But it's still woefully unfunny. And that's the death blow for a comedy that can't even find a worthwhile role for Lord Of The Rings guest-star John Rhys-Davies, who appears as warlock Grimshank... to sit at a table not saying very much.
The subplot for villain Dongalor (Matt Lucas) was also tedious, as he tries to steal back his beloved concubine Cute Girl (Remie Purtill-Clarke) from the weapon's inspectors' castle. Lucas has enthusiasm to burn, but his attempts to improve the material by playing it broader than a barndoor just highlights how unfunny anything he's saying is. He tends to rely on pulling faces and extending his reactions to things. Beyond one half-decent scene with sidekick Barnabus (Alex MacQueen), where it's revealed he killed Barnabus' adulterous wife, there's just nothing here.
The Cyclops provides the episode's few decent moments, as Kröd's gang mistakenly believe the fearsome monster's just a camp loner, so join him for a soak in a jacuzzi (another excuse to get India de Beaufort semi-naked), only to find themselves trapped in a gold cage and ordered to perform strange sex acts for ol' one-eye's amusement. The Cyclops' make-up was amusing cheap-looking, too -- reminding me of something from the BBC's Hitchhikers' Guide To The Galaxy in the '80s. If only Kröd Mändoon was likewise able to transcend its limitations with a funny script, but there's actually too much cash behind this series. It's a lazy romp with comedy that belongs in the playground. Yes, the bisexual Cyclops is referred to as a "Biclops".
Overall, this was another huge disappointment. The series may as well ditch characters like Zezelryck (Kevin Hart), Loquasto (Steve Spiers) and Bruce (Marques Ray), as they're given very little to do beyond make a weak wise-crack, sniff for poison and act out gay clichés, respectively. The emphasis is already placed on Kröd and Aneka, although even the latter just gets to coquettishly bite her lip at whatever sexual innuendo is thrown her way.
Dongalor's storyline of slowly building a doomsday weapon also feels limp, as it's unclear exactly why he wants to do this, and Kröd's gang don't feel like particularly worrisome thorns in his side. There's no real tension, drama, thrills or clashes to anything here -- just lukewarm characters, tired plots, and jokes most ten-year-olds are too discerning to laugh at. The fact Kröd Mändoon And The Flaming Sword Of Fire occasionally drops in crude, blue humour just adds to the problem -- everything's too grown-up for kids to watch, yet too childish for adults to enjoy.
25 June 2009
BBC2, 9pm
written by: Christopher Briggs & Peter A Knight directed by: Alex Hardcastle starring: Sean Maguire (Kröd Mändoon), Matt Lucas (Dongalor), India de Beaufort (Aneka), Kevin Hart (Zezelryck), John Rhys-Davies (Grimshank), Steve Spiers (Loquasto), Marques Ray (Bruce), Alex MacQueen (Barnabus), James Murray (Ralph Longshaft), Brad Johnson (Santu Mooseknuckle), James McDonnell (Gustav the Short and Curly), Remie Purtill-Clarke (Cute Girl) & Jonathan Slinger (Cyclops)
