Review: The Barbarian and the Troll “I Will Survive”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Brendar and her friends have finally reached Alvin’s lair, but their quest is far from over. They must overcome a series of traps to reach Brendar’s brother.

Our Take:
It looks like we have another episode that is named after a popular song. Two weeks ago, we had Vanilla Ice’s popular dance song as an episode title despite the rapper not making an appearance. Now, we have one that’s named after a well-known disco anthem by Gloria Gaynor. This is quite appropriate regarding the questers needing to survive their final obstacle, or should I say “obstacles”?
After traveling through the Scorch Tundra of Gothmoria, Brendar and the others have finally arrived at the lair of Alvin, the dreadful demon. Unfortunately for them, their journey doesn’t stop here as they are forced to complete every trial to rescue Brendar’s young brother Kendar. If you think the challenges in the “My Sharon-Ah” episode were tough, just wait until you see these obstacles. The traps that are designed as escape rooms represent the high stakes for the characters, but they also showcased the fun and laughs of attempting to survive them.
Part of the comedy comes from some of the trials presented in the episode. The first challenge happened to resemble “Dance Dance Revolution”. The third challenge is a game show hosted by a frog that pukes out poisonous gas every time the questers get a question wrong. The humor and dialogue once again worked well in showcasing medieval versions of modern-day elements like the dance pad from the popular rhythm dancing game franchise.
After completing the challenges, Brendar is finally reunited with his brother, who has been held captive for years, and the gang managed to escape with him. The episode marks the first actual debut of Kendar. Even though the vocal performance for him was a bit unenthusiastic at times, Kendar was a suitable addition that’s integral to the tender-hearted reunion between siblings. It also allowed viewers to witness the appearance of the demon Alvin. He only appeared near the end to force Kendar to bring him Axe. While I couldn’t judge this character yet, I would say that it was a nice little tease of what’s to come in the final two episodes.
Overall, the “I Will Survive” episode offers a set of dangerous and amusing trials for the questers to face. You know, like the escape rooms you would find downtown. The result is another delightful chapter in the show’s entertaining first season. It is also a nice improvement over last week’s episode in terms of moving the plot along. Brendar’s main quest may have been completed, but judging from its cliffhanger ending, it looks like her troubles are just beginning.