Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets The Wise Wolf – Season 1 Episode 11 Recap & Review

Forest of Wolves and Frigid Rain

Episode 11 of Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets The Wise Wolf begins with Lawrence, Holo, and a fellow from the Remerio Trading Company (RTC) named Marten meeting with Nora somewhere. After they all meet up, they head for Lamtra. Later, Nora insists they rest, much to Marten’s annoyance. Lawrence and Holo tell Marten why it’s beneficial for Nora and themselves to take a break. 

Then, Holo and the others wander through a forest in the morning. Holo promises to protect Lawrence and the others from harm if wolves arrive. Nora’s canine companion (Enek) rushes past Holo and Lawrence to guard the sheep. Holo tells Lawrence that Enek is wise and knows she’s a wolf. Simultaneously, Lawrence shows concern for Nora and wonders if she understands what’ll happen if matters don’t go swimmingly for them. 

Holo tells Lawrence to protect Nora at all costs to lessen his concerns for her. Lawrence and the others go over their plans briefly at night and attempt to rest. However, Holo wakes up and senses a pack of wolves nearby. This entices Nora to blow her horn and for Enek to protect the sheep. Nora wakes up Marten to inform him about the wolves. Fortunately, no wolves show up, but Holo warns everyone that a bigger threat might be lurking in the forest. 

Marten departs from the group in the morning. He plans to chat with the folks at Lamtra for negotiation purposes. Nora, Holo, and Lawrence rest somewhere. Nora asks Holo questions regarding Holo’s wolf knowledge, her perception of Lawrence, and other things. Then, Holo jokingly brings up the notion of Enek being smitten with her. Nora laughs and plans to keep an eye on Enek. 

Moreover, Nora says she plans to quit her shepherd career in the future, regardless if she finds success. Later, Marten returns with a bag of gold. He suggests they commence with their plan’s next stage now. However, Lawrence insists they rest for the night since it’s late. The gang chooses to head through the forest. Unfortunately, a pack of wolves chases them while it’s raining. 

Enek and Nora pull off fabulous techniques to ward the wolves away. Holo’s impressed by Nora and Enek’s remarkable teamwork. Suddenly, numerous wolves surround Holo and Lawrence. Holo menacingly stares at the wolves and tells them to back off. The wolves yield and flee into the forest. While riding their horse, Holo tells Lawrence to tell Nora and Marten to go on ahead. 

Holo plans to separate herself from the group to deal with the forest’s bigger threat. She tells Lawrence the big wolf wants to fight her. Lawrence tells Marten and Nora to head to Ruvinheigen. Holo promises she and Lawrence will meet them there. Nora and Marten depart. Holo tells Lawrence to flee because she doesn’t want to worry about him. 

She hopes to resolve this debacle peacefully with the big wolf. Holo gives Lawrence her coat and heads into the forest to confront the big wolf. Holo mocks the big wolf for his ignorance and plans to teach him a lesson. Later, Lawrence heads into the forest and starts a campfire. Lawrence hears several men roaming through the forest. 

The men tell Lawrence that Marten told them to enter the forest to look for him and Holo. Lawrence leads the men to his campsite and tells them Holo isn’t with him. Then, the men attack Lawrence and Lawrence realizes the RTC is betraying them. The men tell Lawrence the RTC must eliminate all dangers to their company. 

Moreover, the men discuss wanting to do something nefarious to Nora, angering Lawrence. The men pummel Lawrence to the ground and discuss the idea of murder more. Nevertheless, they leave Lawrence tied up and plan to regroup with Marten. The episode closes with Lawrence crying at the thought of Holo’s demise. 

The Episode Review

Holo, Lawrence, and Nora execute their gold smuggling plan in this week’s episode of Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets The Wise Wolf. Moreover, they’re joined by Marten, who turns out to be as slimy as the other merchants Lawrence and Holo have crossed paths with (so far). If it’s not one thing, it’s another with this series regarding the amount of betrayals that have occurred since it started in April. 

It’ll make some fans wonder if the story’s gotten mildly repetitive and predictable regarding its merchant-betrayal shenanigans. Hopefully, the next story arc surprises audiences, giving us an arc where that plot point isn’t present in the narrative. At the same time, we’re certain the showrunners will give Mr. Remerio and his people their comeuppance after Lawrence and Holo discover a way to return to Ruvinheigen. 

Speaking of Holo, she’ll likely depart from her battle with the large young wolf victorious. However, she may return from the battle severely injured. Hopefully, Holo doesn’t sustain too much battle damage from the fight considering she’ll need to help Lawrence out.

On top of having some endearing chatter with our cast, this was an enjoyable chapter of the series. Some aspects felt rushed and a few moments didn’t look visually astonishing. However, the show’s charm remains intact. All in all, we’re optimistic the next episode will bring us a favorable outcome for our protagonists.