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What Was Sundered and Undone is the third episode of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, season one. It was released on Netflix with the rest of the season on August 30, 2019.

Synopsis[]

Brea struggles with her unsavory new duties, Deet and Hup get a hostile welcome from the Stonewood clan, and Rian begs his Maudra for help.

S1E3

Plot[]

Gelfling bathe Podlings

The Order of Lesser Service bathing Podlings

In the Order of Lesser Service, Brea finds herself wearing a jester's hat and being assigned to wash a filthy Podling village. Meanwhile, Seladon rants in front of Tavra, reassuring herself that the Order of Lesser Service is a worthy punishment for Brea, necessary in order to take her duties seriously. Tavra, typically quiet, angers Seladon by questioning whether it is Brea that Seladon is truly angry with. Although initially denying it, Seladon concedes that it is in fact her mother Mayrin that has her bothered, particularly her "spoiling" of her younger sisters while she works. They are interrupted by a messenger, and Tavra is sent by Mayrin to hunt down Rian for supposedly murdering a member of the Vapra Clan. At the Deterge in the Podling village, Brea is told to chase after a Podling who wants to avoid a bath. Brea finally catches up with the Podling some distance outside the village, where they agree to go their separate ways, allowing a desirable escape for both.

Deet and Rian travel along different routes to the Stonewood Clan capital, Stone-in-the-Wood, with Deet worried about the Darkening and refusing to listen to Hup regarding division amongst the clans. Meanwhile, Rian finds an overturned cart and helps two merchants set it right again. After one of the merchants notices Rian's castle guard armaments, Rian learns about the news of a Gelfing who had supposedly murdered Mira which has spread throughout Thra. He tries to explain that the Skeksis murdered Mira but they quickly denounce him for speaking "heresy" and therefore realizing he's the one. He hides armaments to prevent detection.

As Brea runs back to Ha'rar, she runs into Tavra during her search for Rian and Brea explains to her what she's going to do. Comforting Brea, Tavra supports her decision to leave and assures her that despite her and their eldest sister Seladon being stubborn, the "bonds of sisterhood" can not be broken.

Entering Stone-in-the-Wood, Deet finds herself reviled by everyone she passes, yet she insists on stopping for a drink. Oblivious to everyone insulting her, Deet sits at the bar despite the locals trying to block the seat. Jokingly, the locals then pretended to think the Grottans have died out, but when Deet still naively tries to ask them questions, their humorous forbearance runs out and they shove her off of the bar, calling her a "dirty Grottan". Seeing this, Hup becomes incensed and launches himself over the bar in a flying tackle which leaves his spoon broken, and knocks the two locals aside. Hup then grabs a bigger, stronger spoon and resumes attacking the locals, who then begin to retaliate until local guards arrive to detain Hup.

In the Chamber of Life, skekSil tries to intimidate Gurjin into cooperating, but he adamantly refuses. Meanwhile, Brea makes back it to Ha'rar, goes to the library, and from there flies to the Citadel. There, Mayrin regrets sending Brea and Tavra away and tries to postpone holding court for the day until Seladon convinces her to put duty first. Just as they leave, Brea sneaks into Mayrin's chambers to find the "brightest jewel", which she discovers hanging on a chandelier, getting her journal in the process.

Gruenak

Gruenaks

Once more in the Chamber of Life, skekTek continues to work on repairing his machine until skekSil arrives, commenting on skekTek's eye (now replaced with a superior mechanical one) and providing him with "Gruenaks", skilled technical workers originally thought to be eradicated, as a peace offering.

In Stone-in-the-Wood, Deet tries and fails to gain an audience with Maudra Fara to release Hup. Rian arrives and is waved directly inside and tries to warn Fara about the truth of the Skeksis. When that fails, he presents his evidence, the essence, to Fara. He requests to dreamfast with her but she agrees with Ordon, who informed Fara about Rian's supposed madness, that he's not well. Rian desperately tries to get Fara, Ordon, and the guards to believe him but to no avail. As Ordon and the guards attempt to surround and capture him, Rian brings down the light fixtures overhead, entangling the guards, allowing him to escape.

Aughra Crystal past

Aughra talks to herself

At the Castle of the Crystal, Aughra arrives to question the Skeksis on the health of Thra, finding them luxuriating naked in baths or receiving massages. She states her business in checking on the health of the Crystal, which SkekZok asserts is thriving, alongside Thra. SkekOk insinuates that Aughra's pain is due to her age, and skekSo rejects her request to see the Crystal on the basis of her "abandon(ing)" it. SkekSo then orders her escorted out, but the Gelfling guards are fearful of Aughra, and she makes her way to the Crystal unhindered. Once there, Aughra becomes horrified by the darkened Crystal of Truth, corrupted by the Skeksis. When she asks how she can heal the Crystal, a visage of herself, Aughra from a different time, begins speaking to her. The apparition shows Aughra the Skeksis stealing essence, telling her that Gelfling normally return to Thra on death, which cannot happen if they are drained of essence, thus throwing Thra out of balance and accelerating the growth of the darkening. Tasking Aughra with rediscovering the "song of Thra" in order to guide fate, Aughra then departs.

Deet, leaving Stone-in-the-Wood, ends up encountering Rian helps him with a fire using an old Grottan trick. She comforts him despite his fugitive status. Taking inspiration from one of his utterances, she set out to free Hup.

Brea, with the jewel in hand, returns to the sea to find Onica, now promoted to Elder, just in time. Although Brea thinks the jewel is mere payment, Onica chastises her and reveals that it is in fact a chrysalis containing an imperial unamoth, the totem animal of the Vapra Clan. Onica sings to it, opening the jewel and allowing the unamoth to lead Brea to the knowledge she seeks. The moth and Brea fly away together to the Ha'rar throne room, where the moth activates a secret passage in the throne leading down into a concealed room.

Characters[]

In order of appearance:

Character Voice Puppeteer
Brea Anya Taylor-Joy Alice Dinnean
Duadran Dustin Demri-Burns Olly Taylor
Juni April Hughes Beccy Henderson
Seladon Gugu Mbatha-Raw Helena Smee
Tavra Caitriona Balfe Neil Sterenberg
Red-Haired Paladin Warrick Brownlow-Pike Warrick Brownlow-Pike
Deet Nathalie Emmanuel Beccy Henderson
Hup Victor Yerrid Victor Yerrid
Rian Taron Egerton Neil Sterenberg
SkekSil the Chamberlain Simon Pegg Warrick Brownlow-Pike
Gurjin Harris Dickinson Dave Chapman
Cadia Eddie Izzard Olly Taylor
The Librarian Toby Jones Kevin Clash
All-Maudra Mayrin Helena Bonham Carter Louise Gold
SkekTek the Scientist Mark Hamill Olly Taylor
Gruenak #1 Kevin Clash Kevin Clash
Gruenak #2 Neil Sterenberg Neil Sterenberg
Baffi Dave Goelz Dave Goelz
Maudra Fara Lena Headey Alice Dinnean
Ordon Mark Strong Dave Chapman
Aughra Donna Kimball Kevin Clash
Podling Servant #1 Warrick Brownlow-Pike Warrick Brownlow-Pike
SkekSo the Emperor Jason Isaacs Dave Chapman
SkekOk the Scroll Keeper Neil Sterenberg Neil Sterenberg
SkekZok the Ritual Master Keegan-Michael Key Victor Yerrid
Podling Servant #2 Louise Gold Louise Gold
Onica Natalie Dormer Louise Gold

Additional Puppeteers: Derek Arnold, Don Austen, William Banyard, Amber Beattie, Daisie Beattie, Sue Beattie, Mikey Brett, Lynn Robertson Bruce, Sarah Burgess, Tim Cherry-Jones, Sheila Clark, Richard Coombs, Fred Davis, Ronnie Le Drew, Iestyn Evans, Cecily Fay, Phil Fletcher, Joe Greco, Lesa Gillespie, Claire Roi Harvey, Richard Hay, Andy Heath, Mark Jefferis, Chris Kendall, Steven Kynman, Mark Mander, Lewis McCabe, Alison McGowan, Wim Oppenheimer, Colin Purves, Trovy Simpson, Andrew Spooner, Yvonne Stone, Chris Thatcher and Dilpreet Kaur Walia.

Additional Voices: Sarah Beck Mather, Warrick Brownlow-Pike, Dave Chapman, Stewart Clarke, Alice Dinnean, Barbara Drennan, Damian Farrell, William Gaminara, Louise Gold, Beccy Henderson, Isabella Laughland, Omar Malik, Jack Myers, Mark Restuccia, Helena Smee, Katherine Smee, Neil Sterenberg and Olly Taylor.

Title[]

What was sundered and undone,
Shall be whole,
The two made one!

The title of this episode is taken from the prophecy from The Dark Crystal. It is spoken by Jen when he reads it on the Wall of Destiny and again by Aughra when the Skeksis and UrRu reform into the UrSkeks.

Behind the scenes[]

The Skeksis' bathing garments were modelled on a baby's christening gown.[2]

External Links[]

References[]

  1. Henson, J. & Oz, F. (dir.); Henson, J., Kurtz, G. & Lazer, D. (prod.); Henson, J. & Odell, D. (writ.) (December 17, 1982). The Dark Crystal
  2. Little White Lies. Designing the creatures for The Dark Crystal – Brian and Wendy Froud. YouTube. August 30 2019
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