“The recap song’s over. It’s time for war.”
This is our review of the first part of Galavant’s Season 2 finale. Click here for our review of the second part.
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
It’s a sad Sunday because the Season 2 finale of Galavant is here. However, there is a bright side, and it’s called the recap song. I’ve been looking forward to Ben Presley’s Jester catching us up on the events of the season. Honestly, if Galavant was a full 22-episode per season series, I’d happily watch an entire clips show with the Jester narrating in song. It could work. Anyway, Presley killed it and they made it extra funny by putting a sort of “A Knight’s Tale” twist on it. I’m not positive if it was intentional, but I couldn’t help but think of Paul Bettany’s Chaucer in that film.
The battle didn’t disappoint. The characters we’ve been wanting to see reunited finally came back together. “It’s a Good Day to Die” was an excellent way to show us the difference in confidence levels of the armies of Hortensia and Valencia. Isabella’s had a shaky season, but between last week and this episode, she’s showing her stronger side again. It’s overdue. While I wish we’d seen more of the take charge Isabella, I’ll take what I can get.
Galavant and Isabella straightened things out, and the tone of their reconciliation was just right. Isabella thought Gal deserved those slaps, so it was nice to see she didn’t hesitate to give them. They shared a pleasant exchange, but it wasn’t overly saccharine and their next kiss still wasn’t the world’s best one — and it shouldn’t have been, not in the midst of battle. I mean, who has time to floss and use minty mouth wash when there are people to kill?
Joshua Sasse and Timothy Omundson in Galavant
There was another encounter I was looking forward to as much or more than Gal and Isabella: Richard and Gareth. The latter more or less betrayed the former. Think about how much the stab in the back must have affected Richard. Gareth was his only friend before Gal, and Timothy Omundson has definitely played on Richard’s sadness over it the season. It’s been subtle but present.
Another somewhat subtle thing they did: Richard was much more confident once he was side-by-side with Gareth. He was panicking in battle until Gareth showed up, and then he was collected. Come on. How sweet is that?
Speaking of Gareth. As enjoyable as it’s been to see Gareth and Madalena learn about experiencing emotions, I’m glad Madalena stayed true to who she was. It was believable to give her a brief moment of doubt but not surprising at all to see her give into Wormwood’s promise of power. By the way, how amusing is it that Wormwood literally twirls his mustache? Madalena’s craving for ultimate control is intriguing because it doesn’t hit a single note. Her drive and ambition are kind of admirable, actually. It’s fitting for her not to dissolve into a puddle of feelings over lying to Gareth.
And before we go, some of the funniest parts of the episode: the dramatic reveals in battle, Richard referencing his beard because the king’s beard is a thing in Galavant fandom, and the cliffhanger gag.
The battle brought everyone together, and though it was lovely to finally see Isabella and Galavant reconnect, Gareth and Richard’s reunion was even better. This episode didn’t quite kill it with the songs — aside from the amazing opening recap ditty — but it was packed with both laugh out loud moments and the smaller nods that make you smirk.
