SAND LAND: THE SERIES

Episode 9

The big revelation for this episode is that our heroes walked into a perfect trap—a Xanatos Gambit where no matter what they did, the bad guys won. If Bred won his fight against Rao, then he would have captured the greatest general of the neighboring country. But losing the fight still allows him the excuse he needs to invade Sand Land—especially as he can report that Rao succeeded in stealing a weapon of mass destruction (even if it's a fake).

Meanwhile, the same thing is true of both Beelzebub's fight against Muniel and the attempt to rescue the deposed king. Should Beelzebub win, Muniel becomes a martyr who unites the nation against the demons in Sand Land while publicly showing a connection between the old king and the demons—giving popular support for a war. Meanwhile, should Muniel win—well, things turn out basically as we see in the episode itself.

When it comes down to it, this episode is about two things: the power of information and the power of propaganda. The information gathered by flying drone cameras allowed Bred to set up his intricate plan. He knew where our heroes would be, when, and what they were trying to do. It allowed him to not only thwart our heroes but also take control of the popular narrative—all the while leaving our heroes blissfully unaware that they were pawns in his hands.

Moreover, both Bred and Muniel are experts in controlling public opinion. Muniel, as the face, has cast himself as the bleeding-heart hero—who will do whatever it takes to keep the people safe (even if it pains him emotionally to do so). And the people eat it up—excusing the fact that his mind controls his soldiers, uses them as living shields, and even kills them as collateral damage for the “greater good.”

Knowing what we know, Muniel is clearly evil (despite his angel status). However, the people of Forest Land only know what Muniel and Bred let them know. And because of this, they have a decade of indoctrination preparing them for a genocidal war against the demons and the people in Sand Land.

All this puts our heroes at their lowest point of the arc so far. But now that they are aware of the larger situation, we'll just have to see if they can use information and propaganda for their own benefit.

Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• So Ann is a half-demon. Neat.

• Beelzebub's speech is a great way of countering the intended propaganda (even if it was accidental). By playing into the prejudice that demons are as ugly and monstrous as they are evil, he can sew doubt about Ann's supposed demonic nature.

• Nice of the Swimmers to lend a helping hand. However, I was confused as to why anyone even questioned why they would do so. I mean, our heroic trio literally returned water to Sand Land—allowing the Swimmers to swim.

• I love the fact that Rao doesn't hesitate in his fight with Bred. He doesn't care that he's younger or a cyborg—he just goes right for the face.

SAND LAND: THE SERIES is currently streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.