The Faraway Paladin

Episode 5

Episode 5 of The Faraway Paladin continues the brisk pace early on, but thankfully settles back into its best strengths for the reminder of the runtime. While I'm always down for a bit of hot-blooded deicide, the conflict did not do much for me. As I mentioned in the last episode, the incredibly grounded and relatable emotional stakes of intra-family conflict are what make this show engrossing, which is why the sudden appearance of an evil god felt jarring (and not in a good way). We also get a dash of deus ex machina from the goddess Mater, which thankfully does have some emotional heft, as Mary's unwavering devotion to her has been established early on.

The real highlight of the episode is the bittersweet parting of William, Mary, and Blood. There's an emotional weightiness and sense of loss that is both specific to the context of a fantasy world (undead adoptive parents deciding to “naturally” pass on) and similar to the very real human experience of losing one's parents. It's a scene that resonates – what more can we ask of our media, really? William is fully couched in his life in the secondary fantasy world, removing any real need to consider its isekai pretext, and that's part of why I find it so enjoyable. Blood and Mary are his parents, and he feels their loss fully.

The final moments are full of more touching sequences. William taking on the combined surname of Maryblood and the middle initial “G” for Gus was sweet too. The flashback to Mary and Blood when they were still alive and promising one another to be wed soon was the kind of excellent content a wife guy like myself enjoys (even if it was punctuated by lewdest possible act: hand-holding). I'm not sure what The Faraway Paladin has in store down the pike, but the promise of starting a meaningful life and one day returning to Mary and Blood's gravesites is a powerful emotional hook to start an adventure.

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Grant is the cohost on the Blade Licking Thieves podcast and Super Senpai Podcast.

The Faraway Paladin is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.