Ronja the Robber’s Daughter – Season 1 Episode 4 Recap & Review

The First Snow

Episode 4 of Ronja the Robber’s Daughter begins at the fort. Mattis asks Ronja to come hunting with him and his men. Ronja is happy to come and is elated when they kill a moose. 

Over on Borka’s side of the fort, his wife is unhappy with him for not providing moose for them. This prompts him to set off on an expedition with his son and his men. It doesn’t go well though, as a group of soldiers get in the way of their hunting, and their horses are stolen by Mattis.  

Chegge has told Cappa about Ronja wandering alone in the forest. She instructs the soldiers to find and take the girl, as this is a way to lure Mattis out of the fortress.

Meanwhile, Ronja and Birk are out in the forest trying to catch horses. Their plans are foiled by harpies who descend on them from the sky. After a tense chase, the two friends manage to find a hiding spot. They’re safe but as they leave the path they were on, they become lost. Thankfully, they manage to get back on the right track eventually, where they then head their separate ways. 

Soldiers are in the forest looking for Ronja. They think they see her but it is actually an underearther who has shifted shape. The real Ronja hears their cries from a distance. 

Back at the fort, Chegge encourages Ronja to stay at the fort. Is he worried for her safety? Possibly. At the village, Smavis and Cappa discuss the fact that the soldiers haven’t returned from their hunt for Ronja. We then see Cappa stroke a horse. This triggers an emotional memory from her past. 

Outside, Halvert encourages a soldier to spread bad word about the new sheriff. We then see Smavis talking to Cappa, the new lawmaker, and from their conversation, it would appear that Cappa’s past life in the village was not a good one. While they talk to one another, Halvert tries to convince Valdir that Cappa is doing a terrible job. 

Shortly after, Cappa is with Chegge in the forest. She tells him to help her get Ronja out of the fortress. If he does, she will protect his nephew and sister. If he betrays her, she will exile them as she exiled him. 

Elsewhere in the forest, Halvert has an encounter with the harpies. One of them stands before him but we don’t see what happens next as the episode cuts to Ronja who is delighted by the snow that has started to fall. Mattis is less than happy as the snow triggers a memory from his childhood. We see his father forbidding him from playing with Borka. 

We cut to Halvert, who is in a cave with a harpie. The man is terrified of the beast and more so when others appear. They chase him… which begs the question, why did they take him back to their base in the first place? Why not just kill him where they found him? 

We don’t have time to think about that as we then see Ronja enjoying her time in the snow. Borka is also outside, hunting for rabbits. When he brings one back to the fort, his wife is unimpressed with his catch.

Meanwhile, Ronja and Mattis are talking about his childhood. However, we don’t hear a lot as he is reluctant to share his past with her. 

At the village, Cappa and Valdir are talking about Halvert’s misdeeds. Smavis visits Chegge’s sisters and gives her supplies. None of them look particularly happy but the same can’t be said of Ronja who is having a whale of time skiing in the snow. Well, until she gets stuck in a hole that is. She accidentally breaks the roof of a group of little people known as the Rumphobs, who are surprised to see her. 

The episode ends with Ronja stuck in the hole as the darkness begins to fall. A harpie circles overhead and then swoops down in front of her. “Pretty little human,” it says, ominously.

The Episode Review

The Rumphobs finally make an appearance, which will be of relief to those who prefer it when the show leans into its fantastical elements. We get another appearance from the unearthed too, as well as the harpies who may or may not have killed Halvert – we’ll find out soon, hopefully. 

We finally learn more about Mattis’s childhood in this episode, though not a great deal admittedly. We know that his father forbade him from seeing Borka, which is likely to do with him being from a rival clan. Will there be more to their story than this? Perhaps we will find that out soon too.

This was a good episode, with interesting tidbits about some of the characters, and a few plot hooks to keep us glued to our screens. But as the season has been split into two – the second half is due later in 2024 – we probably shouldn’t expect to discover all there is to know about Mattis, Borka, or Cappa in the first part of the season’s run.