{"id":6898,"date":"2018-07-10T13:00:31","date_gmt":"2018-07-10T20:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=6898"},"modified":"2018-06-30T14:54:45","modified_gmt":"2018-06-30T21:54:45","slug":"mark-watches-galavant-s02e01-a-new-season-aka-suck-it-cancellation-bear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2018\/07\/mark-watches-galavant-s02e01-a-new-season-aka-suck-it-cancellation-bear\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Galavant’: S02E01 – A New Season AKA Suck It Cancellation Bear"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the first episode of the second season of Galavant<\/i>, THIS WAS INCREDIBLE. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Galavant<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Holy shit. I was immediately unprepared for this show, and I AM SO HAPPY.<\/p>\n

The Opening Number<\/b><\/p>\n

I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really think of a single show that has ever succeeded in getting a second season, thereby avoiding being cancelled, only to then stick a giant middle finger in the air and make fun of the fact that they made it to a second season with shitty ratings. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not just the song, of course; the episode title itself is a clear sign that the people behind Galavant<\/i> were ready to just go for broke. (Seriously: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A New Season aka Suck It Cancellation Bear.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d) But y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, that opening song was WILD. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s such a great way for the show to demonstrate that they know they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re on limited time, that they know they aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t making the kind of television that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to be watched by 10 million people, that they just don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t care<\/i>.<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s nice, too, that this isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t portrayed through cruelty. Instead, the show uses its fourth-wall breaking humor to bring us along on a wacky ride, and I love that.<\/p>\n

Hortensia<\/b><\/p>\n

Most of this episode is silly, but wow, Isabella\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s plotline is really disturbing? I can tell that this script is in conversation with common fantasy tropes, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not just referring to that Game of Thrones<\/i> reference. (Though that White Walkers comment was one of the best jokes in the whole episode.) Incest, forced\/arranged marriage, and the damsel-in-distress are all common things in the genre, and I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even recall all the times I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen them used. Galavant<\/i> has them, too, but they often appear either twisted or subverted. I think my prediction about Isabella might actually come true because it looks like she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not going to wait around for Galavant to save her. She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s taking matters into her own hands! Who can blame her??? Her parents are perfectly fine with her marrying their cousin. (Though the reason why<\/i> is mostly absurd in this context because it pulls from a modern concept of weddings. STILL FUCKING FUNNY AS HELL because oh my god, weddings are<\/i> super expensive??? WHO ALLOWED THIS.) (Just kidding, I know the answer.)\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Valencia<\/b><\/p>\n

And while Isabella is doing what she can to maneuver a means of saving herself, Gareth has a parallel journey in a different context. His decision to stay alongside Madalena has\u00e2\u20ac\u201dunsurprisingly!\u00e2\u20ac\u201dbackfired. WHO DIDN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T SEE THIS COMING. So, is he going to wait around and hope that Madalena gives him a real title and real power? Nope! Granted, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not trapped in nearly the same context that Isabella is; her situation is way, way worse. Gareth isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t confined to a single, weird room with a terrifying<\/i> doll version of himself. (WHY IS NO ONE ON THE SHOW COMMENTING ON THE DOLL, IT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S THE WORST PART OF THIS WHOLE NIGHTMARE.) But he knows that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s stuck, that progress isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t gonna come if he just sits there. And like Isabella reaching out to the Chef for help, Gareth seeks help from someone, too. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m hoping this leads to another story for Sid, who deserves more depth to his character besides being a supporter of the other characters. More than anything, though, I felt like these two plots were just a set-up for something to come.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Enchanted Forest<\/b><\/p>\n

I just\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 my god. How??? How was this real??? Did I just experience this? IT IS NOW CANONICAL THAT KYLIE MINOGUE IS THE QUEEN OF THE GAYS? (We knew this, though.) I love that the show just threw everything into the wind with no care in the world, and yes, they absolutely hired John Stamos to appear in this episode for one whole second<\/i> for him to speak one line<\/i> and confirm that his character is actually gay.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I just?!?!?!?!? DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THIS. We don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t meet one gay character, WE MEET LIKE FIFTY OF THEM AT ONCE. Granted, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mostly for a joke, but some of these jokes are in-community jokes I did not expect to see on a nationally-aired television show. Granted, the show frames all of this as a wild romp that the two straight men go through. (Well, admittedly, I wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be surprised if Richard did<\/i> turn out to be gay.) But it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just so fun to see the show camp it up in an entirely unexpected way, to introduce queer characters without the homophobia that usually accompanies it. And seriously, how are you gonna have a musical theater show without us??? Ideally, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d like to see a recurring character rather than a one-time gag, though in the same breath, I have to admit that having a one-time gag be KYLIE FUCKING MINOGUE is pretty spectacular.<\/p>\n

Plus\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t believe I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m saying this\u00e2\u20ac\u201dit was nice<\/i> to see Richard and Galavant getting along? While I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ship them, there was a chemistry between them that was captivating. Unlike season one, Galavant is no longer the fool or the incompetent one; he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the foil to Richard! And the dynamic is fascinating because, by all rights, Galavant should despise<\/i> Richard. But they seem to be fostering an actual friendship??? What is this?????<\/p>\n

This was a fantastic opener, not just because it was so funny and surprising. The show is setting up a number of stories that I am pretty much equally excited about. BRAVO.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A New Season AKA Suck It Cancellation Bear\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– My YA contemporary debut, ANGER IS A GIFT<\/a>, is now out in the world!\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>If you’d like to stay up-to-date on all announcements regarding my books, sign up for my newsletter<\/a>! DO IT.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"