Highlights
- Senku's plan to activate Hyoga is a risky one, not knowing where his allegiance lies, and could eventually blow up in the Kingdom of Science's face.
- Ibara plans to activate the petrification tool at the center of the island, turning everyone with it into stone, but Kirisame's arrival puts that in jeopardy.
- Soyuz and company have restored the Master's statue, but is it too late, and will they be able to convince the island of the truth?
Warning: The following contains spoilers for Dr. Stone, Season 3, Episode 17, "JOKER," now streaming onAmazon Prime.
In the events of Episode 16, when Senku and the Kingdom of Science go head-on with the Petrification Kingdom, tactical combat squares off against brute force and a disadvantage in the numbers game. With their plans foiled to recover the Medusa, Senku made new plans to get the upper hand as Ibara attempted to flee on the Perseus. With Magma's theft of the hand-crafted gun and the revelation that the entire island would be petrified, the Kingdom of Science had no option but to storm the ship.
Episode 17, titled "JOKER," covers Senku's risky plan of using his trump card to get the upper hand. Meanwhile, Soyuz and his group attempt to recover the smashed statue of the island's Master, and Moz makes his intentions clear about where his allegiance lies. Season 3 of Dr. Stone New World is kicking up in intensity and action-packed drama, and there's no telling how far Ibara will go to guarantee victory.
Senku Brings Back Hyoga
After Senku and company arrive at the Perseus and taking on the island's soldiers, they regain the gun from Magma to discover that his mishandling of the weapon has significantly reduced the amount of ammo. This doesn't phase Senku at all, as his sheer brilliance at adding magnesium to the gun's barrel creates the illusion of blinding fireworks, which the opposing crew takes for sorcery. The dirty fireworks cause the ship's crew to flee out of fear, but the return of Moz sways the momentum in the enemy's favor. In a power balance shift, Senku's party attempts an escape, only to find themselves cornered in a storage room.
With their backs against the wall, Senku activates his trump card and revives Hyoga, who was being kept prisoner on board the ship. The risk was evident immediately, as Hyoga didn't hold allegiance to either side. Hyoga makes Moz and Senku aware that he can select his side — whether it's with Moz to kill everyone in the room or with Senku to balance the fight. After deliberating between the two sides, Moz destroys his chances of an alliance after admitting his shallowness towards women. Jumping into action, Hyoga warns Senku to move out of the way before taking Moz head-on.
As Senku and friends escape the storage room in pursuit of Ibara, Hyoga continues to battle Moz. For now, he has taken the side of the Kingdom of Science, if anything, to battle a strong opponent of equal power. There's no telling how far he's willing to go to defeat Moz, but his intentions are crystal clear when he throws the golden spear in Moz's direction, not allowing him to escape. As the fight rages on, the story turns to Ibara as he makes his way to the front of the ship.
Kirisame Learns The Truth
In last week's episode, the audience learns of Ibara's plan to petrify the island, taking the Kingdom of Science as a whole. As he gains control of the Medusa, he is confronted by Kirisame, who arrives at the Perseus in time to learn of the plan. Now understanding what Ibara has up his sleeve, Kirisame rejects the idea of turning the entire island to stone, questioning whether this is what the Master would want. A flashback shows a much kinder-hearted Master teaching the village children that all life is precious and should not be taken away. The moment involves a younger Kirisame, wishing to turn a mountainside to stone due to a monster, only to learn it was a tossed scarecrow.
Incensed by the protest, Ibara activates the Medusa to one meter and one second to turn Kirisame to stone. As she launches herself to take the Medusa away, a side step allows Ibara to dodge her movement, petrifying her in the process. Kirisame plunges into the water below, sinking to the very bottom and creating a sense of urgency relating to her possible rescue in the future. For now, her state is safe and away from any imminent danger of being shattered, but salvaging her statue from the bottom of the ocean below will prove to be difficult later on.
Ibara's actions, at this moment, reek of desperation and motivation to do whatever it takes to claim victory, including petrifying those under his power. It's clear he's running out of options, and time is of the essence for Ibara, who now must send one of his men to the center of the island to activate the Medusa once more. Sacrificing just about anyone is not out of the question for Ibara, putting the state of emergency on high alert for Senku and his brilliant team, as they wish to stop the plan from moving forward.
Reclamation Of The Medusa
Not all hope is lost, as the sound of a gunshot echoes out towards the late stages of the episode. A trickle of blood runs down the hand of Ibara, who looks perplexed by the sudden shrill pain. The hand holding the Medusa now has a hole in it, thanks to a bullet cleanly entering and exiting it. From the water below, Yo returns to the scene with guns blazing, turning the momentum back in the Kingdom of Science's favor. Compared to Magma's aim, Yo is a young Clint Eastwood, perfecting the gun's handling and showing the confidence to land a second shot.
In comedic fashion, Yo's sense of justice leads him to begin reading Ibara the Miranda warning, stating he has the right to remain silent before trailing off and forgetting the remainder of the speech. As the pain sets in, Ibara's realization of the gunshot wound causes him to flinch, releasing Medusa from his grasp. Yo evolves from a gun-slinging cowboy to a baseball outfielder, diving toward the Medusa and catching it before it falls into the water. With the petrification tool in their possession, Senku and the Kingdom of Science have executed their plan and controlled the situation.
Unfortunately, Moz turns up the intensity during his battle with Hyoga, landing a one-shot blow that seemingly knocks him out. As he stands over his opponent, Syouz and his friends arrive with the Master's statue fully intact, and they begin to yell at the islanders about the Master's status. Ibara's plan has been completely turned upside down, as the Medusa is now out of his possession, the Master's statue has been restored, and Senku now controls the situation. Hyoga may be in grave danger after being knocked unconscious, and there's no telling what Ibara will do next to reclaim his weapon of destruction.