Guillermo del Toro continues the Tales of Arcadia in a brand new series, Wizards, now on Netflix. The 10 episode epic story of Wizards Tales from Arcadia has sword fights, Trolls, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, and magic! (wink) It features Merlin’s apprentice, Douxie, who joins Arcadia’s heroes on a time-bending adventure in Camelot, where conflict is brewing between the human, troll, and magical worlds.
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I will admit….I binge watched the entire 10 episodes in one sleepless night…no regrets.. I couldn’t stop. It was everything I hoped it would be with Jim, Claire, and all the rest of the cast coming back (including a friend from 3 Below) in one spellbound story. I want to say so much, release a ton of spoilers, and go through each episode in detail. But that would make this post a novel. It would be faster to watch the series yourself hahaha. I will say this, it is well worth the watch.
Of course, there are a few things one should know going in. This season is a bit darker than the rest. Be aware: death is no stranger here.. We have a suffering Troll-Jim who is facing the loss of himself, Claire who is trying to save her boyfriend, Merlin who wants to save King Arthur and the world, Douxie who would like to do one thing right, and Steve….oh Steve…Steve is the one and only plucky comic relief.
Humor is Steve’s domain. This buttsnack teasing, in fear fleeing, creep slaying knight may actually be one of the true heroes of the story. I shiver when I say this, but somehow in a realm of wrong, Steve does it right. He is also highly capable of taking a hit, making him exponentially helpful in battle. There is a scene where Sir Lancelot signs Steve up for a fight to try and win the right to take a Troll’s life. As the audience, we know this won’t end well, and we are soon proven right. Steve becomes the one hit wonder..meaning he takes the hit and is down for the count.
Thanks to Steve, the intense story line has a break here and there. However, he doesn’t take away from the drama as we learn how people are multi-dimentinal. A bad guy is not just a bad guy, there are reasons they end up making the decisions they do. In Wizards we learn about the choices each character takes and the journey they take due to those choices. Morgana,, King Arthur, and even Gunmar all end up at Killahead Bridge, and we get to learn how and why. We also learn that nothing is set in stone; our choices can mold our future. Surprise! There is a moral!
I give the series 5 stars and encourage all fans of Tales of Arcadia to watch it. Although, I do suggest watching it over a few days and not all in one night like me.
As a side note: TrollHunters Rise of the Titans has been announced to be coming soon in 2021. It will be a film that will tie up loose ends and perhaps end the Tales of Arcadia…tears with excitement. I have complicated feelings about this hahaha
