Written by: Kelsey Hlavaty
Episode 7: Breakline
This week’s recap will focus on Episode 7 of The Shannara Chronicles which aired Tuesday, February 9th, 2016. Warning: Expect massive spoilers.
Where did we leave off last episode? The Changeling has slithered its way back into the castle and is now impersonating the king. It’s goal was to rid the kingdom of it’s influence from the Druid, Allanon, whom was “killed” (or vanished) by Prince Arion. As the trio and Cephelo attempt to escape the Pykon fortress, all but Cephelo fall into the canyon along with the demon who was chasing them.
The episode opens right after the trio falls into the canyon. Wil wakes up in a river right next to the demon – who does not rise and we can presume is dead. The elfstones have burned holes into his hand (he really held on to those). Looking for Amberle and Eretrea, Wil follows a pool of blood into the forest where he is attacked by another elf. The elf, Perk, explains that elf hunters attacked him and managed to cut off one ear and kidnap his friend. This causes Wil to worry for Amberle’s safety. Eretrea and Amberle find each other, only to stumble into the path of the elf hunters. At the castle, Prince Ander informs his (fake) father of his findings: a demon army is forming and they must figure out a way to stop them. The king requests that they must go on a mission to murder the Dagda Mor with the warlock sword. Speaking of warlocks, our favorite Druid wakes up back in the cave and begins to re-heal himself. Prince Arion and Commander Tilton discuss if he should fight the Dagda Mor himself. Tilton wants him to stay behind with the rest of the elves as she has a horrible feeling about the mission. He tells her that he is confident that the sword will help him beat the demon.
Amberle and Eretrea get shot at with arrows as the elf hunters find them running in the forest. Amberle drops her sword but doesn’t try to get it back – the elf hunters are super dangerous. They pick up her sword and realize that Amberle is a royal elf and she must be caught. The girls manage to escape but fall through a hole, into, what appears to be, the setting of a high school prom. Amberle is excited, explaining that these are the “sealed and preserved” ruins of the ancient man. Wil and Perk manage to find the camp set up by the elf hunters. They overhear the lead elf hunter, Zora, announce that Amberle’s ears are top priority and the first one to bring back her head will receive double over anyone else in the tribe. In the cave, Allanon’s old master, Bremen visits him from the other side (#obiwankenobi) to inform Allanon that he cannot die for “another has emerged” who needs him. After this encounter, Allanon wakes up stronger than before. Wil decides he will follow the elf hunters while Perk stays behind to watch the camp. The elf hunter who remained begins to play with Perk’s ear, causing Perk to freak out and attack him. They torture him in order to get information as to where the girls might be and after receiving the information, Perk kills the elf hunter. This shocks Wil but he quicky gets over it when he discovers that Perk’s friend isn’t an elf, it’s a dragon.
The girls continue to connect within the hallways of the high school. Eretrea admits that she does in fact care for Amberle and Wil somewhat, which is why she came back for them at Pykon. As Eretrea heals the cut on Amberle’s arm, Amberle speaks about the visions she received while in the Elcrys. Amberle admits that she does not understand the elves and perhaps, the elves have been wrong all this time. Eretrea explains that she does not actually know who her parents are and has been sold from camp to camp her whole life. The two girls exchange a heartfelt moment before they are attacked by the elf hunters. One comes into the classroom they were hiding in and they manage to knock him out with an iPad (yes, this happened). They meet another one in the hallways, which Eretrea brilliantly shoots him the eyes with his own bow and arrow (obviously). While escaping the elf hunters, Amberle notices a map and news paper hanging on the wall – it is a map of the San Francisco area (placing their location roughly around that area). The newspaper article on the wall mentions a terrible earthquake and the photo in the article has the same stained glass window Amberle saw in her vision. She grabs the two items, only to be caught by the elf hunter leader, Zora. Eretrea and Zora turn out to have grown up together and were lovers. Amberle tries to reason with Zora, but it doesn’t work as usual. Amberle, when will you learn people aren’t as nice and understanding as you are?
Zora intends to leave Eretrea behind in the high school and take Amberle with her to her camp but guess who shows up to save the day again: WIL ON A DRAGON. He swoops in and saves them both but as they begin to escape, Zora shoots Eretrea with an arrow and she falls back down, left behind. The prince brothers reach the Dagda Mor’s lair only to find no demon in sight. They proceed to search for the Dagda Mor with caution only to find a possessed Bandon locked in a cage. They are then confronted with the Dagda Mor who reveals that their father is actually dead, and the Changeling sent the princes on this quest to die. After injuring Ander, the Dagda Mor stabs Arion in the stomach. Allanon comes just in time to save Ander from a fate similar to his brother’s and frees Bandon’s soul from the demon’s grip. Ander leaves the Dagda Mor’s lair and his dead brother behind to return to the castle. Amberle and Wil wait for Perk’s status on Eretrea. He states that because he couldn’t see the elf hunters from the sky, they are most probably hiding amongst the trees; Wil and Amberle decide to search for her on foot. Back at the castle, Ander explains to his father that Arion is dead. When the Changeling goes in for the comforting fatherly hug, Ander stabs the demon – hopefully ridding the castle of its evil for good. Allanon explains to Ander that the kingdom is now in his hands.
Verdict? A really great episode, I enjoyed every minute of it. There have finally been some consequences to the tro’s actions: Eretrea has been captured and they must delay their journey in order to save her. As well, Eretrea is really starting to grow as a caring character and Amberle is starting to question the actions of her elven elders – and the treatment of elves by the rest of the realm is starting to make more sense. I adored the clues given in this episode as to what happened in the past to the other humans and to where they might be located in “our” world. Best episode to date!
