REVIEW: ‘Sand Land: The Series’ Episode 10 — “Muniel’s Urn”

Beelzebub, Rao, Thief, and Ann have escaped with their lives and have to regroup in order to save Ann’s father, King Jam of Forest Land. Sand Land: The Series Episode 10, “Muniel’s Urn,” continues their story while adding much-needed context and backstory.

Sand Land: The Series Episode 10 starts with a nice little flashback to earlier in King Jam’s reign. The use of flashbacks allows the series to explain the importance of Aquanium. It also introduces Ann’s mother, the fiend Lilith. The last episode’s reveal that Ann is part demon was a game-changer, but this gives more context to the situation.

This leads to a nice scene in the present between Beelzebub and Ann. Beelzebub goes to see Ann under the pretense of just wanting to find some darkness, but he offers her some genuinely nice encouragement. He knows that it is hard for her to suddenly learn she is a demon, so he wants to help make the transition easier for her to accept.

Their relationship has been interesting, to say the least. They have very different personalities but Beelzebub genuinely tries to be a better demon when he is around her. It is nice to see him grow and become even more caring for those around him, even if that is unusual for a fiend. More context about their specific relationship is given in Sand Land: The Series Episode 10 as well which could have some major ramifications going forward. It is a shocking reveal that catches both Beelzebub and the viewers off guard.

Ann and the crew reunite with Lango and the rest of his resistance army. Lango is such an interesting character because there is so much about him that we don’t know. Sand Land: The Series Episode 10 explores some of his past and gives viewers a deeper look into the background of the resistance leader. His motivations and his relationship with both Ann and King Jam are important, so it was nice to see him get some more screen time.

One of the things Lango witnessed was what happened between Muniel and Lilith during the coup against King Jam. Muniel is one slimy son of a gun who ends up trapping Lilith in a magical urn. It does not go exactly how he planned, but it does help him and Commander Bred establish control over Forest Land.

This revelation gives Beelzebub and Ann a true common goal. Sure, Beelzebub was already willing to help her, but now he has a chance to save someone he knew long before he knew Ann. It brings them back to Sand Land to see Beelzebub’s father, King Lucifer. There they also find Muniel and what is believed to be Lilith’s urn at first. The actual confrontation will have to wait until next episode, but the stage is certainly set.

The biggest struggle for Sand Land: The Series Episode 10 is that there is so much to explain and only so much time to do so. It is important to learn about all of these characters and their motivations, but the pacing feels a bit off. It is hard to fit so much exposition into 24 minutes, so it is a bit impressive that this episode manages to avoid completely falling flat.

There is enough mystery and intrigue to keep the plot moving forward. Beelzebub’s quest is not as simple as it was when it started out, but that makes things so much more interesting. It also is going to give him the chance to continue to grow. He will have to step up in major ways, something he is already slowly showing signs of doing.

Muniel is also turning out to be a much better villain than originally thought. He lucked his way into victory and his ego often gets in the way, but in Sand Land: The Series Episode 10 he shows his ability to actually plan ahead and even learn from his mistakes. He is certainly Beelzebub’s biggest threat to date. The way the episode ends makes things incredibly difficult for Beelzebub and it will be exciting to watch him try to navigate his latest challenge.

Sand Land: The Series Episode 10 is full of important backstories and mostly delivers it with good pacing and interesting storytelling. There is a lot of information that has to be dumped on viewers but it only makes Beelzebub’s quest more interesting as he progresses.

Sand Land: The Series Episode 10 is streaming now on Hulu and new episodes release every Wednesday.