‘See’ Recap: ‘The Lavender Road’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Often times, television shows that feature a grand and brewing conflict, or a road trip to a supremely important destination… use the arrival at that place or the confrontation we’ve been waiting for, to end the season. Allowing for a juicy cliffhanger to take place, one that leaves us hungry for more of this world and desperate for answers as to what will become of our heroes. And this works, because it does indeed tickle our imagination and it motivates us to text our friends that watch along to discuss our worries and our hopes, and of course… it brings us back for the season premiere to see how this all plays out. But that is once again why See on Apple TV+ is of note. Because it’s penultimate episode for season one… did all those things well before the end, giving rise to different feelings. 
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The kind that actually make for a worse wait. Because somehow, we can reconcile a summer hiatus, but a week’s wait for answers? That’s torture being that close and ‘The Lavender Road’ accomplished all of these feats, in part by bringing Tamacti Jun and Princess Maghra face to face with the disgraced Queen. For some brutal torturing tactics conducted upon the Shadow Warriors that Boots pointed out, garnered answers regarding the Queen’s location. Which in turn brought the army to Cutter’s doorstep and brought forth some hard truth. Specifically, what happened to the Kanzua Dam and the loyal subjects of the Payan Kingdom and the families of the army. A reveal that infuriated Tamacti Jun to no end and left him pondering if by chance the time for Queen Kane to step down had arrived. A move that would be an amazing season end cliffhanger since it would put the future of the kingdom in the balance. But here, it’s nothing more than an epic setup to the finale… and the show wasn’t done there.

Because out in the world, Baba Voss and his family and friends, pushed ahead toward The House of Enlightenment with sorrow in their hearts. For they truly believed Boots’ lie about Maghra being dead and rather than confront him for his actions… it was best to move on and well, their voyage was no easy task. For the venture into the mountains was treacherous for certain and filled with terrifying warning signs. Because along the way, they not only found the Lavender Road in all of its glory, but signs of madness. For there was a grand display made up of bones and flesh, complete with dire words to ward off weary travelers who simply thought they’d find a safe haven beyond. Leaving everyone to wonder if they were walking into a nightmare or actual salvation and well… they’d come so far and lost so much, they decided to push ahead regardless.

Which of course, brought more trouble their way. For the final leg of the journey saw the group be attacked by skilled archers. Who quickly brought the group to their knees in worry and fear. But eventually… the reveal that Haniwa and Kofun arrived at this juncture, ended the onslaught and divided the family. For only those two could enter The House, prompting some brief farewells between a father and his children and their closest confidant. For Baba Voss made it clear they would be nearby just in case, and once those farewells were complete, the twins made their way to the gates of their future. Wherein they were greeted by bright lights and the unknown. An ending that would serve as a wonderful season finale for certain, since it raised the stakes and left us desperate to find out what lies beyond those bright lights. 

But instead, the answers would come quickly, a week after the airdate of this episode and that absolutely drove us nuts. Because we were so close to the truth and so close to seeing resolution take place and we all spent days texting about what the twins would learn at The House of Enlightenment or if Maghra would ascend to the throne. And while we know how those plot threads worked out, it doesn’t discount the same feelings of shock and desire that are present with a second viewing, nor does it discount the brilliance of this tale. Because it takes guts to basically make a season finale caliber episode, the penultimate tale. For that means the finale has to exceed the quality of its predecessor and thankfully… that was the case, and it is that finale that we will discuss next, as our countdown to season three of See, comes to a close. Until next time.

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