Legends: Rebirth-The Bullet-Pierced Playing Card of Charles Cognetz

[The Bandit King]

Episode 66: The Bullet-Pierced Playing Card of Charles Cognetz

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, a torch on either side of the head begins burning.  The head’s eyes light up, and it begins to speak:

“Legends of the Hidden Temple: Rebirth!”  The words appear on the screen, along with a picture of a Pendant of Life.  “With your guide, Kirk Fogg!  And here he is now!”

As the Pendant of Life shatters, the camera cuts to a middle-aged man wearing a denim shirt and blue jeans riding in on an ATV.  He dismounts the vehicle and runs up the Steps of Knowledge, microphone in hand.

“Thank you!  Thank you very much!  Nice to see everyone!  Nice to see you, 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 all-new treasures in his Temple…which one are we gonna hear about today?”

“The legend of the Bullet-Pierced Playing Card of Charles Cognetz,” Olmec replies.

“Oh, the Bullet-Pierced Playing Card of Charles Cognetz,” Kirk repeats.  “Well, the legend is set, and one of these six teams will have the chance to retrieve the Playing Card—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 are two long rods which stretch across the Moat, and suspended from each rod is an ancient pedaling mechanism invented by Leonardo da Vinci himself.  When Kirk gives the signal, one player from each team will grab one pedal of the device with each hand, and then pedal across the Moat, just like if you were pedaling a bicycle.  Once you’re safely across, that’s your partner’s signal to cross with their own device.  If you fall off, 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…teams are you ready?” asks Kirk.
The teams all scream and cheer as a response.
“On your mark,” begins Kirk, “get set, GO!”

All six teams’ first members reach up and grab their pedaling devices, then begin making their way across the Moat.  The Red Jaguars’ boy takes an early lead, with the Orange Iguanas’ boy and the Blue Barracudas’ boy close behind.  The Green Monkeys’ girl falls into the Moat about seven seconds into the round, and the Purple Parrots’ girl follows about two seconds later.  “Oh, they’re down—they have to go back and start all over!” Kirk explains.  The Red Jaguars’ boy very quickly reaches the other side as the Blue Barracudas’ and Orange Iguanas’ boys have almost made it across now, and the Silver Snakes’ boy hits the water about halfway across.  The Purple Parrots’ and Green Monkeys’ girls now start pedaling across again, but the Green Monkeys’ girl falls off before she even gets a fourth of the way across the Moat, prompting her to start again.  The Red Jaguars’ girl is now at the halfway point as the Orange Iguanas’ and Blue Barracudas’ boys successfully make it across, and the Purple Parrots’ girl is slowly making her way across.  “Oh, it’s close, but we might have our first team pretty soon here!” Kirk narrates as the Red Jaguars’ girl has almost made it all the way across.  The Silver Snakes’ boy is now halfway across on his second try as the Purple Parrots’ girl falls into the Moat a second time; however, the Red Jaguars’ girl successfully makes it over without falling in, and she and her teammate hit the gong together.  “And…there’s our first team!” Kirk exclaims.  “We’re looking for…oh, we might have another one soon!”  Sure enough, the Orange Iguanas’ girl has almost made it across, and the Blue Barracudas’ girl is also slowly making progress.  The Silver Snakes’ boy makes it across as the Green Monkeys’ girl falls in for a second time.  The Purple Parrots’ girl looks tired as she pedals across the Moat on her third go-round.  The Orange Iguanas’ girl soon makes it across, though, and her team becomes the second to hit their gong.  A few seconds later, the Blue Barracudas’ girl makes it three teams when she crosses and rushes over to hit her team’s gong.  We see now that all the fog is gone from the Moat as the Green Monkeys’ and Purple Parrots’ girls exhaustedly pedal their ways across; the Silver Snakes’ girl, however, is leaving them both in the dust on her way across.  A few seconds later, the Silver Snakes’ girl successfully reaches the other side, and she hits her team’s gong to end the Moat Crossing.

“That’s it—we’ve got our four teams right there!” Kirk exclaims as he rushes over and stands beside the Silver Snakes.  “Silver Snakes are wet, they’re tired, but they made it across, and going on to the Steps of Knowledge are the Silver Snakes…and the Orange Iguanas…”  Kirk pauses between each team’s name to allow for applause.  “…and the Blue Barracudas…and the Red Jaguars!  The Green Monkeys and the Purple Parrots did great, too, but they’re not going home empty-handed.  We’ve got a great gift for ‘em, 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 Bullet-Pierced Playing Card of Charles Co-nay.  But pay attention, teams, because your knowledge of the legend can bring you a step closer to Olmec’s Temple…”

Olmec begins to tell the story:
“One of the greatest ship captains of his day was the French privateer Rene Duguay-Trouin.  He was a fearless captain, a charming ladies’ man, but perhaps most notoriously of all, a compulsive gambler.  When he was 16, he joined the French navy, and at age 18, gained control of his own ship, the Hermine.  By the time he was in his thirties, Rene had captured 16 war ships and over 300 men from the English and Dutch.  Toward the end of his career, all privateering was considered piracy by the French government, and Rene lived out most of the rest of his life in his home city of Saint-Malo.  Legend has it that while he was there, Rene was involved in a heated game of cards with his friend, Charles Cognetz.
“‘Do you have any kings?’ Rene asked his friend.
“‘Non, go fish…do you have any threes?’
“‘Non, go fish.’
“‘It’s a three!  Four threes…read ‘em and weep, mon ami!’ Charles yelled as he held up his winning hand and waved it in the air.
“‘You dirty…’ growled Rene.  “You cheated!’
“With that, Rene drew his pistol and shot straight through the three of spades in Charles’ hand.  The startled Charles dropped his cards and ran.  Eventually, the two men’s differences were settled peacefully, and they became friends again.  However, the bullet-shot three of spades from Charles’ hand found its way to the Temple.  Your goal is to find the Bullet-Pierced Playing Card of Charles Cognetz and bring it back here.”

“All right, thanks, Olmec,” Kirk replies.  “So tell us, where is the Playing Card?”

“The Bullet-Pierced Playing Card of Charles Cognetz can be found in the Lookout Tower,” Olmec replies.  The camera zooms in on a three of spades card with a large, round hole through the center of it on the guardrail of the room, next to the telescope, before we fade back to Kirk.

“Teams, you’re now standing on the Steps of Knowledge,” Kirk explains.  “In a moment, Olmec’s gonna ask you a question.  If you think you know the answer, I want you to stomp down on the ancient marking in front of you.  If you’re right, you’ll be able to move down to the next level, but if you’re wrong or you run out of time, I’ll give the other teams a chance to answer.”  Kirk begins descending the Steps.  “The first two teams to make it 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 Rene Duguay-Trouin: a pirate, a privateer, or—”
The Orange Iguanas ring in.  “A pirate?”
“Incorrect,” Olmec booms.  “The other two choices are: a privateer, or a soldier?”
After a few seconds, the Red Jaguars ring in.  “A privy…privateer?”
“That is correct,” Olmec replies.  The Red Jaguars step down to the second level.
“Step down, Red Jaguars,” Kirk instructs.  “Next question, Olmec.”

“Was Rene a part of: the French navy, the English navy, or the Spanish navy?”
The Orange Iguanas ring in.  “The French navy…?”
“That is correct,” Olmec responds.  The Orange Iguanas join the Red Jaguars on the second step.
“Orange Iguanas step down now,” Kirk says.  “This is getting hot…next question, Olmec.”

“Which of these phrases best describes Rene: helpful volunteer, compulsive gambler, or master craftsman?”
A few seconds go by, and the Red Jaguars ring in.  “Gambler…com—compulsive gambler?”
“That…is correct,” Olmec replies.  The Red Jaguars step down to the next-to-last level.
“Whoo—Red Jaguars are just one step away from the Temple Games now,” Kirk narrates.  “But remember, we need two teams.  Olmec, next question.”

“Did Rene live in: Saint Kitts, Saint-Malo, or St. Louis?”
A few seconds later, the Silver Snakes ring in.  “Saint Kitts?”
“Incorrect,” Olmec responds.
A few more seconds go by, and the Red Jaguars ring in.  “Saint Mallow?”
“That is correct!” Olmec booms, and the Red Jaguars head down to the bottom level.
“And there’s our first team for the Temple Games,” Kirk exclaims as the Red Jaguars high-ten one another.  “Now we need one more team.  Who’s it gonna be: the Silver Snakes, the Blue Barracudas, or the Orange Iguanas?  Next question.”

“According to our legend, what game did Rene like to play: hopscotch—”
The Blue Barracudas ring in early.  “Cards!”
“That is correct,” Olmec replies.  The Blue Barracudas join the Orange Iguanas on the second step.
“Blue Barracudas are on the board now,” Kirk narrates.  “Still time for the Silver Snakes…next question.”

“According to our legend, was Rene playing cards with: Charles Darwin, Charles Cognetz, or Charlie Chaplin?”
The Orange Iguanas ring in.  “Charles…Co-neigh?”
“That is correct,” Olmec replies.  The Orange Iguanas step down to the next-to-last level.
“Orange Iguanas are now just one step away,” Kirk narrates.  “Still time for the other two teams, though…next question.”

“Which of these is a card game: sin tummy, bin dummy, or gin rummy?”
The Orange Iguanas ring in.  “Gin rummy.”
“That is correct!” Olmec booms, and the Orange Iguanas join the Red Jaguars on the bottom step.

“We’ve got our two teams for the Temple Games,” Kirk exclaims as he rushes onscreen and stands between them.  “They are the Red Jaguars, and the Orange Iguanas!  Nice job…Blue Barracudas, Silver Snakes, you guys did a great job, too.  You made it this far, and you’re not goin’ home empty-handed.  We’ve got a great gift for you guys, and here’s what it is!”  They receive a backpack from Outdoor Products.

Kirk is now seen standing between the two advancing teams.  “We’ll see these two teams play for the right to enter Olmec’s Temple, right after this!”

The camera pans in on the Temple and zooms in on the mine cart in the Jewel Mine before the title appears onscreen, and we go 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 is when the glory goes to the fastest and the strongest, but first, I’d like to meet our two teams…”

Kirk first turns to the Red Jaguars, who are made up of a cute girl with bright blue eyes and an ash-blonde bob cut and a slightly taller Asian boy with short black hair.
“On the Red Jaguars, we have Mayra—she says she likes to play basketball and she also wants to be a veterinarian when she gets older.  And her partner here is Clement—he wants to be an architect, and he’s originally all the way from Singapore…let’s hear it for the Red Jaguars!”  Clement and Mayra applaud along with the audience.

Kirk now turns to the Orange Iguanas, who are made up of a tall girl with brown eyes and black hair tied back in a ponytail and a slightly shorter black boy with short brown hair.
“And on the Orange Iguanas, we have Cassie—she likes to draw, and her favorite subject in school is science.  And her partner is Karl—he plays basketball and he also collects bottles…let’s hear it for the Orange Iguanas!”  Karl and Kyra nod and clap politely along with the audience.

“All right, are you guys ready to play?” Kirk asks the teams.

“Yeah!” they reply.

“Okay—go get ready for the Temple Games.  Now, in the Temple Games, our teams are competing to win…”  Kirk retrieves a Pendant of Life from a small pouch at his side and holds it up to the camera.  “…Pendants of Life.  The winning team will need those Pendants to protect them from the dreaded Temple Guards as they make their way through Olmec’s Temple.  There are three Temple Games—Olmec, will you please tell us about Temple Game #1…”

The black lights and torches under Olmec come on as he begins to explain the first Game:
“Rene Duguay-Trouin worked for the French government as a privateer, meaning that he captured enemy ships for the French navy.  In this game, you’ll be capturing some enemy ships of your own.  When Kirk gives the signal, jump up, grab an enemy ship, come back around and place it in your bin.  Then run around, grab another ship and do it again.  The player with the most ships in their bin at the end of thirty seconds…wins.”

“This is an awfully strange way to capture ships,” Kirk observes.  “Let’s put thirty seconds on the clock!”  The clock slams down in the bottom right-hand corner with a loud gong sound.  “On your mark, get set, GO!”

Cassie and Mayra each have a little trouble adjusting to the rotating lever, as neither one manages to grab a model ship for their bin on their first go-round.  However, Cassie jumps high enough to retrieve one on her next try, placing the first ship in the bin with 23 seconds left.  Mayra manages to grab her first ship on her third jump, but Cassie also grabs one, scoring a point for both teams with 17 seconds left.  The game goes back and forth for several seconds, but Cassie always manages to stay one ship ahead of Mayra, even up until the clock counts down to zero and the game ends.

“Okay, that’s it!” Kirk says as he walks back onscreen.  “Stop spinning, you guys—whoa, can they stop?  I don’t know…come over here, and we’ll count it up.”  A spotter brings the bins over to Kirk, and he kneels beside them.  “Let’s see, the Red Jaguars got one, two, three, four ships, and the Orange Iguanas had one, two, three, four…five ships!  The Orange Iguanas get the half Pendant of Life!”  The audience applauds for a few seconds.  “The Red Jaguars can catch up in this next Temple Game, though.  It’s worth a half Pendant as well—Olmec, tell us about Temple Game #2…”

Olmec begins:
“While playing cards with his friend, Charles Cognetz, Rene Duguay-Trouin shot straight through one of the cards in Charles’ hand, proving his accuracy.  In this game, you’ll be testing your own accuracy, but with a much larger card as a target.  When Kirk gives the signal, place a ball between your legs, then swing out to the giant card before you.  There, drop the ball in the hole in the center of the card.  The team that drops the most balls in their card at the end of sixty seconds…wins.”

“All right, time to test our teams’ aim,” Kirk comments.  “Let’s set the clock for sixty seconds!”  The clock slams down in the bottom corner, ready to go.  “On your mark, get set, GO!”

The spotters place a ball between both Clement’s and Karl’s feet, and both boys swing out to the large, card-shaped target with a hole in the center before letting go of their balls and dropping them as close to the target as they can.  Clement hits his hole on the first try, but Karl’s misses.  Karl gets better as the game progresses, getting three balls in a row in the hole by the time the halfway point rolls around.  Clement, however, isn’t so lucky—he misses more often than he sinks a ball in the hole, allowing Karl to pull ahead late in the game.  Clement tries to get more balls in his hole, but time expires before he can accurately place one inside.

“All right, that’s it!” Kirk says as he heads back onscreen.  “Nice job by both teams…come on down here so we can count up the score.”  Kirk heads over to the Red Jaguars’ card first and reaches into the hole, pulling out balls as he counts them.  “The Red Jaguars got…one, two, three…four balls.  And the Orange Iguanas got…one, two, three, four, five…six balls!  The Red—Orange Iguanas get the half Pendant of Life!”  The audience applauds for a few seconds.  “So now, the Orange Iguanas have a full Pendant; the Red Jaguars don’t have any.  But now, we go to 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 Game:
“When privateering was outlawed in the late 1600s, Rene retired to his home in Saint-Malo, but not before heading down to the Caribbean to collect some spoils from his estates there.  In this game, you’ll also be retrieving some of Rene’s belongings from an island, but your trip will be much shorter.  When Kirk gives the signal, propel your boat off the dock and sail toward your destination.  Once there, climb out and load the spoils into the boat, then climb back in, turn the boat around and sail back.  Be careful not to touch the floor, or you’ll have to go back and start again.  The first team to sail back to the dock, or…the team that’s further along at the end of sixty seconds…wins!”

“This is for the Temple,” Kirk comments.  “Let’s set the clock for sixty seconds!”  The clock slams down in the bottom corner with the usual sound effect.  “I’ll just get out of the way, if you don’t mind—on your mark, get set, GO!”

Both teams propel themselves off the dock and toward their destination, where they climb out and begin loading the two bags that await them into their boats.  However, Karl accidentally steps on the floor with one of his feet, so the Orange Iguanas quickly run back to their starting point to begin again with 45 seconds left.  As the Red Jaguars load their bags into the boat, they climb back into their vessel without touching the floor, and begin pulling the ropes to head back to the dock, passing the restarting Orange Iguanas along the way.  The Orange Iguanas scramble to reach their destination, but it’s too late, as the Red Jaguars make it back to the dock with a hefty 28 seconds to spare.

“All right, that’s it!” Kirk says as he runs up onto the dock.  “Tough break for the Orange Iguanas; they accidentally touched the floor and got sent back.  That gave the Red Jaguars enough time to win it, so they get the full Pendant.  That gives them one Pendant, the Orange Iguanas also have one Pendant—we’ve got a tie!  Bring in the tiebreaker pedestal!”

A spotter wheels in the tiebreaker pedestal, and the teams position themselves behind it.  Kirk stands beside them as he begins to explain the rules:

“All right, teams, here’s what’s about to happen.  In a minute, Olmec will ask you a question.  If you think you know the answer, hit the gong in front of you.  You have three seconds to answer, and I must accept your first response.  The first team to buzz in and answer correctly will be going inside the Temple in search of the Playing Card of Charles Caw-nay.  All clear?”  Both teams’ members nod in response.  “All right…Olmec, what is your final question?”

Olmec begins to ask the final question of the day:
“Which of these men was a famous privateer for Great Britain: Francis Drake, Christopher Columbus, or Vasco da Gama?”

The Red Jaguars ring in as Olmec is giving the final choice.  “Francis Drake...?” answers Clement.

“That…is correct!” Olmec booms.

“The Red Jaguars are goin’ to the Temple!” Kirk exclaims as Clement and Mayra high-ten one another and applaud excitedly.  “Orange Iguanas, you guys—come over here.  You guys were amazing, too—it came down to one final question.  We’ve got a great gift for you guys, and here’s what it is!”  They receive a custom-made Legends of the Hidden Temple: Rebirth watch.

As the prize disappears off-screen, we see Kirk standing next to Clement and Mayra.  “They did it—now we’ll see if the Red Jaguars can make it through Olmec’s Temple and retrieve the Bullet-Pierced Playing Card, right after this!”

The camera pans in on the Temple and zooms in on the titular playing card in the Lookout Tower before the title appears onscreen, and we go to a commercial.

[The Bandit King]

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

“Welcome back to Legends: Rebirth,” he says.  “Clement and Mayra have proven themselves worthy, and have now earned the right to enter Olmec’s Temple.  But first, Olmec will give them some information to help them retrieve the Bullet-Pierced Playing Card of Charles Co-neigh…”

Olmec begins to explain the Temple layout as the camera gives a first-person walkthrough of the Temple:
“You could start…by running up the stairs to the Crypt!  Grab the book from the skeletons, and pass into the Bottomless Pit.  Swing across the gap, and climb into the Lookout Tower.  Focus the telescope to read the ancient print on the far wall, and a door may open into the Geographer’s Study.  Find the missing pieces of the map and correctly place them, and pass into the Shaolin Dojo.  Place the yin-yang on the correct suit of armor, and open the door to the SHRIIIINE of the Silver Monkey!  Assemble the statue and you may be headed toward the Lightning Ball Room!  Connect the power cords to create your own lightning, which will blast 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 Chamber…of the Four Elements.  Place the elements in the correct order, and you’ll gain entry to the Jewel Mine!  Place all the jewels into the mine cart, then…race through the Pit, climb through the Ledges, rrrrace down the stairs and back through the Temple Gate!  The choices are yours and yours alone!”  Olmec pauses.  “You won 1 Pendant in the Temple Games.  Who’s going first?”

“I am,” says Clement, raising his hand.

“Very well, Clement,” Olmec replies.  “When Kirk gives the signal, you’ll race through the Gates into the Temple and make your way toward the Bullet-Pierced Playing Card.  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 Mayra’s turn to enter and try her luck.  If you can reach the Playing Card, all the doors of the Temple will instantly unlock, and the Temple Guards will vanish.  Return through the Gate with the Bullet-Pierced Playing Card of Charles Cognetz in three minutes, and you will both be handsomely rewarded…and here’s how!”

• Just for making it to the Temple, they’ll get a 4-in-1 game table.
• If they can reach the Playing Card within three minutes, they’ll also receive an Xbox 360, complete with two new games.
• And if they can bring the Playing Card out of the Temple before three minutes expires, they’ll win a trip to St. Thomas.

“All right, let’s see if the Red Jaguars can win all that and head off to St. Thomas,” Kirk says.  “Now, Mayra, you only have one Pendant…what kind of strategy do you guys have on how to reach the, uh, Playing Card?”

“Um…he says he’s just gonna take the low route, and go up when he can,” Mayra replies.  “I think we’re gonna try to avoid the Dark Forest, though…there’s probably a Temple Guard there.”

“All right, they seem to have it all figured out,” Kirk says.  “We’ll see if they do.  Let’s both get your mouthpieces in…let’s set the clock for three minutes!”  The clock slams down in the corner, ready to go.

“Olmec, lower your gate.”  Olmec moans gutturally as the gate is lowered, and the black lights and torches under him are turned off.

“Are you ready, Clement?” Kirk asks.

“Yeah,” Clement says through his mouthpiece.

“On your mark,” Kirk begins, “get set, GO!”

Clement darts up the stairs, clutching his team’s only Pendant.  He soon enters the Crypt, where he pulls all three books before opening the door to the Bottomless Pit (2:47).  “He’s a tough one, but he’s only got one Pendant!” Kirk narrates as Clement dives into the Pit, completely passing up the rope.  “Will that come back to haunt this team?”  Clement trudges through the balls in the room, and upon reaching the other side, he presses the button for the door to the Jewel Mine, and the door fortunately opens (2:33).  He enters the room, where he begins to look around frantically for jewels, finding his first two on the back wall before placing them in the mine cart (2:25).  He finds another two on the stage-right wall, and two more on the stage-left wall, which he gathers up and places in the mine cart as well (2:12).  Clement finds his seventh jewel on the ladder leading upwards, and his seventh on the floor, placing them all in the cart, opening the door to the Chamber of the Four Elements (2:02).  “That’s it—into the Chamber of the Elements!” Kirk narrates as Clement enters the room.  He heads to the back and studies the markings a little before taking the tiles laying before him and starts to arrange them in the slots on the wall.  He places them in the order of fire, water, air, earth—and the door to the Dark Forest flies open (1:37).  “All right…into the Dark Forest,” Kirk narrates as Clement enters the room.  “Hopefully, there’s no Temple Guards in those trees…”  Clement enters the room and reaches into the stage-right tree—which, sure enough, houses a TEMPLE SPIRIT (1:26)!

“Whoa, there was a Temple Guard!” Kirk says as the tree’s arms grab Clement.  Clement reaches for his Pendant and places it in the “mouth” of the tree, and also pulling a key out of said tree.  He heads to the back of the room, where he tries the middle golden door.  Nothing happens, so he heads to the stage-right door, which opens, so he progresses upward (1:07).  Clement soon emerges in the Shaolin Dojo, where he heads to the front of the room and grabs the yin-yang symbol.  “He’s only one room away from the Playing Card!” Kirk narrates as Clement carries the yin-yang to the stage-left suit of armor and places it on the armor’s chest.  Nothing happens (0:52), so he carries the symbol to the middle armor and tries it out.  Again, nothing happens (0:47), so he places the symbol on the stage-right armor.  Sure enough, it’s the right one, and the doors to both the Geographer’s Study and the Lookout Tower open up.  Clement starts to enter the Geographer’s Study, but sees the open door to the Lookout Tower, so he heads up the stairs, enters the room, and grabs the BULLET-PIERCED PLAYING CARD (0:40).

“He’s got it!” Kirk shouts as the sound of many doors opening is heard.  “Now he just has to get out!”  Clement begins climbing the ladder down into the Geographer’s Study.  “He got to the Card himself—now he just has to escape!” Kirk exclaims as Clement drops off the ladder into the room (0:33).  The camera cuts to Mayra, who is jumping up and down and clapping her hands as she cheers her partner on.  When we cut back to Clement, we see that he has entered the Bottomless Pit and swung across the room on the rope (0:28).  He passes through the Crypt, then darts down the stairs and through the gate with 21 seconds left!

“He did it!” Kirk shouts as Mayra hugs Clement and a fanfare of trumpets plays.  “He did it all by himself!  Look here…he got the Card all by himself!  One Pendant was all these guys had, but it’s all they needed!  They did it all!  They got the game table, they got the Xbox…they’re goin’ to St. Thomas!”  Clement and Mayra whoop and cheer excitedly.  “These guys were a great team all day long—it’s great to see ‘em win the big one!  Well, we’ve gotta get out of here, but we’ll see you next time.  Just remember: it’s not just Legends, it’s Legends: Rebirth!  Buh-bye, everybody!”

Kirk, Clement and Mayra wave to the crowd as the credits start to roll.  The camera shows various parts of the set, including Kirk’s red ATV and various shots of rooms in the Temple from the outside, including the Dungeon, the Dark Forest, and the Chamber of the Four Elements.  Kirk playfully looks through the hole in the Playing Card at Clement as Mayra smiles excitedly before the credits finish up, and the Stone Stanley logo appears onscreen.

[The Bandit King]

The Bullet-Pierced Playing Card of Charles Cognetz
Season 2, Layout 2
Artifact Location: The Lookout Tower
Team: Red Jaguars (Clement Tan & Mayra Hunt)
Pendants: 1
Result: Escaped! (0:21 left)

This episode started out slow, but certainly picked up near the end.  It didn’t feature any particularly dominant players, evident by the relatively lackluster Moat Crossing.  The Steps of Knowledge featured a relatively uneventful legend (which was based on French privateer/pirate Rene Duguay-Trouin), and was over quickly.  The Temple Games, though, breathed some life into the episode, as both teams were incredibly competitive throughout them, and the fact that the last Temple Game featured the only re-start of the Boat Race game in history was certainly interesting.  After scoring 1-1, the Red Jaguars won the tiebreaker and were headed to the Temple.

Clement wasn’t particularly fast, but he knew what to do in each room, and had a good layout of the Temple in his head.  To boot, he only met one Temple Guard while in the Temple—a Temple Spirit in the Dark Forest.  Bypassing two time-consuming rooms in the Lightning Ball Room and the Shrine, he took the very rarely seen Dark Forest-Shaolin Dojo passage, and reached the Bullet-Pierced Playing Card with about 40 seconds left.  And even though he took the ladder down to the Geographer’s Study unnecessarily, he still made it out with 21 seconds to spare, recording a very rare 1-Pendant solo run.

Although this episode certainly isn’t among the best in Legends: Rebirth’s tenure, it was still quite enjoyable, and featured a particularly exciting team that seemed genuinely happy about their win.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Notes and Trivia: This is the only time in Legends history that a team is sent back in the “Boat Race” game because they touched the floor with their feet.

[The Ancient Warrior]

Admittedly, reading through the Temple Games I almost expected RJF's team to lose. I think the luck element in that round made it a bit more exciting to read then if they had dominated everything, so that was a great way to shake things up.  I also like seeing more of the diagonal exits from the Dark Forest in use; it makes for some really creative designs that you just couldn't find anywhere else, and definitely took me by surprise when I was starting to expect a longer path or less fortunate outcome in the Temple.  Nice way to wrap up the layout!