Ronja the Robber’s Daughter – Season 1 Episode 6 Recap & Review

The Spring Shout

Episode 6 of Ronja the Robber’s Daughter begins with water, lots of water, as the snows of winter begin to thaw. Lovis is happy that water is becoming more accessible as it means she can finally wash the men’s clothes.

While Ronja is cutting Birk’s hair, they are interrupted by Skully-Per who is heading to his hideaway. It’s not much of a hiding place though as Mattis joins him and expresses his concerns about Ronja’s recent activities.

Later, Borka finds Birk replenishing the storeroom. He grabs the boy as the scene cuts to the opening credits. We then see Mattis bragging about the Borka’s who are thirsty and starving. His men join him in his cruel victory against them. Mattis is more caring about Ronja who he reminds to take care while she is exploring outdoors.

As she is walking, Ronja is attacked by a gray dwarf, but she is able to frighten it away. While outdoors, she also meets a Rumphob and Birk. Enjoying the feeling of spring, she gives a joyful shout, which is less joyful to the Mattis clan’s horses who are being prepared for an expedition.

It’s time for a hunt (and some robbing) as both the Mattis and Borka clans head outdoors. Meanwhile, at the village, Valdir talks to Cappa about the bandits and the fact they’re still a threat.

Cappa then speaks to Smavis and we learn that Solve is dead, as you may have expected after seeing the previous episode. Cappa cares less that she is dead and more about Solve being a bargaining chip between her and Chegge. Smavis is more bereft at the loss of her friend. 

Meanwhile, Ronja and Birk are having fun trying to knock the Rumphob’s off a tree branch. This might sound cruel but the little folk are enjoying the game too.

Elsewhere in the forest, Mattis notices Cappa watching him from a distance. We then cut back to Birk and Ronja. Birk tells her about Borka catching him with the food. He tells her he lied to his father about where he got it.

We cut to Mattis and his men. Chegge rides off alone with an excuse to find sticks to make arrows, which raises Mattis’s suspicion. When Chegge is alone, he is joined by Cappa for their arranged meeting. He asks about his nephew and sister, unaware that they are dead. Cappa doesn’t tell him the truth.

Back at the fort, Mattis is angry that the Borka clan have been seen alive by Skully-Per. The old man later tells Ronja where her father is and she goes to talk to him. He asks her why the Borka clan aren’t dead. He knows somebody gave them food but he suspects Chegge over his daughter. She doesn’t reveal the truth.

The next day, Mattis confronts Chegge about the missing food and accuses him of giving it to the Borka clan. Chegge denies the accusation but is kicked out of the fort anyway. Mattis is then distracted by thoughts of Cappa and he speaks to one of his men about her. Mattis thinks he recognizes her from somewhere. 

We cut to Ronja and Birk. Ronja feels guilty about Chegge and wonders if she should say something to her father. Their serious conversation switches to something more jovial when they name the horses that are grazing beside them.

At the village, Chegge meets with Cappa. He promises to have Ronja by the night but wants Cappa to give her word that she will be present when he gets her and that the girl will be freed when she has Mattis. She agrees. They arrange to meet at the Giant’s Marbles before sundown. 

Moments later, Smavis spots Cappa at a gravestone promising justice. We then see a flashback of the two sisters at a funeral. The people they are grieving are their parents, as we learn from Smavis in the present when she speaks to her sister. We learn from Cappa that they left the village when their parents died and that Mattis’s father killed their father. 

Smavis has questions but there is no time for answers as Cappa is intent on getting the girl. We then return to the forest where the Mattis and Borka clans are facing off against one another. Borka tells Mattis how they survived – the food his son stole from them. 

Elsewhere in the forest, Chegge encounters Ronja and calls her to his side. As he lures her away, the episode ends and with it, the first chapter of this series.

The Episode Review

 The concluding episodes of the series will air later in 2024 so for now, we will have to wait for the answers that were teased in this half of the season.

Why did Mattis’s father kill Cappa’s father? Did Borka really betray Mattis? Your guess is as good as ours, unless, of course, you are familiar with the original book or the subsequent anime, in which case, you know more than we do.

This episode was a good one but as is usually the case when we are presented with a cliffhanger, it was frustrating too. Still, at least we got to see the Rumphobs again, so while Episode 6 wasn’t quite the finale we hoped for, we can at least have happy memories of Ronja and Birk trying to knock the little goblins off a tree. In an episode that was otherwise quite dark in tone, with the death of Solve and her son and the callous disregard of Mattis towards those who were starving, that interlude was a welcome relief. 

Bookmark this page for a link to Episode 7 when it eventually arrives.