Willow - Official Teaser Trailer

[MarkB]

Well, it's all over. A bit of temptation, a bit of combat, some terrible fight choreography, a bit of very cliched "you just need to believe in yourself", and a tiny bit of a twist ending.

I think what really disappoints me in this series is the magic. They do some mildly interesting stuff in the visuals with the zig-zaggy spell blasts, but it's all just blasts and a bit of blocking and shielding. Willow the movie had some really creative transformation magic that's completely absent here.

This was a series I wanted to like a lot more than I did. It had a lot of promise, and moments of fun, quality and creativity throughout, but they were overwhelmed by the clunky plotting, inconsistent characterisation and varying tone. It really does feel more like a D&D campaign than a TV series, between the combat so stilted that it feels turn-based, the odd party dynamic and the far-from seamless blending in of modernisms in speech and soundtrack that give the impression of a group of players not quite managing to stay in-character while the DM's eclectic background music collection plays on shuffle in the background.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

Awesome Force Lightning raw sorcery energy battle.

That armor is going to show up in so many D&D campaigns.

Nice teaser at the end that two more seasons are planned.

 

[Rabulias]

Surprised they did not use "All You Need Is Love" over the scene with Airk's "exorcism".

I agree the show was very swingy in tone. Some parts of it I loved and thought were fitting heirs to the film. Other moments took me out of the world they had built.

 

[Argyle King]

I know that saving Airik from evil is supposed to be a positive thing, but it's hard not to feel that the end result is a bit of a buzzkill for him.

He battles his own impulses to be a boyish womanizer and try to commit to one person, only for her to say,"nah, I'm not interested now."

He also finds out that he had the potential to be something special, but now he's just back to being the child who takes a backseat to his sister's importance.

What did he gain from being "saved"?

 

[Rabulias]

What did he gain from being "saved"?

It looks like he lost a massive Charisma penalty after his appearance became less Crone-like.

 

[Mallus]

That ended surprisingly well. Willow escaped the curse of the 'fantastic penultimate episode'.

 

[Argyle King]

It looks like he lost a massive Charisma penalty after his appearance became less Crone-like.

Yeah. I'd agree that he was momentarily turned into a monster. That wasn't good.

At the same time, I feel like he's the only character who regressed into a lesser form at the end of the adventure. It was teased that he might evolve in competence or have some character growth beyond being a spoiled palace gigolo, but then all of that gets waved away.

Elora gained confidence and ability.
Kit inherited a magic artifact and found love.
Boorman learned to be (somewhat) less self-centered...

...virtually everyone progressed in some way. In contrast, Airik regressed in a lot of ways.

 

[Rabulias]

...virtually everyone progressed in some way. In contrast, Airik regressed in a lot of ways.

Well, maybe Airk gets his development in season 2 or 3?

 

[Argyle King]

Well, maybe Airk gets his development in season 2 or 3?

Maybe. I think it could be interesting to explore how being held captive had a lasting effect on him.

Right now, as it stands, it's not exactly a positive message to show him strive to change his impulses and be a better man for someone he cares about just to be told he's now less interesting because of that change.

 

[MarkB]

Maybe. I think it could be interesting to explore how being held captive had a lasting effect on him.

Right now, as it stands, it's not exactly a positive message to show him strive to change his impulses and be a better man for someone he cares about just to be told he's now less interesting because of that change.

Is that what he did? As far as I saw, he gave into his impulses, let the Crone seduce him to her cause and became a whole lot creepier because of it, which played a large part in Elora rejecting him (though obviously not as large as the part where their relationship was clearly based more on infatuation than love in the first place).

Airk didn't conquer his impulses. The Crone's entire sales pitch is freedom to do whatever you want - she is not about impulse control. She sold him on a power trip and he went along with her. Yes, he's right back to where he started, but that's a step up for him.