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“The Shannara Chronicles” recap (1.09): Walk Through the Fire

Previously on The Shannara Chronicles, when Eretria stripped down for her, Amberle noticed a mark on her back, a mark Eretria has always had; Amberle found an article about the stained glass window from her vision; Amberle and Wil saved Eretria from a village ironically named Utopia and headed off to Safehold.

We pick up where we left off, with the Trio running and running until they find a sign that looks like it used to say “San Francisco.” But Wil watched that ancient human show The 100 and remembers how TonDC was named after an old city called Washington DC, so he looks at the faded sign more closely and notices that the letters leftover spell Saf Old… aka Safehold.

The trio goes down into some tunnels and decide to split up. Eretria gies Amberle a weapon and some advice about troll fighting, and Amberle gives Eretria Wil to protect. Because the girls both agree that he’s too much of a dope to fight anything that isn’t affected by his elfstones. Wil can’t take them as chums, but I don’t hate it at all.

After they split, Wil apologizes to Eretria for being douchey back in Utopia and yelling at her for daring to take a minute to dance around with girls and boys alike instead of spending every waking moment trying to work toward their Destiny. But she understands, she had gotten swept up in the potential of Utopia, the idea that there could be a place where she belongs. Speaking of Utopia, she’s very confused. The man she spent her life trying to escape ended up giving his life to save her. Wil can relate; he thought his father was just a drunk and a loser, but now he’s learning he was actually a hero. Eretria says that at least he’s getting answers; all she’s getting is more questions.

Amberle interrupts their heart to heart to say she found something, which is good because they weren’t actually looking at all. She leads them to a den of sleeping trolls, and on the other side of the room is a giant painting of the same symbol on Eretria’s back.

Wil asks Eretria why her tat is on a wall beneath an old human city, and Eretria reckons the tunnels must lead to the bloodfire. Eretria is ready to fight the trolls right here right now, but Amberle has a better idea. She has Wil hoist them up to some overhead pipes and they all start to shimmy across. The girls make it over without a hitch, but Dopey McShortTips over here dropped his elfstones right onto a sleeping troll. He hangs from his knees to grab them while Amberle and Eretria watch on nervously, practically holding hands.

Luckily he gets them and makes it over just fine. They find a room with candles lit and a book open, and Amberle points out it seems like someone just left. Eretria says the place feels familiar, but not in the memory way, more in the deja vu way. Amberle goes to show Eretria the book to ask her if she can read the language (even though the words are like Ancestre Apocalypti, or something pretty easy to guess if you know English) but Eretria is staring at a symbol on the wall. Amberle notices Eretria’s eyes glaze over with magical splendor.

Eretria starts to collapse so Amberle lays her down until she snaps out of it. Eretria says she heard a voice tell her that her blood is the key, and she doesn’t really know what it means. Amberle looks so nervous that her precious bb Rover might pass out again.

Eretria says she saw the symbol on the wall in her vision, and as she describes it, Amberle says it was the same as hers. Before they can start to try to figure out what it means, Eretria’s skin starts to burn, and her back tattoo grows into a subway map that runs down her arm. Eretria is pumped to have new ink so quickly.

Eretria says the tat is a map and that she can’t explain how or why but she can feel it in her blood. Amberle is pretty impressed and looking at her with the heartiest hearteyes.

The trip heads through the tunnels, following the Eretria’s lead. She says she feels invincible. But really I think maybe what she’s feeling is important. For once in her life, she’s not only useful but she’s vital. And for a lost little Rover, that must be an intoxicating feeling. They trot along until they reach a staircase that leads to a glowing room, and Eretria says they’ve reached their destination and tells them to mind the gap.

When they enter the room, Eretria says she can feel the bloodfire. Which normally would sound like something to see a doctor for, but in this case, is a good thing. Since they can’t figure out what to do next, Amberle has Eretria and Wil stand beneath the window like they did in her vision. The Princess looks upon the Rover and the Halfling, a light glowing through the stained glass window behind them, and waits for something to happen. After a moment, the floor begins to glow.

Out of the floor fly two demons, Guardians of the Bloodfire, who float around, speaking in riddles without moving their mouth, flashing between beautiful women and creepy skull faces. The Trio immediately springs into Fight Mode.

They taunt Amberle about Wil sleeping with Eretria, they accuse someone of having “a heart undecided” but honestly I think that applies to all three of them. One of them kisses Wil and teases him about being half human half elf, or maybe teases him for his heart being split between one of each. Lastly, they tease Eretria, whose trust is weakest, because she’s known the least of friendship, is the most unfamiliar with love, and she starts to turn on Amberle.

Amberle quickly turns right back and they start to shout at each other, tensions mounting. Wil tries to step between them but ends up accidentally stabbing Eretria. She snaps out of her trance when her blood starts to float out of her body and into some sort of mystical flower bud situation in the center of the room.

The Guardians hiss at Eretria, calling her a Child of the Armageddon.

Eretria remembers that her blood is the key, so she jams her hand onto the spindle atop the bulb like some kind of badass Aurora. Her blood pours down around the bud and a wall of fire bursts out of the floor. Amberle can’t believe her beautiful eyes. They found the bloodfire.

Eretria’s tattoo is sucked up into the flower and she’s starting to look weak. Amberle knows she needs to get into the bloodfire, but the Guardians don’t want her to. Wil uses the elfstones to cover her and he ends up dusting them both so she can get there. She looks back one last time before diving into the bloodfire.

As soon as Amberle is gone, Eretria falls to the ground and the bloodfire vanishes, taking Amberle with it. Wil calls for Amberle, to no avail, so he goes to Eretria’s side instead. Eretria is unconscious, and he tries to shake her, but she’s not waking up…

And while my heart is always afraid of queer women dying on TV, I actually think probably Eretria will be okay. Because they wouldn’t have been able to get this far without her; I think this trio’s fate is intertwined. They need Eretria. They’re better together, The Princess, the Rover, and the Halfling.

Plus, that whole “Child of the Armaggeddon” thing seems important. I think Eretria will have to stay alive to finally learn about where she came from, who she is.

What did you think of “Safehold”?

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