The Shannara Chronicles Season 1 Episode Guide
1.01. Chosen - Part One - Review
1.02. Chosen - Part Two - Review
1.03. Fury - Review
1.04. Changeling - Review
1.05. Reaper - Review
1.06. Pykon - Review
1.07. Breakline - Review
1.08. Utopia - Review
1.09. Safehold - Review
1.10. Ellcrys - Review
The Shannara Chronicles 1.10: "Ellcrys"
Directed by Brad Turner & Written by April Blair & Evan Endicott & Josh Stoddard
And here we go, the finale of the first and possibly last (depending on its renewal) season of The Shannara Chronicles and as things go it ended on a pretty solid note, taking the similar path that the books followed, as I discovered by googling how the ending played out in the books. That doesn't change the fact that they're now a lot higher on my TBR pile though, as I can't wait to see what Terry Brooks has brought to the table in the past, and it'll provide a nice gap whilst waiting for the second season because overtime, this show has really grown into its own. The actors have now slot into their roles, which was a shame then, that we had to say goodbye to them so soon.
Ellcrys opens with Wil reviving Eretria with the Elfstones, whilst Amberle is inside the Bloodfire. During her time in the Bloodfire Amberle learns about the true nature of the quest and the sacrifice that she'll have to experience to save the world, putting lots of pressure on her character especially as she has just fallen in love with Wil. They even get as far as having sex after Eretria seemingly sacrificed herself to allow them to escape, which makes Amberle's sacrifice even more heartbreaking for Wil.
Meanwhile though Bandon who has seemingly fallen to evil, in one of the more unexpected moves that the season has given us so far when I think most expected him to be redeemed at some point. It looks like he was able to escape from prison with the help of Catania and is now establishing himself as a future replacement as the big bad for Season 2 in the wake of the lack of the Dagda Mor. His character journey has been an interesting one to follow so far and if the series does return, then he will be a more than formidable adversary, especially given his current circumstances that he now has the possession of the Dagda Mor's blade.
Either way, Bandon's escape goes largely unnoticed with the powerful Demon army attacking Arborlon. A powerful speech from Ander rallies the combined alliance of Gnomes and Eleves and they are for now, able to hold the line. However, both Ander and Triton come across a Demon Warrior who we discover is Arion, and he's under the influence of the Dagda Mor. As much as I hated Arion when he was alive he seems to be a far better character as a possessed demon warrior, and it was no real surprise to see him brought back to life given the fact that the series has a track record now of bringing the dead back. Arion is able to dispatch Commander Tilton before being stabbed by Ander, who is able to get the better of Arion when Arion briefly breaks free of his control to beg Ander to kill him. While this is going on, Wil and Amberle find themselves attacked by Demons, and are rescued by Allanon and Slanter who then provide support to help them reach the Ellcrys.
However, the Dagda Mor is an obstacle that they will have to get past first, and Allanon promptly enters battle with the Evil Druid. Whilst this is going on Amberle is able to tell Wil the truth behind the Bloodfire and she must sacrifice herself to become the new Ellcrys and save the world, as only her spirit can restore life to the tree. Wil understandably is distraught and this was actually a pretty good scene between both Poppy Drayton and Austin Butler, as handled their roles well. I find it hard to believe that this will be the last time we will see Amberle however, because especially given that the show has brought both Arion and Allanon back from the dead there's plenty of potential for the series to bring her back as well. That kind of made Amberle's sacrifice not as impactful as it could have been, but it still managed to be a pretty powerful moment.
The Dagda Mor though is stopped when Wil is able to hold him off long enough with the Elfstones for Allanon to decapitate him. To make matters worse for a heartbroken Wil, Allanon reveals that he knew of the cost of the Ellcrys all along and reminded him that all magic comes with a price. Wil then, leaves the safety of Arbolon in the aftermath of the battle, with all the Demons destroyed, to head back to Safehold and see if Eretria is still alive. In fact, Eretria is more than just alive, she's in captivity, and recognises somebody who now has captured her, setting the stage and direction for Season 2 with plenty of new ideas to explore.
On the whole then it has been an enjoyable if flawed first season for The Shannara Chronicles as it attempted to do for fantasy what The 100 has done for science fiction. It's refreshing to see a high fantasy series on TV and over the course of the season you really get the feeling that the actors have slotted into their roles well. I would have liked to see more from Manu Bennett though who didn't get as much to do in his role as Allanon, but at least he wasn't killed off like every other mentor character in fantasy. There were some great moments in Ellcrys as well, with the fantasy effects actually looking pretty decent for the most part, which was good considering that the series, mainly due to the budget, has shied away from going full-out fantasy so far. The effects throughout the season though have been mostly impressive, particularly with the use of the various monsters of the week, so hopefully the series can only improve going forward.
I think this season my favourite character has probably been Allanon as mentioned above but the trio of younger actors have slotted into their roles well even if they didn't start off as strongly. Austin Butler, Poppy Drayton and Ivana Baquero all feel at home and it would be great to see them return for a second outing. However another actor that I found could have been used a bit more this season was probably John Rhys-Davies, and it didn't help that Eventine was taken care of so easily. But it did allow Aaron Jakubenko to shine as Ander, another role that he eventually worked well in. The weakest characters throughout the season were probably James Remar's Cephalo, who was taken care of a few episodes ago, and also Daniel MacPherson's Arion, but again, the writers seemed to recognise that and bring him back for one last, effective and powerful moment.
What did you think of The Shannara Chronicles' season finale and of the season as a whole? Who have been your favourite characters this season? If Season 2 Is confirmed, will you be watching? Let me know in the comments below, and if you're a fan of both series, be sure to check out my reviews of Black Sails and Vikings in the meantime, and I'll be sure to have coverage of both of the latest episodes in the respective series going up later in the week.
Overall Episode Verdict: A-
Positives:
+Wil/Allanon vs. The Dagda Mor
+Bandon escaping.
+Arion returning.
+The Demons vs. Gnomes & Elves
+Amberle's sacrifice
