The Shannara Chronicles ended it’s sixth episode of season two in dramatic fashion, and episode seven continues the downward spiral, and things are not looking good for the Four Lands. Last week, our review said that Shannara dropped the mic. Episode six ended with a big bang that exemplifies why this show is not your average genre series.
Shannara Chronicles Episode Seven: Warlock
Bandon and his followers race to resurrect the Warlock Lord while Mareth must risk everything before it’s too late.
Starting right where episode six left off, Riga and the Crimson seized control of Leah, taking the Queen, Jax and Salter as prisoners. The mighty Crimson are now in control, at least politically, of the Four Lands.
Allanon is dying and in a sort of dream state; seemingly caught between life and death. Wil and Mareth feel helpless as there is little medicine can do to help now. Mareth starts a trope-y speech that would be downright cringe-worthy if it had gone according to the formula.
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In the meantime, Lyria and Eretria escaped Riga’s assault on the Palace of Leah. But now they must figure out what to do. It’s an especially important decision now that the previous episode revealed Lyria’s vital role in the fate of the Four Lands. Again, the former lovers must go their separate ways.
Waa-waa Wil, like all genre protagonists before him, is a little whiney at this point. Everything sucks. He’s speeding down towards rock bottom. But Mareth is proving to be the counterbalance, keeping Wil from the brink even while she deals with the reality of Allanon, her mother, and where her destiny will lead.
Shannara episode seven continues to ramp up the season, adding more depth and despair to the story.
Amberle (Poppy Drayton) makes a cameo here, her last from the feel of the story. She appears in a dream that provides a much-needed guidance for our heroes. It’s trope-y as all hell but done effectively without overwrought exposition.
Mareth uses her fledgling knowledge of magic to walk into Allanon’s dream. The hope is to find him and bring him back. But the reality is that the dream realm is a strange place and dangerous too. If she doesn’t make it out with Allanon, she’ll die with him.
Riga’s agenda isn’t only about being the leader of the world. The Crimson’s commander wants to end magic for good. And his next mission is focused solely on that.
And then there’s Bandon, the bad boy of Shannara Chronicles who takes another step towards achieving his goal of resurrecting the Warlock Lord and reuniting with his lost love. Bandon puts on a dazzling display of his powers by dispatching a squad of Crimson with dramatic ease. And if that seems a little too spoiler-y, it’s what happens after Bandon delivers his beatdown that genuinely matters and must be seen, not read about in a blog post.
Shannara episode seven continues to ramp up the season, adding more depth and despair to the story. The brutal fashion in which some characters are disposed of, is again, reminiscent of Game of Thrones. If Shannara were on the CW, it would be radically different. And maybe the CW formula would help with the ratings but not with the dramatic impact of the show.
Read more spoiler-free reviews for season two of the Shannara Chronicles here.
