Shadowsong (episode)

"Shadowsong" is the fifteenth episode of Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders. It introduces the titular character of Shadowsong. Its international titles include French "Le Piège" ("The Trap"), Italian "La comparsa di Shadowsong" ("The Appearance of Shadowsong"), and Portuguese "O unicórnio chamado Shadowsong" ("A Unicorn Called Shadowsong").

As the Jewel Riders begin to map the Wild Magic, looking for the powerful Wizard Jewels, Tamara finds a place that registers strong magic from her Heart Stone and the girls head there with the help of the wild magic gliders. But the evil Morgana has set a trap that sends them to the world of Icy Wastes where she can steal the magic of their Enchanted Jewels. It is now up to Tamara, and an amazing unicorn she meets in another world, to save her friends.

Plot summary[]

The Jewel Riders have learnt of the evil Morgana and now they look for the Wizard Jewels to defeat her in their new quest directed by Queen Anya. They are in the Jewel Keep, helping the Queen in scanning the Wild Magic with Merlin's maps and the jewel amplifier in the search for the lairs of ancient wizards to look for the Wizard Jewels there, when Tamara receives a mysterious distress call. The girls decide to call upon the Gliders and head out into the Wild Magic.

Soon, Tamara is separated from the main group after Morgana's blast of magic knocks them into two different portals. Princess Gwenevere, Fallon, and Archie land in the barren world of the Icy Wastes. When they attempt to open a portal back to the Wild Magic, the girls discover they cannot do this and that something is absorbing their magic powers. Their search leads them to a wizard's lair, where they fall into a trap door and down a chute.

Beneath it they find a chamber full of magic-collecting crystals but no Wizard Jewel. Then Morgana appears and reveals it is a trap, and that the crystals in the room will absorb all the Enchanted Jewels' magic and transfer it to her. Archie reasons that Gwen and Fallon can re-tune the crystals and get their magic back. But in order to do this, the girls have to use their jewels, and the crystals will drain their magic during each attempt. Morgana taunts them saying soon she will be free from her prison in the Wild Magic, while they will be trapped there for eternity.

Meanwhile, Tamara finds herself in the savanna world of the Veldt, where she finds a unicorn caught in a giant spider's web. She frees the spooked unicorn, but it creates a portal and runs off.

Tamara spends most of her time singing to the native animals until she is caught by the spider monster from earlier. The unicorn returns and fights the spider, giving Tamara enough time to change the spider into a butterfly.

Tamara discovers that the unicorn actually has pink-and-purple zebra stripes. She bathes the unicorn, and names it Shadowsong, since she heard it singing in the shadows. After a bonding moment, the two ride off to a unicorn herd. Shadowsong refuses to join the other unicorns because he looks different, but Tamara assures him that real friends do not care what he looks like.

Tamara then attempts to return to the Wild Magic, with Shadowsong's help. The portal they create summons the Gliders, who just returned from the crystal chamber that the rest of the Jewel Riders are trapped in, and they tell her about the situation. Tamara tells Shadowsong to stay behind as she goes to rescue her friends, but he insists on coming.

Tamara and Shadowsong arrive in the crystal chamber and re-tune the magic-collecting crystals, releasing all the magic. Shadowsong absorbs all of that magic and fires it back at the Jewel Riders' jewels, recharging them and enabling them to fight Morgana, who is defeated and vanishes.

But then they discover Shadowsong has died. Tamara laments that her Heart Stone only brings pain, and her jewel breaks in two. Shadowsong is revived, the Heart Stone is restored, and now Shadowsong can talk with Tamara. Merlin shows up to explain that Tamara could not talk to Shadowsong earlier because she did not trust her heart. The girls promise Merlin they will return him to Avalon.

Back in Avalon, Tamara and Shadowsong say goodbye to each other. But Shadowsong promises to come to Tamara's aid whenever she would need him.

Behind the scenes[]

Original script[]

Main article: Shadowsong (script)

The episode was originally written by the art director Greg Autore.^[1] He said: "Since Robert Mandell was still working through the rest of the scripts, I suggested the idea. He was unsure but when I suggested the story line to go with it, then he saw the magic and emotion of it and had a script written based on my basic plot outline. There were many other features I was able to convince Robert and the writers to add in, but that character [Shadowsong] and episode were still my favorite. The whole concept that 'some things are more special than you can possibly imagine if you take time to care' was dear to my heart and I hoped others would get it also."^[2] The script Indiana Jones as an inspiration.

Avalon: Web of Magic connections[]

Almost everything that happens between Tamara and Shadowsong in this episode also happens to Emily and Indi in Heart of Avalon — most notably, the part where Indi absorbs the poisoned water elemental magic and the Heart of Avalon breaks in half.
Indi looks exactly like Shadowsong.
"Magic calls to magic" is one of the major laws of magic in the Avalon universe.
Ozzie has the ability to reproduce and throw noises.
The Dark Sorceress created massive crystals and trapped a variety of magical animals in them in order to collect their magic. Unlike the ones in Jewel Riders, her destroyed crystals create magical radioactive fallout.
Kara bonds with Starfire after naming him, just like Tamara does with Shadowsong.
Merlin’s speech is part of Avalon's prophecy.