1x02 Chosen (2)

Wow, this show is not wasting any of it's screen time (or pages). No long wait for The Druid to find Wil or when will we see Eretria again. We have a tree to save and no time for lounging around. Within first 5 minutes: The Druid finds Will (passed out and robbed by Eretria, and Yes Wil, you got played) and Amberle runs into Eretria (while almost getting a knife to the face...almost).

Oh Eretria, Wil might have been easily to play, but a Princess is much harder. Come on Eretria, she stole your horse too. Great chemistry and dynamics between Amberle and Eretria. Girls can really go toe to toe with each other. Enemies or Friends?

Oh young Wil, you innocent child. Life (and magic) is going to kick your ass so hard. The Druid (and Wil) visit an old Magic Temple (which reminds me a lot of the stone city of Petra). While Alanon shows us his magic, we are reminded that Magic in this land comes with a prize and this means bodily harm to the magic bearer. The magic slowly kills you or cripples you.

I love when there seems to be a throwaway line and it becomes a major story point you should have picked up on. Well, we got that. As Alanon explains how to save the Tree (member of the guard must take the seed to scared temple and bathe it sacred blood, then return to the Castle, where it will be reborn), Wil jokes about at least it not requiring a human sacrifice. I'm really sure will become VERY important later on. Now who will the sacrifce be? Wil? Amberle? Eretria?

The Dagda Mor is wasting no time making himself known (mentally attacking Alanon in a visually stunning scene) and killing all of those who guard the Tree (trying to eliminate the rebirth of the Tree). No time wasting, just moving the plot along.

Eretria's backstory just got more interesting and explains alot of her. She's a slave, forced to steal for the Rover she belongs to.

Love when shows have extensive backstory even as the show barely begins. It makes the world much more richer. In this case, hearing Alanon speak of his past, the war of the races and his connection to Wil's father and Amberle's family.

Wil and Amberle finally meet! And I love it! It's awkward and Amberle has a knife to Wil. She is not impressed. (Even though Wil is the "hero" of the story, he has zero clue what he's doing and EVERYONE knows it and let him know how out of his league he is).

While Ep 1 sets up our basic premise, conflicts and characters, Ep 2 moves everything into full speed. All of our characters have met each other, we beging to get a sense of the impending danger EVERYONE is in and how unpepared they are for what awaits them. Also get a sense of how much backstory there is to this world, fleshing out a visual awesome world with equally interesting back stories.