Another episode. Another review.
I am still here reviewing the show and doing live reactions to them as I watch for the first time. The more I watch the show, the more I need a neck brace from tonal issues.
The writing? Well, let’s get started.
And remember there are spoilers.
Where do I start?
They are at Bavorda’s Castle, you know the cursed one? Yeah… They have Graydon chained because he is possessed and they are eating and having a discussion. After he is asked, Willow says there should be a way to cleanse Graydon and, all of a sudden, they find a spell book with a recipe and spell in it to purge the influence from Graydon.
So, Jade and Boorman are told to patrol and keep an eye out in case the Gails make an appearance, Kit is asked to search for ingredients, and Willow and Elora are working on the alchemy that will hopefully cleanse Graydon. Yes, they split up in a spooky and cursed castle. Willow tells them NOT to go to the high tower. Remember that one.
Elora and Willow discover a scar on Graydon’s chest, hinting that he had been through something before, even though he alluded to that at the start of the episode. Here, he refuses to elaborate on how the scar got there, saying it’s an embarrassment.
Except for Willow and Elora mixing things at this time, people start hearing voices and seeing things. Kit hears the voices of the people who got her grandmother into the cult. Jade sees her mom and gets into a hallucinatory battle with someone. Boorman hears voices that lead him to a locked door with a promise of treasure.
During the exorcism, the entity in Graydon says things to make the people present fight. The first one is Kit who has found the last ingredient for the exorcism potion. The next thing leads to Elora being told to leave the area. Mind you at the start of this Willow says he needs Elora’s help because his magic has not returned fully, and now, he is doing the exorcism alone.
During the exorcism, Graydon has a flashback of how his brother died. This hints at Graydon has something residing inside him.
Elora ends up in the same space as Kit who tries to tell her about the bush, but Elora gets distracted by voices down the hall next to them and, you guessed it, goes wandering off following the voice. She’s the only one that hears it.
When Elora comes back to where Graydon is, Willow has gone off somewhere, leaving the girl with Graydon who insists he is cleansed and that Willow is not possessed. Sound familiar?
They end up in the ONE place where Willow told them not to go, the high tower, where Graydon reveals he is still possessed. Willow shows up in time for Graydon to show Elora how Bavmorda was defeated. Just when things are bleak, there is a calvary call and the rest of the Scooby gang shows up. After a short fight, Kit tells Elora that she has magic by telling her about the bush she grew.
After telling Elora to throw away the rules, Elora straddles Graydon and sucks the entity out of Graydon. Lovely, isn’t it?
Click below for my live reaction.
More Issues…
Let’s start with the elephant in the room…
They made Willow the old, grizzled, grumpy, sorcerer whose power isn’t what it used to be. Sound familiar? It should. They did the same thing to Luke Skywalker in the prequel series. This seems to be a habit of Disney writers.
They made Boorman your stereotypical greedy rogue who cares more about money and treasure with the occasional flash of empathy with ill-timed jokes that often fall flat.
The sheer predictability of Graydon still being possessed as well as the characters ending up in the ONE place they were told not to go is boring.
The tonal issues are still there as you are thrown from one slow scene to a fight scene to an exorcism in rapid fashion. I think I might need a neck brace by the time this is done.
The lighting… Again.
Most of this episode takes place in a dark castle during a storm. I understand that it’s not going to be as bright as daylight, but there is a way to keep it dark and still show details. I did it below.
Here is the original still from the scene where Jade has a discussion with Boorman.
I am not an expert on graphics or post-production. I am still learning editing tricks for my videos, but below all I did was tweak the cyan, blue, contrast, and brightness.
It’s still dark, but you can make out more details, but that’s not the only problem. Remember I told you Willow and Elora were mixing a potion?
So, yeah, apparently one campfire lights up an entire chamber now. I just can’t.
The Positives
In my quest to be as objective as possible, I look for anything that pleasantly surprises me and positive interactions in the story.
Kit and Elora going from being vapid to each other to actually having a civil conversation was nice.
In the scene where Kit says she could kill Graydon if it came down to it, she is told by Boorman that killing someone who isn’t attacking you is quite different from killing an enemy. I think this might be a clue as to what happened to Madmartigan.
Jade telling Kit she doesn’t know how it feels and needing time alone is another relatable moment in the series.
The glimpses of the past are a good world and lore-building tools. I liked those moments.
There was well-timed humor that I appreciated.
This episode gets 2 1/2 espresso shots. This show is just average so far. That’s it.
Until next time,
Anissa “Maddy” Walker
House of Geek 