The second part of the two-episode premiere of Chief of War released on Friday, August 1 to Apple TV Plus, and Chief of War episode 2 is called 'Changing Tides'.
This new historical epic series depicts the unification of Hawai'i in the 18th century through a series of battles, as European explorers begin to discover and settle the islands, all set across the beautiful landscapes.
As with most multi-episode-premiere Apple shows, the story really kicks off during 'Changing Tides', as the colonizers touch down and our lead character gets wrapped up in brewing war.
The whole story is deeply rooted in Polynesian history and folklore, but if you're not versed in this, it can help to see some of the place and character names written down. Perhaps in a Chief of War episode 2 recap like this!
So here's our Chief of War episode 2 recap, covering 'Changing Tides'. Spoilers ensue for the second episode of this new show.
Meet Ka'ahumanu
We start the episode by meeting a new character: Ka'ahumanu (Luciane Buchanan) on Maui. She's watching the stars and asks the star reader to tell her about one. He recounts the story of the ancient warrior who settled the Hawaiian Islands. She asks him about the lands beyond their own but he says there are none worth living in.
Elsewhere on the island, a patrol finds a canoe from Hawai'i but they're swiftly ambushed and killed. These infiltrators are lead by Hawaiian war chief Moku who wants to find Ka'ahumanu, and later she attends a secret meeting between the two where we discover that she's the daughter of him and the Maui king's sister.
Moku knows a war is brewing and asks Ka'ahumanu to return to Hawai'i with him, but he's also promised her hand in marriage to their chief which she's not happy about. Moku needs to leave but Ka'ahumanu's mother promises to send her over soon.
The manhunt
Over on O'ahu, Maui Prince Kupule (Brandon Finn) is annoyed at his father King Kahekili (Temuera Morrison) for lying to the people to instigate the attack on the island. At the same time Ka'iana (Jason Momoa) and his family are being guarded by some Maui soldiers.
Ka'iana is summoned to see Kahekili but when the King comes to the meeting spot, he finds only Ka'iana's weapon, symbolically smashed. At the camp Kahekili finds the guards slain and the family escaped, but he knows that Ka'iana and his family have fled to Maui to rescue another member of their party who's still there. Kupule and another of Kahekili's advisors follow them, with lots of soldiers.
Ka'iana and his family paddle their boat through a stormy night and hear a ringing bell, but miss what we see: a giant wooden boat, leering through the fog.
The next morning the group arrive at Maui and start looking for the final member of their group, Heke, and realize she's in a distant valley planting herbs after a ritual the night before. Ka'iana wanders off and is spotted by a Maui soldier, who alerts the rest of the pursuers including Kupule to his location. Ka'iana runs and his family slips away while the soldiers are distracted.
Later that day, crews of sailers from the sailing vessel row to the island. They're trying to resupply for their voyage but want to avoid following Captain Cook's fate (James Cook was killed on Hawai'i after a fracas with the islanders).
Ka'ahumanu visits the prophetess Taula and asks about her future. Taula says that she will disappoint her father and her betrothed chief, but there's one route for her eventual happiness as a guardian will come to her. But Taula also says that she senses the gods fear Ka'ahumanu as she may break the world.
Ka'iana's family find Heke but the man himself is still running, and a rock launched via a sling hits the man and injures him. He sneaks through long grass, at one point throwing a piglet at the pursuers to tempt the mother boar to attack them, which helps him get away.
Leaving the islands
The injured Ka'iana finds a cave to weather bad weather and it happens to be where Ka'ahumanu lives. She tells him who she is and explains that she spent her life hiding from Kahekili due to her origins. Later she tells him about how Cook visited some years prior and was fought off by her father. He wants to find his family and eventually, she decides to come with him.
The explorers are at a river, washing and harvesting food, and Maui soldiers ambush one to take his pistol. Ka'iana and Ka'ahumanu stumble upon the party, much to both's alarm. One man raises his rifle to Ka'iana, despite the leader's command not to fire, but when he shoots he misses anyway. Ka'iana throws a knife back, but it's actually aimed at a Maui sneaking up behind the group.
Ka'iana and Ka'ahumanu continue on their way, but the gunshot drew the attention of their pursuers. He tells her to get his family and take them to Hawai'i while he draws off the Maui.
The family is getting irritable waiting for Ka'iana and come to blows, but then Ka'ahumanu arrives to tell them what happened. They get on a boat ready to leave, but the white explorer (who was knocked out before) stumbles upon them, as the rest of the sailors have already left the island. They decide to leave the island as they can't wait for Ka'iana, and take this new man with them.
Meanwhile Ka'iana is pursued to a cliff edge. He fights off some attackers but is eventually subdued and taken captive. But when Kupule approaches Ka'iana takes the opportunity to jump off the cliff, into the surf far below.
Some time later, Ka'iana wakes up. He's on the European boat and when he stumbles aboveboard, disconcerted at these new surroundings, he discovers that they're sailing far away from the islands.
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