Jason Momoa has played a wide variety of unique roles career, starting as Jason from Baywatch over 25 years ago. After playing Conan in “Conan the Barbarian” and Khal Drogo in “Game of Thrones”, Momoa cemented his star power and has taken on both experimental and high profile roles in the years since. In 2015, Moma and Thomas Pa’a Sibbett came up with the idea for “Chief of War”, which they initially envisioned as a film about the conqueror who unified Hawaii, Kamehameha. Ultimately they would switch the POV to Kamehameha’s top warrior, Ka’iana. The pair wouldn’t end up selling the concept until Apple TV+ bought it in 2022, the same year in which the Momoa led Apple TV+ series “See” ended.
Momoa and Sibbett Co-Created, Co-Produced and Co-Wrote the scripts. Momoa also directed the final episode. Since it’s release on August 1st, “Chief of War” has done a stunning job of recreating the time of Kamehameha’s rise to power and it’s authenticity has delivered results amongst critics, with currently a 92% RT score. The finale on Friday still left a lot of loose ends but gave us some amazing action and emotions on the battlefield. Warning, beyond this point there are spoilers for anyone who isn’t fully up to date on the Apple TV+ series “Chief of War” and the finale episode of the first season titled “The Black Desert”.
The finale on Friday still left a lot of loose ends but gave us some amazing action and emotions on the battlefield.”
The opening scene with Keōua (Cliff Curtis) sets up the inevitable battle between Keōua’s army and Kamehameha’s forces. Curtis really has committed to the character of Keōua all season, showcasing the obscure historical figures brutality and ambition. The battle set up for the finale should be the battle of Moku’ohai, but for dramatic effect it seems the creators have combined this battle and another attack when Keōua’s army was torn apart by a volcano eruption, killing two-thirds of his men. The opening scene displays Keōua’s pettiness and cruelty as he forces another tribal leader to bash his own teeth out of his mouth to prove loyalty. Curtis has really delivered the utmost intensity for every scene he’s done the entire season.
The story then shifts to team Kamehameha/Ka’iana as the two are reconciling their differences about how to handle the white dudes that showed up on their shores earlier in the season. As Ka’iana lost his brother to Keōua, his motivation is revenge, while Kamehameha (Kaina Makua) has a more peaceful vibe about going to war with his cousin (who has been a total d*ck up to this point).
Momoa, (who has done very little directing) took a big gamble directing this finale, but in our humble opinion, he really met the moment.
The finale managed to work in some powerful emotional beats with the supporting cast and Ka’iana before the big battle. Although the characters speak a bit more English than is believable for the amount of time the locals may have had to learn, the commitment to using Hawaiian for the majority of the series is commendable. It was a little strange that Ka’iana used English in his speech to Keōua’s men, who would likely have understood very little, but the intensity in which Momoa delivered this bone-chillingly threatening speech to a bunch of warriors he’s about to meet in battle is still next level.
One of the issues with the finale and the story not feeling finished, is because this series is historical and this battle’s just the first chapter of Kamehameha’s rise to power, so the storyline of King Kahekilii (Temuera Morrison) can’t be properly resolved. The finale does make sure to remind us that this over-tattooed psychopath Kahekili is not done and he won’t be happy until he conquers all of Hawaii. The battle itself was action-packed, it may not have been the Battle of the Bastards, but it does have fierce fighting and even includes some unfortunate soul getting his tongue ripped out by Ka’iana as a taunt to Keōua. Momoa gave an interview to The Wrap about the finale and talked about how much he loved directing and the chaos, which really shows in the chaotic and lava-filled battle. The battle was actual shot in the real-life lava fields (that’s a thing?) of Kalapana, Hawaii and in an ironic twist, a dormant volcano that hadn’t erupted in three decades became active during filming. Momoa considered the eruption a blessing and it would seem that the RT Gods at least have answered his prayers.
The battle ends with a bit of a historical switch, as Keōua escaped this real-life battle instead of falling to Ka’iana at the end of the fight. The fact that Kamehameha still needs to deal with King Kehekili likely pushed Momoa and Sibbett to play with the timeline so that they can solely focus on Kahekili in a season 2. The show has been called a limited series at times, but Momoa and Sibbett are very hopeful for a season 2 to support this vast world that they have created, with painstaking attention to detail.
When talking about the finale, Momoa alluded to multiple different endings that he couldn’t make but hopes for in the future. Momoa wants season 2 to pick up right where season 1 left off and was very passionate about keeping his creative integrity: “It’s been the biggest fight of my life to maintain as much integrity throughout the show as we can.” The actor said. Momoa’s dedication has created a memorable series and we hope that there is news of a renewal soon. Sibbett also spoke during the interview, promising more action: “It only gets bigger, man… This story absolutely continues and it absolutely blows up.”
What do you think? Did “Chief of War” win you over? Will we see Kamehameha and Ka’Iana teaming up again? How will Kahekili attack? Was the series handcuffed by the historical accuracy needed or did the detail add to the appeal? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
