#nelwyn

Warning: Spoilers ahead

~ Looking at the whole series, this is by far the most Willow-centric episode.

~ Willow says to Sorsha that she has seen Elora’s power. Does this mean Elora exhibited magic as a baby/small child?

~ Did the previous High Aldwin take on Willow as his apprentice after he returned? If he already knew the answer to the finger test, did he have to prove himself some other way?

~ Elora’s warm reception from the Nelwyn village is like Aang being received by the people of Kyoshi Island in Avatar: The Last Airbender.

~ A sort of aside reveals that Willow already has an apprentice named Karthy. Did he actually pass the finger test at some point? Why does he not play more of a role?

~ It’s great to see Warwick Davis’ real-life daughter playing his onscreen daughter! And it’s great to see that Mims has grown up to be a sort of warrior and protector of her people. Gone is the little girl who cried for help when Knockmaar hounds attacked their village. But she still has some childlike excitement when she is reunited with Elora, who she rescued as a baby. Since Elora is like Moses, I suppose Mims is like her Miriam!

~ Willow’s underground garden seems reminiscent of Nausicaa’s secret laboratory in Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.

~ The way Willow exlaims that Elora, the world’s best hope, “is now wandering around in the woods,” sounds a lot like Hades ranting about Hercules’ arrival in Disney’s Hercules!

~ The way Willow and Sorsha argue about Elora is heartbreakingly similar to parents arguing over custody of a child.

~ I love Graydon’s speech to Elora. Up to that point, he has barely said two sentences at a time. But now he offers help and listens without judgment while she admits her self-doubt. Then, he reveals just how perceptive he is and how much he understands the dynamics of the people around him. He may be quiet, but he is also observant and shrewd. Also, the quick succession of emotions in Tony Revolori’s facial expressions is fantastic acting!