There’s plenty to like in The Shannara Chronicles’ latest episode.
The Shannara Chronicles took a moment for reflection in its seventh episode, which also was the best of the series. Wil is separated from Amberle and Eretria as they come across the path of Elf Hunters, and Allanon, Arion and Ander’s confrontation with the Dagda Mor leads to harsh realities about the demon’s reach.
Full spoilers for “Breakline” continue below.
“Breakline” split its time between four key stories: Wil meeting the young Wing Rider Perk, Eretria and Amberle stumbling into the ruins of a school dance from the Age of Man, Arion and Ander being sent to assassinate the Dagda Mor by the Changeling (still pretending to be King Eventine), and Allanon healing from the fatal attack because he is the only one who can save the Elves. Unlike some previous installments of The Shannara Chronicles, this episode was well-balanced and well-weighted for each of the storylines — just like the not-so-subtle Elfstone-blue DnD dice that Eretria finds.
We want to hear it.
The Shannara Chronicles isn’t a close adaptation of Terry Brooks’ The Elfstones of Shannara, and one of the most interesting ways the show reimagined his world is in its emphasis on the Four Lands being a dystopian setting. That was highlighted in this week’s episode, when Amberle and Eretria fell into the remains of a dance in a school gymnasium (Amberle even conveniently explained how it could be in such good condition). These sequences offer a genuinely interesting peek into the time before the Great War and go a good job making the story more relatable.
Even though the two women did keep bringing the conversation back to their shared feelings for Wil, it was a welcome change to have them off on their own for a bit and talk about their own goals, fears and troubled childhoods. The quieter moments of their time separated from the rest of the story also offered a good opportunity to reflect back on the losses they’ve sustained over the course of the season and whether their fight against the demons is worth it. Poppy Drayton and Ivana Baquero sold their characters’ developing friendship so that when Eretria gets left behind at the end, it’s believable that Amberle is the person pushing for an immediate rescue.
Wil and Perk’s storyline was less interesting as they went to try to find Amberle and Eretria and save Perk’s Roc. They dealt with the pesky Elf Hunters, a group of humans trying to sell elf ears to gnomes for their “medicinal” properties, and it seems like those antagonists will continue to have a role to play this season as they old Eretria captive. Perk is a character who plays a similar role in The Elfstones of Shannara, and the series made the right call aging him up and making him a bit more jaded and edgy.
We want to hear it.
As for Allanon, the visit from his mentor was a bit cheesy and the Druid’s confession that he’s over life in the Four Lands wasn’t Manu Bennett’s best acting, but it’s nice to have him playing a more central role in the story again. He’s back and fighting fit, but we know that magic and regeneration takes its toll on a person, so hopefully that comes into play in the next episode. He came in at just the right time to save Ander from his confrontation with the Dagda Mor, but not before the demon had already killed Arion in front of his brother.
While you’d think the Dagda Mor would be a bit more savvy a villainous ruler than he was in this episode, this sequence actually had some resonance thanks to the solid character development for the Elvish princes in the past couple of episodes. Ander finally killed the Changeling for good, making him king and seemingly ridding the demon threat from Arborlon for now.
“Breakline” was a great balance of everything that The Shannara Chronicles has been hurting for: character development, reflection and stakes. With Arion dead, the Changeling defeated and Eretria captured, there finally are consequences to missteps on the journey to save the Ellcrys. Even better, this distraction finally set Amberle and Wil back on their main mission as a clue in the ruins of the school was the duo’s latest clue of where they should be heading.
