Warning: SPOILERS below for Disenchantment Season 2!
Disenchantment season 2 ends on a major cliffhanger with many questions left unanswered. It seems that this will be a regular thing for the fantasy animated series, whose first season also ended with the fates of Princess Bean, personal demon Luci, and outcast Elfo uncertain.
The third animated series created by cartoonist Matt Groening and the first produced for a streaming service, Disenchantment has proven to be an entirely different kind of show than The Simpsons and Futurama. Groening’s earlier works were more episodic in nature and less dependent on continuity. By contrast, Disenchantment is tightly-plotted with a larger narrative running throughout the seasons, which requires viewers to watch the episodes in order. This makes it ideal for binging and caters to the standard Netflix format quite well.
Season 2’s cliffhanger ending seemed to switch around all the variables of season 1’s final episode. Whereas Bean was ignorant to the evil threatening Dreamland and without allies at the end of season 1, now she is the only person on the side of good who knows the full truth behind the plot to overthrow her father, King Zog, and she has her two best friends with her. Yet there are still mysteries for the princess to unravel and many questions for fans to ponder until Disenchantment season 3 airs in 2020.
What Debt Does Maru’s Royal Family Owe Hell?
One of Disenchantment season 1’s biggest mysteries was addressed in the season 2 premiere, “The Disenchantress.” It confirmed that Bean’s mother, Queen Dagmar, was part of the royal family of the magical nation of Maru and that the sorcerers responsible for sending Luci to Bean were Dagmar’s brother and sister, Cloyd and Rebecca. The episode also affirmed their evil intentions for Bean, as they wanted to screw some kind of crown onto her head, now that she had been deemed corrupt enough for their dark purpose. Based on the portraits of the previous kings and queens of Maru seen throughout the episode, they all wore the same crown and were driven to various acts of evil.
When Bean asked what Dagmar wanted of her, she replied that there was “a debt to Hell we’re really overdue on.” The implication that the royal family of Maru are gaining powers from some kind of Faustian pact is not exactly a shock (their royal symbol resembles a demon’s eye peaking through a keyhole) but the details are vague beyond the fact that they apparently tried and failed to put the crown on their youngest sibling, Jerry, and he was struck dumb by the botched ritual. Presumably they must offer up one family member a generation to maintain the bargain that allows them to prosper, but why did Dagmar have to have a daughter to see this done rather than sacrificing one of her other siblings?
What Exactly IS The Prophecy Involving Bean?
Another question raised by Dagmar’s confession is just what are the details regarding the prophecy involving Bean. While it had been presumed to involve the aforementioned debt, references to Bean’s mystic importance have been made outside of her connection to the royal family of Maru. The season 2 premiere also showed Bean being accosted by a crone, who addressed her as “the prophecy girl” and begged her to save Maru. Also, in the Disenchantment season 1 episode “The Limits of Immortality,” Bean was recognized by Malfus the Philosopher, who said that he knew all about her and addressed her by name despite her never introducing herself. Hopefully, Disenchantment season 3 will shed some light on what the prophecy actually entails.
What Is “The Very Thing” Leavo Seeks?
Disenchantment season 2, episode 3, “The Very Thing,” introduced Leavo; the only elf said to have ever left Elfwood except for Elfo and Returno, who ironically never returned. The episode reveals that Leavo had a purpose in leaving Elfwood, which was kept secret from everyone except the Elf King Rulo. What “the very thing” Leavo was seeking is never named, but he tells Rulo that he believes it lies in the catacombs underneath Dreamland Castle. It also ties into “the true destiny of the elves” and is important enough to inspire Rulo to move all the elves from Elfwood and into Dreamland.
Why Are There Maru Symbols All Over Dreamland Castle?
Disenchantment season 2, episode 4, “The Lonely Heart Is a Hunter,” sees Bean tormented by dreams of Queen Dagmar and a music box Dagmar gave her as a baby continually playing, despite her not winding it up. This led Bean to discover the symbol of Maru and runes in the Maruvian language hidden behind Dagmar’s portrait - the start of a trail into the catacombs under Dreamland Castle. Unfortunately, Bean fled screaming after hearing the song from the music box in the darkness, before she could determine who left the runes and what they led to. It was left clear, however, that Bean was being watched by someone in league with Dagmar, as Bean destroyed the music box, only to have it replaced with one featuring a scowling image of Dagmar rather than the peaceful miniature in the original music box.
Is Elfo’s Mother The Ogre Queen?
The mystery behind the identity of Elfo’s mother was first introduced in season 1, with no clues offered as to who she was beyond the fact that she was not an elf. Episode 5 of Disenchantment season 2, “Our Bodies, Our Elves,” seemed to offer an answer, as Elfo’s father, Pops Elf, spoke of his past as a traveling candy salesman and how he met a lot of lonely wives on the road. This tangent sent Elfo and Bean into the land of the ogres in search of the magical Legendberries, which were said to have magical healing properties.
The two received some unexpected assistance from the ogre queen, who helped them to get the berries and showed them a secret passage out of the grove where the Legendberries were grown. As they departed and the ogre queen sealed the passage, Bean said Elfo’s name, which the ogre queen seemed to recognize. Given that the ogre queen and Elfo have the same distinctive nose (which no elf or ogre shares with them) this would seem to confirm that Elfo is half-elf and half-ogre, though it remains to be seen if he will learn the truth of his parentage.
What Is In The Amphorae Prince Derek Discovered?
Disenchantment season 2, episode 7, “Loves Slimy Embrace,” saw Prince Derek adopt a pet octopus which he named Slimy. By the end of the episode, Slimy grew to a colossal size and came to threaten the palace. Perhaps not coincidentally, this occurred shortly after Derek fed Slimy the liquid from one of several amphorae he and Elfo discovered in a secret room. While it is clear the liquid is magical, it is less clear who made it and why there was a stockpile of it under Castle Dreamland.
What Are The Seekers’ Ultimate Goals?
The Seekers, a secret society that conduct great matters of state and diplomacy and have weird sex, was first introduced in the season 1 episode “Castle Party Massacre.” While played for laughs in their first appearance, the Seekers took on a more sinister role in Disenchantment season 2, manipulating King Zog’s near-fatal wounding to place Prince Derek on the throne as a puppet under Odval’s control. Their ultimate purpose and their reasons for framing Princess Bean on charges of witchcraft go unexplained, beyond Odval’s statement in “In Her Own Write” that the Seekers’ duty is to discern the difference between “what is right for the king and what is right for the kingdom.” This explained much of Odval’s past actions, which seemed to be based around keeping Dreamland running smoothly in spite of Zog’s rule, but their ultimate plan is still a mystery.
How Deeply Involved Is Steamland In The Plot Against Zog?
When Bean follows steamship pilot Skybert Gunderson back to Steamland in Disenchantment season 2, episode 9, “The Electric Princess,” she overhears him talking to a woman named Harriet about how he was meant to deliver a weapon to Dreamland Castle without being noticed. Harriet berates Skybert, making reference to a boss not being happy and complaining that Zog is still on the throne. While it is possible that Skybert was just a courier meant to deliver an exotic weapon for an assassination attempt, Harriet’s specific complaints suggest that someone powerful within the government of Steamland wanted to see Zog dead.
Who Was Plotting To Assassinate Zog?
It is clear from Disenchantment season 2 that someone in Dreamland Castle was plotting with Steamland to assassinate Zog with a handgun and the most likely suspect is Odval. Beyond organizing the Seeker plot to install Prince Derek as a puppet ruler with himself as regent, Odval is also shown to be familiar with firearms and would presumably have the means to contact Steamland through the Seekers. The only problem with this theory is that simply shooting Zog, even with an exotic weapon nobody in Dreamland would identify as a weapon, is far too simple a plan for a mastermind like Odval. It seems far more likely Odval is just taking advantage of the situation to further the goals of the Seekers, given that he does make an honest effort to see Zog cared for after he is wounded.
What’s The Deal With The Trogs?
The final episode of Disenchantment season 2 sees Bean, Elfo and Luci saved from being burned at the stake through a controlled sinkhole that drops them into a cavern under Dreamland. They quickly find themselves surrounded by strange pale-skinned creatures who resemble albino elves with mole-like eyes. Though not named in the episode, the closed-captioning identifies them as Trogs and they are apparently in the employ of Dagmar.
Eagle-eyed viewers may have noticed the Trogs in the background of earlier episodes. One is visible in the background in the caves under Dreamland Castle in “Castle Party Massacre,” when Elfo is trying to find Odval and stumbles across a meeting of the Seekers. Another can be seen in “Love’s Slimy Embrace,” hiding among Prince Derek’s stuffed animals. It’s clear that the Trogs have been watching over Dreamland for some time and, if they are working for Dagmar, that they are probably responsible for leaving the Maruvian runes for Bean to find. It remains to be seen, however, what connection their race has to the elves, if they are in someway connected to what Leavo was seeking underneath Dreamland, and just how they fit into Disenchantment’s future.
More: What To Expect From Disenchantment Season 3
