Anna Shimonovitc - Week 1: My Opinion On The Willow TV Series

  Warning: Contains spoiler for the Willow series (even though it's canceled and can't technically be watched on any streaming platform)

  It came as no surprise to me that the Willow TV series, which came out in November of last year, was canceled and completely removed from Disney+. Not because I didn't like it, I was very disappointed actually, but I knew it wasn't very popular, especially among fans of the original Willow movie. It definitely had a different tone than the first movie, changing some dynamics with the new characters, taking a more serious turn with the plot, and bringing in more of a modern humor. And the queer storyline might have bothered the older fans of the movie, but I doubt that was a significant factor in its cancellation. The point is that I understand why it was canceled, the views were low, but I disagree with most backlash it received from viewers.

    Instead of a compilation of different reviews or taking different points of view into consideration in my own discussion, because that's boring and annoying, I'm going to talk about why I think the show is so great despite all the (incorrect) opinions of other viewers. Whether or not you agree is a problem for the comment section and future me. I guess I do have to mention that I respect other people's opinions or something.

   Because I didn't watch the original Willow until after I had finished the series, I didn't care about whether it related to the show very much. I know that defeats the purpose of a sequel, but it would also help Disney advertise it to the young fantasy fans who would love this show, even if they never heard of the movie (aka me). Though, I do think the show connected itself to the original movie perfectly. It has such detailed and fascinating world-building and was able to expand so much on what we know from the movie. Not only being able to see how Tir Asleen has changed in the past however many years and following the new generation of characters, but also allowing them to explore the movie's world, going as far as beyond the "Shattered Sea". What I think makes this show great as both a stand-alone show and sequel is that it answered questions left after the first movie, but doesn't rely on constantly referencing it. It has its own plot and characters, but builds off of the original plot and includes as many of the original actors as possible. And the writers explained Val Kilmer's character's absence so well because they didn't gloss over it or ignore it all together like some(most) sequels do. His character, Madmartigan, was incredibly important in the story as a whole, and many of the characters' arcs, though it didn't overshadow the rest of the story. The most important part of a sequel is balance, and I think the series achieved that.

    About the actual series though, you can google the synopsis yourself, because I'm lazy and know I'll miss something insanely important if I try to give helpful context. Basically, it's a Dungeons and Dragons type of plot. Unrelated to the original Willow movie, it is an amazing show. The dialogue is great and surprisingly funny, the whole quest they're on progresses in a way that makes sense, and it is genuinely a good show. The characters aren't onedimensional, except for maybe Borman, who is mainly the comedic relief but does have a smaller storyline involving the "cuirass". No matter what, I will defend this show because at the end of the day, if it was advertised better it would have performed better. I do not remember seeing any ads or Disney pushing this show in any way. If I hadn't heard of it on my own, I wouldn't have seen it. And that is the reason why it was canceled, not because of the quality of the show itself. Or maybe I wasn't paying attention, but I refuse to believe that.

    After the first season's cliffhanger, I have so many questions, which I know the showwriters planned out and have the answers to. Considering how long it took the series to be created and all the intentional details of the first season, I really believe that the second season would have been as amazing as the first. I could continue to talk about the cancelation of the show, but I know I'd immediately complain about how quick TV shows have been getting canceled and forget about the Willow series entirely. So I'll end this by asking if any of you watched Willow (the series) and if you have, what did you think?