THE LEGEND OF WILLIAM TELL I EPISODES
EPISODE 8
SWARM

FULL EPISODE SYNOPSIS (spoiler!)

The rebels cross the mountains. The weather is bad and Vara is suffering from a high fever. Unexpectedly they come upon a green and blooming valley that is not on any map. In contrast to the mountains, the weather in the valley is mild and sunny. A group of friendly, peaceful people all dressed in white robes appears to greet and welcome them. The group is made up with people from all over the kingdom, even some that usually would not get along with each other. They call themselves guardians of the valley. Their leader is a woman called Harana. As a precaution William keeps their true identity a secret and gives his name as Edwin of Barabon. He asks for help for Vara. One of the group, a man called Radu, requests that they give up their weapons. The rebels are reluctant to do that, but they have no choice. Harana lets her people carry Vara into a guest house where the woman tends to the sick child. Aruna is suspicious of the people in the valley. They seem too nice. Unnoticed, a young woman is watching the encounter.

At the Citadel Xax is sentencing a man to work in the mines because he failed to pay his taxes. Kreel points out the obvious poverty of the man but Xax is not listening.

Later the rebels sit down to a meal with Harana. They are astonished to hear that no one in the valley has ever heard of Kreel or Xax and their evil doings. When Aruna calls Kreel and Xax the greatest criminals in the world in the presence of one of the valley people, she is suddenly experiencing a searing headache. As sudden as the attack has come it is gone. Harana suspects exhaustion to be the cause and urges them all to rest thoroughly.

During the night Harana keeps watch on Vara's bedside. The young woman who has watched the arrival of the rebels enters the room through a window. Aruna hears her and prevents the woman's attack that seemed to be directed at the princess. The young woman causes Aruna another headache and thus disappears. Drogo finds a primitive weapon on the floor, a stone tied to a cudgel. Harana assures them that the woman is not one of her people.

The following, truly beautiful morning Drogo discovers a footprint in front of the guest house. Radu approaches and asks Drogo to stay near the house for his own protection. Drogo promptly ignores the warning and follows the trace with Alvar. It is leading them out of the valley.

At the same time Aruna, Leon and William are having breakfast. Aruna is even more suspicious of their hosts after the night's incident but the men are sceptical. As long as Vara is ill they cannot leave the valley anyhow. Leon suggest to find out more about the valley and its people while they must stay. Two people come inside, bringing more food. Leon makes a negative remark about Kreel and now it is he who has a terrible headache. Again, it goes as quickly as it has come. Will suspects a punishment for speaking against Kreel and Xax caused by the valley people. Will goes looking for Harana to talk to her. Aruna accompanies him. But when Will tells Harana about the evil deeds of Xax and Kreel no headache is caused and he and Aruna are puzzled.

In the next valley, on the bank of a small creek Drogo and Alvar find the young woman. She disables Drogo with a headache attack and sends Alvar running using the same method. She introduces herself as Sefra and tells Drogo about her recent arrival in the other valley with a group of people. Other than they she can still remember what has happened, caused by Harana. Sefra also holds Harana responsible for the death of her sister. They were all tortured. Afterwards they were able to project the pain onto others.

Vara has completely recovered. Aruna urges the others to leave the valley as quickly as possible. Will agrees with her, even though Vara and Leon would like to stay a while longer. Harana expresses her regret when she hears about their plan to leave. She orders food to be brought for the journey. While they are packing, Alvar returns. Tell follows his dog, looking for Drogo.

Meanwhile Harana goes up to a monolith and calls her master. A disembodied voice tells her to make the adults of Edwin's group are to be made Ambassadors of Goodness.

One of the valley people brings figs as a good-bye gift to Leon, Aruna and Vara. The princess doesn't like them and so only pretends to eat them. She sees how Leon and Aruna get sleepy after eating the figs. Obviously a sleeping potion has been added to the fruits. Vara pretends to get sleepy as well and sinks to the ground. Then she secretly follows when her friends are brought to the monolith and laid out on two of the four stone slabs laid around in every direction. The other two are also occupied. Harana calls upon the monolith and the sleeping forms begin to fade away, then disappear completely. Distraught, Vara runs back to the guest house.

The following morning, Vara tells Will and Drogo upon their return that their friends have died, buried alive by Harana. Just at this moment Leon and Aruna return, unharmed but unusually gentle. They claim not to have any recollection of the events described by Vara. The princess can prove her story, however, by finding the fig she had thrown out of the window. A bird had eaten from it. Will discovers that it is only sleeping. Leon and Aruna don't believe Sefra's accusations when they here about them. Tell is upset when they express their desire to remain in the valley for a while longer. As he reminds them of the evil of Xax and Kreel he is punished with a terrible headache. He assumes that his friends now possess the same power as the valley people. Will hurries to Harana and confronts her with all of the things he has found out. Harana can convince him that she is not responsible for any of these. Plagued by doubts she asks her master about the torture and death Sefra spoke about to Will. Her Master, no other than Kreel, assures her that these accusations are not true and she believes him.

A little later Will finds Leon and Aruna dressed in the white robes of the village people with a group listening to music. He asks them to come with him. Ralu hears them arguing. William is frustrated when he cannot get through to his friends. He, Drogo and Vara don't know what to do.

William goes to the monolith, hoping to find answers there. He witnesses the return of four people. Ralu catches him and drugs him with gas that immobilises him. Tell is put on one of the stone slabs and transported to the so called chamber of good thoughts. Here people are brainwashed with hypnosis and torture. Energy beams caused by Kreel pierce into the brain and cause terrible pain, just as Sefra has described. Kalem has her guarding eye on Tell, as always, but in Kreel's realm she cannot actively help him, only give advise. William struggles with his left arm to grasp his arrow pendant. Its power helps him to fight against the paralysis of his limb and move about the chamber. He tries to wake the others, without success. In a corner Will discovers a water basin. With its help Kreel controls the chamber. When William looks inside, Kreel is very surprised to see his image appear in his seer basin. The sorcerer explains that Harana as well as her Ambassadors of Goodness are totally unaware of the pain they inflict. Then he attacks.

Drogo goes looking for Sefra when Will fails to return. Some time later Vara, Drogo, Aruna, Leon and others are listening to Harana playing the harp. Suddenly Sefra turns up and takes Vara hostage. She demands of Harana to return Will. They walk to the monolith. Harana tries to get Tell back, but it does not work the first time. She tries again, harder. Kreel tries to intervene but Kalem supports Harana's efforts and William returns. Kreel is outraged. William reports what has happened in the chamber and that Kreel is behind everything. After initial doubts Harana decides to see for herself. She goes into the chamber herself. The good woman is appalled at what she sees and at having been used like that. Harana uses her own magic to destroy the place. Kreel tries to stop her but her magic is strong, again supported by Kalem. The monolith is destroyed. All that is left of Harana is her pendant in form of an angel.

Ralu extents an offer to the valley people to stay and continue their way of life if they so wish. This is met with great approval. Without the monolith they no longer pose a threat to people opposing Kreel and Xax. Sefra bids the rebels farewell. William Tell and his band leave the valley to continue the quest for the Crystal Arrow.

© Cloud 9 Screen Entertainment & CLT-UFA Internationa

THE LEGEND OF WILLIAM TELL

EPISODE 8
SWARM

Original US Airdate: October 18, 1998

Screenplay by Charles Hodges
Directed by Graham Wetherell

 

Cast:
Kieren Hutchison (William Tell)
Katrina Browne (Aruna)
Nathaniel Lees (Leon)
Beth Allen (Vara)
Drew Neemia (Drogo)
Andrew Binns (Xax)
Ray Henwood (Kreel)
Sharon Tyrrell (Kalem)

Guest Cast:
Dinah Priestley (Harana)
Thaei Nepia (Zefra)
Matt Minto (Ralu)

 

TRIVIA: The angel pendant worn by Harana is the same used in "The Fifth Column", said then to belong to Gadreth.

 

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Kieren Hutchison