Hi all,
It’s weird to think, in the past year since I released my initial ranking of the Warhammer+ Hammer and Bolter episodes, we have only received four new episodes. While I should mention that they have released some other shows in the interim, I was under the impression this show would be one of their major focuses.
One of the intriguing facets of these recent releases is that we finally get to see the episodes that are set in the Age of Sigmar universe. So how do they stack up when compared to the Warhammer 40K episodes? Let’s find out. In my last article, I ranked the episodes but for this one, I will assign a letter grade instead. The summaries will have spoilers fyi.
#10 Plague Song – Rating: B+
This is one of the stranger episodes set in the 40K universe. It’s another episode that plays with time but does it in such a way to give it a very thematic chaos-y feel. The visuals are cool and it does a good job of showing how a chaos warband, and a Nurgle one at that, operates. If I had to find fault with the episode, the plot device that allows them to win is very convenient and a bit of a cop-out. It makes less sense the more you think about it. I think I would likely have given this a higher grade, but it’s a very solid episode, in the higher tier of those released.
#11 Double or Nothing – Rating: F
Look I get it, writing humor is hard, especially with there being only one other humorous episode in the series so far. However, this episode leans so far into the wackiness of Sigmar that it reads like a bad fan fic. The simple fact of the matter is: the story makes absolutely 0 sense. The introduction of this Purple Stormcast is fine. I actually think having a recurring character works well in anthologies. But his interactions with the orks just make them look spectacularly stupid (and him stupid for trying it). If they gave him some form of bargaining chip to lend credence to why the orks would listen to him, and not just have the first boy kill him, it would massively improve the story. Either have him be well known enough that everyone fears him, making the initial fights more shocking, or have him be the commander of the Stormcasts and thus a worthy fight. It is really hard to believe that he could fail upwards in the manner he does until the final fight. His attempts at quippy-ness are also pretty bad and just lend to the feeling that he is some type of Mary-Sue.
#12. Monsters – Rating: B
A much better episode than its predecessor, Monsters does some good things for the universe. Fleshing out how raiders don’t always worship chaos is a good touch and adds a sense of depth to the lore. The introduction of generic chaos-y type bests and strange Cities of Sigmar walkers also adds some new twists and aesthetics. I don’t think the story is all that great and the fight scenes don’t make much sense. If you like the raiders of the Sigmar world you will vibe with this episode but if that’s not your thing there isn’t a whole lot here for you.
#13. A New Life – Rating: A+
I really liked this episode, even before the ending. It captures the chaotic, end-times feeling of a world succumbing to a Tyranid invasion and the desperation inherent. The story is compelling and well told and aspects that appear to be plot holes early on are resolved very cleverly. This is one of the few episodes I want to re-watch as information you receive late in the show radically recontextualizes what you have seen previously. This might be my favorite Hammer and Bolter episode yet as it doubles down on what this format is good for. Compelling small stories that help you understand the nature of the universe and its factions.
Well, I think that about covers things for today. What do you think? Am I being too hard on these episodes? Too easy? Do you have a favorite episode of the show so far?
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