In many ways, Willow (2022) is taking the Force Awakens approach to the noble art of making a sequel to a property decades after its original release. Not unlike that ill-fated series, there's a lot to like and a lot of problems in this attempt to revive an old Lucasfilm project.
"Chapter III: The Battle of the Slaughtered Lamb" follows the second episode's big cliffhanger with a few interesting new directions. The third episode was written by Wendy Mericle, who previously wrote on Arrow, and John Bickerstaff, who previously wrote on The Romanoffs. The episode was directed by Debs Paterson, who previously worked on shows like Halo.
Chapter III follows Willow and his new batch of plucky heroes as they try to rescue the newly crowned chosen one Elora Danan. This episode packs in more action than the first two, but, a pattern starts to emerge. The second clash of swords lasts only a few seconds, but it's decently choreographed. The third takes place in a torrential rainstorm, obscuring the fight in darkness. Almost every battle seems to take place behind a layer of fog, smoke, or rain as if they're trying to hide something. Surely all the sword and sorcery is what they'd like to show off. One wonders where the draw of the show lies if it isn't in all the action fantasy stuff. Willow doesn't seem to know where to put its focus, and that only becomes clearer throughout the episode.
Perhaps the most interesting beat of the series thus far comes when Elora manages to escape her captors and run off into the woods. She manages to find safety in a small forest home in the "unincorporated lands." In that home are a pair of women who live off the land and offer their assistance. After some back and forth, Elora explains her situation in detail, trying to convince them to join her in fleeing from the oncoming hoard. Instead, they immediately and vociferously proclaim their desire to join the forces of good. They're well aware that Elora is destined to lead a group of heroes, and they'd like to volunteer. It's immediately established that the mere presence of Elora Danan, even if she doesn't know what to do or how to do it, is the galvanizing force that could convince civilians to lay down their lives. When they are almost instantly slaughtered, it reinforces the stakes. The chosen one is established to be functionally immortal, but every person who follows her won't be so lucky. It's not the most original idea, but it is an interesting fantasy concept.
In the episode's debatable B-plot, Princess Kit and reformed criminal Boorman have a strange dynamic as they take on a side quest. Boorman knew Kit's missing father, Val Kilmer's character Madmartigan, and he takes his sweet time telling the story of their time together. Along the way, the duo seeks the magical MacGuffin that Madmartigan may well have died looking for. Kit doubles down on drama by quarreling with her appointed guard and love interest Jade. Their romance was initially sweet, but they hit the traditional angst phase pretty early. It's the usual row in which the powerful one feels like her guard was only hanging out with her under orders from the queen. These aspects of the writing are becoming more generic by the minute, which is unfortunate. By the time everyone gets together for the big battle scene, the emotional stuff seems to have gone out the window.
Willow is a strange show. It feels like someone at the top couldn't quite decide what they wanted out of the story. The writing splits its time between snarky young-adult comedy and overwrought fantasy exposition. Some of the characters feel multi-layered, others are simple but fun, but at least one or two members of the main cast are walking lists of traits. Tony Revolori's character Graydon struggles to do anything besides provide exposition, chicken out of dangerous situations, and complain about his other two traits. The new team of adventurers and their unique quirks are the most entertaining part of the show, but Willow is apparently more interested in more dull mythological nonsense. It could be a lot more fun, but, it seems too focused on weak callbacks and boring franchise maintenance.
There's fun to be had with this new fantasy series, but aspects of the presentation feel more producer-driven than creative. The original film was, in many ways, an outpouring of weird ideas and mashed together aspects of other fantasy worlds. Rather than simply putting all the team's ideas about the original film's world on paper and taking the audience on a tour, they wander into one strange decision after another. There's no explanation for a lot of the broad decisions in this series other than weird expectations from Disney. Hopefully, the upcoming episodes are free to take off the reigns and tell a story, because there's clearly magic hidden in this unassuming series.