"Dweller" is the fourth episode of the second season of The Shannara Chronicles and the fourteenth episode of the series overall.
Synopsis[]
Bandon seeks out Queen Tamlin of Leah and tells her that the Warlock Lord is coming to collect on her debt. Ander Elessedil and Lyria discuss their marriage alliance. Allanon tells Wil that to stop the Warlock Lord, they must go look for the Sword of Shannara.
Plot[]
Bandon confronts Tamlin in her palace, incapacitating her guards and telling her that the Warlock Lord will come to collect on the deal she made with him as a young queen in the Third War of the Races.
In Storlock, Garet Jax tells Allanon that the weapons used by the Crimson were made with steel from Leah, indicating probable collusion between Queen Tamlin and Riga. Allanon sends him and Eretria to Leah to warn Ander Elessedil, promising that he will look after Wil who was still recovering from his blood loss. Garet agrees to accompany Eretria to Leah but vows to set off on his own afterwards.
Mareth confronts Allanon, telling him to read her mind. The Druid says it's not possible that he's her father, but Mareth protests, claiming that she only wants help in controlling her magic, not a father. Allanon later tells Wil that he was told the Druid sleep would prevent him from being able to have children, but Wil argues that maybe that isn't the case.
Before leaving Storlock, Eretria gives Wil back the Elfstones, which she had recovered in Graymark. Despite still being weak, Wil insists on going to Paranor to save Flick.
On their way to Graymark, Garet has a flashback to being attacked by Demons during his time as a Border Legion commander and wakes up startled, nearly stabbing Eretria. She confronts him and he reveals his past to her, telling her that his men were slaughtered by the monsters in the Borderlands.
A soldier returns to Graymark and tells Riga that scouts lost the trail of Wil, Allanon, and the others. Riga kills him for his trouble and orders Valcaa to contact Edain to secure another weapons shipment from Leah.
As Bandon leaves the Warlock Sword unattended, near Flick's reach. Flick eyes it but Bandon warns the Valeman not to even think about using the sword against him. Flick warns Bandon that he will be enslaved by the Warlock Lord, just as all his other followers had been, but Bandon rejects the notion, adding that most people aren't inherently good and would prefer to see magic users like him dead. When Flick disagrees, he vows to prove it. To that end, Bandon takes Flick to a quiet farmhouse in Elven country and asks for lodging for the night. The family living there—an Elven man and wife and their son—let the pair in.
As they dine together, it is revealed that the farmhouse is Bandon's old family home. The couple tells their two guests stories about Bandon, referring to him as an animal that needed to be put down and calling magic the true source of misfortune in the Four Lands.
Bandon, content that he has given Flick all the proof he needs, reveals himself to their hosts as the magic-using freak they had been badmouthing just minutes before. Despite Flick's protests, he restrains the Elven couple and the Valeman using his magic, and begins to choke the couple's son to death.
In Leah, Ander again questions Edain about Catania's disappearance and isn't convinced by his explanation. Tamlin introduces Ander to Lyria and gives them time to get to know each other. The two come to an understanding, and both agree that their marriage should be one of convenience and nothing more, with Lyria declaring that she still loves Eretria. Eretria and Garet walk in on this declaration, and the Rover girl realizes that Lyria's feelings for her are genuine.
Garet warns Ander, telling him about the Crimson using weapons from Leah. Eretria adds that she saw the Crimson take Allanon from the stables, and that she had sent Catania to warn him. Ander realizes that Edain had been lying to him, and he has Garet, Eretria, and Slanter join him in chasing after Edain. The four of them and Ander's troops ambush Edain, catching him trying to offload weapons to the Crimson. Ander demands to know where Catania is and beats Edain when the man reveals that he killed her.
Back in Leah, Ander confronts Tamlin about her connection to the Crimson, but she deflects, claiming that she will root out all traitors and demanding that Ander deal harshly with Edain. When Ander makes Tamlin promise to help him stop the Crimson, she agrees, but he remains unconvinced.
Tamlin has Edain and two of her soldiers rounded up and stood at the edge of the great dam, high above the waters below. She pushes her two soldiers into the water and has Ander do the same to Edain. Before Ander pushes Edain to his death he asks his old friend to explain his motives. Edain argues that he tried in vain to get Ander to listen to the people's views against magic. Unmoved, Ander pushes Edain off the dam, and the man dies without revealing that he had colluded with Tamlin the entire time.
Eretria goes to see Lyria before leaving Leah, and they reconcile. Eretria points out to Lyria that it is she who has the power in her relationship with her mother, since her mother wants something from her. This spur Lyria to confront Tamlin and warn her to leave Eretria alone and to do as Lyria's asks if she wants her help.
Allanon reveals to Mareth and Wil that he is taking them into the Wolfsktaag Mountains. Wil protests, saying that they need to reach Flick before Bandon kills him, but Allanon says that they need the Sword of Shannara if Bandon does manage to bring back the Warlock Lord. Wil says that the Sword was buried in Tyrsis, but Allanon reveals that it is actually buried with Wil's father Shea in the mountains.
The trio rappel down into a ravine. As they traverse a labyrinth of tunnels and caves, Wil asks why his father was buried there. Allanon reveals that it was because Shea didn't want anyone to come looking for him, and that although he tried to adjust to a normal life for the sake of his family, he wasn't able to do so. The Druid warns Wil that the Sword of Shannara is a powerful magic, but Wil vows to wield it to save Flick.
Despite both Allanon and Mareth advising against it, Wil insists that they should split up to look for the Sword, pointing out that he has the Elfstones for protection. As he leaves, Allanon observes that Wil is as stubborn as his father.
At Mareth's prompting, the Druid asks her about her magic. Mareth describes making illusions for the first time and how her mother Pyria Elessedil was horrified when she found out. She adds that as she got older the magic grew stronger and more uncontrollable, and that when she gets angry she is capable of hurting people. She says she sought out Allanon so that she can learn to control her magic and not hurt anyone again. However, the Druid refuses Mareth's plea for help.
The pair are forced to go back for Wil when he is captured by a Dweller, a spider-like, tentacled creature that feeds off of a person's painful memories. The monster triggers a flashback in Wil's mind about Shea finding him playing with a sword and then beating him with it when he was a child. As Mareth and Allanon approach, the Dweller comes after them, releasing its grip on Wil. Allanon is knocked over and grabbed by the beast. He is nearly dragged into its maw when Wil destroys it with the Elfstones.
The three find Shea's body resting on a stone bier. Allanon tells Wil that Shea was afraid to have children for fear of passing on the Shannara legacy to them. Wil speaks to Shea's body as Mareth and Allanon watch, forgiving him for abandoning him and telling his father that he understood his actions now.
Wil notices that the Sword of Shannara, lying by his father's body, is the same sword his father caught him playing with and then beat him with all those years ago. Allanon warns him that the Sword of Shannara is the most powerful weapon ever forged, and that Wil must be prepared to see his truth, as that is what the Sword reveals to its user. Standing next to his father's body, Wil lifts the Sword up to the sky.
Gallery[]
Videos[]
