“From the Endless Expanse to the Thorns of Tribulation” marks the halfway point of Niko and the Sword of Light. The journey’s been kicked off, the characters established, the objectives set forth. And we’re given a smaller, less ambitious episode here. Some stuff is revealed, discoveries are made, but it mostly feels like this was a way for the show to wrap up some loose threads before continuing forward.
For that, I thought it would be worth it to check in on the major players, what they’ve accomplished and what they’ve learned so far.
5. Flicker
Despite Niko’s constant search for a sidekick, Flicker has constantly shown his loyalty and devotion to our crew since Niko cured him of his dark form. Indeed, he’s the one who constantly saves the day, pulls Niko and Lyra out of traps, and has any sort of awareness of what’s going on around them. Over these last few episodes, Flicker’s been about the only one at all suspicious of Mandok. More specifically, of that blinking beetle thing on the back of Mandok’s neck.A few episodes ago, he went from a tiny caterpillar thing to a fat flying caterpillar thing, which in addition to his wings has granted him laser vision. His discovery of the power in this episode was incredibly convenient but hey, this is a kid’s show and kids inevitably discover their greatest abilities during times of strife. I don’t think the show is quite finished with his metamorphosis yet. But we’re all ready for Niko to realize this is the sidekick he deserves.
4. Nar Est
As Niko and his crew get closer and closer to the Pools of Destiny, Nar Est gets more and more anxious. This leads him to try all sorts of desperate measures, like enlisting Mandok as his spy. We’ve learned how he took power from the old guard by corrupting the Great Jewel with Dark Magic. We saw how young Lyra turned him into a phantom when she took a shard to make the Sword of Light. But the show also doesn’t entirely know how to handle him. Sometimes he’s presented as this dark, wicked evil. He slithers through his volcano fortress. He comes up with these elaborate schemes. Then, the show undercuts everything by making him sigh and go, “Oh the moment for evil laughing has passed.” What I actually like most about this character is the delight he takes in making his evil mutations. If nothing else, Nar Est is proud of his creative work.
3. Mandok
I’ll admit, that was a weird detour Niko and the Sword of Light took with making Mandok a spy and potential traitor to the Niko crew. It was consistent with the character, though. After all, here’s a scavenger who up until a few days (weeks?) ago, survived this corrupted world by sheer luck, although he’d like to tell you it was by his wits. I’m not sure if the show handled that plot well, however. It never felt truly committed to it. In this episode, Mandok realizes after all this time he has made some friends, which is enough for him to take that candle communicator thing and toss it off the side of a cliff. We all knew that turn was coming. Still, Mandok never actually did anything and I have no idea if he’ll have to face consequences for his actions. At worst, he was kind of pushed aside in favor of the wolf wanderer. It would be easier to be invested in this character if he wasn’t so annoying.
2. Lyra
Lyra doesn’t learn or reveal much in “From the Endless Expanse to the Thorns of Tribulations.” In this one, she’s kind of strung along and does some random action beats. I’ve said it before: this character is the real heart of the show. I think it was a strong decision for the creators to make her corporeal a few episodes back. Instead of wallowing in her failures, caught in a net of self-pity, she’s been able to grow over the course of the series. She’s been able to change. Perhaps her biggest one (apart from the whole projection-to-solid form thing) came last week, when she realized how the world was more than just her human kingdom, that she needs to act as champion for everything if she has any hope to save her people. We still haven’t learned about what’s going on with that girl Champion whose visions Lyra keeps waving away. I wonder if it’s something the creators are setting up for season two.
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1. Niko
Ahh, our plucky hero. That devoted Champion who emerged from the chrysalis too early, whose enthusiasm and love of life have been keeping everyone grounded and optimistic. In this episode, Niko deals with one of his first betrayals, as it turns out the wolf warrior was a spy for Nar Est the entire time, named Jackal. Jackal traps the Niko crew in Thorns of Tribulation and steals the Sword of Light. Niko simply takes away his sidekick status. When Jackal falls off the side of a cliff, Niko doesn’t think twice before saving him. Like many young heroes in fantasy fictions, Niko wants to see the best in everyone around him. Sometimes that may come to bite him, other times it’ll pay off in the end. His determination, his sense of fun, his wonder and charm have truly helped the show establish an identity of its own.
