On last week’s Willow, the Bone Reavers spoke about the horrors of the underground mountain home of the trolls called Skellin, and I really, really wanted to see it. Thankfully, just one week later, this sixth episode of Willow did just that as Kit and Willow were captured by trolls and the rest of the team went into Skellin to find them. Turns out that Skellin, as scary and evil as it might be, is much more important to the story than we could’ve ever imagined.
Before we entered Skellin, though, Willow reminded us what all this is about: Prince Arik! Remember him? Kit’s brother, Elora’s love, and the reason everyone is on this journey in the first place? Well, things picked up with him coming outside to reveal the massive scope of the deserted Immemorial City. He appears to be alone, save for the disembodied voice (revealed to be the Crone herself in the subtitles) asking him to embrace his power. Arik declines and decides, since he’s alone, maybe he’ll try to leave. So he starts walking. We catch up with him in another 50 minutes or so.
As seen last week, Willow and Kit have been captured by the trolls and are now being put into the dangling cages of Skellin, which has some real mines of Moria/pits of Mordor vibes. Kit seems confident they’ll get out soon when they realise they aren’t the only prisoners there. There’s also a man who says his name is, drum roll please, Madmartigan.
This, dear readers, is not Madmartigan played by Val Kilmer. It is, clearly, a character played by fellow icon Christian Slater and he couldn’t have lied to two worse people in the world than Mad’s oldest friend, Willow, and daughter, Kit. Before they can call him on his crap, though, the trolls arrive. And they’re surprisingly hilarious! It almost didn’t fit that the trolls had such bubbly, comedic personalities but, hey, that’s Willow. After Kit reveals who she is, the trolls reveal their true goal: to find Elora Danan for the Crone.
Meanwhile, Boorman, Jade, Graydon, Scorpia, and Elora make their way into Skellin. After trudging through some troll poop, Graydon decides now is the time to tell Elora how he feels about her. She tells him it’s not the time or place but her stress seems to… change the mountain. Every time Elora needs to sneeze or gets scared, the whole of Skellin shakes. The trolls realise Kit and Willow’s friends are coming for them, and that includes Elora.
Back in captivity, Slater’s character is called out on his bullshit and is revealed to be Allagash, an old friend of Madmartigan who, along with Boorman, set off with him on the quest to find the legendary Kymerian Cuirass armour. Allagash also says that it was Boorman who betrayed him and Madmartigan and that he knows where Madmartigan actually is. In fact, he’s here in Skellin… kind of. Apparently, there’s more to this place than meets the eye. And so, after that bombshell revelation, Kit and Willow help break Allagash out.
Scorpia leaves the group of rescuers to attempt to save some of her people who have also been captured in the mine, while the other four keep looking for Kit and Willow. Or are they? Boorman says he knows where he’s going but it’s unclear if he’s being honest, and Elora’s unexplained connection to this mountain results in her almost falling into the lava, and losing Cherlindrea’s wand. She also keeps hearing Kit’s voice yelling at her from afar.
Kit, however, isn’t actually yelling at Elora. She doesn’t even know she’s there. She’s way too interested in Allagash and his stories about her father. We learn they were great friends and that despite a brief falling out, Madmartigan asked him to come along with him on one final adventure. Allagash believes Madmartian is somewhere in Wiggleheim’s tomb, the final resting place of a legendary adventurer who they believed, after three years of searching, was buried with the Kymerisn Curass.
According to Allagash, when they reached the tomb, Boorman betrayed them and stole the Lux Arcana, but Madmartigan went into the tomb anyway, never to return. The trolls then came looking for Madmartigan, so Allagash claimed to be him so his friend could continue his quest without being pursued. That’s why he’s been stuck in captivity — but to his knowledge, Madmartigan never came out.
As Kit is learning all this about her father and his mysterious quest, Boorman is, in fact, lying. He isn’t looking for Kit and Willow. He’s looking for the tomb so he can, once again — and now in possession of the Lux Arcana — try and get the Kymerisn Curass. He does, however, mention that what happened the last time he was there was the biggest regret of his life and he hopes to make good.
With both parties heading for the tomb, inevitably everyone reunites. Boorman and Allagash fight like bitter rivals. Willow is incensed Elora has lost the wand. But before everything can get sorted out, the trolls are close, and everyone moves into the tomb. To enter, they must solve two riddles, which they eventually do, which is when Allagash and Boorman both dart inside and tear it apart looking for the Curass, which they find. As they fight over it Kit is drawn in. She hears her father’s voice; he’s asking her for help, and she notices he didn’t take his sword with him. Answers to questions only reveal more questions.
Allagash defeats Boorman who escapes with the Curass and Lux but quickly returns to help our heroes battle the trolls. He gets stabbed and realises the Curass didn’t work, at least for him. And so he draws the trolls away so everyone can escape before delivering a final message to Kit. He says that Madmartigan left to go wherever he is because he believed his kids could protect what was important back home. What was he talking about, Kit asks? Elora Danan, Allagash replies. The absolute last two words Kit ever wanted to hear. More confirmation that her father, time and time again, chose Elora over her.
The escape continues but Kit can’t take it. She spews her rage at Elora and Elora’s stress at the situation begins to shake the mountain. Everyone wants them to fight outside but the mountain cracks the surface under Kit’s feet and she’s trapped underwater. Even when Elora finds Cherlindrea’s wand again it seems to be no use. Kit, for sure, will die.
Leaving that cliffhanger for next week, the episode finally circled back to Prince Arik. His stroll to leave the Immemorial City leads him right back around to the Immemorial City. He’s trapped. And just as he’s about to give up hope he hears a voice. Someone else has been captured and transported here by the Crone. A young woman. And, as the Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” plays on the soundtrack, we can begin to guess how Arik feels about this young woman. Can she be trusted? What’s her story? We’ll find out soon.
“Prisoners of Skellin” was another entertaining and hugely important episode of Willow. Mostly that’s because we now know where Madmartigan is. He’s in Skellin. Or, at least, some other dimension that’s accessed through Skellin, and he went there to hopefully, again, save the world. That he did it at the expense of his family is something we hope gets wrapped up later this season.
Two episodes of Willow are left. Watch the first six now on Disney+.