The end of ‘Willow’, explained: are three seasons planned for the series?

Warning, SPOILERS!

*This article contains spoilers for the latest episode of ‘Willow’. Don’t read on if you haven’t seen it.

After 8 episodes of magic and adventure, ‘Willow’ comes to an end. The first season of the Disney+ series concludes with its most epic chapter to date, closing an installment that clearly isn’t meant to be the last. Far from being conceived as a miniseries, ‘Willow’ reinforces its intentions for the future with an ending full of cliffhangers and open fronts pointing to a possible second season. But for now, Disney hasn’t officially confirmed the continuation of the Lucasfilm series. While waiting for news on the matter, let’s analyze what happens in the latest episode of ‘Willow’ e how he sets the stage for continuing the story and continuing to expand his universe to uncharted places.

The plot that runs through the first season of ‘Willow’ is the search for Airk (Dempsey Bryk), prince of Sir Asleen and son of Sorsha and Madmartigan (two of the original characters of the film), whose disappearance gives rise to an odyssey interpreted by a group of young heroes, including Elora Danan (the child prophesied from the 1980s film, played here by Ellie Bamber in her teenage version). Standing in their way are the wand and guidance of an exceptional sorcerer, Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis), who helps them find themselves while prepare to face the Withered Witch, who threatens to plunge the world back into darkness.

After a perilous journey that takes them through places like the Skellin Mines or the Broken Sea, our adventurers take a “leap of faith” (literally) and in the latest episode they finally reach their destination: the Ancient City. All except Willow, who is left behind, haunted by visions of the death of her daughter, Mimms (Annabelle Davis). In the city centre, The party reaches the Temple of the Wyrm, where a vast dark force remains imprisoned, unleashing a storm of black magic that turns anyone it touches to stone.. Elora and Kit (Ruby Cruz) discover that Airk has been bewitched by the Sorceress, who manifests to him as a young woman named Lili (Rosabell Laurenti Sellers), and tries to turn them to the dark side to convince them to join them.

The two follow Airk and end up in a sort of heavenly illusion where the Witch tries to seduce them with the promise of changing their past and giving them a better future, in exchange for drinking her liquid and joining her cause (which is nothing more than to conquer the world). But really, Elora and Kit are just playing along so they can come face-to-face with the Witch. It is then that Willow reappears and helps Elora discover the true extent of her powers. Thus begins the battle for the future of Tir Asleen, in which Elora battles the witch in an epic magical showdown, in which the sorceress reveals her true and terrifying form, as Jade (Erin Kellyman) and Kit battle Airk and Willow against an army of monsters. The war ends with Elora’s victory and the Witch’s death, but in the meantime it leaves a victim: Graydon (Tony Revolori), who falls through the Temple gates, but not before helping Elora unleash her power. .

Before dying, the wicked witch transfers her power to Airk, who becomes the new herald of the Wyrm, whose goal is the same: to free the gigantic creature to end the world. However, Kit activates the power of Kymeria’s magical armor (enclosing it in a brand new Iron Man-style armor) and fights her brother to free him from evil, restoring him to normal. The party reunites after the battle and set out on their journey back to Tir Asleen, knowing this the war is not over and evil is still lurking around the corner.

“Volume I”, of three?

But the death of the Witch is not the end, far from it, since Jonathan Kasdan, showrunner and screenwriter of the series, makes sure to leave many loose ends to continue the story in a hypothetical second season. Although the main plot (the search for Airk and the confrontation with the Withered Witch) is closed, the promise of a more devastating threat, that of the Wyrm, suggests a second season in which the danger would be even greater.

Kasdan decides to end the season with a shocking bonus scene that reveals that Graydon is not actually dead, but is trapped in an apocalyptic vision of the Wyrm in which he sees a dark version of Elora leading a terrifying army of monsters, losing it. implies that the young sorceress may become the new evil heiress in the future. But will that future of which ‘Willow’ offers us a chilling appetizer come true? There is currently no announcement of a second season, although it is clear that this is the intention. This is indicated by a detail that the smartest will have chased away: In the end credits you can see an image with three volumes that read “Volume I, II and II”which would suggest that the plan is to tell the story in three volumes / seasons, of which we have already reached the end of the first.

Now, the truth is that the series has just made headlines and the public has been divided by its proposal halfway between the epic fantasy of the 80s and youth melodrama with a modern approach, so we can not take anything for granted . Whatever happens, what is clear is that the personal journey is not over for any of the characters and if it continues, this finale promises to further explore the relationship between Kit and Jade (an openly queer couple with whom Disney takes another step forward ) or the development of Elora, who still has a long way to go as a sorceress, a person, and possibly a villain. ‘Willow’ relied heavily on raising a chosen family and breaking expectations, focusing on a group of characters who defy what is expected of them to follow their own path and find out who they really are. While the series is far from perfect, it has gone from less to more and found its voice in its stunning and spectacular final stretch.. So it would be a shame if the journey ended here.

The first season of ‘Willow’ is here Available in full on Disney+.