1. Enter the Easily Offended Swedish Yetis
Last week we were given a pirate adventure. This time, Niko and the Sword of Light takes us high above the tundra for some business with Swedish-accented, Russian-aesthetic yetis. The place is called Beaurocropolis or something and they are all very concerned with protocol. In fact, if someone were to break a tradition or mishandle a ceremonial event, it’s entirely possible the yetis will send them to the ice caves for 500 years. More importantly, they also have a strong army and remain a neutral entity throughout the world. They approach Lyra as a diplomat and subject her to all the customs that comes along with it. The pressure’s coming down on Lyra. “Why are you so ill at ease?” Niko asks. “You love rules and this place has many rules.” They also sent a questionnaire to Nar Est some time back, which he still hasn’t answered. He tells his stupid raven thing he doesn’t want to make allies, he just wants to have power over everyone.
2. Raising the Stakes
With the discussion of the army, the show is starting to prepare us for its great confrontation. I wish the show itself would get a little faster about making any progress. After all, this is the tenth episode of a 13-episode season.
I think “From the Peaks of Peril to the Mounds of Mania” is certainly a fun episode. I enjoyed the climactic race down the ice slide between Niko and that treacherous wolf-man. Niko had all sorts of great moments and has turned into an enduring and lovable character. “Never has sipping tea been so treacherous,” he observes. But there’s something still so small about Lyra and Niko’s quest. As if the rest of the world hasn’t realized what’s going on yet.
Not only that, but we’re also told that without the shard in the shrouded city, the rest of the humans don’t have power. The magic is starting to fade and the world is deteriorating around them. The Council isn’t sure if they’ll be wiped out when the last of their protections fail or if Nar Est’s bird will peck his way to them.
So the stakes are there. I wish the show would be more willing to meet them this late in the season.
3. Yuck It Up
I think if “From the Peaks of Peril to the Mounds of Mania” had appeared in the first half of the season, it would have had a stronger impact. Like I mentioned, I did find this to be a fun episode. I especially got a kick out of Niko and Lyra having to share one of the massive yeti chairs during the tea ceremony. Or the way the easily offended Swedish yetis would swoon whenever they said the name of their enormous seal monster. Just break apart the rhythm of their phrases for an ahh, seal monster. I also understood how willing they were to bend the rules or figure out a way to outright break them when it came to their favorite monster seal.
4. You’ve Got Questions, I Can Tell
As I watched this episode, I kept wondering a few things. For instance, the opossums show up again to ask Nar Est to reform them. When he agrees, does he, like, upgrade them? Give them cool new features? Is he limited by the powers of his imagination or the resources he has available? Or is he actually just kind of garbage at this whole evil overlord thing and these versions of the hybrids are the best he can manage with his skill level?
Did setting “From the Peaks of Peril to the Mounds of Mania” in the snow mean the animators were given a break from all their color schemes? As we approach the volcano, were the producers like, “Hey, there’s gonna be some cray cray color work so let’s save your wrists this week?”
Are the easily offended Swedish yetis so far removed from the rest of the world they don’t even care much about all the turmoil Nar Est threw it into? Wouldn’t a hyperactively rule abiding society take umbrage with how Nar Est stole power, corrupted the Jewel, and sent darkness over the world? Or are they only really concerned with what’s going on in their little kingdom?
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5. Where Do We Go From Here?
By my count, there’s only three episodes left in Niko and the Sword of Light. While I appreciate how the show doesn’t bite off more than it can chew, I’m also concerned with some of its inherent limitations as we grow closer to the finale. There’s not a lot of plot threads left dangling before us. The writers have been fairly focused on Niko and Lyra’s journey but we still have that anthropomorphic traitor wolf to worry about and those opossum/hyena monsters. I would love to see this show nail its finale but I also hope they get around to getting to the finale while we’re at it.
