your most exciting episode yet. Nice work on this one!