Rian and Deet acquire one half of the Dual Glaive from Maudra Argot, who hid it within her walking stick. They learn that Ordon had hidden the other half at Stone-in-the-Wood's crucible. At the Castle, Aughra offers her essence to revive skekMal in exchange for the captive Gelflings' freedom. Though skekSo accepts, he orders skekVar to kill the prisoners before they escape. Now permanently joined with the Ascendancy, Tavra reveals the Arathim-Gelfling alliance and injures skekVar before being fatally wounded by skekSil. He wins skekVar's loyalty by giving him a vial of essence to heal himself with. When it appears that Aughra's essence was not enough to prevent skekMal's death, skekSil proposes to the other Skeksis that they should create an obedient army from Arathim corpses. Rian reunites the Dual Glaive and issues a call to arms, calling all Geflings to meet at Stone-in-the-Wood. Hearing through the Crystal and threatening retaliation, skekSo orders an attack at dawn to stop the Rebellion before it can begin.
Tropes featured in this episode include:
- Big "NO!": The Emperor unleashes one when it seems The Hunter has died.
- Call-Forward: We get our first clue of two of the missing film Skeksis' whereabouts, when the Skeksis propose to summon skekNa (the Slave Master) and skekUng (the future Garthim Master) at the castle.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Regarding the Call-Forward mentioned above, the Skeksis discuss summoning their remaining brethren (minus the exiled skekGra the Heretic) in preparation for the incoming war against the Gelflings. They mention skekNa the Slave-Master and skekUng the (future) Garthim-Master — both from the film, and skekLi the Satirist and skekSa the Mariner from the Expanded Universe books. There's no mention of the last of the eighteen Skeksis that could potentially join them (and eventually will, since he's in the film), skekShod the Treasurer. The last two missing Skeksis, meanwhile, were killed just as soon as the Skeksis and Mystics were formed as shown in The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths.
- Defiant Captive:
- The Gelflings under the Skeksis captivity.
- Also Aughra, who keeps mocking the Skeksis while they drain her.
- Do Not Adjust Your Set: Emperor skekSo uses the Dark Crystal to hijack Rian's magical Video Phone fire message in order to threaten the Gelflings shall they rebel.
- Foregone Conclusion: Since she was in the movie, it's no secret that Aughra's death this episode won't last.
- Gondor Calls for Aid: It turns out the initial synopsis allegory "igniting the fires of rebellion" is a bit literal, with Rian talking to all the Gelfling clans through a magical fire and inciting them to unite and rebel against the Skeksis, no matter how at odds the clans were with each other.
- Hidden in Plain Sight: The half of the Dual Glaive that Rian and Deet were looking for in the Caves of Grot turns out to be hidden in Maudra Argot's cane.
- It's All My Fault: Seladon when she finally comes to her senses.
