'Willow' Episode 1 and Episode 2 Recap and Review
The Magical world of willow returns with a modern shine and its unique tone
WARNING: Contains Spoilers
In 1988, the world was introduced to young Nelwyn named Willow who lead a journey to protect the future Empress of profit, Elora Danan. His world is filled with Sorcery, prophecies, peril, and heart. Now, 34 years later, we return. Even though the original film didn’t do great in the box office, it is beloved by many for its mix of lighthearted comedy and unabashed realism. The continuation series manages to capture the spirit of the original which has the signature Lucasfilm lighthearted yet adventurous tone. A handful of major stars from the original film return to their roles minus one glaring and sad absence. But the absentees' presence is felt throughout the premier episodes in heartwarming nods to the character.
Episode 1, “The Gales”, begins with a friendly duel on the mountain side between Jade Clymore (Erin Kellyman) and Princess Kit Tanthalos (Ruby Cruz) which ends with Kit as the victor. As they dream of adventure beyond the barrier they are summoned for dinner by the nobel Commander Ballentine (Ralph Ineson). The Prince, Arik Tanthalos (Dempsey Bryk), is preoccupied with a young maiden whom he affectionatly calls Dove (Ellie Bamber) when he is also interrupted and summoned to greet a visiting king. Kit and Jade race to the castle and Kit insists that Jade join them at the dinner. Kit also presses Jade about some news she neglected to tell the princess but opps to talk about it later. Arik and Kit are reunited and the siblings quarrel until they run into their mother, Queen Sorsha (Joanne Whalley) who has some choice words about how the prince and princess spend their time. At the dinner the royal family does their duties and Jade struggles to get comfortable in her dress when she is approached by Commander Ballentine and the two discuss Jade’s future and how Kit may not take the news well. Later Kit and Jade judge from afar Kit’s future husband Prince Graydon Hastur of Galladoorn (Tony Revolori). Queen Sorsha and the King of Galladoorn discus unrest and destruction reported from the villages which the King dismisses. Prince Arik mingles and discusses his famous father Madmartigan, when Dove sees and is stricken with jealousy. The Queen addresses the hall and announces the wedding of Kit and Graydon which will unite the two kingdoms until the true Empress Elora Danan returns. As the crowd applauds, Sorsha hears echoes of somthing speaking in her ear, warning her about the arrival of The Gales. After the dinner, the Queen retreats to the prison where she visits with Thraxus Boorman (Amar Chadha-Patel), where she confides in him her worries about Kit. During the dance after the dinner Kit and Jade dance together when Jade drops the news that she will be training with the Shining Legion, to become a Knight of Galladoorn and she will be leaving after the wedding. Kit storms off but bumps into Graydon, she decides to confront him about their unfamiliarity. She is stopped by the Queen. The mother and daughter argue about Kit’s future. Prince Arik tries to intervene but is verbally acosted by the Queen and told to but out. The Queen sends them both to bed, then leaves herself. Kit argues with Arik about him trying to help her and accuses him of trying to leave, just like their dad Madmartigan. Airk sulks off to bed when Dove comes down the stairs. Dove tries to break up with Arik, but Arik proposes to Dove instead. In the Stables, Jade is woken up by Kit, who says goodbye and intends to run away, beyond the barrier. Kit and Jade then kiss and it is clear that they are more than just friends. In the night, Sorsha tosses and turns with voices in her head, but she wakes when she recognizes one voice as her old friend Willow. In the middle of the night, on a hill overlooking the kingdom, a mysterious group of four unleash a dark cloud upon the Castle. Kit sneaks around the stable but is startled when Jade interrupts her, the two argue until Jade notices the dark cloud. It begins, Death dogs and birds attack the castle prompting the Queen to draw her own weapon. The giant member of the four lands in the castle attacking Kit and Jade. Arik grabs his own sword and kisses Dove goodbye. Commander Ballentine arrives to help Kit and Jade as another of the mysterious four arrives on horseback. Queen Sosha then releases Boorman from his confinement and summons him to defend the castle. Another hooded member of the Four arrives and uses magic to take on Ballentine. The Hoseback member attacks Kit with whips but is saved when Sosha arrives on the battlefield. The last of the four lands as a giant bird then transforms to attack Arik. Graydon watches as Arik takes all he can handle. As Sosha and Kit defend themselves, the Queen is hit and knocked to the ground, Ballentine is in a terrible position against the magic user, and Jade is almost killed by the Giant. That is, until Boorman lops off the giants arm. The four retreat when called by a mysterious voice.
After the fight, the group searches for Arik, but Grayden tells them that the four took them. The next day, Grayden elaborates when Boorman is escorted into the room by guards accusing him of trying to steal a horse. Kit volunteers to go and retrieve her brother, and the Queen agrees. A knight, Jorgen Kase (Simon Armstrong) volunteers to go with her, as well as Jade and reluctantly Grayden. The Queen orders Boorman to go with them and bribes him with a pardon. The Queen tells the party that they will need another, a great sorcerer, a Nelwyn by the name of Willow. Before the expedition, Kit tells the Queen all about Willow and warns her about the prophecy of the return of their evil grandmother. The group then set off as the kingdom watches but somthing is off about Ballentine. Not some time into their journey Kase tells them about the Mother’s Gate where they can re-supply before leaving the realm. Jade notices someone following and the group ambush them to find Dove. Dove insists to join them, but the princess refuses but she won’t have to leave until morning. At night, they make camp and Boorman breaks their notions of the reality that lies before them. They talk about the fate of Jade’s parents, the purpose of the Barrier, and the truth about Elora Danan and how that is intertwined with the fate of Kit’s father, Madmartigan. In the morning, Dove tries to get ahead but runs into a gorge. The group arrive at the Mother’s Gate and find it abandoned with a mysterious message praising the return of The Eternal One. Suddenly the earth quakes and far off, Dove barley makes it across the gorge before arriving at the barrier. Somehow, Dove is able to make a hole in the barrier and cross it by herself, before the group finds her. Dove and Kit argue but Silas breaks it up before an arrow suddenly hits him in the chest. A group of Bone Reavers attack on horseback and the group tries to outrun them. They jump in a river, leaving the Reavers behind. As they wander through the forest, they find an abandon village where they find a lone Nelwyn, who claims to be Willow and tells them to leave. Kit tells the Nelwyn of her lineage and her quest when a voice comes from the forest. Out walks the real Willow (Warwick Davis). Willow informs them that the four who attacked were called the Gales and to rescue their brother they need to travel beyond the shattered sea, where no one has ventured before. But Willow trails off when he sees Dove, he grabs her arm and chants an incantation, revealing a birthmark and her true identity, Elora Danan.
Episode 2, “The High Aldwin” begins in the past, as a Younger Willow visits his old friend Queen Sorsha. Willow tells Sorsha about his dream and tells her it is time to train her in magic. The Queen disagrees and tells Willow that she sent Madmartigan to find an ancient weapon, the Kymerian Cuirass. She sent him with a squire, but that was a long time ago and she fears that he may be dead. Willow leaves the Queen after she refuses again. Back on our journey, Dove struggles with the news that she is Elora when Willow ushers the group underground where the rest of the Nelwyn’s live now. Willow re-intoduces Elora to Mims (Annabelle Davis), his daughter. Kit worries aloud to Jade about Arik when it comes time for the High Aldwin leader of the Nelwyn’s, Willow, to address the Nelwyns. He announces the return of Elroa Danan and announces her training, much to Elora’s surprise. In a gorge in a far away forest The Lich (Vitas Le Bas) sees the reveal of Elora just as the Queen is informed of Elora’s leaving the Castle. The Queen sends Commander Ballentine after her to bring her home, without telling him who Dove really is, and The Lich announces that Ballentine is now his disciple. At the Nelwin, the people celebrate the return of Elora. But Elora and Kit are eager to leave but Willow says Elora must stay, which Elora disagrees. Willow tends to his plants when Mims comes in, slowly Mims explains why Elora must leave and that he must go with her. Mims then brings out Willows old wand, to give to Elora when she is ready. Kit and Jade insist on leaving when Willow informs them that Elora is missing. Reluctantly, Kit and the others search for Elora. Elora sits alongside a river when Willow finds her. Elora confirms her fear and begs Willow to join them to find Arik who finally agrees. The group sets off to continue their journey. Far behind them, Commander Ballentine is relentless in his search for Elora, and turns on the rest of his group and attacks. Along their journey, Boorman tells Kit about the Kymerian Cuirass, the armor of immense power, and her father’s quest for it. He knows because he was her father’s squire and joined him on his quest. Willow tries to explain to Elora about the nature with Elora, but it doesn’t go very far. At night they make camp, and Willow continues his lesson but makes similar progress. As the others sleep, Elora continues to practice and Willow remembers the time he left Sohsa, vowing never to return. At the Nelwyn village, Commander Ballentine arrives searching for Elora. Mims walks to greet Ballentine and lies about where Elora was headed. The next day, Elora struggles to learn the magic Willow taught her and leaves in a huff. Kit and Jade argue about wasting time when Graydon leaves after Elora. Alone, Elora continues to practice when Graydon finds her. He offers her his help and Elora confides in him. She fears that she may not be the person they think when Graydon interjects that the only person who cannot see how great she is, is Elora. Graydon leaves, and with a renewed confidence, she repeats the incantation. Another night, and Silas (Graham Hughes) a Nelwyn travel companion helps Willow vent his frustrations and the truth about his vison, that for their world to survive, Elora has to die. In the camp, Kit wakes Boorman and demands he tell her about her father and the Kymerian Cuirass. In the early morning, Elora wakes to find that nothing has grown. She screams in frustration and yells the incantation into the soil and cries. Suddenly she is knocked out by Commander Ballentine who drags her away, just as a plant sprouts in the soil.
Willow returns with a bang. The first episode is filled with young love, secret prophecies, and crazy good fantasy action. The first episode ends with an attack by The Gales, four demonic disciples of the ancient spirit and these disciples are far from generic. Each has a unique design that differs themselves from the others. These enemies are brutal and powerful and fully embody the brutal nature of all the action in the series. For this being a fantasy epic aimed at youth, the action is uncharacteristically brutal, much like the original movie. They do not hesitate to show an arm getting lopped off or a bloody arrow through the chest. This tone isn’t the only thing that returns. Joanne Whalley returns as the now Queen Sorsha. Whalley returns to the role with decades of acting experience under her belt and it is felt in this role. Her Queen Sorsha is full of conflicting feelings towards her children, the kingdom, Willow, as well as her own role in the world, all of which can be felt through her performance. Also returning is the great Warwick Davis as the titular Willow. Davis slips back into the role as if it were a comfy pair of magical fuzzy slippers. He continues to bring his warm hearted, playful yet serious nature to the role. He looks like he is having the time of his life playing the role and seeing him get the chance to act alongside his actual daughter Annabelle is especially heartwarming. A notable absence is that of Val Kilmer’s Madmartigan. Kilmer is of course dealing with the loss of his voice due to a battle throat cancer. But the legacy of Madmartigan lives on through his children, Arik and Kit. Arik, played by Dempsey Bryk, has Val’s flirtatious and rambunctious nature to him, as well as having mastered his signature sword twirl, and although we only spend a limited amount of time with him it is clear that he has his father’s heart. Kit, played by the lead Ruby Cruz, has her father’s arrogance, skill, and brashness. Both new members of the universe play their part well, but Cruz is the obvious standout. Her character that of a determined who is being forced to marry someone she doesn’t love because of the responsibility passed to protect the realm. Similar princess dilemma but with an added twist that she is at least bisexual, sharing a very un-platonic kiss goodbye with Jade, and also that the true ruler of the realm is a handmaiden who is in love with her brother. She has an animosity towards her father, thinking that he left her family and is so eager to learn about him and why he disappeared. In stark contrast to her is her love interest Jade played by Erin Kellyman. Jade is noble and loyal to the crown which is already clashing with Kit’s brash and rebellious nature. Joining them is the thief, and Madmartigan’s former squire, Boorman played by Amar Chadha-Patel who acts similar to Madmartigan as he was when he and Willow first met. Also joining the group is Tony Revolori’s Graydon whom Kit is betrothed. Not much can be said about Graydon who seems very quiet and reserved compared to most of the roles that Revolori is known for. The most notable return to the group is the child of prophecy, Elora Danan played by Ellie Bamber. Elora is a little naïve, extremely self-conscious about her place in the world. She comes off as a tad blank at first but by the end of second episode she has enough depth to carry her through the rest of the season.
The original Willow always felt different than other fantasy films of the era, with a tone closer to A Princess Bride than Lord of the Rings. The lore of the original movie was adhered to and expanded upon very true to the original movie. The odd choice to have the royal family speak in american english accents instead of english like literally every one else was very apparent at first but story and characters push the series beyond it. There will no doubt some people that will immediately see the kiss between Kit and Jade and cry woke but it is literally 5 seconds and is not spoken of in the rest of the two episodes. The series isn’t perfect, the writing could be better for example, but the world itself feels real and lived in. The old school nature of good verses evil is a nice change from the existentialism of modern fantasy. There is a good kingdom with good people being attacked by beings of pure evil, plain and simple. Despite its problems, there is enough fun and interesting characters besides the native nostalgia to build excitement for a third episode.