(Spoiler alert: Please do no read on if you haven’t watched Tuesdays episode of “The Shannara Chronicles”)
Eretria coming back to save Wil and Amberle in Tuesday’s episode of “The Shannara Chronicles” might not have been what we’ve come to expect from the character, but star Ivana Baquero says it’s just part of the her nature.
Having grown up in a world where she had to put herself first in order to survive, Eretria has learned to be selfish, but Baquero explained to TheWrap that her time around Wil is teaching her to be a better person.
Baquero also discussed Eretria’s relationship with Wil, teased what’s coming for the show’s main love triangle, and explained why they’ll need to start trusting Cephalo. Read the full interview below:
TheWrap: Why does Eretria come back for Wil and Amberle? Is it just about the money?
Baquero: The thing with Eretria is, we know she comes from this really dark past where she doesn’t know what compassion is, what generosity is, or what being selfless is. So when she comes across Wil and Amberle, she suddenly realizes that there’s this whole new world right in front of her. She sees things like Wil putting his life on the line for her and Amberle, and she starts growing a conscience of her own … In those situations where you’re put in an extreme situation, you just react by instinct. And I think her natural instinct is that of a good person.
Is that what drives her to go with them on their quest?
Well, initially no. It’s something that she learns along the way, and that’s what’s so beautiful about the character, quite frankly. But initially she just joins them because she wants to free herself. She wants to get away from Cephalo at all costs … And because she has no other option. They literally have her chained up. But she doesn’t join it because she wants to save the world, I don’t think at this stage she even believes that any of this is real.
Why does Wil keep falling for her tricks?
It’s funny because that’s the dynamic between Wil and Eretria. He is quite naïve, and he believes the best in people, and that’s something that he’s going to learn about. He’s also going to grow as a person and realize that the world isn’t all that good.
Eretria knows her weapons, and she knows when to take advantage of people … it’s something that will slowly change, and we’ll see a lot of back and forth. The stakes get higher, so at a certain point it’s not even about temptation and seduction and love anymore.
Does she have real feelings for Wil? Or is it all still just a game to her?
She does. I think she does from the moment she sees him. Because he’s so different from anything she’s ever seen. He’s so compassionate and — in a weird way from what she’s known — brave, and honest. Even when she first meets him, she’s just blown away. She just doesn’t want to admit it. And she just puts herself first all the time. Eventually she opens herself up to Wil.
Can she ever earn his trust back? Does she even want to?
It’s hard at this stage, because Amberle’s getting a lot of points. But it’s difficult because, as I was saying earlier, there’s a point in the story where the love triangle is obviously still there, but it’s not about points or cat fights or who gets Wil anymore … It stops being about flirtation and who gets the boy. It gets really serious.
What about Cephalo? Can he redeem himself like Eretria can?
Who knows? I mean, at this stage, Cephalo is really all they have to survive. Eretria is quite resourceful and she knows how to fight. She can protect Wil and Amberle to some extent, but Cephalo, he knows the woods, he knows where everything is … They definitely need Cephalo in order to keep going.
“The Shannara Chronicles” airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on MTV.