*Season arc spoilers.*
Honestly, the whole final chunk of episodes is a great ride. This one, which calls back to Trollhunters in key ways, combines neat action with strong character moments, and it’s a great episode for Krel/Diego Luna.
After their journey through their parents’ memories in the last episode, Aja and Krel have discovered the location of Gaylen’s Core: it’s hidden somewhere in Trollmarket, which has been deserted since the events of the Trollhunters finale. Our heroes search the underground Troll city with the help of their friends, once again locked in a dangerous race with Morando to find the Core first.
Like I said, this episode deals with stuff related to Trollhunters—it obviously helps if you’ve seen that show, but the important elements are introduced well enough that I think you can understand what you need to know without it. Basically, if you’ve seen Trollhunters, you’re coming into the episode like Toby and AAARRRGGHH!!!, who guide the Akiridions through Trollmarket. If you haven’t, you’re more like Aja and Krel, who are visiting this place for the first time.
Our character of the week is also a callback from Trollhunters: Kanjigar, voiced by James Purefoy (although in his very first appearance in the pilot for the mother show, he was voiced by Tom Hiddleston!) Kanjigar was the Trollhunter before Jim, and though Jim only took up the call after his death, he remained an occasional spirit guide on the show. That’s the purpose he serves here, as Team Akiridion comes to Trollmarket looking for answers.
As with the last episode, this one has a greater focus on the action and the dramatic content, but there’s always got to be a little humor sprinkled in there. As Varvatos looks around Trollmarket, he proclaims, “There’s an aura of death and decay. I like it.” Later on, Varvatos also prompts this exchange between Toby and Aja:
TOBY: “How many times has he thrown you off a cliff?!?”
AJA: “More often than I’d like.”
I really like what the show does with Krel here. He steps up a lot in Trollmarket. It’s sad for Toby, and especially AAARRRGGHH!!!, to look around the deserted city, but Krel reassures them, reminding them that the place might be abandoned, but their Troll friends are safe and have a new home now. We don’t often see that level of consideration from Krel toward anyone other than Aja, and I love watching him show such care and sensitivity to his friends. He can still be blunt and cranky, of course, but he’s also grown and changed during his time on Earth.
Another demonstration of his growth? When they realize that one of them will have to enter the Deep, a mysterious pit that forces you to confront your greatest fears, to search for Gaylen’s Core, Krel volunteers. He tells Aja, “I’ll go. You and Varvatos need to fight whatever’s coming.” This is a major step for him, being the one to venture into the darkness without anybody backing him up. When Krel is in scary situations, he almost always has Aja or Varvatos there to protect him, but this time, he pragmatically realizes that he has to go it alone, because their warrior skills are needed elsewhere.
I won’t spoil what Krel’s worst fear is, but his experience in the Deep is yet another show of his growth. He handles it in a very real way, gripped by utter devastation and panic at what he’s seeing, but also gathering the strength he needs to stand up and fight any way he can. Luna is fantastic in this scene, playing Krel’s alternating desperation and determination to a tee.
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