The Guild Season 3 Episode 12 – Hero

By WorldofHiglet

After a tumultuous series of events, it all comes down to this: Codex is on her own, battling against the forces of anarchy that threaten to remove the very existence of The Knights of Good from the servers. Forever. And so we launch into the Season 3 finale…

The Guild is available on MSN/Bing and Zune and links to all The Guild Seasons and Episodes are on WatchTheGuild.com.

Disclaimer: this is a REVIEW and therefore will contain spoilers about this episode (and possibly previous ones). Just so we’re clear on that.

Codex sets the scene for us as she describes herself as a frozen squirrel. Like in Ice Age, I guess, but with less Mammoth. Although if The Guild were transported back to the Ice Age, Vork would most definitely be the Mammoth…. But I digress.

I love the way Codex channels Dawn: “Please, life – don’t do me any favors! I don’t want to ever be the Key to anything!”

It’s Codex against the combined powers of Tink and Fawkes and if she loses….The Knights of Guild are toast. Or possibly +5 Triscuits, Or maybe Matzos, like the ones Codex chomps on as she contemplates her very shaky future.

Then it’s straight into the action, which entails Codex being flanked by screaming Guildies while Fawkes sneers and Tink…does what Tink does. Across the room Riley is firmly reminding Zaboo that her toes remain unstimulated, but Zaboo is resolute. He is not going to take it anymore – he is a man and will do manly things. Like dump her via Twitter. 1:21 mins in (including credits) and already major advance.

Meanwhile Codex is busy running onto Fawkes’ blade while all around her Guildies argue and squabble, totally ignoring the real conflict that they should be focused on (dumb humans).

Clara is remonstrating with Wiggly because she doesn’t want to quit the game and he can’t understand why he feels like he has four kids. Which is when Clara drops the next bombshell – she’s pregnant! Yay! Er…WHAT? 1:56 mins in and there’s the second stunner!

It’s all too much for Codex. She’s down to her last hit point and no one is helping her! She’s going to lose and there’s nothing she…can…er…room fading…lighting changing…suddenly she finds herself in the White Room – facing her…Fairy god-self? No, at 2:17 Codex is face to face with her Avatar – the one everyone wants to date (one can only imagine how Angel would have reacted if he had met Codex’ Avatar in the White Room. Some soul-losing might have occurred…).

Now clearly Codex has had enough of people telling her she is doing a bad job. So she takes time out so her Avatar can weigh in with a choice assessment of her performance

Avatar: ‘You’ve been playing me like a total spaz! Stop playing me like I’m you!”

More helpfully, though, she also advises Syd (yes, I forget that Codex has a real name, too) to play like she is her Avatar: “..confident, in-charge – naturally wavy hair…” Syd/Codex takes that on board while her Avatar leans in for a little stinger in the tail. Seems that Codex is closer than usual to edge, sanity-wise…

Codex is whisked back through the looking glass and into the game once more, and attacks it with renewed vigour. And naturally wavy hair.

Riley is enraged at being dumped – and by Twitter! But Zaboo retorts: “Yeah well I thought 140 characters was enough. #sweetburns.”

Oooh!

Faced with defeat Riley does what any red-blooded human would do in those circumstances – get off with the closest person. Who happens to be…Venom! Poor Venom is helpless as Riley straddles her and kisses her mightily, to the conflicted delight of Zaboo. 3:27 in and Zaboo has turned Riley gay!

All the while Codex is fighting up a storm and ready to lay waste to all in her path. When Bladezz calls her out she lays down the law and blames him and Tink for everything. Vork agrees which deflects her ire onto him – which he accepts with zen-like calm. Then apologises for his lapses.

Codex then waits for Bladezz to say sorry, too, but he’s still torn up that Tink broke his heart – while she is furious that he deleted her character. In the end, though, Bladezz grudgingly apologises. Tink accepts: “Fine! I’m kind of sorry too – so let’s move on!”

They made up??? 4:25 in and the would-be couple have reconciled!

When Vork makes a comment they both turn on him and express their hatred for him. Vork is pleased: “As it should be.”

Fawkes has heard enough “advice column bullsh*t” and demands Tink help him. Bruiser, because he is so very charming, chimes in calling her “Tainterballa”, which gives Tink pause.

Valkyrie delightedly confirms that they call her Tainterballa behind her back and Kwan agrees which brings Tink up hard against the truth: they are too much for her. She detaches from the keyboard, picks up her phone and tells Codex to take her down – ooh, the anarchy! 4:42 and Tink is out of the Axis!

Riley finishes kissing the by-now reciprocating Venom. Venom is breathless: “That was a hell of a long kiss! Tasted like Chaos…”

Riley introduces herself (hey, she was brought up right, you know?) and then they roll off into the sunset – she’s done with Zaboo, who mentions that he is not emasculated by the way he turned Riley gay (although ‘little Zaboo’ is very excited). 5:02 and Riley gets her happy ending.

Now it’s Codex versus Fawkes, mano-a-mano. With her natural waves, Codex makes short work of the dithering Fawkes and shakes the room with her gamer’s interpretation of Will Smith’s masterpiece: “Crit, crit, trinket crit – BOOM!” (Crit = Critical strike). 5:19 and Fawkes is twitching pixels.

Fawkes is aghast and suffers critical eye pain leading him to believe that Codex is engaging in a past-victory activity that is more invasive than tea-bagging. Codex, however is triumphant and, after a quick curl-check, unrepentant – the Knight of Good are victorious! 5:38 and Codex is confident!

Vork asks Fawkes to confirm that he will keep to his side of the agreement, that they agreed upon, and Fawkes has to agree. The Axis of Anarchy is beaten and will depart. Vork then launches into what is the most bizarrely stirring while simultaneously disturbing speeches you are ever likely to hear.

Vork: “Everyone has to have a taint* – it’s anatomically required. So we rejoice in the presence of our taint. Tink – welcome back. Knights of Good, let’s load up and head out – we have an Expansion to play!”

Wiggly and Clara reach an understanding (yes, she’s really pregnant; no, the kids don’t get mini laptops). So at 6:32 George and Clara are back together – ingame and out of game.

Bruiser packs up his things and explains to Bladezz that he actually has feelings for his mother even though he was using her to get to him. Bladezz is cool with that – right up to the point Bruiser agrees to drop the charges. 6:46 at it looks like Bladezz has a new dad! Right up until the point that Bruiser crushes him…

Codex is ecstatic and wants to bond further with Tink, maybe share a few war stories – like the fact that Tink totally talks to her Avatar, too. Er, that would be no.

Kwan, however is most impressed with Codex’ abilities – so much so that he expresses this by cradling her left breast in his hand. Maybe it’s a cultural thing. 7:36 and Codex has more action than she’s seen in a loooong time.

Zaboo is keen to try that too, but is deflected. Even so, there is a new understanding between the two. Zaboo understands that Codex doesn’t want to bed him and Codex understands that Zaboo only got away from Riley because of her. 8:05 and Codex and Zaboo have entered the friendzone.

Their brief accord is interrupted by Fawkes. He has been spanked and he (obviously) expects Codex to meet him for drinks later. (Pffft! As if!) 8:16 and Codex has actually had the offer of a date with a real person, in real life! Even if he is a scumbag!

He exits and Zaboo asks if she is going to go. Codex is emphatic with her noes.

So imagine how surprised we all when, one quick passage of time later, we see Codex sitting up in bed suddenly. And she’s not alone. Uh-oh….

I loved this conclusion to what has been a very ambitious story-arc – Season 3 has, in every way, rocked. The Knights of Good have been systematically pulled apart and then remade, bigger, stronger, faster…well, they are back together again. When I interviewed Director Sean Becker he was clear about how necessary every step was, and he is right.

We needed to see how the break up of The Guild affected all the characters involved, how all the relationships changed and warped and refined and grew, because otherwise what would be the point? The trick that Felicia Day pulled off in writing this Season is that we really care about the characters.

Vork, even with his ability to annoy people from all walks of life, is still a sympathetic character. And even though all of his Guild hate him, we want him to be back in charge. Bladezz is a right royal pain in the backside, but we don’t like to see him so completely cut up by Tink and besieged by Bruiser.

Clara is a terrible mother and wife – and yet her enthusiasm for gaming and willingness to pretend to try and change is endearing. Zaboo, cyber-stalker extraordinaire, tries so hard to be a man for Riley that he endures all manner of degradation – and still manages to recapture his spirit.

Tink is mean, vindictive and just plain rude, but her bravado hides her vulnerability and when her mask slips we see she is fairly okay underneath. And Codex. Complex, non-conforming Codex with her quirky, twitchy ways. She has shown her determination to be what she is – and she might even be more accepting of that (non-naturally wavy hair excepted).

The way this episode has been put together, we are never more than 45 seconds away from the next major plot twist. In the end The Guild are back together, there’s the thrill of the Expansion Pack to look forward to and things really seems to be coming together. And then – cliffhanger’d! That is masterly writing.

And the writing is the foundation on which the rest of The Guild is built. The performances are natural and, most of all, believable. Which, considering what is happening, is amazing. Jeff Lewis is not like Vork in real life. Sandeep Parikh is not like Zaboo. Felicia Day is not like…every one of the cast is giving a huge performance while making it seem easy.

The same goes with the framing and editing. You don’t necessarily notice that there is fast cutting between angles and movement going on all the time, but that is keeping the intensity of the experience and building the tension. That goes hand in hand with the effects and the music. All have reached new levels this Season and The Guild must rank up there with any webseries for quality of production. Congratulations to the whole team.

And they are still an independent concern. Felicia Day held out for a deal that kept the control of her webseries with her. No deal has been announced with Microsoft regarding Season 4 but we can hope and pray that it comes through soon.

Judging from the numbers of people in the WatchTheGuild chat straight after the Midnight (PST) release of the final episode, The Guild has delivered to it’s fans, and then some! Sean Becker, Sandeep Parikh, Michele Boyd and even George Ruiz joined delighted fans and the chat moved so quickly it was hard to keep up. The “+4 Triscuit” was coined by someone (I don’t remember who – sorry! It was moving too fast!) all with calls of “Sweetburns” and “Bobbletaint”. Everyone appeared to love the resolutions of Ep12 and simultaneously love/hate the cliffhanger ending. The fanbase for The Guild is still expanding after three Seasons, which is a huge achievement for an independently-produced webseries.

In the meantime, what can bereft Guildies do? For one, there is the hilarious final gag reel to watch – hooray!

Then there is The Guild comic to look out for next year. There’s also the recent in-depth video interview I did with Director Sean Becker. And there is always the Knights of The Guild podcast that will be providing us with news, reviews and interviews about all things The Guild.

And if Guild Deficiency Syndrome proves too much for you, you can always check out a post I did about it earlier this year that might be helpful.

You’re welcome.

*For an explanation of the word ‘taint’ you can try the Urban Dictionary, but it’s Not Suitable For Work and you could just pretend it means something nice like ‘talent’ or ‘inner-beauty’.

WorldofHiglet is the online persona of writer Mary R. Higgins, a born-again geek reclaiming her heritage bit by bit. A youth filled with sci-fi, horror and adventure fare (TV, films, computer games and books) was crushed by years of office grind. Buffy brought her back into the fold after years of denial. Discovering Firefly sealed the deal. Now she geeks fulltime on her blog ‘the last geek bus home’ and her first novel ‘Turning left at Albuquerque” is currently looking for a home in publishing-land.

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