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Warrior Nun - General Discussion

BetterButter

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Cranberry

Cranberry

Just finished my rewatch! I liked it more the second time around. The first time I watched, I was waiting impatiently for Ava to join up with the sisters for real, but this time I knew when that was coming and could better pay attention to the foreshadowing and the characters' motivations. The writers set up the twist about the real "mastermind" well; there were enough little hints (like Vincent looking slightly nervous in the van when Mary was reading Shannon's book entry, then relaxing when Shannon only wrote that she shouldn't have confided in an unnamed "him") that it didn't come out of nowhere, but I didn't find it too predictable, either.

I felt sadder for Ava this time, especially when she voiceovered about how nice it was to hang out with a group of friends for the first time -- "I mean, they’re not my friends, but they are a group of friends." I liked how Mary earned her trust, and that Ava knew what it meant when Kristian Schaefer told her, "We can't find clarity in the intangible. It is better to put our faith in ourselves and our trust in those who've earned it." Still laughed at Mary kicking her off a cliff, though! (I feel like Mary's not going to be in season two, which is the only thing that's disappointed me about the promo so far.) I still love Beatrice the most (her fight scenes never get old, and her coming out scene was so well done), I really want to learn more about what Lilith can do, and I'm glad that the bouncy-but-surprisingly-fierce Camila is getting more to do this season. I'm excited that the show's back in about nine days!

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AnimeMania

AnimeMania

Warrior Nun Season 2        November 10, 2022     Netflix

Episodes 1-8   Titles and Description

Spoiler

S02.E01: Galatians 6:4-5

Ava and Beatrice jump into action when they meet an ally eager to take down a self-proclaimed prophet and his followers. Tragedy strikes at the convent.

S02.E02: Colossians 3:9-10

A mysterious nun makes contact with the OCS, while Adriel proposes a partnership to the pope. Lilith turns to an unexpected source for help.

S02.E03: Luke 8:17

After the Order sends out an urgent call, Beatrice and Ava connect with old friends in Madrid and stop by a museum. Jillian investigates an anomaly.

S02.E04: Corinthians 10:20-21

As a bizarre plague sweeps the city, Ava uncovers new revelations about Miguel - and Adriel's methods. Lilith explores new possibilities.

S02.E05: Mark 10:45

Seeking Lilith's whereabouts, the sisters and Miguel visit Jilian. An unnerving discovery upsets Camila. Conflict erupts over Adriel at a conclave.

S02.E06: Isaiah 40:31

The Order and their allies prepare for a showdown against Adriel at his new cathedral, but learn their adversaries have been making plans of their own.

S02.E07: Psalms 116:15

After an intense battle, Ava's halo saves a life, while one of Adriel's followers has a crisis of faith. Camila finds herself behind enemy lines.

S02.E08: Jeremiah 29:13

Ava visits the other realm and returns with a new plan to end Adriel's unholy charade - but it will require superhuman strength and painful sacrifices.

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Cranberry

Cranberry

I finished it as quickly as possible but I'll hold off on a big comment until later. I had some minor issues but overall I thought it was really good! This reviewer agrees.

Netflix's Warrior Nun Returns with Prayer and Flair in Triumphant Second Season

Quote

While Season 1 suffered from inconsistent pacing and its cliffhanger ending, Warrior Nun’s second season builds on all the successful aspects of the first season (like its well-rounded characters, intriguing lore, and badass fight sequences), while learning from the elements that didn’t quite work the first time around (Ava has considerably less voice-over work, for example—a point of heavy critique from Season 1). The weakest elements of this new season stem directly from its unresolved ending and subsequent time-jump, but the series handles the fallout with clumsy adequacy.

Instead of lingering too hard on that final battle, Season 2 pushes forward, creating a storyline that is simultaneously emotionally taxing and strikingly poignant, anchoring its lore-heavy concepts to the core relationships between the characters. In particular, the relationship between Ava and Beatrice is the emotional center of the second season, and the dynamic built between the two of them informs every single scene. It’s beautiful to watch as the theological and scientific storylines all tether back to the grounded and real connection between these two women, bound by duty and sacrifice. Even the series’ critiques of the Catholic Church rest on the shoulders of the characters and their relationship with their faith, channeled through Sister Lilith (Lorena Andrea), Camila, and Beatrice’s season-long arcs.

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ybrik

ybrik

Going to write a short post on initial thoughts as may need to watch both of the seasons as some things still not completely clear. However, will say that the season was really well and I think worked better than the first season. 

Definitely missed one important character from the first season. 

I think the show was definitely correct in going the direction they did with Ava and Beatrice. Their whole dynamic this season was great. I also think the show really knew how frame shots with each of them where they would look at the other and in the shot it told a whole story on its own. An example of this is when Ava asks Beatrice if she ran would Beatrice go with her. The whole time Ava talks it looks like she is getting closer and closer but then seems to retreat when Beatrice denies her. Then when it pulls back to show both of them in the same shot they are standing close the whole time. 

I think the ending works well. it definitely leaves it open for a third season but with the little tease at the end, if the show didn’t come back, you can imagine a proper happy ending. 

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Cranberry

Cranberry

Only a few things didn't work for me. I hate that Mary was killed off screen; I expected her to come back even if just for an episode or two, maybe as a possessed antagonist. I assume there was an issue with Toya Turner, because these writers aren't usually that clumsy. I also disliked Lilith joining Adriel -- I understand the impulse in theory, after her mother shaming her and Jillian essentially using her and Ava taking her place in the order -- but it felt too easy for her to give up every single one of her friends. "She was under Adriel's influence" only goes so far, especially considering she still appeared to be on the opposing side after his death. I also found the Reya stuff confusing. I get that the church's idea of gods and angels and demons is wrong, but I'm not clear on what exactly Reya was supposed to be.

I loved pretty much everything else. I was hoping for Mother Superion backstory, and we got that and more! Excellent fight scenes, an affecting death, and even a resurrection! (And the scene where she bit into that erotic pastry made me laugh out loud.) I wanted more of Camila, and we got that too -- she was so cute and such a badass at the same time. I'm glad she got to flirt with a boy a little even though she'd never act on it. I liked Lilith's transformation and powers, even though I disliked her storyline in general. That hallway fight scene where she phased in and out was excellent. The fight scenes in general were A+ this season, and everyone got to make some cool moves. New recruit Yasmine was pretty cute; I liked her rambling and her intelligence that allowed her to survive even without combat skills like the others. I also liked that Miguel was Michael, which is something fans had predicted when we first saw his photos. It gave nice closure to Jillian's story, and his interactions with Ava gave us jealous Beatrice...

Ava and Beatrice were obviously the core of the season, and they were perfect. Ava accusing Beatrice of being jealous of her new friends, then immediately looking comically pissed off the second an attractive woman flirted with Beatrice was fantastic. That dancing scene in the bar... we did not need Ava's inner monologue this season, because everything she was feeling was written on her face. I even liked their fight, because they talked it out and made up immediately. They spent the entire season protecting each other and making sacrifices for each other and coming so close to saying how they really felt... that kiss at the end felt earned. I'm not even mad about the ending. It's bittersweet and it leaves things open for another season.

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Cranberry

Cranberry

Warrior Nun Showrunner Simon Davis Barry Breaks Down Season 2

He answered some of the questions I had.

Shotgun Mary:

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Well, the plan was to have Mary in season 2. And unfortunately, at the beginning of season 2's filming, Toya [Turner] had to leave the show for personal reasons. We had to very quickly retool the show to accommodate that. And we didn't want to recast her because I think it's too iconic a character, so what we had to do is figure out a way to tie in what had happened at the end of season 1 that didn't feel too clunky and didn't feel too slapped on.

Lilith's shifting alliances:

Quote

It's a combination. I think it's seeing the real Adriel also. All the way through, Adriel has been selling Lilith on the idea that he's there to enhance her being the true version of herself. But he's not the true version of himself. He's wearing a mask, a human mask, and there's something else underneath that. That is not human, clearly.

And I think that at the end of the story, when Lilith has experienced all of what Adrian's plan is and all of the elements that are going into it, the capper for her when she sees that he is, indeed, a monster. Under all of that disguise. I think it makes her at least take a step back. It's not that she has to massively change her point of view, I think it's just that she takes a pause. And in taking that pause, she removes herself from the fight. And that's enough.

You know, it's not like she changed sides. She leaves at the end. She thinks that Ava deserves a second chance and helps her at that moment, but it's not like Lilith is a different character at the end. She just took a pause. Seeing Adriel for what he was made her now become even more independent as a woman. And not be under the thumb of someone, not under the control of someone.

Reya:

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Reya is an idea we had from season one about Adriel's flight. We knew that Adriel was an escapee with the Halo, that he had stolen it and that he had crossed over, [and] cut a hole into our world from his, and that there would be someone after him. So we knew that was something we needed to pay off. But we thought there was an opportunity to combine that mythology with what happened to Michael [Jack Mullarky], and also with a larger story of this alternate dimension that lives alongside ours.

And that there are stakes in our universe that we on Earth... we're so focused on ourselve and our own thing, that we have no idea that we're part of this bigger universe where other things are happening. So I wanted to at least plant the seed that there was a political system of some kind, not politics in the traditional sense, but a hierarchy of worlds out there, and that Reya could represent that. And also represent the threat to Adriel, and potentially, a threat to our world inevitably.

He also confirmed that the Ava/Beatrice relationship was planned before they even started filming (it was baked into the scripts), and that they have some loose ideas for a third season if they get one.

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StarBrand

StarBrand

I had no idea the second season had dropped. I perhaps should have recapped the 1st season, because I had forgotten about several characters and what their story arcs were. The premiere zoomed on right past the immediate aftermath of the previous season's cliffhanger it seemed, with the Mary character dying offscrean (I had not read anything about the character not coming back.)  There wasn't anything I could recall disliking; Lilith's arc was very interesting to me, although she would disappear for periods before coming back at inopportune times on Adriel's behalf. I could undestand how she would feel compelled to follow him, as he was the only one who gave her any answers about what she was becoming (and even then, Adriel had to admit he didn't entirely know.)

I didn't quite realize where the writers were going with Ava and Beatrice until Camille pointed it out. I don't think there had been any previous hints about either character's sexuality, or any previous hints about the two of them. Either way, it was a nice little subplot that didn't overwhelm.

I did like how Father Vincent became the season's wild card.  He had been an honest true believer in Adriel, and didn't have the demon possession to use as an excuse, and was eventually swayed by Adriel's methods, although he was wavering a little before that, after his confrontation with Mother Superior ("I want to believe you're not doing this of your own free will, that you're being controlled somehow").

And perhaps I need to go re-watch, but a couple of things about the finale still confuse me. How was Ava able to summon the gatekeeper creatures? And why was the Arc portal open for Ava to go through it? Didn't it close when the cross was destroyed?  Why did Lilith say there was a holy war coming?

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StarBrand

StarBrand

On 11/1/2022 at 10:24 PM, Cranberry said:

I felt sadder for Ava this time,

I remember thinking about how sad of a story the Ava character had.  Losing her mother and being paralyzed in an accident, then being killed by nurse who thought of herself as an angel of death.  That's  f**cking horrible the more you think about it. I love watching Ava's unbridled joy at being able to experience things-(walking, the feeling of sand and water on bare feet,etc) she hadn't been able to do in years.

It also surprised me to discover the lead actress is Portugese, and this was her first English role, because I can never hear at any time a trace of an accent in her voice.

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Cranberry

Cranberry

2 hours ago, StarBrand said:

I didn't quite realize where the writers were going with Ava and Beatrice until Camille pointed it out. I don't think there had been any previous hints about either character's sexuality, or any previous hints about the two of them. Either way, it was a nice little subplot that didn't overwhelm.

Ava was definitely more subtle; she had one little line in season one episode four where she inner monologued about how she could finally "make love to... someone" while checking out an attractive woman, and then of course there was the ten-second gaze she and Beatrice shared after she fell out of the stone block and Bea caught her. Beatrice, of course, had an entire coming out scene and was confirmed as gay by the actress and the showrunner after season one.

It was all planned from the script stage, too. The cast and crew had been tweeting about it for the past two years, so I was 99% sure they were going to pay it off this season. I still didn't expect it to be as well done as it was!

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StarBrand

StarBrand

(edited)
51 minutes ago, Cranberry said:

Ava was definitely more subtle; she had one little line in season one episode one where she inner monologued about how she could finally sleep with "...someone" while checking out an attractive woman, and then of course there was the ten-second gaze she and Beatrice shared after she fell out of the stone block and Bea caught her. Beatrice, of course, had an entire coming out scene and was confirmed as gay by the actress and the showrunner after season one.

It was all planned from the script stage, too. The cast and crew had been tweeting about it for the past two years, so I was 99% sure they were going to pay it off this season. I still didn't expect it to be as well done as it was!

Just reminds me that I perhaps need to give season 1 a re-watch, because I believe I watched it right after it came out, and hadn't watched it since. Even so, I remembered enough to get through this season without being lost..:)

Another nice thing about the whole kiss, was that the other nuns saw it and nobody said boo about it afterwards. Granted, there were plenty of other things for them to worry about, but still. In Ava's case, being brought back from the dead and given the change to enjoy being alive again, probably would have no compunction at all about who she was attracted to.

Edited by StarBrand
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Cranberry

Cranberry

I love this. The fight scenes this season were excellent. With most modern (read: Marvel) fight scenes I often find myself just tuning out; I don't like all the random slow-mo and the quick jarring cuts. This show really went all in on one-shot fights, and I love it. (That church fight with Ava, Bea, and Michael was also one shot, and they only had a few tries to film it because they only had so many breakable items.)

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Quark

Quark

I thought this season was good.

The action scenes are definitely the best part of this show. Also a big fan of Mother Superion.

There were some bizarre acting choices though. For instance when Sebastian sees the nuns sabotaging the cross and he just... points at them. Also found it strange we didn't see Gillian's response to Michael dying.

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Zuleikha

Zuleikha

I thought this season started out very strong, but the second half (a bit after the OCS massacres) seemed very, very rushed. There were so many reveals and turns that I didn't feel either I, or the characters, got to feel the emotional weight of it. I think this plot could have extended for another season easily and had more room to breathe.

I also felt there were unnecessary deus ex machina type of things. Why would Adriel have a follower put a divinium cross in Camila so specifically? Why would he do this without any apparent plan for it either? What is the likelihood that he really would leave himself so vulnerable to the divinium tattoos and crosses? Why did no one's faith seem to be meaningfully shaken by learning that everything they believed was false... not just about God, the Catholic Church, Jesus, etc. but also about Areala, Adriel, the Halo, and the origins of the OCS? Lilith's fuck-this-I'm-out reaction was the most reasonable and realistic to me, separate from Lilith's other issues. 

Beatrice's asskicking is beyond the realm of believability. She's a well-trained human fighter. But her opponents are also sometimes well-trained human fighters.

Finally, I wish we had gotten some kind of explanation about Reya, the other side, the demons, and what happened to Lilith. Adriel was pursuing his own agenda, but it also seemed like he wasn't completely full of shit. What if Reya is the worse of the two?

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Cranberry

Cranberry

10 hours ago, Zuleikha said:

Why did no one's faith seem to be meaningfully shaken by learning that everything they believed was false... not just about God, the Catholic Church, Jesus, etc. but also about Areala, Adriel, the Halo, and the origins of the OCS?

They were all feeling it; Camila and Bea had that conversation about it, and Camila said that she knew Mother Superion had been feeling it too:

"Beatrice... if Adriel is real, then all the books were wrong. Do you ever think about that?"
"Of course."
"know it's terrible, but sometimes it's even hard to pray."
"Yes. I understand that."
"And it's not just me. Mother Superion never talks about it, but I know it affects her. And now you."

And when Mother Superion said they should all pray, Bea flat out said "to hell with this" and asked who they were even praying to, anyway (plus she left the church entirely in the post-credits scene). I agree that a little more from Camila and Mother Superion would have been nice, but had anyone actually told either of them about Reya? I don't think so. Even Bea didn't know who she was when she saw her after the final battle.

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Beatrice's asskicking is beyond the realm of believability. She's a well-trained human fighter. But her opponents are also sometimes well-trained human fighters.

That's an action fantasy show for you, I guess! Every show like this has at least one character who wins fights nobody would win in real life. Hell, every movie about some man hell-bent on revenge or saving his kidnapped daughter or whatever is the same. Or any James Bond movie. It's just one of those genre tropes you gotta roll with.

Quote

Finally, I wish we had gotten some kind of explanation about Reya, the other side, the demons, and what happened to Lilith. Adriel was pursuing his own agenda, but it also seemed like he wasn't completely full of shit. What if Reya is the worse of the two?

I'm sure all of that is for season three. Lots of viewers suspect Reya will actually be the villain next season. It was certainly odd that Michael was on board for figuring out a new plan until he saw that footage of Reya and seemed almost hypnotized. Then Ava was so insistent that Reya sucked and that she refused to be a pawn in someone else's war until she saw Reya in person, at which point she was suddenly all in. It was too easy. 

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Zuleikha

Zuleikha

8 hours ago, Cranberry said:

They were all feeling it; Camila and Bea had that conversation about it, and Camila said that she knew Mother Superion had been feeling it too

To me, that conversation was a way for the writers to handwave away how significant these reveals should have been for the characters. I know the show is a cheesy action fantasy, but I think the audience could have handled the occasional in-depth conversation about people's perceptions of their faith and commitments and how they thought the OCS should even continue to be. I don't really understand whether Beatrice left because of faith issues or because Ava functionally encouraged her to go out and experience life/get a girlfriend.

It's part of why I think the second half rushed through too much, and the Adriel plot should have carried through season 3 (a little tricky since they didn't know for sure that they would have a season 3).

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Cranberry

Cranberry

These two have done a few interviews now, but these are the best!

Also, Simon confirmed in his interview that the glowing sword at the end means Ava is already back.

This is also great, from Forbes -- ‘Warrior Nun’ Season 2 Has Netflix’s Highest Audience Scores Ever As Fans Demand Season 3 Renewal

Still waiting on renewal news. It usually takes at least a month. Season two wasn't announced until six weeks after season one.

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Cranberry

Cranberry

I'm not allowing myself to get excited until we get more details. This is what TVLine says:

Quote

Sources confirm to TVLine that while no deals are in place discussions are indeed underway to revive the series via a standalone movie or a shortened final season in order to give fans closure — but not on Netflix. It remains unclear where the project would potentially land.

I'm wondering if Simon is father ahead in the negotiations than TVLine realizes... if not, he's really playing with fire here by acting like this is a done deal. There's also no way anything could happen anytime soon with the ongoing writers strike and a potential actors strike on June 30.

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Cranberry

Cranberry

The countdown clock expired just now.

Quote

Hi, my name is Dean English and I'm the executive producer of Warrior Nun. I'm the person who found the graphic novel and asked the dangerous question of, "What if?" First of all, I need to start by thanking all of you loyal fans. It's because of you and your incredible energy that we keep pushing forward to make these stories. You guys really make it all worthwhile. So thank you so much for your continued support. 

I am very happy to announce that Warrior Nun is coming back as a trilogy of motion pictures. Once again, a trilogy of feature films. Three. 

One thing we need to touch on involves the strike in Hollywood involving actors and writers. And it's due to that that we cannot make any announcements today on that front. Some may ask, "Does this perhaps infer that there's going to be a universe being launched of Warrior Nun, which could expand into films and TV series following characters that we already know?" The answer to that question is yes. And there will be more details in the future. 

There is a Halo Bearer email hotline that you sign up for. And from there, you're going to get announcements of all the major developments as we go forward. And there's going to be a lot. And I know a lot of you have questions. Your answers will come through that. 

In closing, I want to say that you guys have made me very, very proud through all your hard work and inspired me all the time to keep going. So in this life or the next.

 

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