|
Digital Downloads
|
|
Written by maehara
|
|
Wednesday, 16 July 2008 16:00 |
 The top of the Tower, the defeat of Druaga - surely that should be the end of the line for Jil and the others, with a heroes' return to Meskia awaiting them? Not so, as Neeba and Kaaya both reveal the secret they've been hiding during the ascent - this isn't the end of the story, but just the beginning...
Jil comes to the conclusion that in order to defeat Druaga, the surviving Climbers will have to join forces. To make full use of Kaaya's one-shot artifact, Jil has devised a plan that takes advantage of the Tower's terrain - the floor above the Shrine of Sky is much more enclosed, and if they can lure Druaga there his movement will likley be restricted enough to give them a chance. All that's needed is a decoy to lure Druaga up there - and Jil's determined to be that decoy. But the plan doesn't go quite according to plan...
The first half of the episode is fairly typical fantasy combat, and it's no surprise that when Jil and the other climbers join forces, "Druaga" is easily defeated. Note the quote marks - as it's soon revealed by Neeba that this isn't Druaga they've been facing, but a fairly low-level Guardian. The real climb, and the real demon lord, is still to come. Now, having been spoiled to the existence of a second season of the show already (the announcement is made at the end of this episode, bit I'd already heard about it), the fact that there was a twist in the tale wasn't unexpected. I've also been muttering at several points this season that 12 episodes wasn't going to be enough to tell the tale - and I was right. But the way event play out in the second half of the episode did catch me out in a few places, and Jil plays the part of the betrayed innocent very well.
They way it's done also leaves a lot of loose ends hanging - this season doesn't remotely stand on its own, and it's left to the Sword of URUK to fill in the blanks. The second season is set for sometime during 2009, so there'll be a long wait to get the answers. Cliffhanger season endings are something I associate more with American TV shows (usually accompanied by much swearing at the screen - I'm talking about you, Battlestar Galactica), and I'm not exactly happy to see it here - but if the second season can carry on in the vein of this one, it should be worth the wait.
Watch this episode: Part One | Part Two
|
