Elves Season 1 Episode 6: Recap, Review & Ending Explained

The Sacrifice

Episode 6 of Elves Season 1 begins this final episode with Josefine awakening in the woods. Karen stands ominously over her, as it becomes apparent she’s being used as a sacrificial lamb. “You have brought chaos, we have to restore the balance.” Karen says matter-of-factly, leaving the girl to her fate.

Meanwhile, a bloodstained Moller comes stumbling out his house. He’s still alive and he’s decided to help the family bring back Josefine. He knows where Karen has taken her, given he sacrificed a cow at that spot beforehand, and races to help the family bring back their daughter.

Eventually they make it up and find Josefine, just as Kee-Ko appears and starts helping her with the chains too. Unfortunately, Karen lurks in the shadows and she shows herself, pointing a gun at the family.

However, Kee-Ko jumps on Karen’s back and bites at her. When Karen throws it off, shooting at Kee-Ko, a monstrous elf shows up and immediately pounces on Karen, mutilating her. The rest of the family charge off, including Josefine who tries (and fails) to convince Kee-Ko to join them.

Out in the woods, the gang hit an elf and fail to get away. Instead, they’re forced to go on foot. The gang make it through the gates, the generator starts up again and Moller hurriedly locks the fence. For Josefine though, she’s conflicted. On the one hand, she’s happy to be with her family but also upset about leaving Kee-Ko behind.

How does Elves Season 1 end?

With the threat thwarted (and the hole in the fence all patched up) Josefine and the others head back to the mainland. However, under their car happens to be none other than Kee-Ko!

The Episode Review

Well that was a bit rushed wasn’t it? This whole season feels like it needed way more time to actually flesh out the world and this episode really exemplifies why. The climax feels really rushed, with the “emotional” moments between Josefine and Kee-Ko saying goodbye lacking the weight needed to carry these scenes.

It also doesn’t help that beyond a bit of exposition about the island, we don’t really learn very much about why the elves are there or how. What do they actually want? Is it simply a case of slaughtering all the humans or is there more to it?

We heard from Moller that no elves have managed to get out before but that’s a flat-out lie, given Kee-Ko managed to get free. They also seem to be sacrificing animals to keep the elves happy, which sets up a sort of truce between the two groups, but is there something larger lurking out in the woods? How are the elves all working together as a cohesive unit? It’s assumed that the elves in Moller’s house went back through the fence again but that’s another part that’s not really explained.

It does, however, seem like Karen has been working on learning more about these creatures. The documents and glass jar in her office proves as much, but it’s still unknown how this all slots together. For the most part, we’re playing guesswork here!

Elves really needed another four episodes or so (or, y’know, standard 45 minute chapters) to really help get to know these characters and understand the world as a whole. As it stands, this is a pretty disappointing conclusion.