[Review] The Dead Lands episode 8 is a satisfying conclusion

Shudder has released the season finale of its Maori fantasy horror series The Dead Lands, in which things come to a final, brutal conclusion between Waka and his father, Te Kaipo in “The Sacrifice of Innocence.”

We start with a flashback to just before the first episode, when Mehe is first guided by the dead to find Waka. It’s a neat bit of storytelling that fills in an immensely important gap of information I didn’t know I was missing. Ever since the series began, we’ve been reminded that Mehe was guided “by the dead” to find Waka, but now we learn who exactly set her on the path. As soon as I saw that it’s the dead warrior who’s been guiding Waka, I realized his true identity and what it means for the series in a fantastic a-ha! moment. The revelation doesn’t disappoint when Waka later puts the pieces together and confronts him.

The heart of the series has been the relationship between Waka and Mehe and it’s put back in central focus after separating them for most of episode seven. Mehe is convinced that Te Kaipo can fix the world if she sacrifices herself to his magic and Waka isn’t having any of it. I’m so glad they never ventured into romantic love, but rather such a strong friendship that they finally cement what they mean to each other.

Yes, the dead can’t rest in piece and people are getting killed by them and some shamans are causing problems and there’s a couple of bickering gods, but The Dead Lands is about family. Mehe is willing to sacrifice herself for her family, and once Waka realizes that he considers Mehe his family, he can’t face losing her.

Waka’s abuse by his father and antagonistic relationship with his dead mother tells us how important a positive family member can be to him, as he’s made Mehe his surrogate little sister. Meanwhile, Mehe already has a big brother in the form of Rangi, and while they love each other, they never see eye to eye and he doesn’t quite treat her as an equal.

But it’s not all feelings. The army of the dead make a brutal come back in an action-packed finale. The stakes are raised, lives are lost, and I loved every part of it. The storytelling stands on its own, but the fact that it’s such a wonderful representation of Maori culture and people in a film and television industry that all too often ignores or sidelines diversity makes the series all the more important.

Since this is being billed as a season finale and not a series finale, I’m hoping we’ll get a second season with these characters in this world.