Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves - Episode 14: Slychonauts

In today's episode of the "Honor Among Thieves" playthrough, we start the game's fourth level, "A Cold Alliance", use all of the gang's skills to reach Panda King, and enter his mind in order to help him deal with his emotional baggage.
If I had a nickel for every time a game was released in 2005 that had at least one moment in which a main character entered someone's mind and a soundtrack that was composed by Peter McConnell, I'd have two nickels; which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice. Alas, Panda King's mindscape consists of just his boss arena from the first game, where you have to wail on him until you're ready to break him out of his trance by making him feel sad.
Though it's interesting to think about an alternate version of this level where, instead of taking place in a palace in the mountains and the gang going up against some warlord to save Panda King's daughter, Sly has to snap the Panda King out of his trance by completing various missions around the latter's mindscape- many of which have him working with the good part of his mind that wants to forgive and move on- in order to reach and defeat the resentful, embittered part of his mind that keeps reliving the moment of his defeat. After all, what better way for Sly and Panda King to make amends than by having it where they only have each other to help them complete this mission?
Don't get me wrong; I like the level that we got just fine- with it being my third-favorite in the game- but considering how Panda King was a big contributor to Sly's parents being killed and the Thievius Raccoonus being stolen, I've always found it a bit hard to believe how accepting Sly was with the idea of recruiting him into the gang. Sure, in the level's intro cutscene, Sly mentions how he was actively opposed to working with Panda King, but that opposition couldn't have been that strong if he was able to be convinced by Bentley being "firm". I mean, if Bentley could find someone over ThiefNet who had the R.C. skills that were needed for the Cooper Vault heist, then surely he could also find a qualified demolitions expert who didn't contribute to Sly becoming an orphan.
Though speaking of Bentley, one thing that hold this level back for me is that it's the start of his 'nice guy' arc, in which he's so desperate to win Penelope over that he starts becoming toxic towards Sly and Murray. Don't get me wrong; I understand why the developers took Bentley's character down this path. After all, Bentley's an awkward, nerdy guy who has just found the one girl who not only shares many of his common interests, but has no problem with his life as a criminal, and she's got a thing for Sly, the athletic, charismatic face of the gang who can run circles around him socially. However, given how tightknit Sly, Bentley, and Murray have been up until now, it kind of hurts to see Bentley remind Sly of the current mission with such toxicity.
That's one reason why Sly's dynamic with Carmelita has always worked so well. Sure, Sly will often make jobs harder for the sake of helping Carmelita, but when push comes to shove, he'll always prioritize Bentley and Murray's wellbeing over winning her heart. For example, when Sly saved Murray from Carmelita's makeshift prison in "He Who Tames the Iron Horse" and when he turns himself at the end of "Sly 2" in exchange for Bentley and Murray being able to walk free. Not to mention, Sly may make witty remarks, but never once does he put Bentley and Murray down to make himself look better.