The Wayfinders
Stream on Angel
Runtime: 6 Episodes (51 to 55 Minutes Each)
Rated PG
An antisocial genius, a jock who wants to be in theater, and a video game-playing hacker get transported to a Dungeons and Dragons-like fantasy world where they learn the fate of their world and this new world are intertwined. The three students, also known as the Wayfinders, must team up with a rogue, a princess, and a werebear in order to survive monsters, a tyrannical prince, and dungeons while searching for a way home and uncovering an ancient prophecy connecting their worlds.
Themes:
Elves, parents, potential, fantasy tropes, prophecy, trickery, warriors, thieves, sorcerer, marrow, parents forcing their dreams unto their children, adventure, first folks, trust, friendship, different world/dimensions, the void key, insecurity, fear, guilt, parenting, failure, shortcuts, learning from mistakes, training, love, love = greatness, treasure hunting, betrothal, family, kingdoms, missing people, seeing the future, choice, hope, motives, betrayal, and quests!
Language:
Crap - 1 Freakin - 1 Heck - 2 Sucks - 1 Wuss - 2
Jeez is used a few times.
Minor insults such as meathead, lazy, jerk, dufus, hobo, vagrant, and whelps.
Stuff to be aware of: Some of this may be spoiler territory.
Alcohol/Drugs - One character asks if something is drugged and makes a joke about someone else knowing about that kind of thing. One character mentions not having his fake ID when entering a tavern.
A few scenes take place in taverns. People drink out of mugs, but people do not appear drunk. A guy tells the barkeep to only let a kid “drink water.”
Gross - There is a woman who drops a bag, and a skull rolls out of it. A character throws up off-screen, but you can clearly hear it.
Scary - A man turns into a werebear and attacks several men and kills them, but their deaths are mostly not seen. A man on a table starts to transform into a monster, but then the transformation stops, then he turns into a monster. The scene could be pretty scary for younger viewers.
At the end of episode three and the beginning of episode four, some bad guys are introduced who have sunken-in looking eyes. They kind of resemble a well-preserved zombie.
In episode five, there is a two-headed cyclops that chases the heroes. He isn’t particularly scary, but he is a monster. The characters also travel through some dark, ominous tunnels. A bunch of guinea pig-sized spiders fall on the characters.
Sexual - In episode 2, a male character gets shot in the butt with a crossbow bolt. Later, a woman touches his butt to heal the wound.
In episode three, a man takes off his shirt and spars with another man. He is shirtless in several scenes.
Violence/Gore - There are multiple battles with people who are killed by swords and catapults. There is not much gore or blood. I will mention the more intense things here. A man gets shot in the back with two arrows, but he does not die. No blood is seen. Several people get burned up in the dragon’s fire, but you only see them enter the flame, and that is all.
Two characters practice and spar with each other. There isn’t any blood, but there are some bruises.
Other - One character receives visions. During this time, the character’s eyes roll up in their head, and they spasm.
In episode five, a character tells a story in which a mother dies in childbirth. The story is brief and only her death is mentioned and then the story moves on.
Overall:
Seeing It With Your Family
Being that this is made by Angel Studios, the creators behind The Chosen and the Wingfeather Series, you won’t be finding anything too bad, but there are some intense scenes and monsters.
What I Thought
Angel has found a winner with this show. I didn’t really expect much, but it wowed me. It is well written, they have a good cast, the dialogue is witty, and it is easy to like and root for all the characters. The only strike against it is that they didn’t have a huge budget. Some of the special effects and CGI aren’t “Stranger Things” quality, but it didn’t hurt my enjoyment due to it being so well done in the other departments mentioned above.
If you enjoy Lord of the Rings, D&D, or the Chronicles of Narnia, this will likely scratch your fantasy show itch, and you may even find yourself enjoying it more than expected, like we did. This is the kind of show that Angel needs to compete with the big streaming services. Here’s to hoping season two will have a bigger budget.
Another plus, I thoroughly enjoyed all the pop culture references: Disney princesses, Avengers, Hulk, Nintendo, Harry Potter, Dungeons and Dragons, Dr. Phil, Bon Jovi, Star Wars, TikTik, Indiana Jones, etc.