The iconic tower from the original Tangled movie is seen one last time and is completely destroyed by the growing Black Rocks in this episode.
Although the episode is named after him, Varian himself only appears as a vision or through a message, heightening the mystery surrounding his disappearance after the events of the mid-season blizzard.
While exploring the tower, characters reference several key moments from the original film, including where Eugene died and where Mother Gothel fell to her doom.