‘The Watch’ Recap: ‘The Dark in the Dark’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Six of ‘The Watch’.
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When we think of fantasy stories, a fairly specific formula comes to mind. One that involves good and just heroes, that put everything on the line by heading out into the world for an epic adventure, one that will eventually save their society from a great evil that intends to claim it as their own. And of course, as their journey continues along, they face incredible challenges that manage to offer up some broad and sweeping commentary about our modern world and life in general. Which means that if you are looking for any kind of detailed examination about the human condition and what makes us tick on a fundamental level, you’ll need to dig into a different genre since this one is all about generalized examination. Or at least, that used to be case when it comes to fantasy stories.

For as storytelling continues to evolve and grow, even the fantasy genre is finding new ways to truly look at what it means to be human and what makes us so incredibly unique and for proof, then look no further than last night’s episode of The Watch. Because not only did ‘The Dark in the Dark’ offer up a grandiose adventure akin to our favorite classic fantasy tale, but it actually had a lot say about the importance of self-acceptance and how it can be incredibly empowering and downright liberating. Which made this quite the engrossing tale for certain, one that brought forth this fascinating examination by having Cheery and Angua and Constable Carrot go on a grandiose quest to the mines outside of the city, in order to find the next artifact.

An act that shook Cheery to the core of her soul. Simply because this is where she escaped from all those years ago when she decided that the time had come to live her life as she saw fit. But she also feared this place because there was a powerful evil that lurked within the confines of the mine. One that was eager to claim the souls that opted to shave their beards and stand against the norms of the miner life, and what made this segment so incredibly worth our while, is that it turned out to serve as an allegory for the closed mindedness of our current world. Specifically, how individuals that buck the norm, are often shunned for embracing who they are, especially transgender individuals, and that led to a broad examination of how it is in fact, okay to be who you are and that the dark place we think we will venture to for embracing our true selves simply doesn’t exist.

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Instead, such worries are a manifestation of the fear that others project for not being able to understand or embrace the wonder of individuality and in this case, the Summoning Dark served as a physical representation of the freedom that one receives when they know who they are through and through. And it is that very freedom that allowed for Cheery to find a calm and a peace that she’s never known, and it also allowed for her to embrace the newfound power that the Summoning Dark provided her with in a magnificent manner, since she was able to use it to outright save her friends from Carcer’s clutches and the Thassassins’ Guild (the latter of which was handled by another hilarious musical number). If anything, it was simply incredible to find this kind of growth and depth in a story where mystical creatures and magic are standard elements.
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But while that alone could have carried this particular tale, we would be remiss to not point out that this episode also took the time to examine how easily people can be inspired to turn to evil when the spark of malice is ignited in their hearts. For Wonce joined Carcer in front of the council of disembodied voices to discuss their next moves and she was eager to try and help these mysterious beings. Which spoke volumes to how much Carcer has managed to influence her and inspire her to do awful things and well, that is clearly going to lead to some serious trouble down the line. Since Wonce may have figured out a way to bring down Vimes and Lady Ramkin by making full use of the multiverse and well… what’s scary is that there is a chance that this wild plan might actually work, when all said and done. For Vimes and Lady Ramkin are on shaky ground after having their trust issues and their trauma toyed with during the siege of the station.

In the end however, it is best to declare this episode to be outright brilliant, through and through. Because this story really did manage to offer up all kinds of magnificent surprises storytelling wise since its commentary was poignant and powerful and downright inspiring for certain. Because Cheery’s journey in this tale will likely give direction to others that are struggling with their own fight in regard to finding themselves and that’s just wonderful, and it adds depth to this story as well and truly, this surprise push to add layers to this unique story is making it an essential watch. One that is undoubtedly leaving all of its fans eager and anxious to see where this story is headed next as it continues to inject new life into a classic genre that’s been long overdue for a modern makeover. Until next time.    

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