In the second episode of the second season of Galavant, Richard and Isabella are betrayed while Galavant believes he’s on the right path. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Galavant.Â
Oh no OH NO THIS IS VERY BAD.
Agree to Disagree
Well, that was a musical theater trope! Except I didn’t expect it to end like that, and SID BETTER BE OKAY OR I AM GOING TO… WELL, NOT DO ANYTHING. There’s like nothing I could do. Anyway, wow, these two characters are terribly paired, aren’t they? Which isn’t really surprising, particularly since Madalena has no real interest in romantic love. She is very sexual, but romance only seems to serve one purpose for her: she uses it to manipulate men around her. Does she need companionship? Only if it helps her conquer the Seven Realms! So there’s no real affection here for Gareth; he is a means to an end. However, he is an annoying means to an end, and it’s not long before the two of them are bickering over the decoration of the castle. In the middle of this is Sid, who tries real hard to get them to agree for one second. Cue the very archetypical musical number that quickly derails because Gareth can’t obey the rhyme structure. WHAT THE HELL IS THIS SHOW, Y’ALL!!! It emits a chaotic energy, I CANNOT PREDICT IT. So yeah, Sid better be alive, y’all, OR I WILL BE VERY UPSET.Â
Miscommunication
In general, I’m not really a fan of miscommunication as a plot device, particularly if a conflict can be solved if two characters just stop and talk to one another. (I’m looking at you, LOST.) I feel like the script for “World’s Best Kiss†toys with that. Isabella’s and Galavant’s first song is about perspective, and given that they’ve been torn apart, they can’t consult one another about whether their first kiss was good or not. So they imagine it: at first, it’s a pleasant memory, one that’s irresistible and motivating. But the mental image deteriorates very quickly, and y’all, I DEEPLY RELATED TO THIS PART. Can we trust our own memories? PROBABLY NOT.Â
So when these two characters are finally linked with one another, they are prime for misunderstanding one another. However, the show exaggerates this to ABSURD lengths by having Isabella’s message to Galavant, and Chef’s message to Richard, come through perfectly clear. The effect is a vicious contrast: Richard learns that Gareth has betrayed him and taken the throne, and Galavant learns that Isabella loved their first kiss. It’s actually Richard and Isabella who share similar predicaments, though Isabella’s is based on a faulty message. (Which feels like an understatement. WHERE DID THAT FUCKING COW COME FROM??? Oh my god, it was just chaos.)Â
I certainly felt worse for Isabella than I did for Richard. Her plot actually mad me sad, y’all! She really thinks that Galavant is disgusted by her, and it’s one hell of a curveball this early into the season. Given what happens at the end of the episode, all appearances point to her giving up. She’s going to stay in Hortensia and get married to her cousin… which is certainly going to get more complicated once Galavant shows up, excitedly looking to rescue her. How the hell is that going to work? Of course, there’s another complication on top of that. Where did Richard’s castle go? How does an entire castle just disappear???
So, there are two major disruptions to the plot for this season in “World’s Best Kiss,†and I wonder if Richard, like Isabella, is even going to think it’s worth it to pursue the quest he was on. Why return to Valencia if his wife and his best friend have both turned on him? Will he choose to remain in his home realm? I predict that we’re going to see another big change in both these characters in the next episode or two. Something has got to motivate them to keep going.
Well, after he finds his castle. That’s kinda important.
The video for “World’s Best Kiss†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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