Ep 8. Sympathy for the Mandrill

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts is an animated Netflix series about a post-apocalyptic world where animals have mutated into intelligent creatures and humans have retreated underground. In season 2 episode 8, named Sympathy for the Mandrill, Kipo and her friends find themselves in the Pridelands, a jungle territory ruled by Flamethrower, a formidable mandrill.

The episode begins with the group stumbling upon a trapped iguana who believes that Flamethrower is responsible for her family's disappearance. The iguana asks Kipo and her friends to help her, and they agree. However, when they witness Flamethrower's staunch control over the Pridelands, they realize that they are in for a challenging task.

As they navigate through the jungle, they encounter a colony of Capuchin monkeys who are living in fear of Flamethrower and his army. While Kipo's friends try to figure out how to help the monkeys, Kipo has a strange encounter with a ghost-like creature that leads her to discover Flamethrower's tragic past and the source of his anger.

The episode highlights the theme of empathy and how understanding someone's past can help us empathize with their present actions. It also touches upon how trauma can affect someone's behavior and how anger can stem from pain.

The animation and soundtrack of the episode are fitting and give life to the vibrant jungle environment. The voice acting is also on point, with the emotions of the characters landing appropriately.

Overall, Sympathy for the Mandrill is a poignant episode that showcases how empathy and understanding can lead to reconciliation. It showcases the compassion and determination of Kipo and her friends and how their efforts can help bring change to even the most challenging situations in this post-apocalyptic world.