Last episode, Wicket has begun teaching Elora Danan magic words for a Seed Charm, very quickly which may be because he may think she will be a natural at magic. Graydon writes down the words at the campfire. This could be his interest in recording the journey, then again, The Lich said he had a disciple and we saw Commander Ballantine, but it could be Graydon. Boorman remarks to Graydon that Elora is getting the words more complicated. Willow wants her to repeat the words in sets of three until a sprout of an Eckleberry bush grows. Kit is cynical about the training and Willow says Elora needs to master sorcery’s four pillars; charms, potions, concentration, and divination. This will start her on battle magic. I’m not certain why Willow doesn’t train her away from the others. The others sleep and Willow lying down thinks back to talking to Elora (Alayna Jacobs) when she was a little girl.
He says he remembers her when her hair was red, but Elora says she dyed her hair blonde with lemon juice and beetle blood by the head servant, Prunella. This is at a well where Willow talks about the Nelwyns. He brings up his children and Elora runs to Prunella. Sorsha is surprised that Willow expected to take Elora for training. Willow escorted from Tir Asleen by guards, her husband became king, made an oath to Willow, I guess she broke it. Willow leaves and says he will only protect the Nelwyns. Commander Ballantine, corrupted by The Lich’s staff, reaches the village outskirts. Armed Nelwyns wait, and Mims says they were headed to Tir Asleen. Merrick picks up their trail. Elora says her name is Brünhilde. Brunhilda was a valkyrie, like in the MCU, connected to the Norse hero Siegfried. Graydon finds Elora alone practicing the charm. He says Kit is jealous of her and the others see her as extraordinary everyone except herself.
Willow’s traveling costume with staff, book, and wand, D23 Expo, author’s photo.
Night falls, no one checks on Elora at that point, and Willow tells Silas about his vision. A white-beareded Willow wakes up in the aftermath of a battlefield. He manages to walk to Elora who has fallen and tells Silas for the world to survive, Elora Danan has to die. Kit goes to Boorman to ask about her father and the Kymerian Cuirass. Elora wakes up to find nothing there and shouts the words. Then, she is knocked out and taken by Commander Ballantine! The ground they leave is suddenly broken by a sprout of berries! “Battle of the Slaughtered Lamb” continues with a look into the Kymerian Empire. A great city like Rome, but reminds me of House of the Dragon’s Valyria. Boorman narrates the setting, ten thousand years ago. The heir, Thuul, was sickly, and with the death of the father, Tiberius, the younger brother attemped a coup. He besieged the capitol for forty days which led their mother, Annabel, forged the armor made of Khromium. Boorman adds that she is a Fey of the Grove, like Cherlindrea? No credited actors for these roles.
She wears a welder’s helmet, this was invented in the 1930s, look at the blacksmith in Dragonslayer (1981) with an apron on. Then, she attaches the Lux Arcana, this is like the codex in Aquaman (2018), a magical tube object to her son’s cuirass. Only he can control it with the key. Kit is not interested and Boorman says her generation has no patience. Jade interrupts them because after all this time, they find Elora missing. Search parties are sent out, Kit sees the bent branch of Eckleberries, beautiful. Ballantine ties Kit to his horse and then encounters Jade. He says he has orders from the queen, but his throat becomes distorted, Jade senses his corruption. They draw swords, but Willow tells them to stop. He says the decision whether she goes is up to her. Kit walks up, she can command him, Silas with knives, and then Boorman with his cleaver. Grayson is also there. They suddenly find themselves dueling Ballantine and his knights. Kit falls and Jade blocks the knight’s sword. Willow tells Grayson to untie Elora and prepares a spell.
Elora wakes up surprised to see Grayson try to rescue her. Willow throws an acorn that creates mist and Ballantine escapes with Elora. They load up the wagon and Willow sends Jade with Boorman to track the knights. Willow explains that they were infected, Graydon says they are possessed, and that they will slowly lose themselves to the evil. He seems to know much about evil spells. Silas urges on the black horse, Bessie, and then finds everyone stopped. In a group shot on a hill, we see the warriors stare out to a sky with an unnatural storm. The three knights ride and Elora uses Ballantine’s dagger to cut her bonds free. She rolls from the horse and runs to the forest. The others look on as Boorman holds the broken wagon wheel. Kit heads over to a stream to refill a flask and Jade joins her. Jade is worried about Kit who eventually realizes that Jade let her win all of their duels. Elora walks through the mist and suddenly finds herself at a sunlit cabin and she sees two women in cowboy denim.
The costume worn by Jade with sword, D23 Expo, author’s photo.
The one with the axe is Hubert (Hannah Waddingham) with cowboy hat and the other is her sister, Anne (Caoimhe Farren) with an Aussie Slouch Hat. The anachronisms keep building. Waddingham is Rebecca Welton in the comedy Ted Lasso. Farren is known for playing Janet Taylor in the comedy, Derry Girls. Their cameos are thrown in, not funny, so I guess it is just a reason to put the actresses in the show. So Elora tells them her story while the others are on the desperate search for her. Boorman wants them to take the Pitiless Pass that will reach the inn, The Slaughtered Lamb. The name of the inn, The Slaughtered Lamb, is a nod to the pub in An American Werewolf in London (1981). Silas says they should head to the Volptuous Vale. Willow explains that a portal between dimensions, how The Gales entered Tir Asleen?, is forming to take away Elora. He suddenly feels pain and sees Elora possessed. Boorman separates from them with Kit which he was hinting to her. They ride towards the storm. Elora has told her story, Hubert and Anne see the mark, and they are about to leave the forest. The two women join Elora’s cause, but are then Commander Ballantine is there. He now has a grey, decaying face. Hubert batters aside his sword and then cuts into Ballantine’s back with her great axe.
He fatally stabs her with his sword, she should have taken his head, like Thor and Thanos. Elora takes away Anne and we focus on Hubert’s body, somehow alive?, a forest creature? If not this is just filling up screen time. Merrick and Ballantine face them and Anne runs, cut down by another knight. Boorman and Kit walk their horses and she only wants to her about Madmartigan.He says cryptically that he returned without her father because he was lucky. The wagon is trapped in mud, Graydon suggests to Jade that Willow moved the Nelwyn to the caves because he no long has magic. Jade asks if a sorcerer can lose his mojo, another anachronism (I keep thinking Austin Powers would show up and say, “Groovy baby!”), is this show a fantasy comedy like Your Highness (2011)? They reach the ruins of The Slaughtered Lamb and Boorman heads down a well to find the Cuirass while Kit faces were-rats. These creatires named for Dungeons & Dragons creatures (that transform from people, not here) are like diseased versions of the R.O.U.S. in Princess Bride. Then, there is the fateful battle with the knights. Willow changed its tone with this ep, leaning too far into comedy, it does have some drama with the end which then lapses into a rock song, Metallica's "Enter Sandman", groovy, baby.
Three Bracelets out of Five!
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