Unicorn: Warriors Eternal: Season 1

 

Created by: Genndy Tartakovsky

Produced by: Sam Register, Genndy Tartakovsky, Shareena Carlson

Starring: Hazel Doupe (Emma/Melinda), Demari Hunte (Alfie/Edred), Tom Milligan (Dimitri/Seng)

Unicorn: Warriors Eternal Season 1 trailer:

This show is pretty ridiculous, but in a great, often intellectual way. 

It's got a lot going on, a bit too much for its own good. I'll be the first to admit that. To put it succinctly, the show is about a group of warriors who live and exist throughout time, reincarnating in different eras to fight a major evil that keeps cropping up. Oh, and the group is called "Unicorn." The group has four members: Melinda is a powerful sorceress, Edred is an elf swordsman, Seng is a psychic, and Copernicus is a sentient robot who can manipulate souls. 

Copernicus, Melinda, and Edred ready for battle

The show's weakness is that it throws all this out a little too fast, not really giving the viewer enough chance to absorb it and breathe. The first scenes of the pilot episode depict the original heroes-- "original" as in with their own bodies, not reincarnated--fighting the ancient evil, but the evil escapes. 

 Copernicus uses his powers to suck their souls out and fling them into a different time period where the ancient evil fled to--1890, London. Except, an alternate London filled with fancy steampunk technology. The rest of the two-part pilot is spent with Copernicus throwing the hero's souls into bodies of people who are already in 1890 London. Except when it comes to Melinda, the process isn't perfect, and the host's soul, Emma, remains intact, sharing her body with Melinda. 

Seng's original and reincarnated body communicate on the psychic plane

Copernicus rescues a group of schoolgirls (who look a lot like Madeline), probably endangered by a fight

Thus, the season is about the Unicorn warriors chasing the evil around 1890s London and around England, Emma and Melinda battling internally for control of the body, and various other difficulties the heroes each endure like Copernicus losing his sentience and Seng fighting monsters on the psychic plane. 

The season succeeds in every other aspect. Once you've caught on to the characters and the concept, it's a lot of fun, intellectually complex, and emotionally fulfilling. At least one episode in the middle of the season is devoted to each character, allowing us to connect with the character at a deeper level and bringing them needed growth. Melinda's backstory gets a bit more depth than the other characters, but this feels necessary due to her complexity and more primary role in the show. 

Melinda and Edred, probably arguing about something

Another aspect of the season that struck me as odd initially but eventually smoothed over was... Emma's fiance, Winston. Copernicus pinned down Emma in the middle of her wedding to place Melinda's soul inside her, to the horror of the entire wedding party and especially her finace. Emma/Melinda ended up running away from the whole escapade and Winston follows. Thankfully, Emma/Melinda's character growth includes Winston, and he finds his own unexpected way to help the team. 

Overall, it's a great show, and I hope the confusing first episodes don't deter too many people. It deserves a good chance and I hope Cartoon Network lets the story continue!