Review: The Mighty Nein “Little Spark”

OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)

The Mighty Nein manage to capture the assassin after Beau and Caleb, Owelia, but her presence stokes the flames of Caleb’s traumatic past.

OUR TAKE

After spending half the season introducing everyone and getting the band together, we finally get to an episode focusing on a specific character, in this case Caleb, who has definitely been shown to be the one of the main cast to be most connected to the major conflict, though how much was unclear until now. Initially, it just seemed like he was a homeless and disgraced mage, whose magic was taken by Trent Ikithon for some reason, but now we know the reason: Because of his innate magical aptitude, he (formerly known as Bren) was taken in by Trent to hone his skills, and was eventually made part of his Volstruckers, agents of the Empire that hunted down dissidents. This was easy enough until, as fascistic regimes tend to do, the Volstruckers targeted his parents next, with Bren being the one to seal them in their house and burn them alive. While we don’t see the exact moment he deserted, this definitely seems like the turning point for his allegiance to Trent and the Volstruckers. Of course, as we know now, the Volstruckers have been busy lately stealing the Luxon Beacon and instigating war against the Kryn Dynasty, but that hasn’t stopped Trent from pursuing his former prized pupil.

Aside from Caleb getting the spotlight, Fjord is incapacitated with poison, while Jester and Molly just get a handful of scenes and dialogue to remind us that they are indeed still in the show, but Nott and Beau are tied for second in terms of focus. Beau obviously cares a great deal about the assassin who’s been pursuing her and is connected to the conspiracy within the Cobalt Soul, and still doesn’t trust Caleb much (with even less reason to do so now), so the two come to blows during Owelia’s impromptu interrogation, to her benefit, and she manages to send a message saying she’s found Caleb before he roasts her alive. As for Nott, it seems she’s taken to a motherly role for Caleb, which is actually a pleasant surprise since I wasn’t sure if a romantic bond would really work for them, and now I don’t need to worry. Three episodes left in the season and we don’t quite know where things are heading, but we’re definitely hitting the more dramatically rich parts of these characters that will help this series stand out going forward. But when are we getting more Yasha?