In Review: The Shannara Chronicles – Ellcrys

Synopsis: In the ‘Shannara Chronicles’ season one finale Wil and Amberle race back to Arbolon to complete their mission, arriving just as the Elf and Goblin armies engage the horrific demon hordes in an epic battle.

Review: Epic is a word that is often over used when it comes to science fiction and fantasy, but it is a word, which accurately describes this season one finale of ‘The Shannara Chronicles’, which has us say goodbye to Amberle who has been a key character throughout the series.

Picking things up from last week. Wil revives Eratria who needs to open the gate of fire in order to allow Amberle to get out and rejoin them. While in the gate Amberle learns the truth about the seed of Ellcrys, which she has been on a quest to find. The truth being that she is in fact the seed and the only person that can stop the evil demons from winning the war.

Knowing this Amberle, Wil and Eretria make their escape from Safehold, but in the rush Eretria is forced to stay behind in order to buy Wil and Amberle time to make their escape and journey to Arbolon.

Meanwhile in Arbolon the newly crowned King Ander and Allanon set their battle plans against the demon hordes into action and some rousing poetic speeches ensue as the two leaders attempt to work the elven and goblin armies into a frenzy.

While Ander and Allanon are making speeches. Bandon who has been taken over by evil executes his escape from jail. Bandon seems to be a battle that Ander and Allanon will likely face in the second season.

As the battle heats up between the Elf’s and the Demons. Wil and Amberle take shelter until nightfall in the hopes of sneaking back into the palace and take the opportunity to bump some ugly’s while their people are dying. As night falls the two love birds try to sneak through the battle, but with little success. They only make it thanks to Allanon and an armie of Goblins who smash their way through to the palace and allow Wil and Amberle to get to the Ellcrys.

When at the Ellcrys Amberle has to break the news that she is the seed to Wil and explains that she must sacrifice herself so that the tree can be revived. Don’t you just hate it when that happens. Either way a touching scene ensues with a heartbroken Wil pleading with Amberle not to go. Thankfully before I begin to tear up the Demon leader who is fighting Allanon and issuing him a major ass kicking makes it into the tree room. Seeing Allanon struck a hard blow Wil gets his magic stones out and battles the Dagda Mor, which allows a teary eyed Amberle time to slip away and do what she needs to do in order to offer herself over to the tree.

As Wil continues to struggle with the Dagda Mor. Allanon manages to regain some strengh and pulls out a whopping big sword and chops the distracted Dagda Mor’s head off. (I do love a good beheading before breakfast.)

The battle drawing to a close and the Ellcrys now saved the rest of the demon armies vanishes like magic.

This episode looked really, really expensive. The battle scenes alone were impressive and almost as epic looking as those that you’d see in ‘Lord Of The Rings’, which is pretty amazing given the budgetary restraints of television.

Manu Bennett is simply amazing as Allanon in this finale. His rousing speech to the troops is both insperational and quite believable, which is just as well because Ander’s speech that followed was a little shaky, which would be right given that he is still not sure of his place as King.

Although I have joked a little about the soppy romance element of Amberle and Wil. I must give kudos to Poppy Drayton and Austin Butler making it so it wasn’t to corny, but in fact quite believable. I’ll never look at a cave in quite the same way. 

This finale was worthy of the series and is a fantastic bookend. Although it is kind of sad that Amberle has been sacrificed for the greater good. We are left with a couple of questions though. Who is it that Eretria has recognised as she is been taken captive at the closes of the episode and what exactly does Bandon have planned.

As someone that had no knowledge of The Shannara Chronicles book series. I’ve really enjoyed the series first season and would probably check out the Shannara Chronicles books if I knew where to start.