Willow season 1 episode 1 recap: Welcome back to Tir Asleen (2024)

Willow season 1 episode 1 recap: Welcome back to Tir Asleen (1)

NOTE: This post contains spoilers for Willow season 1 episode 1, "The Gales."

Willow's story began in the 1988 film of the same name, with an aspiring magician from a Nelwyn village and an infant girl destined to unite the realms. Together, they helped defeat an evil queen and banish the forces of evil. For this new Disney Plus original series, the adventure continues years later as a group of heroes set off on a new quest to save their world.

Let’s take a look at how Willow’s first episode, “The Gales,” takes us on an epic quest through an enchanted land.

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Prologue

Let's be real: 1988 was a long time ago for most of us and some probably have not even seen the Ron Howard flick. So, as should be expected, Willow starts off with a recap of everything one needs to know before getting into this show.

Once upon a dreadful time, a child was born destined to save the world. Elora Danan was continuously pursued by the forces of darkness before she was rescued by an aspiring sorcerer and a mercenary. Together, they went on a quest to defeat Queen Bavmorda and rescue the kingdom of Tir Asleen from a curse. But after the evil queen was defeated, Willow (Warwick Davis) had a vision that the darkness would return and destroy the new Empress, so Elora was hidden away to protect her and the realm.

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Royal duty

But that’s enough about the past. Willow moves on to introduce its viewers to a fresh set of characters. There is Kit (Ruby Cruz) and her twin brother Airk (Dempsey Bryk), the children of Queen Sorsha (Joanne Whalley, who is reprising her role from the film) of Tir Asleen. Kit is training with her friend Jade (Erin Kellyman) while Airk is frolicking away with kitchen maid Dove (Ellie Bamber), when duty calls the young royals back to the castle to attend the visit of the king and prince of Galladoorn. The reason for this visit? The upcoming wedding between Graydon Hastur (Tony Revolori) and Kit in order to unify the two kingdoms.

Kit isn’t thrilled about the marriage but finds solace in the idea that her life doesn’t necessarily have to change much and that she can continue to spend her days with Jade… The thing is that these two young women appear to be a little more than friends, even if they might not be ready to admit it to themselves. However, when Jade tells the princess that she has been accepted to train with the Shining Legion and will not be around anymore, Kit gets upset and takes her anger out on her future husband, making it abundantly clear in front of everybody that she is not happy with the fact that she does not get to choose her own future.

Willow season 1 episode 1 recap: Welcome back to Tir Asleen (2)

Under siege

After hearing ominous whispers in the halls of Tir Alseen, Sorsha discusses the fact that there has been reports of turmoil beyond the Barrier with the king of Galladoorn, but he dismisses her concerns. Feeling like something bad is in the air, Sorsha turns to an old acquaintance in the dungeons, Boorman (Amar Chadha-Patel), to vent. Later on, Kit decides she has had enough of this princess life and decides to leave Tir Alseen, but not without giving Jade a goodbye kiss.

The voice Sorsha keeps hearing is Willow’s and she wakes up in the middle of the night after hearing him again saying that “The Gales are coming” and that she knows “what to do.” Indeed, the castle is attacked by Death Dogs and other creatures. It’s time for the Queen and her allies to unsheathe their swords. She frees Boorman and everyone is off to fight the Gales, including Kit and Airk. The battle won, they all gather their breath only to realize the retreating creatures have captured Prince Airk.

The fellowship of the missing brother

Kit volunteers to go west to search for Airk, and so do Jade and Kase, while King Hastur volunteers the help of his son, Graydon. Queen Sorsha offers to pardon Boorman’s crimes if he guides them beyond the Barrier. But to successfully complete this mission, they need one more, a sorcerer, and 30 minutes into the first episode of this show it is high time it starts pointing us in the direction of its titular character.

Queen Sorsha tells her daughter that she believed that if Elora Danan was kept hidden, evil would remain far away, but Willow disagreed. He believed that evil would find a way in no matter what and that they would need magic to protect them. But that’s not all the Queen tells Kit. The spirit of Bavmorda survived all those years ago, and it lives on in Sorsha and her children. Willow had a vision that this spirit would one day return and destroy Tir Asleen, and before the attack, Sorsha had the same vision.

Off to cross the Barrier and go search for Airk, the team of unlikely companions realize they are being followed by Dove. Deeply in love with Airk, with whom she basically got engaged before all hell broke loose at Tir Asleen, Dove is very much decided to help them look for him. But the team is set on sending her back first thing the next morning. As they all gather around a campfire, Dove asks what the Barrier is and Kase explains it was built for Elora Danan, prompting the kitchen maid to wonder what happened to her. Jade tells her of a prophecy that says she will one day return to protect and unite the world against the forces of darkness.

Willow season 1 episode 1 recap: Welcome back to Tir Asleen (3)

Enters Willow

Determined to search for Airk, Elora sneaks off in the early hours of the next day and manages against all odds to cross the Barrier without having to go through its gate. When the others catch up to her, they are attacked by Bone Reavers and Kase is killed. The rest of the group narrowly escapes and eventually reaches their first destination, the Nelwyn village where the last sorcerer lives.

The adventurers finally meet the man they have been looking for, Willow. He already knows what happened to Airk and tells them the prince is now a prisoner of the Withered Crone in the Immemorial City. But as he is in the middle of his speech, explaining to them how they must go beyond the edge of their world, Willow trails off and gets distracted when he notices Dove. He walks up to her, lays his hand on her arm, and recites an incantation that unveils a mark on her skin. Dove isn’t just a kitchen maid, it turns out she is Elora Danan! Last Blood of Kymeria, future Empress, High Priestess, Semprum Sorceress of the Nine Realms…and a very confused young lady who did not sign up to be the world’s last and best hope against evil.

That’s it for the first episode of Willow! Looking for more adventures in this epic world? The first season of Willow is now available on Disney Plus.

Willow season 1 episode 1 recap: Welcome back to Tir Asleen (4)

Marine Perot

Writer

Marine Perot is a freelance entertainment writer living in London. She has been writing about television for10 years, which led us to work with various publications including Paste Magazine, Radio Times, Konbini, Giddy, and more. Her favorite shows includeLost,Outlander,Game of Thrones, andThe Haunting of Hill House. When not writing, Marine enjoys going on adventures with her corgi and reading a good book.

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Willow season 1 episode 1 recap: Welcome back to Tir Asleen (2024)

FAQs

Willow season 1 episode 1 recap: Welcome back to Tir Asleen? ›

Together, they went on a quest to defeat Queen Bavmorda and rescue the kingdom of Tir Asleen from a curse. But after the evil queen was defeated, Willow (Warwick Davis) had a vision that the darkness would return and destroy the new Empress, so Elora

Elora
Elora Danan is a fictional character from the 1988 fantasy film Willow, and in the 2022 sequel TV series, Willow. She is a Daikini, one of the average-sized races of people in the film (as opposed to the dwarf-sized Nelwyns). She is played by several different infants in the film, and by Ellie Bamber in the TV series.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Elora_Danan
was hidden away to protect her and the realm.

How many episodes of Willow Season 1 will there be? ›

EXCLUSIVE: There will be no second season of Willow, Disney+'s live-action original series based on the 1988 fantasy film directed by Ron Howard. The news comes two months after the eight-episode first season of the show, which served as a sequel to the classic movie, ended its run on the streaming platform.

How did Willow Season 1 end? ›

The final moments revealed Graydon waking on the same battlefield from Willow's nightmares, only to find a short-haired Elora inviting him to join her and her army so that they could rule the world.

Who was at the end of Willow episode 6? ›

Airk ventures inside to investigate, and finds the woman (identified as Lili in the credits, played by Rosabell Laurenti Sellers) within a cell like the one he woke up in. He says he is not the reason she is here, but they must have been brought by the same people. As she asks if he will let her out, the episode ends.

Why was Willow removed from Disney+? ›

Willow was removed from Disney+ earlier this year as part of a cost-cutting measure that saw dozens of shows exit the service, as well as Hulu, on May 26. Other popular shows that found themselves axed were The World According To Jeff Goldblum and Y: The Last Man.

Will Willow get a season 2? ›

'Willow' Will Not Return for Season 2 at Disney+ - IMDb. The “Willow” TV series is done after just one season at Disney+, Variety has confirmed. The news comes around two months after the high fantasy series aired its eighth and final episode, with the show having debuted in November 2022 and airing until January 2023.

Why did they cancel the Willow series? ›

According to Deadline, the show didn't meet the company's threshold in terms of buzz (viewership figures tend to be an arcane mystery at Disney+) and with the Mouse House looking to cut costs on streaming in search of profit, Willow appears to be a victim of that – it wasn't a cheap show to make and hasn't performed on ...

What happened to Willow's son and wife in Willow? ›

It's an exchange made even more impactful given the casting choice of Annabelle Davis, Warwick Davis' real-life daughter, as Mims to his Willow Ufgood. In one heartbreaking exchange, we learn that Willow's wife is dead and his son ran away, leaving only father and daughter.

What is the monster at the end of Willow? ›

They all leave the Immemorial City and we cut to Graydon, laying among the bodies of soldiers in what appears to be the vision Willow and Elora both had of Elora's death. There's an army of darkness arrayed to the horizon, including the two-headed monster from the film (the Eborsisk, named after Siskel and Ebert).

What episode does Willow go evil? ›

Villains

Who is the bad lady in Willow? ›

The evil queen, Bavmorda (Jean Marsh), wields black magic to conquer the land and enslave its people. She fears the birth of a child with a peculiar birthmark because prophecies foretell that the child will bring about her downfall. Bavmorda imprisons all the expecting mothers and the child of the prophecy is born.

Who was the villain in Willow? ›

Queen Bavmorda is the main antagonist of the 1988 fantasy adventure film Willow, its adaptations in novels, comic-books and video-games as well as being the overarching antagonist of its Disney+ sequel television series of the same name.

How many seasons of Willow are there? ›

When did the last episode of Willow come out? ›

"Whether you're a fan of the '80s movie or not, the new Willow is a slick and entertaining blend of swordplay and wordplay that conjures up some of the old magic," CNET's Rich Knightwell writes in his review. The show kicked off Nov. 30, with the 8th and final episode coming Jan. 11.

How old was Warwick Davis in Willow? ›

When Warwick Davis made the 1988 film Willow, he was just 17 years old.

Where was Willow filmed? ›

The majority of filming took place in Dinorwic quarry in Wales with some at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, as well as a small section in New Zealand. Industrial Light & Magic created the visual effects sequences, which led to a revolutionary breakthrough with digital morphing technology.

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