Jason Momoa’s historical drama Chief of War on Apple TV+ was billed as a nine-episode limited series. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Episode nine ended with a cliffhanger, with the full story of the unification of the Hawaiian Islands left untold.
It explains much about the pace of the storytelling overall, but specifically the second half of what now has to be called season one. Episodes five through eight were each entertaining, but they didn’t advance the story very much.
For those familiar with the historical events that are told in this show, episode eight fell short. It didn’t seem to set up the series finale in a way that it would finish the tale in an hour. As it turned out, it didn’t.
Shame on Apple TV+ for not being up front about Chief of War being a two-season series. That information would have alleviated some of the frustration with the pace of many of the episodes. Audiences wouldn’t have been left wondering how they were going to wrap up all that needed to be within the nine-episode format.
Chief of War episode nine key moments
Episode nine had several issues other than the deception of not being the series finale. While it started well enough, with Kamehameha naming Ka’iani as his Chief of War, it quickly evolved into something quite different.
As Kamehameha and Ka’iani prepared for their battle for sovereignty over the Kingdom of Hawai’i, their counterpart, Keoua, was celebrating his approval by the fire god, Pele. In the first of many brutal scenes, Keoua punished one of his wayward chiefs by making the man beat his own teeth out of his mouth, before murdering him by shoving him into a volcano.
Keoua’s army vastly outnumbered Kamahameha’s forces as each approached the battlefield on a plain of obsidian. Keoua’s chief of war, Opunui, and Ka’iani exchange insults before the battle, in front of all of the gathered warriors. Then the battle commences, with Opunui ordering the first wave to attack.
Ka’iani and his warriors respond with spears, and then, with the guns he brought back with him after his travels with the white men on their ship. The guns throw back the attack, but Keoua has warriors to spare and orders more to attack. The battle breaks down into brutal hand-to-hand combat.
The battle scene is much more gruesome than previous scenes. It is much longer than any of the series featured thus far. Outside of the initial use of the guns, most of the fighting is done with traditional, primitive weapons. Wooden spears, cudgels, and paddles lined with shark teeth provide plenty of blood and damage when used in close quarters.
Heke does gain revenge on Opunui for raping her in episode eight. It is a violent death, as one might expect.
During the battle, this episode embraced the mysticism briefly seen in previous installments. The volcano erupts, showing approval for one leader or the other, and the skies darken. The obsidian field develops fissures with lava pouring through.
While the islands’ native gods are often mentioned throughout the show, this is the first time the audience gets to see the Hawaiian connections with their gods. They eventually pick their side, as flame blows from a fissure and burns Keoua, just as Ka’iani prepares to shoot him.
This whole scene just doesn’t fit with the tone the series worked to establish. Yes, it was a battle, but it was a long, graphic one, where in earlier instances, the show tamped down the blood and gore.
There is also a scene after the battle that is also out of character for the show. It is well-established that King Kahekili is mad. His actions over the last several episodes leave little doubt. Even his son is convinced, and tried to kill him in the previous episode. At the end of the season finale, a messenger informs Kahekili that Keoua lost and Kamehameha is in control of the Kingdom of Hawai’i. The messenger finds Kahekili is the middle of a shadowed orgy, with people having sex all around him. The scene is an odd departure from how Kahekili’s madness has been previously portrayed.
This entire episode has to be considered a bitter disappointment. From the slow realization that the whole story is not going to be fully told, to the odd changes in tone, this episode just doesn’t fit smoothly with the other pieces of the story.
It’s not upsetting that there will possibly be another season of Chief of War. It is an enjoyable series on an incredibly fascinating topic. However, the show has not officially been renewed. There is a good chance that it has already been greenlit for another season; Apple TV+ just never bothered to tell the audience that the story wasn’t going to be told in nine episodes.
For more Winter is Coming content directly in your Google feed, add us as a preferred source!
Episode Rating: D
Because of the deceptive way the show was presented, and how it left audiences thinking it wasn’t telling the story, plus the strange change in tones, this episode falls short of the rest of them, despite the spectacular battle sequences.
More Chief of War reviews: