Willow episode six review
By Kieran Burt.
Willow episode six shows the rescue of Willow and Kit from the trolls, and delivers an overall great episode. It does fall victim to some common tropes in the middle and end of the episode, but overall gives a fun episode.
Audiences are quickly acquainted with the head troll of the cave, Sarris and instead of a mindless savage, he is actually a mild-mannered fellow, who continues the trend of the show to call out the tropes of the fantasy genre, the funniest when he tells his second in command to shut up, after he tries to explain something he already knew.
Willow and Kit are chucked into a cage, where Kit is nearly tortured into giving the location of Elora Danan. Thankfully, trolls are drawn away by Boorman, Graydon, Jade, Scorpia and Elora, who have come to rescue the pair. Willow and Kit aren’t trapped alone, they find a former ally to Madmartigan, Allagash, who claims that Boorman betrayed him and that the Cuirass is here. Graydon attempts to explain his feelings for Elora again, which is selfish of him given the circumstances of where they are. It did cause a groan of why here, as it’s out of the blue.
Scorpia splits off from the rescue group, and isn’t seen from again, though Jade somehow has a feeling that she got out somehow, which is convenient considering the place is supposedly impregnable. The rest of the group go to find Willow and Kit, though along the way Elora loses Cherlindrea’s Wand and Graydon gets separated. Neither event seems to have much consequence however, with the status quo restored by the end.
Boorman tricks both Elora and Jade, and instead of taking them to Willow and Kit, he takes them to the Cuirass. Luckily, they find Allagash and his new friends. Together, they enter Wiggleheim’s Tomb, the hidden treasure vault of a Nelwyn adventurer. After some quick and playful riddles, the door opens, to the Cuirass and Madmartigan’s sword. Boorman and Allagash fight over the magical breastplate, and Kit goes to her dad’s sword. She hears his voice when she touches it, (provided by Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley’s son, Jack), which is a nice tribute to the character.
There is a quick action sequence, where Graydon is conveniently reunited and Allagash discovers the Cuirass doesn’t work for him, so sacrifices himself so the others can escape. The group run across the bottom of the tunnel system where they conveniently find Cherlindrea’s Wand. This is disappointing, because the consequences of losing this wand were never explored, even for a moment.
Kit has an outburst of emotional distress at Elora, a moment improved by actress Ruby Cruz who gives it her all. She is let down by the script though, as the outburst is so contrived to be at the worst possible time, on a amber topped lake in a collapsing cave, which of course cracks the amber and causes Kit to fall.
Airk gets a few moments this episode, to remind the audience that he is in the show, and still needs saving. But it appears the group are no closer to their goal of saving him, leading to a potentially rushed conclusion when he is eventually found. These past two episodes have meadered off the trail of the main plot, and will have to run to complete its path.
Overall this episode is a momentum filled prisoner escape, with a new take on trolls, and a send off for Madmartigan. It is let down from some convenient moments where the consequences are never fully explored, and the show continues to avoid its main plotline. Hopefully next week puts the focus back on Airk, the Gales and the Crone.
