Rick Kitchen January 13, 2015 Share January 13, 2015 Maybe I wasn't paying attention, tbh XD It was a brief line in one of the songs. Link to comment
Calamity Jane January 13, 2015 Share January 13, 2015 I adore this silly show, but I think I'm glad it's a short run. Just about perfect. And the chef is my favorite. He is memorable every time he's on screen. 4 Link to comment
basil January 13, 2015 Share January 13, 2015 One of the characters mentioned that he was Sid's rabbi. :D When the girls were asking Isabella about Sid's endowment, she replied something like he doesn't like to brag, and that's when the rabbi says "He puts the 'sir' in circumcise!" I didn't even know Sid's parents were Jews until I read these comments. See, and I thought Faith Prince was actually way over the top with her portrayal of a classic Jewish mother (in a good way). She even calls Isabella a "shiksa". I could watch Galavant high kick for hours. He actually has pretty impressive extension, assuming he's not a dancer. 3 Link to comment
FurryFury January 13, 2015 Share January 13, 2015 (edited) Ep 3: Didn't like it much, aside from the Executioners' song (which was way too short for my liking). Kicking the eunuch wasn't anywhere near funny - so cringeworthy! And "Sidneyland" just reminded me of Firefly's "Jaynestown", which is probably my favorite comedic episode of all TV. Seriously, it's absolutely hilarious and even features singing, so Galavant immediately felt gross and unfunny after I've remembered it. Also, jew jokes were really bad. I've made a pause before watching the next episode, and it worked out much better as a result! Ep 4: Galavant ate out all the raisins? Seriously? Raisins are the worst part of the mix! And how can he not love cashews? Blasphemy! The "together" song was cute. Although they're really laying on thick when it comes to Galavant/Isabella pairing, and it seems forced. Definitely needs more time to develop, because they don't have especially great chemistry. Pirates' song was also pretty good, although the plot itself wasn't particularly novel. Richard's storyline, for once, was weaker than Galavant's, although still OK. Some of the jokes really cross the line twice, but he's still pretty consistently funny (although not in episode 3). And I think he's starting to grow on me. He's definitely a monster, but a strangely endearing one. Especially compared to Madalina, who seems to be the villain here (but I still like her the most, I think). Was stealing the pirate king's sword Galavant's first act of actual badassery on the show? I've almost forgot he's supposed to be a famed hero. Overall, much better than episode 3. Still watching the show. Edited January 13, 2015 by FurryFury 4 Link to comment
lassiecat January 13, 2015 Share January 13, 2015 I don't watch Downton Abbey, so I had no idea who Hugh Bonneville was, but every time he was on screen I couldn't stop laughing! The way he enunciated 'Just not of the actual sea' made me giggle so much I had to rewatch the song a couple of times to hear the other jokes. 6 Link to comment
DeLurker January 13, 2015 Share January 13, 2015 Richard's storyline, for once, was weaker than Galavant's, although still OK. Some of the jokes really cross the line twice, but he's still pretty consistently funny (although not in episode 3). And I think he's starting to grow on me. He's definitely a monster, but a strangely endearing one. He was surprisingly gentle in his feedback to the Executioners about the "song" needing to be workshopped a bit more. 4 Link to comment
CletusMusashi January 13, 2015 Share January 13, 2015 (edited) The Executioners had the best song. Kind of an odd choice to shove that one into the background, while letting weaker numbers take over their scenes one hundred per cent. The "Jackass in a Can" number wasn't bad, but could easily have been much better. If you're writing a musical, it is okay to care about singing ability, energy, background music, etc. Half-assing it doesn't make anything funnier. However, the lyrics and tune were catchy enough and the premise enough fun that underproduction didn't completely ruin it, either. I just think they undersold it a bit. And the "omg look how fun e jews r" song was an embarrassment to comedy everywhere. Oh, I don't really care if a joke is a little bit politically incorrect. You can poke fun at anybody you want, as long as you're entertaining. Mel Brooks' "Inquisition" number in "History of the World" is hilarious, and that's about Jewish stereotypes being tortured! But this thing was such an incredibly long stretch of literally nothing except "Haha, look! Jews!" that I just sat there, gaping, forcing myself to sit through it because I knew that the rest of the show, by definition, had to be funnier than that. Seth MacFarlane or Trey Parker might have pulled off something funny using the same subject matter, but that's because they know when they're beating a dead horse, so they''ll beat the damned thing until it spins full circle. It takes a very special mixture of talent and insight to pull off. Maybe it's a good thing the cast isn't more diverse. At least we won't have to sit through the "Me Rikey the Flied Lice" song. Edited January 13, 2015 by CletusMusashi Link to comment
blackwing January 13, 2015 Share January 13, 2015 Maybe I wasn't paying attention, tbh XDThe entire song was one huge Jewish joke. The stereotypical overbearing over the top Jewish parents who sound like George Costanza's parents, especially Sid's mom. Over involvement of the Jewish mother in her son's love life ("I hope you find a wife who treats you exactly as how I do." Or something like that). The very fact that he is named "Sidney". Circumcision. The rabbi. "Mensch", "shiksa" and unless I am making it up, a "verklempt". 2 Link to comment
ParadoxLost January 13, 2015 Share January 13, 2015 And the "omg look how fun e jews r" song was an embarrassment to comedy everywhere. Oh, I don't really care if a joke is a little bit politically incorrect. You can poke fun at anybody you want, as long as you're entertaining. Mel Brooks' "Inquisition" number in "History of the World" is hilarious, and that's about Jewish stereotypes being tortured! But this thing was such an incredibly long stretch of literally nothing except "Haha, look! Jews!" that I just sat there, gaping, forcing myself to sit through it because I knew that the rest of the show, by definition, had to be funnier than that. I was actually thinking that it would have been funny during that thing if Mel Brooks was one of the guest starts. I wonder how much stuff they are lifting from old movies and TV shows from this. 'History of the World' had a Eunuch test of a different sort. 3 Link to comment
Bruinsfan January 13, 2015 Share January 13, 2015 Was stealing the pirate king's sword Galavant's first act of actual badassery on the show? I've almost forgot he's supposed to be a famed hero. I think he showed some busting into the wedding in the pilot's opening sequence, but aside from that he hasn't been terribly impressive. If not for the fact that Isabella's quest is a ruse, I'd be wondering why she didn't just forget Galavant and save Valencia her own damn self. 3 Link to comment
CletusMusashi January 13, 2015 Share January 13, 2015 I thought the bald eunuch was meant to be a jab at Varys on "Game of Thrones." 2 Link to comment
Rick Kitchen January 13, 2015 Share January 13, 2015 I thought the bald eunuch was meant to be a jab at Varys on "Game of Thrones." Well, they did mention Castle Black ... 1 Link to comment
Trini January 13, 2015 Share January 13, 2015 ... The stereotypical overbearing over the top Jewish parents who sound like George Costanza's parents, especially Sid's mom. ... Yeah, they had a string of Jewish clichés, then they threw me with ... the parents being illiterate. I know that line was there as a punchline to Isabella's line, but aren't Jews one of the most literate ethnic groups/nationalities? (I'm pretty sure I've heard that before.) Link to comment
jhlipton January 13, 2015 Share January 13, 2015 The entire song was one huge Jewish joke. The stereotypical overbearing over the top Jewish parents who sound like George Costanza's parents, especially Sid's mom. Over involvement of the Jewish mother in her son's love life ("I hope you find a wife who treats you exactly as how I do." Or something like that). The very fact that he is named "Sidney". Circumcision. The rabbi. "Mensch", "shiksa" and unless I am making it up, a "verklempt". They called Galavant a "ferkakte" (idiotic) squire. I had fun explaining the terms to my schwartze shiksa sweetie, so maybe that helped. But "I wish I was your cousin so I could marry you" is redneck, not Jewish. As for the "illiterate" comment, many Jews in the Shtetls could read Hebrew but not the local language, so I kind of give that a pass. But, yeah, ep. 3 ended not with a bang but with ep. 4 starting... Huh? All in all, still a fun hour, but not as good as, say, an ep of Brooklyn 99 and an ep of black-ish. 1 Link to comment
ElectricBoogaloo January 13, 2015 Share January 13, 2015 While part of me thought it was nice of Isabella to play along with Sid's knight story, she didn't consider what would happen further down the road if he had to tell his parents that he didn't marry the nice princess after all. I was probably thinking about that way too seriously though. 1 Link to comment
jhlipton January 13, 2015 Share January 13, 2015 While part of me thought it was nice of Isabella to play along with Sid's knight story, she didn't consider what would happen further down the road if he had to tell his parents that he didn't marry the nice princess after all. I was probably thinking about that way too seriously though. Far more seriously than anyone connected with this show! 3 Link to comment
ohjoy January 13, 2015 Share January 13, 2015 Galavant ate out all the raisins? Seriously? Raisins are the worst part of the mix! And how can he not love cashews? Blasphemy! Gal and I must be in the minority -- I hate cashews and would totally want all the raisins. For some reason the raisins out of trail mix taste better to me than regular raisins do. (Must be the extra salt.) 5 Link to comment
DarkRaichu January 13, 2015 Share January 13, 2015 In story explanation for why Valencia was not more diverse: Richard killed most Valencians. The people left in court were pretty much what's left of the population. ;) 1 Link to comment
CletusMusashi January 13, 2015 Share January 13, 2015 One thing that surprised me a lot was the age of the squires being historical-accurate, rather than Hollywood-"accurate." Young noble boys training to be knights would be hooked up with a squire position, but they were always the minority. Most knights would choose an experienced, but common, man-at-arms to fill the job, and in those cases it was a permanent gig, not a step toward knighthood. It's so weird to see them get a lesser-known fact right on a silly anachrofest like this that i wonder if they just didn't have anybody younger auditioning. 1 Link to comment
Catherinewriter January 13, 2015 Share January 13, 2015 Except George Constanza isn't Jewish. I think the concept of pirates without the sea is hysterical. I will rewatch ep 4 just for that. Not as good as the first two, except for the pirates. Link to comment
SailorGirl January 13, 2015 Share January 13, 2015 I adore this silly show, but I think I'm glad it's a short run. Just about perfect. And the chef is my favorite. He is memorable every time he's on screen. Add me to the "adore this silly show" column -- it is just completely giggle-worthy! I rewatched Epis 1 and 2 and found so much more to laugh at -- Gareth's facial expressions when King Dick is dancing with him -- priceless. It definitely gets funnier every time you watch it. Hugh Bonneville has been my love since Notting Hill so again, just an awesome giggle-fest through the whole "Pirates of the Sea" (Just not of the actual sea!) scene. And Chef? What can I say -- HE is comedy gold!! I can't believe no one has mentioned this yet but its one of the things you catch on re-watch (although I got it the first time -- yay me): In episode 3/4, he is playing around with the food he puts down in front of Madalana and she tells him to go away -- he says really softly "Chef - Out." Hysterical -- I am looking forward to the rewatch just to catch that line again. I also think the four week time frame is ideal. Really, Galavant is the perfect guest -- entertaining and stays just long enough for you to get to know it and find it enjoyable, then leaves. You are left with the memory of an enjoyable time and a desire for it to come back again some time! 5 Link to comment
blackwing January 13, 2015 Share January 13, 2015 Except George Constanza isn't Jewish.He is. It's never definitively said on the show, but Larry David has said that George is half-Italian and half-Jewish. George's dad is definitely Italian, it was mentioned on the show once that "his people" were from Sicily or some other village in Italy. George's mother can't be anything but Jewish. Again, never said 100% on the show, but there are definitely lots of clues. Overbearing, named Estelle, refuses to ride in a German car, plays Mah Jongg with her girlfriends, etc. What exactly is Isabella supposed to do with Galavant once they reach the King? Is she supposed to turn him over to the King? What does the King want? To kill him? Why? In the first episode I know the King was annoyed with being compared to Galavant and thus I think he told Isabella he would spare her parents and people if she would get Galavant to the court. But at this point, the Queen isn't exactly clamouring for Galavant, she's sleeping with the Jester. The problem for the King isn't that he is being compared to Galavant, at this point it's the fact that his wife thinks he is just an all around miserable failure of a person. She would probably sleep with the wimpy childlike cook over him. 4 Link to comment
majormama January 13, 2015 Share January 13, 2015 (edited) What exactly is Isabella supposed to do with Galavant once they reach the King? Is she supposed to turn him over to the King? What does the King want? To kill him? Why? In the first episode I know the King was annoyed with being compared to Galavant and thus I think he told Isabella he would spare her parents and people if she would get Galavant to the court. But at this point, the Queen isn't exactly clamouring for Galavant, she's sleeping with the Jester. The problem for the King isn't that he is being compared to Galavant, at this point it's the fact that his wife thinks he is just an all around miserable failure of a person. She would probably sleep with the wimpy childlike cook over him. I think the goal is to personally kill Galavant in front of the queen, thus proving his manliness and badassery and win her favor. Of course, he couldn't even kick Galavant in the face during the failed attempt to stop the wedding. Not sure how he's supposed to kill him. And of course, he made this plan before he knew about the jester. I can totally see Isabella showing up with Galavant and King Richard being all, "Oh, I totally forgot about that! Giggle!" Edited January 13, 2015 by majormama 5 Link to comment
Catherinewriter January 14, 2015 Share January 14, 2015 Sailor Girl, Bonneville is so versatile that I didn't recognize him in "Notting Hill" for the longest time. What a dork he was. But lovable. Okay, I see now that George can be considered Jewish. In fact, don't Jewish kids get their ethnic identify from their mothers, not their fathers? Link to comment
legaleagle53 January 14, 2015 Share January 14, 2015 Sailor Girl, Bonneville is so versatile that I didn't recognize him in "Notting Hill" for the longest time. What a dork he was. But lovable. Okay, I see now that George can be considered Jewish. In fact, don't Jewish kids get their ethnic identify from their mothers, not their fathers? That is true, which I have always found to be ironic given the decidedly patriarchal nature of the Jewish culture. Link to comment
Ailianna January 14, 2015 Share January 14, 2015 Traditionally, it's a lot easier to prove someone's maternity than paternity. Just sayin'. 2 Link to comment
SailorGirl January 15, 2015 Share January 15, 2015 They called Galavant a "ferkakte" (idiotic) squire. I had fun explaining the terms to my schwartze shiksa sweetie, so maybe that helped. But "I wish I was your cousin so I could marry you" is redneck, not Jewish. As for the "illiterate" comment, many Jews in the Shtetls could read Hebrew but not the local language, so I kind of give that a pass. But, yeah, ep. 3 ended not with a bang but with ep. 4 starting... Huh? All in all, still a fun hour, but not as good as, say, an ep of Brooklyn 99 and an ep of black-ish. Rewatched last night--when Sid's mother opens the door upon their arrival in Disney . . Oops, I mean Sidneyland. . . She calls Sid "Bubeleh!" Also, the "Chef, Out" line that amuses me to no end is in episode 4 when he is seating her for King Dick's stand-up routine. I don't know why it amuses me as much as it does but that is why this show is awesome--it is just silly! 2 Link to comment
mikem January 15, 2015 Share January 15, 2015 (edited) I wonder if the Sid episode ended so abruptly because there was supposed to be a quick scene during the closing credits, and it got axed when they combined two episodes into one. Edited January 15, 2015 by mikem 2 Link to comment
SmithW6079 January 15, 2015 Share January 15, 2015 Partially because I don't find "being Jewish" to be inherently funny- it comes off like a punchline, but there's not actually a joke behind it. Shh. No one say anything about the Borscht Belt or the tradition of Jewish humor. Kick the eunuch is definitely not funny, nor are the references to mass killings. Kick the eunuch was pretty funny, and well within physical comedy (a la "The Three Stooges"). I continue to enjoy the show. It's a lighthearted farce that doesn't put too many demands on its viewers. The pirates were pretty funny, especially when they were "lords of the sea (but not of the actual sea)." I really like the natural chemistry between the three main characters, and I liked that Isabella was totally on board with making Sid look like a glorious knight. I'm also loving the build up between her and Galavant- I'm sure it will get angsty once he realizes that she has been playing him. Yes, that was really evident (to me) when they sang "Hero's Adventure." They just seemed to have a nice rapport with each other. I have no issue with how fast they're setting up Isabelle and Galavant -- they have only eight episodes to do it. Was stealing the pirate king's sword Galavant's first act of actual badassery on the show? I've almost forgot he's supposed to be a famed hero. To be fair, Galavant existed in a drunken stupor for a year after his lady love chose King Richard, so it takes time to get those skills back. 3 Link to comment
wayne67 January 16, 2015 Share January 16, 2015 (edited) Ep 3 did lack the narrative punch of the other episodes and the eunuch abuse felt a bit like overkill but there was enough amusement with the Ball and the Jerkass in a can to compensate. Episode 4 was significantly funny with King Richard bonding more with his jester than the Queen had which was absurdity at it's best and probably most accurate when you're looking for a bit of danger and excitement knowing the other person's backstory isn't high on the agenda. Edited January 16, 2015 by wayne67 1 Link to comment
Milburn Stone January 16, 2015 Share January 16, 2015 Kick the eunuch is definitely not funny What's not funny about kicking a eunuch? :) Link to comment
SmithW6079 January 16, 2015 Share January 16, 2015 Kick the eunuch is definitely not funny You must have hated it, then, when "kick the eunuch" turned into "kill the eunuch." Link to comment
Morrigan2575 January 16, 2015 Share January 16, 2015 What's not funny about kicking a eunuch? :)no idea, I started laughing when the eunuch said they used to have balls and didn't stop until Richard gave him a kiss on the forehead. 2 Link to comment
SmithW6079 January 18, 2015 Share January 18, 2015 Jester had a very specific name -- Steve Mackenzie. Not exactly medieval. Was that supposed to be some kind of in-joke? Link to comment
blackwing January 18, 2015 Share January 18, 2015 Well, Stephen is a very ancient name, I believe it's origins are from Ancient Greek. In England, there was the 12th century king Stephen of Blois. Mackenzie is of course a very old Scottish clan. As far as calling him "Steve", I'm not sure how commonly it was used as a nickname. But the entire show has anachronistic terms - "chicks", "muffin top", trail mix, one handed push-ups, clapping push ups, "cojones", etc Link to comment
SmithW6079 January 18, 2015 Share January 18, 2015 I guess it was the "Steve" that threw me off, coupled with a last name, since no one else has had a last name. Link to comment
Camera One January 18, 2015 Share January 18, 2015 I think it's supposed to be funny since it's so out-of-place. 1 Link to comment
SmithW6079 January 18, 2015 Share January 18, 2015 Except George Constanza isn't Jewish. He is. It's never definitively said on the show, but Larry David has said that George is half-Italian and half-Jewish. George's dad is definitely Italian, it was mentioned on the show once that "his people" were from Sicily or some other village in Italy. And there have been Jews in Italy since antiquity. That Sid is Jewish is hinted at in episode 1, when he mentions that his parents "pltozed" when he went to work for Galavant (which then makes it a retcon that they believe Galavant is now Sid's squire). Link to comment
jhlipton January 18, 2015 Share January 18, 2015 Jester had a very specific name -- Steve Mackenzie. Not exactly medieval. Was that supposed to be some kind of in-joke? Maybe he's the Lost McKenzie Brother? Link to comment
natyxg January 19, 2015 Share January 19, 2015 Richard is my favorite part of the show. In fact, I wish it would focus just on him and not Galavant. He's so much fun. 2 Link to comment
Eliza422 January 23, 2015 Share January 23, 2015 Richard is my favorite part of the show. In fact, I wish it would focus just on him and not Galavant. He's so much fun. I so totally agree...of course I'm such a huge Tim Omundson fan I wonder if that is coloring my opinion a bit :-) I hope his character gets redeemed at the end... Link to comment
SmithW6079 January 23, 2015 Share January 23, 2015 Richard is my favorite part of the show. In fact, I wish it would focus just on him and not Galavant. He's so much fun.Then the show would be called "King Richard" and not "Galavant," and would be a different thing entirely. 2 Link to comment
natyxg January 25, 2015 Share January 25, 2015 I so totally agree...of course I'm such a huge Tim Omundson fan I wonder if that is coloring my opinion a bit :-) I hope his character gets redeemed at the end... I don't want him to be redeemed. I like him bad. In fact, what I like is that he's a bad guy, but he's such a wimp. I sort of want Madalena to join forces with him for real so they can be awful together. lol. Link to comment
Eliza422 January 27, 2015 Share January 27, 2015 Then the show would be called "King Richard" and not "Galavant," and would be a different thing entirely. Sounds good to me!!! :-) Link to comment
Tabbyclaw February 7, 2015 Share February 7, 2015 Finally getting to watch this show, and loving it so far. That Sid is Jewish is hinted at in episode 1, when he mentions that his parents "pltozed" when he went to work for Galavant (which then makes it a retcon that they believe Galavant is now Sid's squire). Given that nobody ever calls Galavant anything other than "Squire" while in town, presumably they don't know that's who he is. And the typical medieval fantasy squire is doing it as a stepping stone to his own knighthood, so we can also presume that Sid told his parents he's been knighted since they last saw him. Kicking a eunuch? Eh. Not particularly funny. Richard being so gleeful about the eunuch kicking that he's lining up the entire kingdom to do it and giggling all the while? A riot. The most unexpected laugh of these two eps for me was Isabella hiding the jewel with her girl supplies, and declaring that the pirates must have sisters when they found it. Though between that and the captain saying that he met Galavant once at Lilith Fair on the Island of Lesbos, I wonder if we were supposed to get the impression that at least some of the pirates were butch women or transmen, but it never landed. Link to comment
legaleagle53 February 9, 2015 Share February 9, 2015 Finally getting to watch this show, and loving it so far. Given that nobody ever calls Galavant anything other than "Squire" while in town, presumably they don't know that's who he is. And the typical medieval fantasy squire is doing it as a stepping stone to his own knighthood, so we can also presume that Sid told his parents he's been knighted since they last saw him. Kicking a eunuch? Eh. Not particularly funny. Richard being so gleeful about the eunuch kicking that he's lining up the entire kingdom to do it and giggling all the while? A riot. The most unexpected laugh of these two eps for me was Isabella hiding the jewel with her girl supplies, and declaring that the pirates must have sisters when they found it. Though between that and the captain saying that he met Galavant once at Lilith Fair on the Island of Lesbos, I wonder if we were supposed to get the impression that at least some of the pirates were butch women or transmen, but it never landed. Or maybe just the stereotypical hetero male fantasy of Lesbians in Paradise. Link to comment
Bruinsfan February 11, 2015 Share February 11, 2015 It would have been great if they could have done a nod to The Pirates! Band of Misfits by throwing in an analog to Surprisingly Curvaceous Pirate. Link to comment
sinkwriter April 26, 2015 Share April 26, 2015 (edited) Very much liking the interaction between the actors playing Galavant, Sid and Isabella. That song where it ends with Galavant with the jazz hands and shoulder flourish, and Sid complaining that he was supposed to get the big finish this time... Very funny. I think Joshua Sasse is doing a great job and is one of the stronger performers. He is an able singer, and the little subtle things he does are spot on, like the "are you kidding me" glance he gives Sid and Izzy as they are listening to the pirate song. I know he did comedy on "Neighbours" but I'm only familiar with a dark and different side of him in "Rogue", so I have been pleasantly surprised with how much I am liking him in this role. So much agreement. All three of them have been a lot of fun to watch, such terrific timing together. All three have charmed me. (And Joshua is very handsome. *GRIN*) However... Galavant? You can have my raisins. YUCK. They're like chewing wrinkled up rubber. (LOL.) Hugh Bonneville has been my love since Notting Hill so again, just an awesome giggle-fest through the whole "Pirates of the Sea" (Just not of the actual sea!) scene. Agreed! That's how I knew him best as well. One part that cracked me up was when Galavant made his speech to the Pirate Captain and then gallantly flipped the sword over, caught it by the blade and held out the handle for the Pirate to take. And the Pirate takes it with a marvelous flourish... only to stop and say, "Oh, did I just cut your hand?" And Galavant winces and says, "Yes. Very badly." LOL! Sid's being adopted while Isabella's family is unexplained is actually kind of cracking me up. It had a certain "not the point" irreverance I can appreciate. Plus it reminds me when plays do totally racially blind casting and raise a few eyebrows. I don't mind the racially blind casting for the period. I think the show is irreverent and at times inexplicable so the casting should be (or can be) too. In a high school production of Bye Bye Birdie, I played the mother of the lead character Kim in the show. I'm Caucasian. The girl who played Kim has a mother who is half-Japanese and half-Caucasian and a father who is African-American. So we obviously look NOTHING alike as a mother and daughter. Which we thought was pretty funny. In fact, we ended up jokingly creating a behind-the-scenes backstory for me to "explain" it -- repressed from my frustrating 1950's family setting, I'd gotten sick of my husband yelling at me all the time (which the husband character of the show actually does) and I'd had an "affair" with one of our neighbors, which resulted in the daughter of different racial background. The guy who played the neighbor in the show even goodnaturedly wrote "Our affair was fun while it lasted" on his class picture for me that year, which cracked me up. Edited April 26, 2015 by sinkwriter Link to comment
ahpny January 6, 2016 Share January 6, 2016 The Jewish shtick didn't work . I recognize this show is hardly a documentary and makes many attempts to portray 13th Century England deliberately inaccurately. While it's clever and fun in many ways, this wasn't one of them. Medieval England was not a happy place for Jews, indeed, the Crown formally deported them all from the entire country in 1290. They remained banished for centuries. Not much "plotzing." Counter intuitively, these circumstances can still be used for musically parody that works. See "The inquisition," from Mel Brooks' "History of the World," and more recently, Rachel Bloom's Youtube "Historically Accurate Disney Princess Song." Both of those examples work because they acknowledge the absurdity of that part history, and injected even more absurdity. There was no such acknowledgement here, and its just wasn't funny either. Link to comment
legaleagle53 January 6, 2016 Share January 6, 2016 The Jewish shtick didn't work . I recognize this show is hardly a documentary and makes many attempts to portray 13th Century England deliberately inaccurately. While it's clever and fun in many ways, this wasn't one of them. Medieval England was not a happy place for Jews, indeed, the Crown formally deported them all from the entire country in 1290. They remained banished for centuries. Not much "plotzing." Counter intuitively, these circumstances can still be used for musically parody that works. See "The inquisition," from Mel Brooks' "History of the World," and more recently, Rachel Bloom's Youtube "Historically Accurate Disney Princess Song." Both of those examples work because they acknowledge the absurdity of that part history, and injected even more absurdity. There was no such acknowledgement here, and its just wasn't funny either. Actually, it isn't portraying 13th-Century England, either. The setting is among various fictional kingdoms that more precisely coincide with the Spanish kingdoms of that era, where the Jews hadn't yet come under the intense persecution (and eventual expulsion) that they would under Isabel and Ferdinand in Columbus's time. Besides, the anachronisms are half the fun! :) 2 Link to comment
Recommended Posts