Last week’s episode of “Willow” saw the fellowship of Prince Airk (you know because they are on a mission to rescue Airk) splitting up in order to search for the kidnapped Elora Danan. Willow, Jade, Graydon, and Silas took the Capella Pastures, while Kit and Boorman went through the Pitiless Pass. The first four actually reached the cursed Ballantine and his platoon before they could banish Elora and trap her soul for all eternity so that she couldn’t harm the Crone. Kit and Boorman arrived a little late to the party because the latter took that route to search for the Kymerian Cuirass. If the duo wasn’t chased by were-rats (which is exactly what it sounds like), they probably wouldn’t have reached the rest of the gang on time. That said, during the battle with the cursed soldiers, Silas and Ballantine died. Graydon got infected, thereby forcing the team to seek refuge in the castle of Nockmaar to treat him.
Major Spoilers Ahead
Willow Prepares To Perform An Exorcism On Graydon
For Graydon’s safety and everyone else’s as well, Graydon is chained near the fireplace until the curse is lifted off of him. When Graydon asks what Bavmorda possibly used them for, Boorman essentially says that she was a kinky lady who threw all kinds of wild parties. That’s where the chains probably came into play. I’ll let your imagination fill in the blanks. Anyway, Willow reminds Elora that she’s in the place where Bavmorda planned to banish her soul so that she couldn’t ruin her parade. Fortunately, she was stopped by Willow, Sorsha, and Raziel. But now they are in that same place. Graydon is cursed by the Gales, who, in turn, is working for the Crone. So, they’ve practically walked into the same trap once again. And the only way out is by curing Graydon. Kit wonders if Willow can use the energy blast he performed on Ballantine and his team to cure Graydon. Willow says that the process will kill him. That’s why Kit starts to wonder if the only option left is murdering Graydon before he becomes a full-on monster.
Elora doesn’t agree with Kit and asks Willow to come up with something to help Graydon. After giving a little history lesson on Bavmorda, Willow points out that since the Order of the Wyrm used to practice taboo magic in the castle they are in, the ingredients required for the ceremony to undo Graydon’s curse are there too. He pulls out a book called The Malatrium and lists a bunch of items that need to be acquired in order to successfully perform what’s basically an exorcism. Then he proceeds to lay down a bunch of rules. Firstly, Elora has to perform the ritual because Willow hasn’t recharged his power yet. I am guessing the show is setting up a romance between Elora and Graydon, and that can be a reason for this plot beat. Secondly, Willow states that they’ve got to ensure no one (i.e., the Gales) enters the castle to complete the ritual that can banish Elora’s soul. Boorman and Jade go on guard duty. Thirdly, they can’t let the vermiscus goo (some kind of pus that secretes from a cursed individual) enter their system, or else they’ll be cursed too. And finally, Willow forbids everyone from going into the High Tower. It’s where Bavmorda took Elora for the banishing. Also, Willow suspects it’s a portal to the Netherworld.
The Gales And The Nockmaar Castle Play Games On The Heroes’ Minds
While going about their respective duties, Kit and Jade get into a row over Kit not understanding what Jade is going through after Ballantine’s death. Boorman gets distracted by a giant golden door. Willow and Elora open Graydon’s shirt to reveal the scars on his chest and then start chanting a spell. This causes Graydon to see a vision of his father, Hastur, lamenting about what a failure he is. We also get a glimpse of Dermot (Graydon’s brother) ominously telling him that he’s going to catch him if he falls. Kit briefly gets distracted by tapestries of a young Bavmorda submitting herself to the Crone. One of the images shows a woman riding a winged lion, and her face looks awfully similar to that of Kit’s. I think it’s a hint towards what lies in her destiny, as she is Bavmorda’s granddaughter. Jade and Boorman have a heart-to-heart in the rain about the downsides of being a warrior. Boorman tells her to cope with the loss of Ballantine by focusing on the target at hand, which causes Jade to have a momentary breakdown.
Despite all the obstacles, Kit manages to bring the last ingredient required for the completion of the ritual. Willow and Elora finish the potion they need to banish the evil in Graydon’s body. When they apply it to Graydon, he momentarily acts rudely (referring to Willow as “peck”) and then starts talking in Airk’s voice. It seems like he’s acting as a conduit for Airk to reach out to them. Willow says that that’s actually the Lich that’s trying to ruin the ritual. This prompts Kit to leave the room and causes Elora’s resolve to waver. Graydon, or whoever is possessing his body, emotionally attacks Willow next by talking in Mim’s voice. Willow isn’t distracted by that, but the mention of his village causes Elora to question Willow about it. Willow states that all these are diversionary tactics, and if she thinks she can’t stop herself from succumbing to them, she has to leave the room. The Gales (or the castle’s machinations) start running in full gear, conjuring all kinds of visions, including that of General Kael, who, BTW, is supposed to be a reference to film critic Pauline Kael, and the death of Elora’s mother, to mess with the heroes and get Elora to the High Tower. And, well, they succeed.
‘Willow’ Episode 4: Ending Explained – Is Graydon Cured Of The Curse?
Graydon tricks Elora into thinking that he’s okay, and Willow has been cursed by the Lich now, so he takes her to the High Tower. Jade, Kit and Boorman don’t notice until it’s too late because they are too busy fighting about the location of the Lux Arcana, which Boorman thinks has been stolen by Kit and Jade. Graydon reveals that he’s still infected and that he has brought Elora there to complete the ritual and banish her soul. Additionally, I think he starts to reveal that he has the hots for Elora and wants to be more like Airk so that she can like him. Willow enters the chamber, seemingly out of nowhere, to stop Graydon from harming Elora, who is hoping for Willow to save her again with his sorcery. Graydon (or the Lich) conjures a vision to show Elora that Willow saved her with a sleight of hand and not with any real magic. Since Elora feels defeated by this revelation, Kit lets her know that she did grow the eckleberry bush with her powers, which means that she can probably get rid of the Lich in Graydon’s body too. Elora succeeds in sucking out the evil from Graydon. I know that sounds wrong. But this is a horny franchise. So, what’s literally happening on screen can be a metaphor for thousands of things. I am just the messenger here, not the showrunner.
Now, said sucking triggers a vision in which we see a young and possessed Graydon throwing his brother Dermot from a tree. As the vision ends, Elora sends whatever was possessing Graydon into another realm. Graydon is obviously thankful for it, but Elora has this look on her face that shows that she doesn’t trust him anymore. Since the completion of this ritual causes the weather to clear up, the heroes resume their journey toward Immemorial City. Boorman realizes that he has had the Cuirass on him all this time and that he picked a fight with Kit and Jade for no reason. In the sunlight, we also see that Elora’s blonde hair is slowly turning red. It can be associated with her control over her magical powers, i.e., the more powerful she gets, the redder her hair becomes. The hair also serves as a ticking time bomb plot device because, in Willow’s apocalyptic vision, we see that Elora’s hair is completely red. So, when she gets close to becoming a full redhead, you’ll know that the great war is near. We see that the Gales are closely following the heroes and are planning to “take the girl.” That can be a reference to Elora or Kit. My money is on Kit because of all the talk about the Blood of the Six and her being Bavmorda’s granddaughter. Why? Well, since it’s succeeded by a scene of Airk in Immemorial City (which looks like the image in the tapestry that Kit saw), I think the Crone is trying to unite the siblings and turn them into the villains of the show. If that happens, it’ll be tragic, diabolical, and hugely enjoyable.
See More: ‘Willow’ Episode 5: Recap And Ending, Explained – What Is Jade’s True Identity? Who Kidnaps Kit?
