Tangled: The Series S1 E21

## Plot

It's Rapunzel's 19th birthday, but after the events of the previous episode, she's not exactly in the mood to celebrate. She notices a machine with a card that says wind me, and she does, but nothing seems to happen. It just plays a kind of creepy tune. Eagle eyed viewers may notice that it's the same thing that had a split second shot to itself after Rapunzel and Varian defeated the automaton. Oh god, was this foreshadowing the significance of that stupid music box this whole time? Sorry, that's season 3 junk. The black rocks keep growing rapidly, and people run away from them in a panic. Cass is in the stable. The king reassigned her after learning that she was the one who helped sneak Rapunzel out six months ago. He found out by reading Rapunzel's journal, which he did in episode 13. He presumably waited this long to see if she or Rapunzel would tell him the truth, but then decided enough was enough after what happened in the previous episode. Cass is being sent to a convent the next day. Wow, she really wasn't kidding about what she said in the first episode. It's revealed that various other presents actually contained robot parts, and the wind up thing controls them all. Cass, Eugene, and Rapunzel fight it. Everyone knows that Varian was behind it, but Rapunzel wants to leave and see what he was after. Frederic forbids her, and has her locked away in her bedroom until the threat is neutralized. Eugene points out that that's no different than what Gothel did to her. Arianna doesn't agree with her husband's actions, but she tells Rapunzel that they come from a place of love. Cass tells her dad that all she ever wanted to do was be a royal guard like him and make him proud. She didn't want to disappoint him. She never thought that he'd be the one to disappoint her though. Ouch. Also, I get the feeling that Cass and Varian are foils to each other. Rapunzel, Cass, Eugene, Lance, Pascal, Max, and the thugs decide to break her out with a complicated escape plan. However, Varian launches another attack. A fog creeps in, and he tells everyone the truth about the black rocks threat. He unleashes a fast and strong monster that proceeds to take out a lot of guards, including the captain. Cass takes back what she said to him and apologizes. Arianna is watching all of this unfold from inside. Suddenly, Varian shows up behind her and knocks her out to kidnap her. The monster is eventually defeated. It's revealed that it was actually Rudiger, Varian's raccoon, who had been transformed with a serum he made. The whole thing was a distraction so he could kidnap the queen. Frederic wants to launch a full scale assault on Varian, but Rapunzel points out that he's too smart for that. Plus, a lot of guards were injured in the attack. He made them think that the target was Rapunzel when it was really her mom to use as bait. He plans to use Rapunzel's hair to break the amber and free his father. After that though, he says that Corona will pay for turning their backs on him. He's crossed the moral event horizon, and he knows it. This is really the first time where the audience sees him as a true villain. It's depressing to say the least. He's emotionally unstable, and only becomes more so as the special length episode goes on. I still just wanna give him a big hug! And also some therapy. Speaking of people who need therapy, and hugs, Rapunzel gives one to her dad. He says that he's been keeping something from her. He knew that by removing the flower, darkness could spread, but it was the only way to save his wife and child, so he did it anyways. He wanted to just ignore the rocks, and expected everyone else to do the same. Quirin had the scroll and warned him of the consequences. Well, I guess that explains how Varian had it at his house. No king would put the welfare of his family before that of his country. But a father would. The citizens confront the king. They're angry and scared. He tells them the truth, and says that he sees family and friends, not just subjects. He asks for their help in stopping Varian. They'll launch an attack on Old Corona as a distraction. Rapunzel and Frederic will use the secret tunnels to sneak around the back and rescue Arianna. The captain is still too wounded to lead the assault, so he puts Cass in charge of it. Rapunzel and her dad enter Varian's lab. They think they've caught him, but it's just a dummy. They're restrained by more of that chemical compound from the first episode. The real Varian explains what he wants Rapunzel to do. He wants to use her hair on a drill to free his dad. If she doesn't, he'll do the same thing to Arianna. It's revealed that he built a lot more than just one automaton. They attack the forces outside in an ambush. While it's possible that Rapunzel's hair could break the amber, it's just as likely that it would break her. She does it anyways, but it's really painful. And in a shocking twist, it fails to work. Varian refuses to believe this. He doesn't understand why it won't work. I honestly thought it would work too. Rudiger frees Pascal, who frees Frederic, who throws his sword to Arianna so she can free herself. They reunite with Rapunzel and hug. The sight sends Varian further off the deep end. He refuses to blame himself for his own actions and blames Rapunzel instead. He has a never my fault complex, where even if something is entirely his fault, he'll find a way to twist the truth and blame it on someone else. If he can't have a happy ending, then Rapunzel can't either. He tries to kill everyone in a giant suit of armor that he built. However, he does confirm that he has, or at least had, a crush on Cass. Right before he attempts to murder her and the queen by crushing them to death to make Rapunzel feel the pain he's felt. The black rocks sprout up rapidly and trap Rapunzel. However, her hair touches them, and it destroys the automatons. She willingly touches the black rocks. It looks like she can control them. She defeats Varian, and the rocks destroy part of the wall separating Corona from the rest of the world. As a new day dawns, Varian is taken to the dungeon, and Rudiger willingly goes with him. He still hasn't learned his lesson, saying that he'll make his dad proud of him if it's the last thing he ever does. Rapunzel and her family feel bad for him. They decide not to be too hard on him, and get him the help he needs. Frederic vows to find a way to free Quirin. He also gives Rapunzel permission to leave Corona and find her destiny. He even makes a callback to episode 16 by reminding Eugene that Rapunzel doesn't need anyone to take care of her. The rocks have flattened out into a path leading somewhere new. Rapunzel decides to follow the path, and if she ever gets lost, the lanterns will guide her home. Later on, a mysterious warrior comes across the rocks. They're not as unbreakable as they seem, because this warrior has a sword that can cut them. The warrior's gender is unknown, but I'm hoping that it's a woman. Whoever this person is, they're connected to Quirin's mysterious past, because they have the same symbol on their right hand. I can't wait for season 2! I hope that it's part Rapunzel and her friends exploring the world, and part seeing what the royal family is up to in Corona. Seriously, if they don't redeem Varian, even offscreen, that would be one of the worst decisions ever made by Disney. There is so much potential in a redemption plot alone for him, not to mention the fact that Frederic said that he was going to find a way to free his old friend Quirin. Speaking of which, I also hope that we finally learn what his mysterious past is all about. There's so much theorizing about Varian and that warrior already. Of course, the number one question on everyone's mind is when will season 2 premiere? The answer turned out to be June 24, 2018.