Willow: The Gales (Ep. 1) and The High Aldwin (Ep. 2)

A misfit fellowship leads the Willow series along familiar territory

The first two episodes have dropped for Lucasfilm's latest franchise revitalizer on Disney+, exploring the world of Willow. Having been a massive fan of the source material, I was optimistic about this series and remain so. Some things I love and some I don't, but I like what I’ve seen so far.

The Gales

We're reintroduced to the world of Tir Asleen, where former warrior Sorsha (Joanne Whalley) now reigns as queen along with her twin children Princess Kit (Ruby Cruz) and Prince Airk (Dempsey Bryk). The kingdom is experiencing a time of relative peace, but the trio will soon discover that darkness is just outside the walls.

Kit finds herself reluctantly on the eve of marriage to Prince Graydon (Tony Revolori) in an attempt to unite two kingdoms and ensure peace continues. At the same time, Airk's reputation as a ladies' man is tested as he seemingly falls in love with a simple kitchen maid, Dove (Ellie Bamber). Queen Sorsha is left alone to rule as her love, Madmartigan, goes on a quest and never returns.

Intent on not going through with the marriage, Kit prepares to leave the kingdom, visiting only her friend and secret love, Jade (Erin Kellyman), before she leaves. While attempting to leave the castle, a mysterious fog penetrates its walls bringing along with it The Gales. Following an impressively fun battle, they find The Gales have kidnapped Airk and now they must regroup and send a party out to find the prince.

The party of Kit, Jade, Prince Graydon, Knight Jorgen (Simon Armstrong) and Boorman (Amar Chadha-Patel) are assembled to go beyond the Barrier and bring Airk back to Tir Asleen. Instructed to seek out the Nelwyn sorcerer Willow (Warwick Davis), the group leaves on their quest but soon finds that friends are foes and the journey will be more perilous than expected.

As the first episode winds down, we finally meet up with our title character, and it's revealed that Dove is the legendary Elora Danan, the one who will become Empress of Tir Asleen and save the world from evil. During their journey, Willow must train her as they venture beyond the Shattered Sea in search of the Immemorial City and Prince Airk.

The High Aldwin

The second episode features a lot of nice reveals as our merry band of misfits set out to save Airk and, in turn, save the world as Willow begins Elora Danan's training.

First, we learn that Sorsha sent Madmartigan out in search of Kymerian Cuirass, a magical breastplate that she feels could be the key to defeating the Crone. Second, we find that Boorman was Madmartigan's squire on the quest and he did find the Kymerian Cuirass. But as much is revealed, much is left unanswered, such as if Booman made it home, what is the fate of Madmartigan.

Another revelation is the rocky relationship between Sorsha and Willow following the events we witness in the original 1988 film "Willow" and how those have shaped where we are now. Even though it was Willow who tricked Bavmorda, ultimately causing her to banish herself, Sorsha still doesn't consider him a great sorcerer and belittles him at every turn. Willow leaves the kingdom, telling her he will protect his people and doesn't care about the fate that will befall her or Elora Danan. And even with all of that, when called upon once more, he answers.

During their journey, Willow teaches Elora Dana a simple spell to produce an Eckleberry sprout, but the harder she tries, the further away from her goal. As her frustration grows, she expresses her doubts about her ability proclaiming that she is just an ordinary kitchen maid to the Prince, who quickly points out that of all the group members, she is the only one who can't see how extraordinary she is. This strengthens her resolve and leaves her questioning what her potential could be.

Her frustration hits a breaking point when nothing happens and she begins to shout the spell and tear at the earth, but her efforts are cut short when the Queen's Commander Ballentine (Ralph Ineson) shows up.

But as the episode closes, we find that Elora Danan might have what it takes.

The series so far is pretty good. Some will have their gripes, but I'm not looking for a carbon copy of the source material. This incarnation feels fresh and fun, with the young cast giving the series life. Bamber, Cruz, Kellyman, Revolori and Bryk are perfectly cast, and their energy is great. Each has given us a character we feel we know but ultimately care about.

That being said, Warwick Davis back in the role of Willow is lovely. He's as warm and charming as always, and we see him grow his character into a more mature role. Whalley has a more understated power in the series, morphing from a warrior in the original film to now a queen, but her presence is as powerful as ever.

The other standout thus far is Amar Chadha-Patel as Boorman. You can't take your eyes off him in every scene and I'm expecting big things from his character down the line due to his involvement with Madmartigan.

The elephant in the room is the fact we're missing our Madmartigan, with Val Kilmer being absent from the series. It's great that they've made the character a pivotal element in the story, but Kilmer's absence doesn't feel right. I'm hoping we will get to see him in the role down the line.

The series is funnier than you might expect, and it feels natural. I thought it would be a much more serious affair, but the lightness fits the story perfectly.

Something else that kept popping up was ideas or "callbacks" to franchises that he and his father, Lawrence Kasdan, have worked on. I caught a few things from the Star Wars universe and Indiana Jones, and while it should have been annoying, it wasn't. Now it's each episode is filled with it, it will grow tiresome, but so far, I'm on board with it. I'll see if you can pick them up and if you do, drop them in the comments section.

My only issue with the series so far is that they revealed some big things too early. The series creators know the endgame, so I'm sure it serves a point, but I was shocked how quickly we learned that Kit and Jade were together and Dove was actually Elora Danan. I would have kept both of those to play out later down the line and have it felt more organic, but as long as the payoff is worth it, it doesn't matter.

"Willow" is off to a strong start and it's nice to see the story of Willow and Elora Danan being told to a new generation of fans.