The second episode of Netflix’s animated fantasy series Dragon Age: Absolution, “The Will of the Maker” is somehow as giddily fun as it is stirringly bleak, proficiently navigating the center of the venn diagram between comedy and tragedy. If you happen to glance at your phone, you might miss one of the many surprising twists in this lightning fast adventure heist.
1. Performances
Kimberly Brooks expertly leads a flawless ensemble cast as Miriam, who elicits boundless sympathy even when she makes choices that are, to be generous, ethically questionable, as she is confronted with her past trauma. The various twists and betrayals are made plausible by the many nuanced, earnest performances, keeping a dizzying story grounded on its feet. “The Will of the Maker”’s gripping success is due in large part to the success of the cast.
2. Choreography
In the first episode, the whole main ensemble, the heist team, engaged in a big fun bar brawl showcasing each of their fighting styles, connecting directly to each of their individual personalities. As part of the introduction to two new characters, the dangerously ambitious mage Rezaren (Josh Keaton) and his warrior protector / lover Tassia (Zehra Fazal) fight a demon together. The way they fight so differently yet so cohesively expresses much about their relationship with limited dialogue. The economy of character development, establishing emotional investment from the audience for a lot of characters very quickly, is impressive.
3. Speed
Dragon Age: Absolution‘s breakneck pacing is a small obstacle, but to a greater degree, it is an asset. Twice I had to stop and rewind, sensing I’d missed something important, and was proved to be correct each time. To put it positively, this is a show that demands your focus. The speed of the action makes the show exciting and invigorating, fitting a cornucopia of plot twists, character development, world-building, comedy, and drama into each twenty-five minute episode. Rewinding, or speeding along with the show and waiting to discover more of it on a second viewing, are both worthy compromises.
4. Giddily Fun and Stirringly Bleak
“The Will of the Maker” doesn’t have a lot of jokes, but it is very fun. There aren’t a noticeable amount of set-ups and punchlines, but the way the characters interact as they maneuver through the heist is charming, and the simultaneous workplace romantic comedy occurring between Rezaren and Tassia is endearing. At the same time, Miriam is battling her inner demons, and those demons do not pull any punches. The backdrop to the fun heist is a painful tragedy. Somehow, “The Will of the Maker” walks this difficult tonal tightrope with aplomb.
5. Language
To give away the ending without really giving anything away, Lacklon delivers the final line, summing up the audience’s feelings, “What the fuck?” It’s one of many anachronistic curses spicing up the script. Anachronisms can be fun, but they lose writers the opportunity for deeper world-building, or world-revealing. What culturally relevant fantasy colloquialism might Lacklon employ instead of “fuck” and what might that say about him and the world he inhabits? A lot of answers to those questions are even more fun than a medieval employ of the word “fuck.”
Expert performances, an impressively economical script, and charming visual language make Dragon Age: Absolution, “The Will of the Maker” a uniquely heart wrenching romp, full of delightfully surprising twists that will leave audiences eager to find out what happens next.
