Disney gave us two amazing shows last year that apparently didn’t get any kind of popularity, i.e., “Andor” and “Willow.” I don’t know the reason behind it because it seems logical for people to gravitate towards well-made pieces of entertainment naturally. But, nowadays, there’s just so much to sift through that it’s possible for the good stuff to fall through the cracks. Anyway, this is a call for you to watch “Willow,” which has been getting progressively better with each episode by simply working with its characters in self-contained but intricately designed locations. In the previous week’s episode, the showrunners took us to the Dread Mines of Skellin, where Kit and Willow were imprisoned by trolls. Boorman, Scorpia, Graydon, Jade, and Elora showed up to rescue them. But while they got to Kit and Willow, the duo met Madmartigan’s close aide, Allagash, who helped Kit get to Madmartigan’s last known location. While trying to escape the mines, Allagash sacrificed himself to keep the trolls away from the heroes and handed over the Kymerian Cuirass to Boorman in the hopes that he’d be able to make it work. However, the sacrifice seemed to be in vain because the heroes didn’t make it out of the mines, as Kit fell into a frozen lake. The episode concluded with Airk realizing that he was trapped in the Immemorial City with a girl called Lili.
Major Spoilers Ahead
Airk Learns About Lili
Lili claims that she’s from a place called Cashmere and she doesn’t have any idea why she’s in Immemorial City with Airk. They drink the orange water. They talk about the Gales. But then the weirdest thing happens. Airk sees Kit, who is actually drowning in the lake in Skellin, inside the pool of orange water. So, he instinctively dives in to save her. And just when Kit and Airk’s hands are about to touch, Elora pulls her out of the lake, thereby severing this odd, space and time-bending connection. Then they proceed to the Shattered Sea. We see Boorman wearing the Cuirass. However, he doesn’t want to put the Lux Arcana in it, as he wants to do it during a moment of heroism. I think he’s lying. He is afraid that the Cuirass isn’t going to deem him worthy like it did with Allagash, and that’s going to render his whole voyage meaningless. Willow announces that they’ve got to walk across the sea to get to the city where Airk is. Kit says she can do it but falls to her knees due to her weakness. That’s why they enter an inn to rest and replenish their supplies. The owner, who is a very old man, claims to be a Paladin of Cashmere who was sent to rescue a princess.
He half remembers another quest where he was sent to discover an enchanted pool. And then he starts talking about trying to cross the Shattered Sea and forgetting why he and his team were trying to cross it in the first place. That led to a general sense of confusion and caused everyone to turn against each other and resort to murder. The heroes ask if the old man found anything at the end of the Shattered Sea or not. He gives three possible outcomes. The first one is the flat Earth theory, where the voyagers reach the edge of the world. The second one is that there’s a great leviathan that keeps the voyagers from going forward. And the third one is that there’s no end to the Shattered Sea. Kit reaffirms that they’re going to find Airk at the end of it, but they have to hurry up because she thinks he doesn’t have enough time on his hands. Back in the Immemorial City, Lili seems to have found a way to get in through the door of the castle that stands behind the pool with the orange liquid. She finds stairs inside the castle that lead somewhere. Airk requests not to go down there but fails to explain why as he gravitates towards the orange liquid again, which seems to be sustaining him and making him thirsty at the same time. After drinking from it, Lili reveals that she’s the Princess of Cashmere, and the Order of the Wyrm might be the ones behind her kidnapping.
Airk Realizes That Lili Has Been Lying All This Time
The heroes take the sleigh with the Mudmander (apparently the only creature that can swim through the shallow and muddy waters of the sea) and head out into the Shattered Sea. Well, they are basically forced to leave because Graydon realizes that the old man is keeping them there so that the Gales can catch up to them. And they do catch up and chase the heroes. Graydon surprisingly manages to use his flute to kill the Dag (the one who can shapeshift and fly). The Doom grabs Elora’s arm for a second or two, and she hears something that’s unintelligible. Jade throws the Doom off the sleigh and then tends to Kit, who has a shuriken lodged in her forearm. Graydon advises that they should make a pitstop somewhere so that the Mudmander can rest up after all the chasing and racing. We get to see the Mudmander, which is an astonishing amalgamation of visual and practical effects. Willow explains that Graydon has magic in him. That’s why he was able to use his flute as a conduit and kill the Dag. Elora interrupts this conversation because she wants to train and overcome whatever stopped her from being of any use during the fight against the Gales. Willow obliges, and the two engage in a battle of magic and wits.
Seeing this motivates Kit to improve upon her skills, and she invites Jade for a sparring session. This leads to a classic training montage. We get our highly anticipated bi-lighting, which shines upon Kit and Jade’s highly anticipated kiss. But then things get serious again as Willow asks Elora to focus on being honest instead of treating this adventure as some regular rescue mission. Elora sees the Crone (I guess) for a split second, and she channels her into her next spell, which sends Willow hurtling across the surface of the beach. Although everyone is concerned about Willow’s safety, he appears happy that Elora managed to knock him over at least once. The animosity between Elora and Kit continues as Elora shuts Kit down when she shows concern about Elora’s connection to the Crone. Back in the Immemorial City, Lili talks about not being able to act on her impulses when she was in Paladin because of the kingdom’s rules and regulations. Airk refuses her romantic advances and says that he has to get back to his kingdom and to Elora. Lili goes on to reveal that she’s the one who brought Airk to the city. Airk understandably freaks out and makes a run for it, even though there’s nowhere to escape.
‘Willow’ Episode 7: Ending Explained – How Do Elora And Kit Reach The Immemorial City? What Has Happened To Airk?
Despite their dwindling resources, the heroes soldier on. Willow opens up about the Wyrm and explains that it’s something that feeds on magic. It’s apparently waiting underneath the surface of the world, where it has been imprisoned. Kit asks what’s going to happen if it wakes, and Willow fails to give a concrete answer. Anyway, the further they go into the Shattered Sea, their sense of time and reality start to become fuzzy. Willow expresses that he misses his daughter. Kit and Elora set their differences aside as they honestly talk about their insecurities and ambitions. Boorman finds out that he’s not worthy of the Cuirass. So, he starts to lash out and blames everyone for leading him into a pointless mission. Elora states that their destination is close, and they need to walk some more. Lili gives a completely drained-out Airk some more of that orange juice. Graydon admits that he loves Elora but tells her that she doesn’t need to love him back because he knows she loves Airk. And they continue their journey until they reach the literal edge of the world. The heroes think they’ve taken a wrong turn, but Elora insists that they’ve completed their task of crossing the Shattered Sea.
When Willow starts to head back to where they came from, Elora points out that after all his motivational speeches, Willow is the one who’s backing out because he knows what’s going to happen if Elora faces the Crone. We’ve seen the vision already, where everyone dies, including Elora and Willow, walking through a field of dead bodies. Elora essentially explains that to the rest of the group. Seeing everything fall apart, Kit steps up and assures Elora that even if nobody believes in her, and even if Elora doesn’t believe in herself, she does. And she thinks that Elora won’t give in to the powers of the Crone, and she’ll be able to change her destiny. On that note, both Elora and Kit jump off the edge of the world and land in Immemorial City. When they reach the castle, they gaze upon Airk, who is in a dark and not-so-princely outfit and is equipped with a sword. His long locks of hair are gone. On top of all that, he has a weird smirk on his face while Kit and Elora appear shocked because this is obviously not the Airk that was kidnapped from Tir Asleen, and something has gone terribly wrong.
I think the conclusion that everyone will jump to is that Lili is the Crone in disguise, and she has corrupted Airk by making him drink that orange juice (that looks suspiciously like the potion that the trolls are making for the Crone). That can be correct. My alternative suggestion, based on the old man’s story about the lost princess, the expedition to find an enchanted pool, and Lili’s description of the Wyrm, is that Lili isn’t actually the Crone. Yes, she’s the Princess of Cashmere. But she’s the one who formed the Order of the Wyrm and escaped to serve the Crone or enter a partnership with the Crone. I am assuming that Lili is as old as the Paladine of Cashmere and isn’t aging because she’s drinking from the enchanted pool. I think she’s being told that if she manages to turn Airk over to the Crone, then the Wyrm will awaken. And that’s why Lili is doing her bidding. However, what’s going to happen to Airk? Has he truly become evil? Well, for the time being, and going by his whole fit, I think he clearly has. We know that if the orange troll juice enters a human’s body and its magic isn’t reversed quickly, the transformation is going to be permanent, and the person has to die. I hope that’s not what it comes down to because “Willow” has been quite upbeat as a show. The next (and final) episode of Season 1 is probably going to be an action-packed one, with Kit and Elora going up against the evil Airk and trying to free him from the Crone’s spell. That said, I won’t be surprised if Airk’s death becomes the catalyst for the heroes to launch a full-scale attack against the Crone.
