In many ways, "Blood" is not necessarily the strongest single episode of the show (I still give that to this season's "Graymark") but it succeeds in the ways a finale is supposed to work. I don't think that it was a coincidence that the Warlock Lord's form being a mirror of Allanon was anything but a happy accident (having not read the books, you can correct me). The final showdown, though fairly low-key and relegated to alternating from Wil and Mareth to Cogline and Jax in relatively small settings worked much better as those scenes helped to complete many of the arcs brought up through the season.
For Wil and Mareth, facing down the Warlock Lord in the guise of a father figure/mentor felt much like a final test for the two of them. For Wil, much of the emotional resonance in the confrontation was built up from the season as it explored much more of his father's legacy and failure to make a sacrifice in a similar situation. The show executed an interesting idea in telling us about a final sacrifice Wil would have to make, but doesn't spell it out to anyone until the needed moment when it's clear magic can't fix everything. It's not entirely out of left field but it does make sense in the text of the show and through Wil's characterization. Mareth on the other hand, has to take on all her self-doubt as she realizes she's the last of the Druids with the death of her father. Add to that, she is also the heir to Arborlon, and has been granted the Elfstones from Wil as he leaves her a little too soon.
Jax somewhat breaks the pattern here in "Blood" as much of his transformation is reliant less on any legacy he carries like the other characters, and more contingent on his personal development from a lone wolf back to a leader of men. It's fairly underused as we see shots of him leading the former Crimson in the defense of Leigh, only to have the Warlock Lord basically walk in from the back to poison Heaven's Well, and the Warlock Lord doesn't really have much in the way of armies of demons to speak of.
It's also an interesting decision backed by a strong performance (despite the hamminess of it, occasionally) of Cogline, who quickly (re)assumes the mantle of the Druid guide following Allanon's demise. There's not much spoken to Cogline's leaving of the order despite being of fairly great importance in events like crafting the Sword of Shannara or assuming the care of a young Eretria. Cogline initially seemed like a fairly unimportant role in the overall events but has comfortably assumed Allanon's role. It will be interesting to see how a possible third season will put him to use. Especially because he is the only strong signifier of the show's post-apocalyptic setting we don't see very often (yes, even despite the fact Leigh is built on a concrete, hydroelectric dam) with his mix of science and magic contraptions.
While Wil and Mareth are set on a path that is one more of righteousness and purpose (as typical in standard hero's journeys), Eretria is set on a path that has her question her place in the world. She spends most of the hour possessed by the Warlock Lord's wraith because of her ties to the darker, demonic aspects of the show. Eretria spends much of the season allied with the protagonists, but she also recognizes that she must try to forge a path away from her fate than to simply accept it. It gives her character some interesting nuance in a show of characters who seem to have their destinies and fates written for them in some shape or form.
Finally, and unfortunately, Lyria proves to be a completely underused actor in the season. I'll be curious if a returning season three would feature her in any capacity. Lyria's arc was mostly the standard runaway princess, with an attempt to become a court player, ultimately ending it unfortunate plot device, as possessed-Eretria and the Warlock Lord take here away to get access to Heaven's Well, and simply discard her. Even after Wil and Mareth find her and set her on a path to warn them of Eretria's betrayal, it's not her who helps in the final moments to help stymie any attempt at sabotaging the floodgates or anything. Jax is the one who mentions Eretria and Cogline is the one who reacts; the well is poisoned regardless and it spreads out into the wider world meaning that Wil's prophesized sacrifice must take place. At the end of it, Lyria just stares dumbfounded as the waters are cleansed with Shannara blood, and she's crowned Queen of Leigh in the aftermath. Maybe she'll forge a more interesting story, but there was barely one to begin with in season two.
I'm not in the business of knowing if there will be a season three, but with the subdued ending and conclusion for every significant character this season, it will be fascinating to see where a potential season three would go in the wake of such a strong finish to the show's characters. I do hope there will be one, as it has won me over unlike the first season which had many stumbles on the way. I'm a sucker for fantasy-adventure shows, of which there is a dearth of, so hopefully the show returns. The unfortunate fact is that the show began to double-run its episodes near the halfway mark, so that seems like a poor sign. But hopefully I'm wrong.
Miscellaneous thoughts:
- Absolutely loved the intentional Ghostbusters homage with Jax and Cogline
- Again, the show is at its best when it is post-apocalyptic, so hopefully more aspects of that part of the setting make a return
- It will be interesting to see if the show will try to manufacture a return for Manu Bennett or if it will keep him dead and have Mareth carry on. It would arguably be a stronger decision to, as that was mostly the whole point of season two, though it means Manu Bennett is out of work here and on Arrow for the moment
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