The Warrior Princess and the Barbaric King

Episode 7

Although it can be too on-the-nose about it, it's hard to find fault with one of the central tenets of this story: that not only do colonizers destroy cultures, but they also destroy the land indigenous people live on. You don't need me to point out the real world parallels between Illdoran's desire to conquer the east and any number of European-colonized places; even if this series was better at subtlety, this is a storyline that is as subtle as a brick through a window (or a 15th century dude planting a flag on a beach) and one very much worth telling.

While most of the story has focused on Sera learning that other women have defected from Illdoran – and that's still a piece of this episode as we learn that Cersei is another one – this week gets into the details of what blight is and how Malcius created it. The angel inside the Fiend definitely implied that corruption of living creatures is a piece of it, Veor and the leaders of the other races tell us that the corruption of living things is perhaps the bigger issue. Once again, this highlights the difference between the Illdorans and the so-called barbarians and “fictional” races: where Illdorans make the land submit to them, the others believe that the land itself is alive and has its own willpower. When that willpower is subverted or consumed by power such as Malcius unleashed (crudely, apparently), the land becomes blighted and forgets what it's supposed to be and do.

This establishes an interesting parallel between Sera's situation and that of the forest. Losing its willpower is essentially brainwashing the forest, causing it to forget who it is. This happens to Malcius, too, as a consequence of causing the blight in the first place: she loses all memories of her time before becoming a priest. And taking it further, the way that the other former Illdoran women now living with the barbarians talk, they imply that Illdoran brainwashed them into believing that their way was the best and only way. I may gripe about the portrayal of these former knights, but it's hard to deny that they're happier where and how they are now, freed from their cultural indoctrination. The harmony Veor's people live with, with the land, each other, and other races, are painted as more natural and comfortable, and most of the actions they take – whether against Illdoran or just in general – are to preserve that. The land matters because it is both part of their culture and their cultural heritage, and they must care for it as it cares for them.

That the cleansing ceremony is equal parts magic and plain old reforestation is a good demonstration of this attitude. The magic speeds up the reforestation process by reminding the land that it's meant to be forested, but magic can only do so much. I like that it shows that there are no easy fixes: Malcius' memories are just gone (probably a good thing, as Cersei says) and the trees won't just spring from the ground fully formed. Trees must be replanted, Malcius must make new memories. It takes work to get back on track, and there's no guarantee that it will work – trees must take root and survive weather and animals and Malcius must want to change. I think that's something that Sera is coming to appreciate about her new home.

The reveal that Cersei is also from Illdoran is probably the biggest surprise this week. But it's also one that makes a certain amount of sense – as she points out, she's always been much more fluent in Illdoran culture than even Veor with his Illdoran mom. She's the best argument for cultural change, in my opinion; she's not tied to any one sphere and is comfortable in her own skin. There's very little “we're good, you're bad” in her attitude, just a no-nonsense sense of self. She's the walking embodiment of that willpower the elven leader talks about, and Malcius could definitely learn a few things from her about deprogramming from a cultlike religious experience.

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Warrior Princess and the Barbaric King is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.