The Shannara Chronicles wraps up its second season this week, with a double-length finale that sees Wil (Austin Butler) and his friends once again battling to save the Four Lands from a demonic threat. It includes plenty of blood, love triangles, magic, and of course, shirtless Austin Butler, and continues to be fantastic fantasy viewing.

Like season 1, season 2 ends with a major character sacrificing themselves to save the Four Lands, with a significantly smaller cast of characters, and with a cliffhanger that promises another magical adventure. The finale ends with Wil discovered to be alive in a disturbing hellscape (and he doesn't even have his elf-stones with him!). Luckily, Mareth (Malese Jow) and Eretria (Ivana Baquero), along with their new teacher-Druid Cogline (Andrew Grainger) realize that they're the ones who will have to save him... but before we start speculating on what may happen next season, let's recap this season's Shannara adventures.

Where Are They Now? Fallout From The War Of The Forbidding

Lyria and Eretria The Shannara Chronicles

The first few episodes this season caught us up on what's been happening to our favorite characters since the season one finale, when Wil and Amberle (Poppy Drayton) had to abandon Eretria to get back to Arborlon so Amberle could become the Ellcrys.

Wil is training as a healer in the Gnome village of Storlock (and abusing his elfstones in order to see visions of Amberle). He's followed there by Mareth, a new character who has her own magic and who needs his help. Eretria is living a protected life in what's left of San Francisco, with a group of humans led by ex-Druid Cogline. She's got a beautiful new girlfriend, Lyria (Vanessa Morgan), and seems to be happy here, although she believes that Wil never came looking for her, and has no idea that Amberle became a tree.

Meanwhile, the Elf kingdom is struggling to recover from the war, with the new King Ander (Aaron Jakubenko) trying to help his people, but unable to do enough. As a result, General Riga (Desmond Chiam) has started a rebel faction known as the Crimson. The Crimson are convinced that the source of the problem is magic, and are killing any magic users that they find.

Finally, Allanon (Manu Bennett) is dealing with his former pupil (turned new evil Warlock) Bandon (Marcus Vanco), who wants to resurrect the Warlock Lord. The Warlock Lord is the evil Druid who caused the War of the Races. Now, Bandon is attempting to reunite the remains of the Warlock Lord (his heart, skull, and sword) to bring him back to life, and Allanon is busy trying to stop him. At the end of the first episode, Bandon has the heart and the blade, and Allanon has taken a beating and heads back to the elves to warn them.

New Players And The Questers Reunited

Queen Tamlin of Leah The Shannara Chronicles

With everyone caught up, it's time to bring these scattered characters back together again. Eretria has a vision of Amberle, telling her to return to Wil, so she and Lyria set out to get some answers... but are captured by Garet Jax (Gentry White), who has been sent to bring Lyria back home. First big surprise of the season, 'home' is Leah, where Lyria is the runaway princess! She's reunited with the Queen, who is manipulative but essentially wants the best for her people, and who believes that this will be achieved by marrying her daughter off to King Ander in a new alliance. King Ander is on board, having been told about Bandon by Allanon, and encouraged to seek an alliance of his own. Eretria leaves to find Wil, feeling betrayed by her lover.

Wil and Mareth are doing some searching of their own in ShadyVale, and learn the truth about Wil's father; that he and Allanon were the ones to hide the parts of the Warlock Lord. Bandon has learned this as well, and kidnaps Wil's Uncle Fick (Mark Mitchinson). In order for Wil to get Fick back, he has to bring Allanon to Bandon. Wil (who has no love for Allanon after the first season) decides to go get him and save his uncle... but Allanon has been kidnapped by the Crimson! Time for Wil and Mareth to go free Allanon, and for the second big reveal: Mareth is Alannon's daughter.

It's Questing Time!

Thus begin the quests that take the bulk of the season; everyone is looking for someone or something, introducing multiple characters and complicated relationships at breakneck speed.

Wil and Mareth rescue Allanon from the Crimson, and the three head off on a side-quest to find the Sword of Shannara. They then head to Paranor to rescue Fick without giving Bandon the skull (which is somewhere in Paranor). He and Allanon end up trapped in a magical cage, which Allanon planned, but Fick has been poisoned by the Warlock Lord's blade, and will die unless Bandon heals him.

Eretria, meanwhile learns something more about herself, including where that tattoo comes from and why she was such an important part of last season's quest: she has demon blood in her, and as such she is at risk of being controlled by wraiths and the Warlock Lord unless she can learn how to control her dark side.

Time Travel And The Sword Of Shannara

Wil Shannara Chronicles S2

Things are looking bleak, and they aren't about to get much better. Wil and Mareth travel back in time to retreive the skull and save Fick, and Allanon is forced to face up to the fact that Mareth is actually his daughter. They retrieve the skull and Fick tries his best to save the day by plunging himself onto Bandon's sword, but it's a little too late. Bandon not only gets the skull, he wounds Allanon severely and shatters the Sword of Shannara in a fight with Wil. Oops.

Back in Leah, things are no better, as the Crimson attacks the wedding of Lyria and Ander, killing the King. Jax and the Queen are captured, but Eretria and Lyria are able to escape, along with a golden stone that the Queen wears (the key to Heaven's Well). Riga attempts to make the Queen bow to him, but she chooses to jump to her death instead. Riga then heads out to try and find Mareth and Wil, who are attempting to heal Allanon back in Storlock. Mareth manages to heal Allanon and start training to use her magic under his tutelage, before the Crimson steps in, captures them, and ties them up ready to be burned at the stake.

The Warlock Lord Returns And The Crimson Ends

Shannara Chronicles the Warlock Lord Awakens

Bandon takes his collected relics and heads to Castle Graymark to resurrect the Warlock Lord. There, he easily slaughters all the Crimson soliders at the castle, and sets up the skull, blade and heart. The Warlock Lord is returned... as an evil version of Allanon, thanks to the fact that Bandon used Allanon's blood to bring him back to life. The Warlock Lord doesn't kill Bandon (surprisingly enough), but teaches him, revealing his new plan. He intends to go to Heaven's Well, the source of the river and of all magic in the Four Lands. There, he will poison the Well with his own blood, turning everyone into his mindless minions and ruling the Four Lands.

General Riga also meets his end at the hands of the Warlock Lord, as he heads back to Graymark to find out why he hasn't heard from his men there (because they are all dead), and is met by the Warlock Lord and Bandon... who casually rip off his head, effectively ending the Crimson.

Bandon Shannara Chronicles S 2

Everybody Dies: Shannara Finale Goes Game Of Thrones

The final two episodes continue to cram in major deaths and plot points at a speed that could break the sound barrier, as the Warlock Lord gears up to take over the Four Lands. We lose another major player, as the Warlock Lord and Bandon get into an fight; and although it seems for a moment that Bandon may win out to become the biggest bad of the season, the Warlock Lord stabs him through the chest. He then heads out, after Lyria and the key to Heaven's Well.

Thankfully, Jax comes riding in to save Allanon and Mareth at the last minute and takes them up to Graymark, where they realize that the Warlock Lord is on the move. They send Jax back to Leah to guard the castle, while Lyria, Eretria and Wil come together in Cogline's secret city to decide what to do next. For a while, things seem wonderful, and Lyria even proposes to Eretria... but Eretria has been struggling to overcome her dark side, and the Warlock Lord is able to possess her. Possessed Eretria takes Lyria and the key to the Warlock Lord, who was busy beating up Cogline and killing Allanon - a major death that came as a shock, despite being foretold.

Which brings us to the final battle. The possessed Eretria goes to Leah, where she opens the spillways to make sure that the poisoned waters are not held back, and the Warlock Lord gets into the Well, dripping his blood into it and turning the river red. All looks lost, but Wil and Mareth are there to save the day. The two battle it out with the Warlock Lord, who stabs Wil through the chest, before Wil stabs him through the heart with the sword of Shannara. The Warlock Lord burns up and disappears, leaving Wil and Mareth to figure out that the only way to purify the river again is for Wil to dive in, sacrificing himself and using his Shannara blood in order to overcome that of the Warlock Lord. Eretria is saved by Cogline, who is able to get the Wraiths out of her using blood magic, and Lyria takes the throne of Leah.

Happy Endings And A Third Season

Mareth The Shannara Chronicles

With the Warlock Lord defeated, Lyria gives a moving speech from the throne room that catalogs some of the impressive number of deaths this season; Uncle Fick, Queen Tamlin, Catania, Wil, Allanon, the Warlock Lord, Bandon and General Riga are all gone. Lyria will rule, Mareth and Eretria are going to train with Cogline, and presumably Mareth will (at some point) go claim her throne and rule the Elves. If it wasn't for Wil waking up in the pesky Hell dimension, things would be all wrapped up!

As of yet, there is no official confirmation of a third season of The Shannara Chronicles, but the decision to end this season on a cliffhanger suggests that there is some confidence that another season is possible. Hopefully, if ratings warrant another season, next year may slow things down a little, as the only major downside to season two was the breakneck speed that didn't allow for quite the level of character development that fans would have liked. Despite that, it was another solid season of fantasy goodness, and we're hoping that Wil's adventures won't be cut short.

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