Forum - View topic(The) Faraway Paladin (TV).
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Gisan Otaku
Posts: 89 |
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For those, like me, that were surprised by the use of the word thane in this context, here is a definition from my Merriam-Webster app. "a free retainer of an Anglo-Saxon lord". The other definition is the one I am familiar with from Shakespeare's Scottish Play "a Scottish feudal lord". In the translation of the web novel, Ru is called William's squire. I think that is a more appropriate term considering that Will is only a knight even though as Meneldor pointed out in the epilogue of season 1 he is acting with the powers of a lord.
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2877 |
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S2 #3
No prizes for guessing it really is a dragon William and his eventual company will need to slay. Not only that, hordes of demons under the dragon's command who have most likely had the mountain to themselves for roughly two centuries and have prepared long enough to unleash the disaster the Great Tree spoke of last week. Pacing will be slow for now as William needs to gather all of the members in the OP who will most likely form the vanguard of his party. Any excuse to show William's adoptive parents is always a plus for this show. In this case, a short cameo from the Warrior and Wizard introducing us to this franchise's concept of dwarves. Although the whole episode revolves around the refugees and their ongoing quest to survive after their homeland was lost, the comparison with the Hobbit and Dwarves who want to retake their homeland won't be lost on some. 従士 is indeed translated correctly as Thegn or Thane. Although there is an argument on what status William has in his current demesne (proxy? enfoeffed noble?), he is allowed to take on retainers provided they swear the oath of allegiance (which Ru has done). Considering how the inhabitants of the port town treat him with considerable reverence (no different to a lord passing through), using that term for William's new retainer is not wrong as the original meaning of the word was used to differentiate individuals who were of lower social status (such as Churls or Carls). Whatever it is, Ru has made quite a life-changing decision and is commended for it. Even if he isn't much of a fighter (being durable and handy with dwarf traditional crafsmanship), William and Menel can train him up to face the horrors of their upcoming expedition head-on. |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 2017 |
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Episode 4 was a nice build up episode. The new thane was put through the wringer in a lot of ways, but he pulled through and seems at least somewhat ready for real combat. Doubtful if being somewhat ready is enough when it comes to dealing with Stagnate though, he is a bit much for being your first opponent.
I like how a lot of the land is still unexplored btw, in many regions people have no idea what they may find. |
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Gisan Otaku
Posts: 89 |
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It was good to see William passing on the teachings of Blood and Gus. I have been told many times that the best way to honor your teachers is to pass on what you have learned from them. Having Reystov and Menel help with the training of Ru is a good use of available resources. Maybe Will should see if Ru is capable of using some magic. That could be a big help, too. It was also nice to see Ru starting to realize that having over-protective guardians might have been good for a few years, but in the long run may have done more harm than good. He is beginning to see his shortcomings and wants to start fixing them.
Wow, your first mission with your new master and you run into a messenger of the God he has pissed off. Talk about jumping in to the deep end. This could get bad in a hurry. Guess we'll just have to wait until next week. 
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2877 |
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S2 #4
Looking at the OP again, I've realised Ru is the newest member of the vanguard party lead by William to take on the dragon. The other members are all hardened veterans of previous expeditions (Menel, Reystov) so Ru has to make up ground before he can pull weight together with them. In-universe it means at least six months of training, and the way the episode closes he's even given a chance for field experience to better prepare him for the challenges ahead. Although the episode mainly focuses on Ru and his training regimen, that's not to say the episode doesn't have time to discuss other matters. As mentioned by others, indirect references to William's mentors are always welcome, as are attempts by William's compatriots to help Ru any way they can. Even William himself has his doubts, as he's never forgotten he couldn't best the Stagnate Echo early on in season one without divine intervention. Good timing then, as he has inadvertently gained a chance for a rematch, or die trying. If the pair of them get past this without lasting injury, it'll do Ru in particular wonders for his lack of self-belief. Hard to say, since Ru is aware of how strong Echoes are and suspected William fought the less powerful Herald instead in his battle history. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2877 |
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S2 #5
It's taken a while, but finally the expedition to slay the dragon is setting forth. A lot of time to get the setup down, but with most of the exposition out of the way and with the party members settled the pacing should quicken from here on out. Considering how much trouble William had against Stagnate's Echo last season, this interaction was considerably more civil, albeit with more guile on the part of the God. Gods in this franchise have a lot in common with the real-life Greek pantheon, with its emphasis on prophecies and portents. William has been judged inadequate in his dragon-slaying quest as of this time, and even his Goddess doesn't rate his chances. He's going anyway, so he'll need everything he has to overturn his fate and ensure his tale continues onwards. Ru was a strange name for the thane, turns out it was an alias. It also explained his reaction when Stagnate revealed the last King's end, as well as his entourage's insistence on calling him by his title rather than his name. He's certainly earned the right to journey alongside William now that his training has completed. Reystov and Greileis complete the party, with the former hopefully not going on alone just to seize all of the glory for himself. Perhaps the Giant William successfully pacified will pay his debt when the time comes. Blood's mantra about muscles being the final solution to most problems certainly proving its worth in that short sequence. William has asked for a big favour with regards to logistics. I wouldn't be surprised if it's some kind of massive ballista or the like for slaying the dragon. More or less at the halfway point, now to see where the series goes from here. |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 2017 |
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Stagnate is a difficult god to peg down as to what he truly thinks about something or someone. His love for humanity is real, which still feels weird to say about a god of undead, even if he makes undead to extend their (un)life so to speak. I doubt he lied with his foretelling though, which means that fate will have to come in and change the predicted outcome. Maybe that change in fate will be unlikely allies such as a tribe of giants or maybe a certain magical sword that was mentioned.
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2877 |
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S2 #6
The episode title was a big hint, and it turns out there's one more detour the party needs to take before venturing forth to the Mountain. It's not a wasted trip either; all of the fancy equipment they're wielding in the OP is from the armoury and William's grandfather is the wealth of information William needs to raise his odds of success, even if just a little. William has always been careful with logistics and planning, despite the seemingly reckless way he goes into battle. It seems superfluous, but having a decoy means they are less likely to encounter resistance before reaching their destination and can preserve their strength for the battles to come. They won't be attacked at William's childhood home (as long as they don't venture forth into the catacombs) and they can resupply before moving onwards. Seeing Gus again is always nice, especially when William brings up the short vignette from season one about the half-elf lady. One more motivation for him to somehow survive this quest intact, if only to please his grandfather that a debt can be collected and sent back to him to be officially cleared from the ledger. It's telling Reystov is the only one who didn't utilise the armoury's equipment, instead asking Gus for runes to keep his weapon in fighting condition for longer than the others who don't have the same enchantment. The others pick equipment which suits them, with Menel in particular claiming his ancestor's mithril-stringed greatbow for the quest to come. Compared to what they were equipped with prior to the visit (William's magic spear the notable exception), they're in better shape to fight a horde of demons and the dragon which commands them. At the very least William has a target to aim for, but they'll need to identify the old wounds quickly and then concentrate all of their attacks on it which is easier said than done. Now that the rest stop is over, the next episode title indicates the first challenge for the questing party. I wonder what they'll face and overcome before pressing on. |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 2017 |
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Despite all that fancy new equipment and a bit of knowledge their odds still seem very slim. The decoy is a good idea to save strength, the weapons will make them hit harder and they now know where to hit, yet they will need something big to drastically change the expected outcome. The giants making an appearance would help, though even then I doubt it will be enough.
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smurky turkey
Posts: 2017 |
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You know, we have discussed the possible tragic fight with the dragon at length, but actually getting to that scally mofo is not much of a picnic either. A river filled with serpents, restless souls that may or may not drag you down and then there is a very poisonous hydra that can regenerate. On the bright side, maybe saving the elf village will do something to increase the chances of victory when they reach the dragon. I would welcome a big brawl between the gang and the dragon while the elves and giants back them up.
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2877 |
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S2 #7
The episode title refers to the first skirmish enroute to the Mountain, and that's the least of the party's concerns. Not having any intelligence on the path to the Mountain after the Collapse centuries ago meant this episode was somewhat predictable; after all demons aren't just going to occupy a mountain and not bother clearing out the surrounding environs for security. I'm not sure how Will retrieved his magic spear after he was forced off the boat, but Mel says he brute-forces everything with magic so most likely used a spell to retrieve it if it fell off. Although not explicitly said, it looks like the Dwarf neighbours were exterminated to the last after the demons first corrupted their forest and slowly starved and then flooded the denizens. To add insult to injury they were then cursed to haunt their watery graves to ensnare unwary travellers. Will's vocation as a paladin coming in useful, as is Menel's knowledge of half of his ancestry. The elves aren't completely gone though, if next week's episode title is any indication some refugees made it out and resettled elsewhere. Unfortunately for them, they're probably fighting a losing battle against the demons and Will's party need all the help they can get. If Gus is right and they're all headed for annihilation, the only way they can change their destiny is more knowledge and more manpower. If next week brings them help in some form or another (after they likely have to save elves from certain annihilation), then they might get another advantage which Heralds like Stagnate did not include in their initial prophecy. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2877 |
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S2 #8
Viewers have been reminded countless times Will and his small band are essentially fronting up for a suicide mission: once again the Herald warns William of his folly and even advises him that giving up and letting the Dragon have its way temporarily will eventually facilitate a proper victory with far fewer casualties on a longer timescale. Still, William being who he is has to face his challenge head-on, so the proposal is declined. The elves too have lived in their doomed environs for years and cannot aid William and company beyond showing them the way. If they are going to repay the favour, they might not have long to do it if the party is annihilated as predicted by just about everyone the band has encountered. Dinelind is a notable example of a female character in this franchise: only other notable ones from season one are Mary and Bree. Although she was less affected compared to her compatriots, she cannot provide the band with any martial aid and isn't going to offer herself up as a sacrificial shield. Menel and the dwarven reaction to this is to simply shrug their shoulders and put it down to typical elf behaviour, which is amusing in itself. If Gus was with the party, he'd be prodding his grandson to make a move on her before Menel would. Besides Bree, I don't think the adaptation for both seasons has seen William interact with anyone other than males. There's a sense of fatalism as well in William's party. If they're 99% certain of getting annihilated even at full strength against the Dragon, it won't make any difference using some strength to do good en-route. William treating over a hundred patients and Menel restoring the local Lord of the Forest would under any other circumstance be foolhardy when the main objective is so close and time is short. At least both individuals aren't too affected by their tasks, even if it does decrease their chances of success had they decided to forge ahead without expending their energies on side quests. The dragon and his summoned demons most likely have a welcoming party for William and his band, so I'm expecting longer action set pieces for next week and beyond. They're still embarking on this quest with almost zero chance of victory, so something has to give to tip the scales in their favour, if only a little. |
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smurky turkey
Posts: 2017 |
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Yeah, something does need to happen to tip the scales. I was kind of hoping that the elves would be that. Before this episode I was counting on them to be in a tough spot, yet still capable of combat and maybe have a very skilled magic master or two among their ranks to bolster the party. The reality is that the elves are slowly dying and no strong fighters are left among them. The element of surprise is also gone, so the odds have become slightly worse rather than better.
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smurky turkey
Posts: 2017 |
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Episode 9 was another banger. We had some nice action and a bit more of the fantasy setting that never fails to surprise me. Speaking of the action, I had some doubts about Lou when he was first introduced, but he has more than proven himself. His fight with the general was rather impressive. As was clearing out an entire throne room worth of demons. The moment with the undead dwarves finally finding peace was another good Lou moment.
As for what comes next... I really thought they would find something in the ruins of the iron country to help them beat the dragon. A magic sword, a hidden treasure, something. As is they have not done anything to increase their chances of winning so I am not sure as to how they will pull off a victory here. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2877 |
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S2 #9
An action set-piece this week, and it's one of the best ones featured in the adaptation to date. Good lead-up to it as well, as the last living descendant of the King of the Iron Mountains stamps his authority on both undead dwarf and demon alike. Although the party was fortunate the Great Hall had non-hostile beings who could be negotiated with, they really needed Vindalfr to give the order to stand down. No one else could have done the job he did without Will resorting to using prayers to release Stagnate's hold over the last Dwarf guard. A bit of energy saved for the party, and a morale boost for the dwarf members. The centrepiece is the battle in the throne room. For the throne and crown, Vindalfr had to win his duel without assistance. Even then, it was a close run affair with Will doing just enough to eliminate the demon commanders for his expulsion spell to deal with the rest of the chaff. The innate strength of Vindalfr (combined with spartan training from Will and Menel) and even the judo throw all played a huge role in winning Vindalfr his hard-won victory. The burden on Will is huge though since he's the designated healer and we already know it's a drain on him topping up his teammates on top of the stress of command. Yet all of this is just the appetiser for the main event. At last viewers are given a hint of the scale of the task facing Will and his party. It's still too dark in-screen to see anything beyond the outline of the Dragon, but it's true it only has one good eye remaining so that's the one hope the party has now that they have zero element of surprise. I don't think the battle will start straight away; the dragon will most likely want to talk first as it'll play with its food. If Will and the others are going to get any last-minute advantage, that conversation will be the one and only chance they have. Timing wise there's not much beyond maybe half an episode's conversation before the climatic battle begins in earnest. |
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