“Twilight of the Gods,” Netflix’s eight-episode animated saga based on Norse mythology, is an exhilarating plunge into a cocktail of fantasy, revenge, violence, and sex. Produced by American filmmaker Zack Snyder’s production house, Stone Quarry, and French animation studio, Xilam Animation, the 2D animated series is buoyed by sharp images and a vividly imaginative world featuring familiar characters like Thor and Loki. The first season, at least what we hope is a first season, fascinates us and marks a triumphant return of Snyder (one of the co-creators and directors of the series) with his strikingly striking visual style.
Twilight of the Gods (Season 1) Netflix Recap:
King Leif’s (Stuart Martin) love story starts on a battlefield where Sigrid (Sylvia Hoeks) saves his life. As their blades slice and draw blood, their hearts start to become one. A wedding seems the only natural progression. However, the day of her dreams turns into a nightmare as Thor (Pilou Asbæk) descends on the mortal plane. The arrogant, quick-to-temper God of Thunder massacres Sigrid’s family while Sigrid and Leif survive. Sigrid vows to kill Thor and end the tyranny of the Gods. She finds an unlikely ally in Loki (Paterson Joseph).
Guided by Loki, Sigrid and Leif start their journey for revenge. The first quest is to recruit more warriors to help in this God-killing mission. Given the perils of this path, the warriors will have to be suicidal to join the group. The first man to join is Egill (Rahul Kohli), Leif’s slave cum friend. Sigrid’s fighting partner from Leif’s Clan, Hervor (Birgitte Hjort Sorensen), puts her name next. Then, they encounter the enchantress Seid-Kona (Jamie Clayton), who joins them with her slave, Ulfr (Peter Stormare), a half-wolf-half-human man.
As members start to join Sigrid’s revenge squad, Loki advises them that they will need special weapons. So, the crew travels to meet Andvari (Kristofer Hivju), the provider of god-killing irons. Andvari not only helps them by providing weapons but also joins the group. Still, this group is not enough. Loki knows this. They would have to take on the might of the entire Asgardian army to kill Thor. Odin (John Noble) will not simply allow them to kill his eldest son. So, the group needs an army that can challenge the Gods. So, they turn to another set of Gods.
Loki urges them to travel to Vanaheim, where the Vanir Gods reside. These are the Gods that Odin and his fellow Aesir Gods vanquished. Now, the Vanir and Aesir Gods co-exist with a truce. However, the truce allows Odin and his fellow Gods to flourish, while the Vanir Gods simply exist without being worshipped. Loki knows that if given the right nudge, the Vanir Gods, and their King Tiwaj (Olafur Darri Olafsson), can be goaded to attack Asgard. So, acting on his scheme, Sigrid’s crew asks for King Tiwaj’s help. But, Tiwaj declines. So Loki, the master whisperer, in his form as a worm, instructs Sigrid to lure the Vanir King with enchanted apples that would replenish the Vanir Gods. The only thing is a dragon guards the apple orchard.
Twilight of the Gods (Season 1) Netflix Ending Explained:
Why Did Loki Poison The Apples?
The Vanir Gods have been mildly friendly towards Sigrid’s team because Leif saved Thyra (Thea Sofie Loch Naess), the Gods’ chosen maid. The Gods agree that if Sigrid can procure the apples, they will consider joining her cause. With some trouble, Sigrid’s team, with the inclusion of Thyra, manages to defeat the dragon and fetch the apples. However, the Gods start to fall ill once they take a bite of it. The Vanir army chases Sigrid’s crew. In an act that he thought was noble, Leif tries to buy time for the rest of the crew while holding the Vanir Gods off. He and Loki (in his worm form) get captured and thrown into a magical but cursed realm. They are forced to live their worst memories.
Sigrid will not leave without Leif, so she takes on the Vanir Gods’ army. Egill, who was released from his slavery by Leif and departed as a free man before this, returns with an army of Giants. These Giants have heard the story of Sigrid’s Giant family and decided to help her. With these reinforcements, Sigrid can rescue both Leif and Loki from the realm.
After getting out of it, Loki confirms to the Vanir Gods that it was he who poisoned the apples. Sigrid had nothing to do with that. And then he vanishes. Loki knew the Vanir Gods would require a greater purpose to march towards Asgard. A simple trade deal would not cut it. So, he gave them a better purpose. He allowed them to think that Odin had broken the truce and wanted them gone. Once again, revenge is the key.
Why Loki Wanted to Kill Thor?
With the Vanir Gods by their side, the war could not come soon enough. The day of the battle comes, and Thor unleashes hell. The Asgardian army proves to be a little too much for Sigrid and the Vanir Gods. Thor kills Tiwaj, and the Vanir Gods get a heavy beating. After the first day, Sigrid, along with Hervor, Seid-Kona, and Andvari, sneaks into Asgard to kill Thor. She does not take Leif as she tries to protect his life. Leif and Sigrid had a threesome with Thyra before the war started. And Sigrid figures Thyra would make Leif’s life happy. Sigrid does not expect herself to survive this.
Her worries prove to be true as her thin squad of night assassins gets caught. Loki saves them from being killed, and Andvari uses the opportunity to strike Loki down. But Loki kills him instead. In a flashback, we get to know how Thor killed Loki’s giant wife, Angrboda. Thor also humiliated and cursed Loki’s children, Hel and Jormungandr. The prophecy dictates that one of Loki’s children will die while killing Thor. Loki wants to save his children, so he hopes Sigrid will do the task instead. Sigrid, a human-giant, killing Thor would be world-changing. People will stop worshipping the Asgardian Gods if someone like Sigrid kills Thor. Loki’s ultimate goal, a God-free world, can become a reality.
Why Did Loki Kill Sigrid?
On the second day of the battle, Loki wields weapons against the Gods. Hervor and Ulfr also falls. Thor kills them mercilessly. An enraged Sigrid throws her spear towards Thor with all her might. The strike would have achieved what she hoped for if not for Baldr. Thor’s brother, the much wiser God, sacrifices his life to save Thor. Thor shows vulnerability and sensibility as he breaks down for the first time. He tries to kill Sigrid, but Freya saves her. Freya transports Thor to Valhalla instead.
Seeing Thor leaving for Valhalla, Loki and Sigrid realize their chance is slipping away. Loki needs Sigrid to kill Thor. And Sigrid just needs to kill Thor. So, Loki kills Sigrid. As a fallen on the battlefield, Sigrid is also taken to Valhalla. She wakes up in Valhalla and finds herself greeted by Thor. It implies her vengeance would continue and shake Valhalla itself.
What Did Odin See? Is Seid-Kona Dead?
In a separate arc, Seid-Kona ventures inside Asgard to meet with Odin. Odin wants her to show the future. Seid-Kona, with Freya’s lost power, does possess the seeing eye. But she warns Odin that it would cost dearly. So, she kills one of Odin’s ravens. The ravens are called Memories and Thoughts, representing Odin’s memories and thoughts. So, when Seid-Kona devours Memories, Odin loses his memories. But Odin sees the future.
In a collage of clips, Odin sees Thor vanquished by Sigrid’s spear. He sees Ragnarok, the death of the Gods. He sees the modern world with high-rise towers and scientific technology. And he sees Jesus Christ. He sees the old Gods becoming irrelevant as newer religions (Christianity in this case) replace them. An enraged Odin kills Seid-Kona and leaves. Egill, who was searching for Seid-Kona, finally reaches her dying body. As he mourns, Seid-Kona magically reanimates herself. A new version of her appears. She seems to recognize Egill. However, she does not seem to love him, as the old Seid-Kona did.
Will There Be a Second Season of Twilight of the Gods?
The end of this season is a cliffhanger. There are numerous questions left unanswered. The season does provide an ending that can be perceived as closure, but there is no doubt the creators left plenty of room to continue building upon this world. Sigrid and Thor are in Valhalla, and despite Thor mellowing down a bit, there is no doubt that the flame of vengeance is still alive inside Sigrid’s heart. Both Leif and Thyra love Sigrid and are not afraid to go to lengths to bring her back.
Then there is Loki. What is the next trick up his sleeve? The master of disguise is not going to back down. He wants Sigrid to kill Thor. That is why he killed her. But Leif and Thyra are not going to see it that way. They are sure to come after him. Then there is Egill and the new Seid-Kona. Is she going to fall for him again? As per an exclusive interview given to screenrant.com, Zack Snyder has expressed interest in a second season. So, it is up to Netflix now.
Twilight of the Gods (Season 1) Netflix Review:
Snyder has struggled to coherently imprint his signature in all his latest works. Films like “Justice League,” “Army of Dead,” and “Rebel Moon” had the director scrambling to find originality in the stories and carve his unique form of visual expression into them. Despite vigorous whittling, the desired beauty never showed up. However, Netflix gives Snyder another chance and a different wood to carve in: animation.
“Twilight of the Gods” has similarities with Snyder’s latest ventures. The series is largely a tale of a ragtag army banding together for a common goal. What follows is a fast and exhilarating journey, filled with dense side quests and amplified by the perpetually increasing loathing for its primary antagonist, Thor. Fans of the Marvel versions of the Norse Gods are in for a rude shock here.
Created by Snyder, Jay Oliva, and Eric Carrasco, “Twilight of the Gods” has everything that makes a good fantasy story tick. Likable heroes with emotionally noble quests, cunning anti-heroes who keep you on your toes with their dwindling loyalties and motives, and an insurmountably tough foe. The story takes pauses thriftily and makes good use of them. Otherwise, it gallops from the very first episode without any intention of slowing down.
The voice cast features an array of artists with a variety of different accents. Pilou Asbæk’s menacing turn as Thor is disgustingly good. You would love to hate Thor here, and Asbæk has much to be thanked for that. Sylvia Hoeks’ and Stuart Martin’s earnest works as the lovers, Sigrid and Leif, form the story’s heart. The sharp 2D design of the animation allows the show to commit to its visually stunning world. The fight sequences are gloriously brutal, and Snyder seems to have had a lot of fun with them. “Twilight of the Gods” has been Snyder’s fun and triumphant return, and there is no reason we should not have more of this.
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