Battle Plans

"Battle Plans"
Redwall TV Series
Battle Plans
Season	1
Episode	08
Production #	108
Original U.S. Airdate	April 16, 2001
Running time	22:34
Written by	Michelle Goodeve
Directed by	Raymond Jafelice
Episode chronology
← Previous	Captain Snow
Next →	The Visitor

Battle Plans is the eighth episode of Season 1 of the Nelvana Redwall TV Series.

Summary

Constance, Matthias, and Basil Stag Hare watch the camp of Cluny's Horde, which is just out of range of their archers' weapons. Constance decides that they need to assassinate Cluny the Scourge. She's overheard by Killconey, who clings to the walls just below them.

Cluny, meanwhile, is having another nightmare. Cheesethief enters his tent with a dagger, but Cluny awakens and throws him out. Cheesethief boasts to Redtooth that he's going to kill Cluny, and Killconey overhears the exchange. He reports to Cluny, who summons Cheesethief to his tent. Cluny tells the rat that he's going to be away for some time and leaves him in charge.

At Redwall Abbey, Cornflower helps Matthias drag a tree from the orchard to Constance and Basil, who fashion it into a large crossbow. They decide to keep the plan secret, as Abbot Mortimer disapproves of attacking first. By mounting the crossbow on a table, they achieve sufficient power to hit a barrel from a long distance, and completely shatter it. Killconey observes the testing, and goes to alert Cluny.

At Saint Ninian's Church, Cluny supervises construction of a siege tower on top of the cart the horde arrived in. After hearing Killconey's report, he orders Cheesethief to examine the battle plans in his tent. Cheesethief finds Cluny's armor there, and tries it on. Basil, Matthias, and Constance see his shadow from the top of the wall, and fire the crossbow, killing Cheesethief with an arrow.

When the trio report their success to Abbot Mortimer, he's sad that they had to resort to assassination, and orders the guards to be removed, and a feast to be prepared. While working in the kitchen together, Cornflower tells Matthias that she's disappointed at not getting a chance to be brave. At the vermin camp, Cluny returns, and finding that both Cheesethief and the Redwallers' assassination attempt has been dealt with, orders his army to move the siege tower to Redwall, where the feast is well underway.

During the feast, Constance decides that they need some guards out, and dispatches Foremole to the recently-constructed listening tunnels. She also takes Basil and Matthias to patrol the walls. Cornflower sees them go, and decides to bring some food to the guards.

Cluny's tower reaches the walls, and at a signal from Killconey, Redtooth and another rat overpower the sentries. Cornflower arrives, and throws soup at the pair. The rats fall from the wall, and Cornflower shouts for help while she sets fire to the tower with her lantern. Cluny jumps over the flames and charges Cornflower, who picks up a spear. The tower collapses before Cluny can attack her, and Matthias, Basil, and Constance arrive with archers to rout Cluny's army. Cornflower tells them that Cluny still lives, and comments that she did get to test her courage after all.

Official Synopsis

Conspiring with Matthias, Constance Badger builds a huge crossbow and shoots Cluny-- but Cluny uses a substitute and escapes her arrow. Unknown to Redwall, he plans an attack with a huge mobile siege tower and the Abbey is only saved when courageous Cornflower single-handedly burns it down. Only then does the Abbey realize Cluny is still alive and only Cornflower stood between them and disaster. Matthias and Cornflower become even closer warrior-friends.

Differences from Redwall

• Although in both the book and the TV series, Cheesethief struggled to reach higher rank, even resorting to assassination of his own comrades, he never went so far as to attempt to overthrow Cluny in the book.
• In the book, Matthias was still off on his mission and was not present with either the crossbow or the siege tower.
• The Beaver, who helped Constance to build the crossbow in the book, does not exist in the series.
• In the episode, Killconey spies on the Redwallers and finds out about their plan to assassinate Cluny, while additionally overhearing Cheesethief's plan of mutiny. Upon being informed of these plots by Killconey, Cluny intentionally uses Cheesethief as a unwitting bodydouble. In the book, Killconey does no spying whatsoever and Cluny never finds out about the assassination, escaping by pure luck.
• In the book, only Constance and the Beaver know about the crossbow. In the series, Matthias, Basil, Brother Hugo and Cornflower know about it too.
• In the book, Redtooth is killed by Constance in the incident with Sela. In the series, Redtooth is killed in this episode by Cornflower.

Featurettes

Segments include:

• "Redwall Animals"
• "Villains"
• "Rats"
• "Character Spotlight: King Bull Sparra"
• "Redwall Trivia"
• "Ask the Author: Brian Jacques"

Streaming

Battle Plans is available for streaming on Nelvana's official Treehouse Direct YouTube channel.