‘The Spiderwick Chronicles’ Season 1 Ending Explained

Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Season 1 of The Spiderwick Chronicles.

The Big Picture

• In ‘The Spiderwick Chronicles,’ The Grace family moves to the Spiderwick Estate in Henson, Michigan, to uncover a hidden world of magical creatures.
• Each sibling plays a crucial role in fighting the ogre Mulgarath, showcasing growth and self-discovery.
• Mulgarath deceives the family, leading to a heartbreaking event that sets the stage for new challenges in the future.

Roku’s The Spiderwick Chronicles is based on the beloved series of children’s fantasy books written by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi. Despite being completed, the series was cancelled on Disney+ but was then picked up by Roku for its U.S. debut. The Roku Channel original adapts the book franchise into a more concise plot-driven narrative with fantastical elements mixed into the characters’ mental health throughout their journey. The show follows the Grace family as they move to their mother Helen’s (Joy Bryant) ancestral home in Henson, Michigan, the Spiderwick Estate. As the Grace siblings Jared (Lyon Daniels), Simon (Noah Cottrell), and Mallory (Mychala Lee) settle into their new home, they confront many supernatural creatures as they attempt to stop the ogre Mulgarath (Christian Slater). The season focuses on the Grace family finding the pages of their ancestor, Arthur Spiderwick’s (Albert Jones) field guide, that was hidden by their great-aunt Lucinda (Charlayne Woodard). As the siblings discover more of the unseen world, they learn more about themselves.

The Grace Family Ventures Into the Unseen World in ‘The Spiderwick Chronicles’

As Jared initially finds and explores more about the supernatural world, he realizes that he needs the trust of his family and himself. One of the reasons for the Grace family’s move to Henson was attributed to Helen looking for help concerning Jared’s behavior and mental health. Unfortunately, as Jared and the rest of his family witness the magical creatures around them, they are reluctant to trust him. For most of the season, Simon and Mallory do not support Jared’s claims regarding the supernatural creatures and have Helen believe he’s lying. Jared’s great-aunt Lucinda is one of the family members who trust him the most when she gives Jared the mission of finding Spiderwick’s field guide pages to stop Mulgarath, and a portable seeing stone that allows its user to see the true form of magical creatures. Jared’s fearful approach to the supernatural world and its creatures comes from the self-hatred and ostracization he has felt from most of his family, except for his brother Simon.

Simon finds the resolution he needs to trust in himself despite the opinions of others. The series introduces Simon as the antithesis of Jared, or the “good” twin, someone who’s good at school, agreeable, and loyal. Soon after he sees evidence of the supernatural, he looks for the good in the creatures, as demonstrated by negotiating with the boggart Thimbletack (Jack Dylan Grazer) and befriending the fetch Calliope (Alyvia Alyn Lind). After Simon learns that Jared is likely to die soon, Simon works closer with Mulgarathmuch to his family’s dismay, to help Jared avoid this premonition. Although Simon is uncharacteristically rebelling against his family, he knows that these choices may lead to a future where his family stays together, despite his sister’s initial goal to leave her family as soon as possible.

Mallory’s tenuous relationship with her brothers reveals her motivations behind fencing and witnessing the unseen world grants her the perspective to reflect on her intentions. As Mallory transitions from the move to Henson, she struggles to make friends and continues pursuing her fencing interest for global scholarship opportunities. As she spends time fencing training with Valentina (Aria Mia Loberti) and befriending Bree (Mellany Barros), she learns of Valentina’s fairy origins and her goal of training humans that can use the vorpal sword to slay Mulgarath. Mallory realizes her drive to succeed in fencing came as a way to outshine her brothers, as she tells Valentina that one of Jared’s outbursts prevented her parents from being present during one of her fencing matches. After acquiring the vorpal sword, Bree is the only human with ‘pure intent,’ or a selfless intentionto use it. However, Mallory’s self-reflection and newfound friendship are what she needs to stand against Mulgarath with her family.

The Graces Unite Against Mulgarath in ‘The Spiderwick Chronicles’ Season Finale

In the season finale, the Grace family unites after being more divided than ever. After acquiring the vorpal sword, Jared is placed into Mulgarath’s care at the Meskwaki Psychiatric Hospital, while the ogre assumes the form of Dr. Dorian Bauer, Jared’s therapist. Mulgarath takes Spiderwick’s field guide page on dragons and launches his plan to take over and consume Henson. Mallory and Thimbletack break out Jared and convene with Simon, Bree, and Hatcher (Hunter Dillon) to stop Mulgarath. Simon finds a cure for the sleeping sickness which has overtaken the town.

The Grace siblings plan to save their mother and kill Mulgarath with the vorpal sword. Jared gets captured, and with Helen’s help, makes a tea granting them to be invisible long enough to evade Mulgarath. Meanwhile, Simon convinces Calliope to help him contact the sprites, so they can help give the sleeping sickness cure to everyone in town. Mallory and Bree are overwhelmed when fighting Mulgarath, so Jared, Helen, and Thimbletack summon a troll to help them stop the ogre. After the town has been cured, and Mulgarath seemingly defeated, one of his dragons hatches.

Mulgarath’s Last Malicious Manipulation Against the Graces

Jared wants to kill the dragon, while the rest of the family is hesitant to kill the infant creature. Jared and his family reconcile about how they have often disregarded his opinions and that has resulted in Jared hating himself and seeing himself as unworthy. Mallory disproves this for Jared when he briefly has possession of the vorpal sword, which only works for people who have a selfless intention. Mulgarath, in Jared’s form, tricks the family with the knowledge he has of Jared from being his therapist and deceives them to believe iron does not hurt him like it does to all magical creatures. The family believes Mulgarath’s deception and Mallory stabs the real Jared with the vorpal sword, causing him to vanish. Jared awakens in a dreamlike forest where he meets Arthur Spiderwick.

The season ends with Mulgarath finding another way to ingratiate himself into the Grace family in order to accomplish his murderous agenda. Mulgarath, assuming Jared’s form and now having access to a hatched dragonhas found another way to continue taking pages from Spiderwick’s field guide as well as potentially make a comeback regarding his plan to consume the people of Henson and take over the world. Jared is now able to talk to another member of his family, Arthur Spiderwick, who may entrust him with a new mission, grant him new insights into the magical world, and another perspective on how to stop Mulgarath.

The Spiderwick Chronicles is available to stream on The Roku Channel in the U.S.

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