The second episode of Apple TV+’s Chief of War is a fast-paced, tense follow-up to the premiere. The timeline is fleshed out a little better, and the storyline moves forward in a significant way.
The two biggest issues with the first episode of Chief of War are that it's hard to discern who the characters are and which are essential to the story, outside of Jason Momoa’s Ki’iana. The second issue is an unclear timeline.
At the very opening of the series, the audience is informed that events take place toward the end of the 18th century. That is rather vague. For those unfamiliar with Hawaiian history, Captain James Cook was the first European to discover the islands in 1778. He died on a return trip in 1779 on the island of Hawai’i, in a dispute with the Hawaiians. This incident is briefly mentioned in episode 2, placing the events of the first two episodes well after 1779.
Outside of Ki’iana and his family, and King Kahekili, it's at first unclear who some of the other characters are. In the second episode, however, the audience learns that Ka’ahumanu is the secret child of King Kahekili’s sister and the king’s enemy, the king of Hawai’i.
Though she lived in shadows her whole life, she reveals to Ki’iana who she is after she nurses him to health in a cave, after he is chased through the jungle by Kahehili’s men. They bond over both being fugitives from the king of Maui.
Ki’iana feels betrayed by Kahekili because the king recruits Ki’iana back into service as his war chief under false pretenses in episode 1. After Kahekili attacks and conquers O’ahu, with Ki’iana’s help, the latter realizes the king lied about the Kingdom of O’ahu building up forces to attack. Kahekilli and Ki’iana don't find warriors prepping for war, but peaceful farmers and fishermen. It is a slaughter of innocents, and Ki’iana refuses to fight for the king anymore.
The king sends his men after Ki’iana with orders to bring him back. Ki’iana and his family flee, but they have to find one family member, Heke. Ki’iana draws the pursuing warriors away as his family searches for Heke.
During his escape, Ki’iana is injured, and that is when he meets Ka’ahumanu. After she helps him, he sends her to his family, asking her to tell them to escape to the island of Hawai’i.
While this is happening, another European ship arrives, and men go ashore to find supplies. They are wary because of what happened to Captain Cook. A minor confrontation takes place between Ki’iana and the white men, but he kills one of Kahekili’s men who was sneaking up on the white men, who, in turn, allow Ki’iana to escape into the jungle.
The king’s men eventually corner Ki’iana, and he fights several of them. During the fight, he flies off a cliff with one of the king’s main henchmen, presumably to their deaths. The episode ends with Ki’iana in the Europeans’ ship, having been fished out of the ocean, and sailing away from the islands.
Mysticism in Chief of War
An underlying theme in the show over the first two episodes revolves around mysticism and religion. Like most cultures and societies around the world, the Hawaiians had their own set of gods they’d worshiped for centuries. Some of these religious beliefs include seers who often will relay the warnings or prophecies of the gods.
In Chief of War, this mysticism is encompassed by the character Taula. She appears before Ki’iana in the first episode, and she speaks with Ka’ahumanu in the second. It is unclear to the audience if she is a mystic seer in the flesh or a spirit who is seen only by the people to whom she speaks. In both episodes, she appears suddenly to deliver her wisdom to the characters.
It will be interesting to see how this part of the story plays out and affects the tale.
The second episode of Chief of War has plenty of action. Like the first installment, a fair share of brutal violence accompanies the narrative.
At the end of the episode, when Ki’iana is sailing away on the English ship, it provides a nice, unexpected plot twist and a nice cliffhanger heading into episode 3.
Early confusion over some of the characters and the timeline is cleared up by the end of the episode, but the show still hasn’t done a great job of establishing who is who. The action, the plot twist, and the advancement of the story earn the second episode a solid score.
Episode grade: B-
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