The Disney Plus follow-up to the 1988 cult classic Willow has concluded its first, and saw Elora Danan, Kit, Willow and the rest of their team venture into the Immemorial City to save Prince Airk from the Wicked Crone.
But what they find there surprises them all. Airk appears in front of Elora and his sister Kit with a fresh haircut and new outfit, far from looking like the prisoner he should be. Realizing that the young prince has been turned into an ally of the Crone, Elora and Kit do their best to bring him back to the light.
Many things happened in the Immemorial City during Willow's season finale, and the episode managed to answer some questions about the show’s overall plot while also keeping some open for future developments. So what happened in the last episode of this first season? Was Willow’s team victorious against the Wicked Crone?
Read on to find out everything you need to know about the ending, but beware of spoilers ahead.
Willow ending explained — What happened to Airk?
Seduced by the Crone’s beauty and her convincing words, Airk has turned to the dark side. When he reunites with Elora and Kit, he does everything he can to convince them the Crone is not as bad as they think. He wants them all to meet and become Team Crone. But it turns out that during his stay by the Crone’s side in the Immemorial City, Airk has been drinking some sort of syrupy liquid that comes from the Wyrm itself (an evil entity buried within the world that appears to be the true villain of the show), and that is why he is so prompt to helping the Crone awaken the Wyrm to bring a new (dark) age to the world.
As the episode progresses and Airk fails to convince Elora to join the Crone’s side, the prince becomes more and more possessed by the forces of evil, to a point where he does not even look like himself anymore and fights his sister to protect the Wyrm and get to Elora. But in the end, what is the most powerful thing of them all? Love, and Kit uses the power of her love for her brother to bring him back from the dark side and make him good again.
Was the Wicked Crone defeated?
In the season finale, after presenting under the guise of a beautiful young woman and trying to manipulate Elora and Kit into joining her cause, the Crone shows her true form and the extent of her power. She fiercely battles against Elora and even kills Graydon in the process. But in the end, Elora takes the advantage…but not on her own.
In a deus ex machina moment, the series brings Willow back into the fold. Indeed, the Nelwyn sorcerer had initially chosen not to follow Kit, Elora, Jade, Graydon and Boorman into the Immemorial City, but it seems the show could not have Elora defeat the Crone without his assistance. So when she needs him the most, Willow shows up and gives Elora the boost of confidence she needs to take down the Crone.
What’s next for the Wyrm?
By the end of this first season of Willow, it becomes clear that the Wicked Crone isn’t the biggest villain of the show. In fact, that seems to be the role of the Wyrm, although not much information is given about the ins and outs of this mysterious creature that wants to be released from its prison.
However, Elora, Willow and co. do not seem that very much concerned about the threat that the Wyrm represent because after defeating the Crone, they decide to leave the Immemorial City and the creature behind, turning it into a problem for another day. It would have made sense for them to at least try to get rid of it right there and then, but it seems like the show wants to try to go on for more than one season.
What does the Wyrm really want? What is this new age it wants to bring onto the world? Does it want to rule or destroy everything? These are questions the characters of Willow do not seem very concerned about, although they might be in the future.
What happened with Graydon?
As mentioned above, Graydon is killed by the Crone during Willow’s series finale. Or so it seems because a scene at the end of the episode shows the young sorcerer apprentice very much alive and apparently under the influence of the Wyrm. It seems the entity is trying to manipulate him into becoming his new protector and to do so, it gives Graydon a vision.
In this illusion, Graydon wakes up on a battlefield (very similar to the one Willow saw in his own vision several episodes prior) and finds an all powerful Elora leading an army of monsters and asking him to be by her side as she reshapes the world. This is obviously a trick to get Graydon on the Wyrm’s side, but will it work? One can only hope there will be a second season of the show to see what Graydon will become.
Will there be a second season of Willow?
Willow has not yet been officially renewed for a second season but it seems like the creators of the show have plans for more adventures in this world. Indeed, a post-credit scene shows the book, through which each chapter/episode of this story was told, close and be put back on a shelf next to two other volumes, leading us to believe the show is meant to go on for another two seasons. Whether that will happen or not is in the hands of the bosses at Disney.
All episodes of Willow are now available on Disney Plus.
