Meet Tanya Keys

"Long time no see, Mittens."

"Meet Tanya Keys" is the 19th episode of the first season of Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart, and the 19th episode overall.

Synopsis
When bounty hunter Tanya Keys comes to town for Badgerclops, it’s up to Mao Mao and Adorabat to save their friend – even if he’s been on the wrong side of the law.

Plot
Mao Mao starts things off by reiterating the duties of the Sheriff's Department is to uphold King Snugglemagne's noble laws, but Adorabat seems uninterested and wants to jaywalk to Jaybird's ice cream stall. At a fleeting moment, she almost gets hit by Slim Pigguns's truck, though Mao Mao manages to hold her aback and explains that rules exist for a reason. But to his surprise, another Adorabat has already bought an ice pop at the opposite side, and what confuses him more is whether the one next to him is real or not... and it turns out...the one beside him is his former partner, Tanya Keys!

Tanya seems to be glad to meet her old partner Mao Mao again, teasing him with the nickname "Mittens", much to Mao Mao's chagrin. After telling Mao Mao how she wants to check out how the Pure Heart Kingdom has been back on the scene, she then tries to tempt him to break a rule of eating the infamously illegal hydra eggs in a secret restaurant, and even when Mao Mao refuses at first, he still obliges to visit it with her. Of course, he furiously warns Tanya that he could've imprisoned her, but she is unfazed, much to Adorabat's amazement. Mao Mao isn't pleased with Adorabat's appreciation for Tanya though, and differentiates himself from Tanya by referring her as a reckless bounty hunter and vigilante who has no respect of the law. Tanya responds that she deems laws as silly and finds Mao Mao a boring killjoy, even denying from having a solid-gold vehicle by saying that it's not a motorcycle. She further mocks him by joking his usual rigid manners (which he considers as inaccurate) and attempts to force him to try more hydra eggs.

After a fuss, Tanya decides to reveal her true intention: to arrest a criminal, which turns out that she has set an eye on Badgerclops. Worse, just as Mao Mao boasts Badgerclops' strengths, Tanya informs him that she is a step ahead and has already got Badgerclops in her hands. She then issues Mao Mao a challenge after she storms out of the restaurant: if he manages to catch up on her, she will release his best friend. To hinder his progress, she scatters leaves that turn into loads of rubbish as obstacles. And the chase between Mao Mao and her is commenced!

Throughout the entire chase, Mao Mao struggles to catch up with Tanya's pace as she is swift and a skilled illusionist and shape-shifter. Worse, she just has to slow him don by putting a bunch of clones resembling her using her abundant leaves, and the last one even manages to fool him. Meanwhile, Tanya takes a rest and talks with Badgerclops about toying Mao Mao and making fun of Mao Mao's seriousness, until she spots him and stuffs Badgerclops back into her sack.

As for Mao Mao, he is determined to capture Tanya when Adorabat begs him to stop the tag since she believes that he and Tanya are supposedly friends, but he has to tell Adorabat the harsh truth on how he has broken up his partnership with Tanya and adult relationships are complicated. When he notices a Pinky with long legs, he thinks that Pinky is still not having enough of his shenanigans, turns out it is Tanya in disguise again!

After briefly riding on Pinky, Mao Mao discovers that Tanya is affluent enough to get herself a golden aero-truck, and he accuses her for lying, though Tanya denies. Mao Mao nearly gets Badgerclops, but Badgerclops who is unable to be decisive under pressure gets lured by Tanya's pudding and loosens the grip. They then race in the sky, but the king keeps calling Mao Mao for some sort of urgent help that distracts him quite a lot. Overhearing Mao Mao and the king's conversation, Tanya rhetorically asks whether he'll save his "criminal friend" or submit to the whims of the authority, but he still chooses to abide the law and against Adorabat's reluctance and sadness, he returns to the kingdom, much to Badgerclops and Tanya's disappointment.

Soon, Mao Mao and Adorabat rush into the palace, only to find that King Snugglemange merely tries to chase a mayonnaise-covered Pinky away in the name of establishing a new law. Initially, Mao Mao keeps telling himself to drive away Tanya's voice away, but as Badgerclops' silly laughter pops out, he soon realizes that she has a valid point of laws being made up and knows that Badgerclops will be oblivious to the misery of being imprisoned, he takes Adorabat along to ride on the Aero-cycle and even breaks the rule of not using its speed boosting button (even though the upgrades aren't exactly legal). He still gets convinced anyway as Adorabat smirks at him and she helps him press the button, and the two leave the king behind at a dashing speed.

Meanwhile, Tanya is delivering Baderclops to his new island prison, when she notices Mao Mao catching up through her truck's rear mirror. Desperate to rescue Badgerclops, Mao Mao leaves Adorabat alone to handle the Aero-cycle while he tries to reach out to Badgerclops. Tanya isn't ready to give up her bounty though, and soaks Mao Mao in the ocean by driving her truck close to the waters. As Mao Mao finally leaves the water after being hit with fishes and has to spit out a dolphin, Tanya calls him out for breaking the law on saving a criminal when not being sheriff. However, this time Mao Mao frankly admits that even though rescuing a friend who is a wanted criminal is violating the law, he will choose to break it if following the law means abandoning his friend. Just as his paw is about to lose from the truck...

Tanya, moved by his confession, holds his paw in time, and concedes that he has changed. She lands the truck on the ocean, and Mao Mao gives Badgerclops a hug. Tanya then rips the Thicket Thieves poster apart and decides to go after another bounty, while Badgerclops tells Mao Mao that it took him awhile to realize he was going to be sent to jail. Mao Mao proceeds to apologize to Tanya on how he used to be stubborn which costed their friendship, until it is interrupted by Adorabat who crashes the Aero-cycle into the ocean, soaking them wet. They all laugh at Adorabat who jokes about not having a driver's license.

Watching the adults laugh, Adorabat wonders if Tanya is friends with Mao Mao again and eagerly asks Tanya to live with them. Tanya turns down the offer though, as she plans to move on with her bounty hunting job. To enlighten her current companions a bit, she suggests a group hug, until she vanishes among the leaves and the trio falls into the ocean. She then cheekily bids them farewell after her prank and calls them "dum-dums". Mao Mao is left to yell out her name in frustration, but Badgerclops ends the story with how he appreciates Tanya being briefly nice.

Characters

 * Adorabat
 * Bullmozer (pictured)
 * Badgerclops
 * Kevin
 * King Snugglemagne
 * Mao Mao
 * Pinky
 * Ratracer (pictured)
 * Slim Pigguns
 * Tanya Keys (debut)
 * Tiny Toad (pictured)

Locations

 * Pure Heart Valley
 * Queen's Puddleland (debut)

Trivia

 * In the wanted poster of the Thicket Thieves, Badgerclops' eye is blue. His eye was also depicted as being blue during the flashback sequence in "Breakup".
 * There is a deleted scene made by Parker Simmons: Tanya told Badgerclops "I hope you're ready to go to jail!", and then Badgerclops replied with "I hope you're ready for me to not go to jail, because that's probably what's gonna happen. Mao Mao's gonna save me...there's still a few more minutes left in the episode..."

Cultural References

 * Mao Mao said "No cuts, no buts, no coconuts" from the 2012 Disney movie Wreck-It Ralph when he is trying to find Tanya.
 * When Pinky, all covered in mayonnaise and ready to attack King Snugglemagne, shouted "I’ve achieved my ultimate form", it is a Jojo's Bizarre Adventure reference.

International premieres

 * June 8, 2020 (Poland)