honestly kind of prefer this over the pilot. these opening few episodes were kind of weak on first watch, but coming back after seeing how far this show goes makes this feel really nostalgic. this episode builds up its world much more subtly, in the background, while building up its characters in the forefront. thorfinn and thors get a lot more focus and are able to really shine here. thors knows that thorfinn has been manipulated by his environment into being violent, so his concern when another parent says he bests kids four to five years older than him is very real. he knows that if he stays this way, he will grow up to be uncontrollable, and only living to kill, so he confronts him. the “i have no enemies” positive philosophy that comes from this show is so popular on apps like tiktok because of how widely applicable it is. thors says “you have no enemies. the truth is, nobody has any.” in the context of battle, simplifying how leaders leaders and eventually warriors themselves villainize their enemies to justify their deep-rooted drive to kill (caused by their environment). there are no enemies in battle, just people in situations. they are simply on the opposite side of the battleground. such can be applied to real life: the people you hate are not your enemies. people do not choose the way they are or where they find themselves, they are simply navigating through life in the only way they understand. even if that means being rude, unfunny, obnoxious, etc… the same way an enemy in battle only knows how to fight you, they only know how to act the way they do. it’s all just people in situations, led by their past and their environment. nobody is a “bad” person, nobody is your “enemy.” great episode, would like to get to 1x4 today.