Editor's note: The following article contains spoilers for the season finale of Willow.
After eight episodes filled with danger and magic, Willow has reached its end. And while the series wraps up most of its plot threads, Willow still leaves some things open for an eventual Season 2. That means some mysteries are left unsolved, and we are far from understanding exactly what’s at stake in Tir Asleen.
In Willow’s first episode, an evil witch people refer to as the Crone kidnaps Airk (Dempsey Bryk), prince of Tir Asleen and descendant of Sorsha (Joanne Whalley) and Madmartigan (Val Kilmer). Over the season, adventurers band together to rescue Airk, going to the literal end of the world. At the center of everything is Elora Danan (Ellie Bamber), the last descendant of Kymeria and the only person capable of defeating the Crone. Elora was unaware of her powers before the journey began and only joined the party because she was in love with Airk. Still, at the end of Willow, she has risen to the occasion and become a force of nature. A lot is going on in the last episode of Willow, so let’s break down the season finale bit by bit.
A Leap of Faith
At the end of Episode 7, Elora and Princess Kit (Ruby Cruz) put their differences aside and vow to work together to defeat the Crone and rescue Airk. They jump from the edge of the world, believing a leap of faith is their final test on the path to the Immemorial City. Their hunch pays off as they reach the desolate city and find Airk. However, the rest of the party is left behind and is forced to decide what to do next.
In Willow’s season finale, the members of Elora’s adventuring party decide to follow her. Jade (Erin Kellyman) is the first one to jump. As Willow (Warwick Davis) tells her, Kit’s fate is to protect Elora just like her father, Madmartigan, did before her. However, Jade is in love with Kit and decides she should also be there to protect the princess. Graydon (Tony Revolori) is the next one to follow since he loves Elora and wants to find purpose in his life. At first, Boorman (Amar Chadha-Patel) refuses to jump from the world's edge, still wearing the mask of a selfish warrior. But when Willow tells Boorman how loyal and brave he really is, the thief decides to give his life for the cause. The only one left behind is Willow, still shaken by visions of his daughter, Mims (Annabelle Davis), dying. Willow decides his family is his highest priority and turns his back on his party, going alone on the road back home.
After taking a leap of faith, Jade, Graydon, and Boorman find themselves in the Immemorial City. They reach the core of the abandoned place, where the Temple of the Wyrm is sealed shut. Boorman uses brute force, and Graydon uses magic, but the trio can’t get the doors open in time to escape a sandstorm. And to make things worse, the storm is made of dark magic, turning every person it touches into stone. The trio went to the Immemorial City to rescue their friends. But in the end, they are the ones who need rescuing.
In the Temple of the Wyrm
When Elora and Kit reach the Immemorial City, they are greeted by Airk. The prince is now an ally to the Crone, who’s actually a sorceress named Lili (Rosabell Laurenti Sellers). As Airk tells them both, the stories about the Crone being evil were lies, and he now realizes the Wyrm only wants to change the world for the better. Airk also pleads to Elora and Kit, asking them to talk to the Crone themselves. Realizing the only way to rescue Airk is to play along, Elora and Kit enter the Temple of the Wyrm, where the Crone awaits them.
We can see open doors inside the Temple from where a bright yellow light emanates. From the door also comes the yellow liquid that the adventuring party found at the bottom of the Trolls’ mines. As Airk explains, the liquid comes from the Wyrm and nourishes everyone who follows it. The Crone also tells Elora and Kit they should enter the light and be prepared to make a choice, as the Wyrm will show them how beautiful the world can be. So, Elora and Kit pass the jarred doors, losing themselves in the brightness of a fake paradise.
Temptations and Choices
When they cross the inner doors of the Temple of the Wyrm, Kit and Elora are teleported to a paradisiac illusion where they are given the choice to drink the yellow Wyrm liquid and become allies with the world-conquering entity. To tempt Elora, the Wyrm uses Airk and the promise of a loving life on the prince's side. As for Kit, she’s greeted by her mother, Sorsha, who promises to give her a life of freedom instead of duty. The Wyrm tells them it can change the past and give them a second chance at life without all the death and suffering they’ve faced. It sounds like a good deal, and they are both inclined to accept.
Before Kit can drink the evil liquid, she hears the voice of Madmartigan, reaching out from wherever he is to tell his daughter that she’s stronger than she thinks. Madmartigan explains that protecting Elora was his way of making the world safer, and that Kit is now the one who must carry on his legacy. Kit accepts her fate as Elora’s protector and dismisses the Wyrm. Unfortunately, the Crone turns her into stone for this offense.
Elora is more lenient and accepts participating in a fake wedding with Airk. Through the prince’s kiss, the Wyrm wants to steal Elora’s power and use it to conquer the world. However, at the altar, Elora realizes she doesn’t want that life anymore. In fact, she doesn’t want to do what anyone tells her, and she’s ready to find her own way. The Crone is infuriated at Elora and threatens to take her life. Fortunately, Willow comes to everyone’s rescue.
Willow to the Rescue
By the time Willow arrives at the Immemorial City, the whole place is changed by the storm. Flames are rising from the city's depths, and hidden stone walls open to release an army of deformed creatures. Willows gets there just in time to dispel the Wyrm’s illusion, wake Elora up, and turn his stone friends back into their fleshy former selves. As a direct response to the Nelwyn’s interference, Lili shapeshifts into the terrifying Crone and summons the Gales to her side. In short, Willow’s arrival also means the final battle for the fate of Tir Asleen has begun.
The first casualty of the fight comes after Elora uses Cherlindrea's Wand to attack the Crone. Airk, still under the Wyrm’s spell, jumps in front of the Crone to protect her, making Elora drop her wand. Graydon takes hold of the magic weapon and uses it to attack the witch. Unfortunately, he’s not strong enough to defeat the villain. So, the Crone pushes Graydon through the Temple’s inner door, apparently killing him. The Crone also grabs Cherlindrea's Wand and breaks it in half.
While the Crone takes first blood in the combat, Graydon’s death helps Elora to channel her inner magic potential. After that, the girl doesn’t need a wand anymore and can make lightning bolts appear out of thin air. Elora is not the only party member powered up during the final fight, as Boorman gives the Kymerian Cuirass to Kit. He finally understands he’s not worthy of the power of the magic armor, but Kit is chosen to protect Elora, so she should wear it. Boorman final gift is remaining inside the Temple to fight the Gales alone while everyone takes the battle against the Crone to the streets of the Immemorial City.
The Death of the Crone
Outside the Temple of the Wyrm, Jade and Kit engage in combat with Airk, who’s still under the Wyrm’s domain. Meanwhile, Willows fights a horde of monsters, and Elora takes on the Crone herself. After Willows gives Elora a telepathic pep talk, the young sorceress manages to defeat the Crone, killing the Wyrm’s main weapon against the world. That’s not the end, though, as the Crone transfers her power to Airk with her last breath.
Airk becomes the new Harbinger of the Wyrm, charged with bringing the entity into the world. Simultaneously, Kit uses the Lux to activate the Kymerian Cuirass, gaining the power to repel all evil. The two siblings fight, determined to destroy each other. But before Kit can land the final blow, Elora stops her. Kit is ready to sacrifice her brother for a better world, but Elora says that love is the most powerful force in the universe and the thing that sets them apart from villains. So, Willow breaks his staff, hands his magic stone to Kit, and tells her to use it to reach out to Airk. Using the stone, Kit can expel the evil energy from Airk’s body, making him normal again.
After the battle, Boorman gets out of the Temple victorious. The party reunites and walks to the horizon, determined to find a way back to Tir Asleen. As for Graydon, he didn’t die. Instead, he is dragged by the Wyrm into a vision of a battlefield where Elora is standing proud ahead of an army of monsters. The Wyrm uses Elora’s image to tempt Graydon, and it seems like the young sorcerer might become the Harbinger of the evil entity in Season 2. Now, we just need Disney+ to renew the series and let us know how the story ends.
All episodes of Willow are currently available on Disney+.