The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe Episode 4

Well do you still believe she's going to make you a king? All the nice things you said about her sound pretty silly now, don't they? Admit it: you'd give anything to be with the others now. Even Peter.

~Jonathan Scott as Edmund

“MRS. BEAVER, WE’RE WASTING SO MUCH TIME!” – best line ever! :) I have to say, it’s the only line I remember from Susan as well. Let's face it, Lesley Nicol playing Mrs. Beaver was undeniably funny (a little irritating, yes). With the motherly creature being so unforgivably slow and all, I was surprised that Maugrim didn’t catch the Beaver in their homely lodge. She already was squandering time, bringing too much food and appliances and whatnot (“Can’t set out on a journey with nothing to eat, can we?”). It also seemed as though she was doing this on function. Peter was already mouthing for Susan to hustle. But no such luck; even Mr. Beaver couldn’t tell his wife off. Even I grew irritated with her! But I've got to hand it to her: she starred in the funniest part, revealing the harsh truth that it's more likely for the Queen to hold them in captive (like Mr. Tumnus) because she has a sledge. Lucy went like, “You mean, we’ve no hope?!” Then she cried. :-bd

Mrs. Beaver (insistent): I suppose the sewing machine’s too heavy to take?
Mr. Beaver (frustrated): Yes it is! You don’t really think you’d be able to use it on the run now, do you?
Mrs. Beaver: Well I can’t abide the thought of that witch fiddling with it, breaking it, or stealing it likely as not.

I noticed many things in this episode, by the way. Like Peter rolling his eyes when Lucy told Father Christmas that she would be “brave enough” if given the chance to take part in combat. Moreover, I'd like to point out that I, again, found Richard Dempsey’s acting skillz rather admirable. Don’t get me wrong, the other kids were decidedly improving as well: as mentioned above, Sophie Wilcox even cried in despondency in this affair (I didn’t see tears, but that was something); Susan Cook already had lines; and Jonathan Scott coming to terms with his fault was rather believing. But Richard Dempsey was most realistic. And believe me: it has nothing to do with him being the oldest among the four.

And then we have the special effects. Well first off, I just wanted to let you know that I did find Maugrim’s transformation kewl and all. I thought he was going to be a man in a wolf costume throughout the whole show. Obviously, I stand corrected. I thought it was remarkable, really. It must have been an actual dog playing the hunter role. Still a very great job by Martin Stone. There was this one part where I had the volume to at least thirty – then he started growling, scaring the bejesus out of me! The surprising/awing/funny/left-me-speechless part is that, he had a companion. One companion! When he growled at someone (or something) before shape-shifting, I knew he was calling allies. I know it would sound hostile and antagonistic (again), but seeing only one dog to have followed him? You and what army? Ha-ha. The Queen must be furious. It also felt surreal seeing literal drawings on screen. Perhaps they ran out of costumes or actors to play the magical creatures. I don't know. But of course, I knew it was coming. That probably was the only unsatisfactory part of the episode.

Other scenes that I noticed include every take the Queen had. There was a part wherein I thought the White Witch was having a hiccup fit. She was in fact gasping. Heh. Even Edmund woke up from this. You have to admit: Barbara Kellerman’s S’s are the best ones you’d ever get to hear. Lots of props to that kitty-like creature who was standing up for his rights, we actually got to see the Witch turn a group of Narnia inhabitants into stone. It also was an amusing sight watching her argue with her Little Man (“Are you my councilor or my SERVANT? THEN WE MUST WALK!”). We also got to witness the weakening of the Queen's powers. And it is mainly because “Aslan is on the move”. The trees have defrosted; the lake is full again; earth came into view. Also, Father Christmas made an appearance! I find it amusing that he counted the Beavers’ blessings with his fingers; he looked like a little schoolboy. And in case you’re wondering, Peter, Susan and Lucy, along with the Beavers did get to see Aslan in the end. We were left hanging. Very nice.

I find pleasure in the direction. The actors are maturing well. As I turned off the player, I thought I actually felt rather good dedicating an hour of my time on this. I haven’t been watching it for at least a week, I think. I love this show. Ha! There. I finally said it.