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in: Miniseries, Episodes

The Journey

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The Journey is the first episode of the miniseries. It aired on the 22nd of December 2018.

Official synopsis[]

Concerned by troubling visions his brother Fiver has about an encroaching threat, Hazel and several other rabbits set out in search of a new safe haven.

Plot[]

According to Richard Adams's Lapine mythology, the world was created long ago by the god Lord Frith, who represents the sun. When the rabbits begin multiplying out of control, Frith creates the predators in order to hunt them down. However, he bestows great talents upon the rabbits, led by El-ahrairah (the "Prince with a Thousand Enemies"), in order to ensure their survival. Though the life of a rabbit is one of constant fear and danger, Frith reassures the rabbits that as long as they rely on their speed and wits, they will never be destroyed.

Fiver has a vision where the field has blood on it.

Fiver has a vision where the field has blood on it.

In the present day, in the Sandleford Warren in Hampshire, England, a rabbit named Hazel wakes his younger brother Fiver from a vision, where he sees machines coming to destroy the warren. Hazel, worried since previous visions have been real, decides to warn their Chief Rabbit, but the vagueness and forcefulness of their charge caused them to be dismissed. The brothers manage to convince some rabbits to leave the warren with them, but they are surrounded by Owsla members led by Captain Holly, who consider them mutinous.

Bigwig, the largest rabbit of the warren, helps them escape after betraying Captain Holly. In the forest, the group is chased by a party ordered to hunt them down, only managing to escape by crossing a river to safety with the help of Blackberry, who notices a trashcan lid in the water, and Bigwig and Dandelion who pushed the lid through the stream.

Dandelion draws off the crows.

Dandelion draws off the crows.

Exhausted after days of wandering, the group huddles inside an abandoned church before being attacked by a flock of crows, Dandelion decides to draw them off but he ends up getting trapped under rocks, thankfully Dandelion manages to escape after Bigwig kills the leader of the crows, causing the flock to flee.

Afterwards, Bigwig vents his frustrations at Hazel and Fiver, believing the duo were liars and says that he's going to dig a scrape, not because he wants to rest but because he decided that where they are right now is where they're gonna stay permanently.

The Sandleford rabbits look at Cowslip's Warren.

The Sandleford rabbits look at Cowslip's Warren.

The next morning while Fiver comforts Hazel who starts to doubt himself as a leader, a strange rabbit named Cowslip visits the group, offering them a place in his warren as he acknowledges scrapes aren't nice to sleep in during a storm. Despite Fiver’s objections, the group goes to the warren. Though it is full of well-fed rabbits, morale and numbers are strangely low.

Hazel and Fiver meet Strawberry, an energetic and friendly doe who is the only one who bothered to greet Hazel and Fiver (Other than Cowslip). Strawberry takes the two brothers to look at a gemstone made by a rabbit named Laburnum, Hazel asks what Fiver makes of it but realizes his brother is nowhere to be seen.

Bigwig snare birds eye view 2018

Sensing that the warren is plagued by death, Fiver convinces Hazel to leave, causing Bigwig to shun them both. Moments later, he is caught by a snare. When Fiver asks for help from the Sandleford escapees and anyone of Cowslip's Warren, Cowslip blocks the exit and reveals that those who get snared are given up to a farmer in exchange for protection.

The rabbits manage to free Bigwig but he is unresponsive to them all. But as they start leaving, Bigwig weakly gets up with the help of Hazel and he finally believes Fiver's visions, asking if he really saw the Down and quietly following after Hazel as he leads them through the woods, they also decide to continue their journey with Strawberry joining them as she can't have friends at Cowslip's Warren in fear of losing them.

The group resumes their journey, with Hazel getting distracted by a doe trapped in a hutch. The escapees eventually find and settle on the top of Watership Down, with Bigwig finally acknowledging Hazel as Chief Rabbit. Soon afterwards, a wounded and exhausted Holly arrives and confirms Fiver's vision was right; Sandleford has been destroyed, but he also says that no one is safe.

The audience is then introduced to Efrafa, a dark and cruel warren dug into some ruins near the Down. One of the soldiers, Sainfoin, informs their leader, a massive, scarred buck named General Woundwort, of the new rabbits in the area. He tells him not to return until they're located and to leave one alive for questioning.

General Woundwort is introduced.

General Woundwort is introduced.

Characters[]

Locations[]

  • Sandleford Warren
  • Forests
  • Streams
  • Roads
  • Fields
  • Church
  • Cowslip's Warren
  • Watership Down Warren
  • Efrafa

Cast[]

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