Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for the Willow series.
The last few months of 2022 have been filled with sprawling, high budget fantasy television. FromHouse of the DragontoThe Rings of PowertoAndor(which is at least fantasy adjacent), a lot of these shows have something in common: they all move very slowly. This isn’t necessarily a condemnation of those shows — a slow burn, when executed well, can make for excellent stories — but if you like your fantasy to move a bit quicker, you’ve probably been out of luck these last few months. If that’s you, it’s worth your time to check outWillow, Disney+’s sequel series to the1988 film of the same name.Unlike other recent fantasy shows,Willowmoves at a brisk pace, focusing more on the action than the build-up to action.
‘Willow’ Doesn’t Wait on Character Moments
Willowhits the ground running with its first episode. By the time you’ve finished “The Gales,” you know who the heroes are and have a pretty good idea of what most of them want. Princess Kit (Ruby Cruz) wants to rescue her twin brother, Prince Airk (Dempsey Bryk), and prove she’s useful beyond who she can marry. Jade (Erin Kellyman) will do anything to protect Kit, even at the cost of her opportunity to become a knight. Dove (Ellie Bamber) is also determined to rescue Prince Airk, whom she’s romantically involved with, and in the process makes a startling revelation about her place in the world. Each of the characters who have less screen time in the pilot ofWillowstill have a nugget of something that quickly develops over the next few episodes: Boorman (Amar Chadha-Patel) is trying to earn his freedom and Prince Grayson (Tony Revolori) wants to prove himself to his father. The only character with very little to go off of in the first episode is the titular Willow (Warwick Davis), whom long-time fans already know from the movie and who gets his own protracted introduction in the second episode ofWillow.
RELATED:‘Willow’ Filled Its Warrior Role Without Replacing Val Kilmer’s Madmartigan
Over the course of the next four episodes,Willowhas been steadily building on that foundation for each of its characters. Each episode gives every character a moment that progresses their story, even if they’re not the focus of that episode’s story. “The Whispers of Nockmaar,”Willow’s fourth episode, is an excellent example of this. In “Whispers,” the characters take shelter in the ruined castled of Bavmorda, left untouched since the events of the original film. The lingering evil of the castle causes characters to see strange visions, hear voices that aren’t there, and to think they’re missing important artifacts. As the characters move about the castle looking for important ingredients for a magical ritual, treasure that’s never been looted, or possible threats that might be lurking inside, they’re subjected to visions that hint at their desires and fears and push their individual character arcs forward. It’s a very effective bottle episode, coming at a key point inWillow’s run to keep the characters and their relationships dynamic and interesting to watch, rather than letting those tensions simmer for multiple episodes at a time.
‘Willow’ Doesn’t Have Time for Mysteries
The mystery of the identity of Elora Danan, the baby from the original film who was hidden away before the series began, could’ve easily been dragged out across the entire show, like the identity ofSauron onThe Rings of Power. ButWillowis more interested in Elora Danan as a character rather than an idea, and immediately has Willow identify Dove as Elora Danan as soon as he sees her. The mystery is discarded in favor of an arc where Elora must come to terms with her secret identity and master her power in time to stop the Withered Crone and save the world.
This isn’t the most innovative way to tell Elora’s story, but it’s one that has two primary benefits. First, it lets Elora be the hero of her own story. She gets to be a character with her own hopes and dreams, and that’s a far more interesting way to use her than as a dramatic end-of-season reveal. Second, it lets the story get to the exciting stuff about Elora quicker. By the end of episode 2,Willow is training Elora on how magic works, and she’s already starting to get a handle on her abilities. Her role as the prophesied Empress of Tir Asleen also creates tension between her and Kit, who feels like her position and importance as Princess is undercut by the undeserving Elora. By discarding the mystery of Elora’s identity,Willowlets itself move forward at a more typical and lively pace, without bending over backwards to keep her identity a secret.
This isn’t to say thatWillowdoesn’t have engaging mysteries and reveals. The surprise reveal of Jade’s parentage forms the crux of an entire episode and feels naturally built out of details revealed earlier in the season. Prince Graydon has a dark past that haunts him, but when the details of his past are revealed, it isn’t game-changing, just informative. These beats are used to progress the characters' stories, rather than to hold the audience’s attention hostage by withholding key information. Mysteries aren’t the point onWillow, they’re just the seasoning on top of a solid meal.
‘Willow’ Has Plenty of Action
Halfway throughWillow’s first episode, Tir Asleen is attacked by the Gales, a malevolent and monstrous group that serve as the show’s primary antagonists. This is a major fight sequence, involving all the main characters introduced so far and a bunch of nameless soldiers to fill things out. By the time it’s done, Prince Airk has been kidnapped and the central narrative thrust of the show has been established. On your first watch, if you’re not paying attention to how much time is left in the episode, you might be expecting the episode to end once the characters realize that Airk is gone. But it keeps going, assembling the team that’ll be going after him and sending them off to meet Willow. On the way, they’re attacked by the Bone Reavers, leading to a second major action sequence in the same episode as they flee their attackers. Rather than spending the whole episode building to one eye-catching set piece, “The Gales” spreads the action around to keep things exciting.
This pattern continues throughoutWillow, with each episode having at least one minor action scene. Episode 3, “The Battle of the Slaughtered Lamb,” prominently features multiple action scenes of varied scope and scale. As Elora flees the possessed knight trying to capture her, she finds a couple of woodswomen who attempt to help her fight back against her pursuers. Boorman and Kit encounter wererats while searching for an important artifact. And the entire group teams up to save Elora from the possessed knights in a prolonged and dramatic showdown in the rain at the end of the episode.
While there’s nothing innately wrong with mysteries that hang over the entire season or intense slow burns that really focus on the psychology of the characters, it’s nice to have some variety.Willowgets that, and if you’ve been getting burned out by shows moving at a snail’s pace,Willowprobably gets you, too. When you sit down for a new episode ofWillow, you may be certain that you’re not just sitting down to an hour table setting — there’s a surprising amount of story and action packed into each one. If you’ve been craving more action and momentum in your fantasy stories,Willowmight just be the show for you.
