Take Two: Galavant

Galavant: Season 1, Episodes 3 and 4 “Two Balls” and “Comedy Gold” (B-)

It’s hard to get some of this show’s tunes, particularly anything involving Galavant’s name (the words “our next show” are stuck forever), out of my head. I’m not convinced this is a truly compelling and terrific show, but it’s mildly enjoyable enough that I’m keen to stick with it. While some of its content could certainly be taken as offensive, I think that harmless is probably the most accurate way to describe this show. I wasn’t too fond of Sid’s return to his very Jewish home, though I’ll admit that Sidneyland as a name was pretty hilarious. Seeing Galavant be humbled by having to pretend to be Sid’s squire and Isabella jump at the chance to be an actress and really play up her fiancée role was entertaining. I like the relationship that is developing between Galavant and Isabella, which was enough for him to defend her mouth-breathing and for her to tell him the truth about what they were headed into, even if he was too busy looking ahead to hear what she had to say. I was pleased to see Hugh Bonneville, who is ever so serious on “Downton Abbey,” ham it up as a hapless pirate in a great guest spot. My favorite player is still Timothy Omundson, who is delightful delivering awful jokes and trying to be clever and likeable, ultimately succeeding in getting his wife to discard her jester lover even if he had forgotten that was his intention all along by the time it happened. This show definitely has spunk, and it has a unique and pretty wild vision.