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Series 1

Posted: 17 Nov 2002, 23:22
by JamesA
OK, let's really try this forum.

I intend to gather people's opinion on a series every week, and I'll try and focus on one series every week.

So, as per usual, let's start with Series 1....

What do people enjoy most about it?

I especially like the last team in that series, the first ever to reach Level 3

Cheers  :)

Re: Series 1

Posted: 17 Nov 2002, 23:24
by NeilJones
I intend to gather people's opinion on a series every week, and I'll try and focus on one series every week.
One wonders what you're going to do on Week 9 :D

Re: Series 1

Posted: 17 Nov 2002, 23:26
by Treguard
So, as per usual, let's start with Series 1.... What do people enjoy most about it?
Lillith. Excellent character and played by a good actress.

Re: Series 1

Posted: 17 Nov 2002, 23:26
by JamesA

One wonders what you're going to do on Week 9 :D
Panic?  ;D

Re: Series 1

Posted: 17 Nov 2002, 23:32
by Pooka
Well, personally I found Series 1 a bit samey. In fact, it was very repetitive. Admittedly I loved the earlier series' a hell of a lot - however, there is perhaps a lack fo something in Series 1 - it lacked the spark that Series 2 & 3 did have.

However, Series 1 had very strong points too - it was original, it was fun, and for its time it was groundbreaking. The resulting 7 series would end up being the greatest childrens' TV progmramme ever (no matter what Channel4 say)!. Not bad for a programme that was just finding its feet.

Re: Series 1

Posted: 17 Nov 2002, 23:53
by Billy
Series 1 is ok, but nowhere near as good as Series 2. The lines are far too scripted with the same things being spoken at the same time. 'You have delayed too long, manifestation is now occuring, stand quite still dungeoneer' was said by Treguard at least 5 times...
The characters were very good but there wasn't enough! People like Bumptious (He was brilliant! Why did he have to leave?) Gretel, and Hordriss had yet to arrive, and the pace was just too s-l-o-w.....
If Challenge TV ever slow the series, I suggest they show a re-edited Series 1 Episode 1 where the Episode ends with Team 1 disappearing, and then start the next day or week with Series 2 Episode 1. We wouldn't miss much...

Re: Series 1

Posted: 18 Nov 2002, 00:16
by GrimaldineGrimwold
Hmm, Series 1 was a little repetitive, but any possible boredom is offset by three things:
a) The whole format was new and innovative.
b) The Series was pretty short.
c) We weren't shown the whole of the dungeon in one go. We tended to see more and more as Series 1 went on and teams got that little bit further. That's such a better thing, in my view, than having a team get to Level 3 at the start of the series. I know the production team would be pretty mean to engineer it so some of the better teams were kept back for the later episodes, but hey.

What also worked for me was the fact that we didn't know just how deep the dungeon was. Even Treguard didn't know how many levels there were, the poor dear. And he'd supposedly beaten it already.

Was he asleep at the time, or what?

Re: Series 1

Posted: 18 Nov 2002, 01:25
by NeilJones
What also worked for me was the fact that we didn't know just how deep the dungeon was. Even Treguard didn't know how many levels there were, the poor dear. And he'd supposedly beaten it already.
Strange really, it was never explained just how the dungeon came about, why he went into it initially, why he's there on his own and what does he do in the time we're not there?  I mean, there's no computers, no books or anything in that chamber of his - he must be bored when we're not there.

And there are no toilets, no beds so does he not sleep or have bowel movements or things?  Nor are there showers and things.  Just how does this man live in such conditions yet manage to look fresh(ish) as a daisy every week?

:-/Re: Series 1

Posted: 18 Nov 2002, 02:31
by GrimaldineGrimwold
I expect much of his time was spent caring for his beard. It must have taken a lot of grooming. However, on occasion it still managed to look unkempt. I suppose that's why Pickle was introduced: Treguard needed help with his facial grooming, nothing to do with storytelling or character interplay. As for how he found the dungeon, no idea. Do the books have any clues? Perhaps he just found it in his beard one day and decided to explore.

I forgot to mention characters earlier. I agree with BillyH. There are too few characters. Sadly Hordriss is maybe not even yet an idea in Tim Child's mind. Treguard is obviously fantastic, adding a lot to the atmosphere (his counterparts in the foreign Knightmare copies look feeble in comparison). Lillith is great, though I guess after 2 series her bits were too formulaic. I also loved the wall monsters in the first series, and their banter with Treguard (the fact the couldn't tell them apart and such). To be honest, I thought the rest of the characters were pretty forgettable.

As for Treguard's bowel movements, I'd rather remain ignorant, thankyou.  

Re: Series 1

Posted: 18 Nov 2002, 19:16
by Pooka
According to Can You Beat the Challenge?, the dungeon is actually the lower levels of Treguard's castle, which was his ancestral home, and he reclaimed it as a Saxon knight, thus beating the dungeon to do so.

Or something like that.

Re: Series 1

Posted: 19 Nov 2002, 00:36
by Ark
Eeeeh...I never really thought the books fitted in with the series. (I can't see the Gruagach tolerating somone like Lillith, Merlin or Mogdred in his Dungeon, for example). I personally always preferred the way it was described in later series, the Dungeon being a world and environment not of our own. Among other things, it gave a valid reason to go into the place blindfolded! (Which sounds more plausible - "Your cause is for Justice and Justice is blind" or "The Dungeon is an illusory, alien place that is dangerous for an outsider's senses, so we're putting on this helmet to protect you from being overwhelmed by it"? :) )

I also liked the banter between Treguard and the Wall Monsters in Season 1. I did laugh out loud when it got the point of Treguard no longer caring which Monster it was. "This one is called either Olgarth or Granitas. I can't say it's likely to make much difference."

Re: Series 1

Posted: 19 Nov 2002, 03:04
by Kieran
Yello, had to return for a quick message on this wonderfully technical-looking new forums.

For me, series 1 does exactly what it is supposed to do- Give an introduction to Knightmare AND be successful at the same time.  The reason why it was repetitive sometimes was because it was a testing season, they didn't have a GREAT deal, but what they did have was original and it was, indeed, groundbraking, and the following seasons built on it's success....successfully.

Best thing: Liliths chamber
Best Character: Cedric
Oddest thing: Granitas "sucking" in his mouth for quest 1
Worst part: Same structure each time

8)

Re: Series 1

Posted: 19 Nov 2002, 03:08
by Kieran
Oh yeah, I forgot the rating...

I will give it 80%.

If there had been ONE series, then i'd give it 99%!  But with the ratings, they are compared to other series'.

Re: Series 1

Posted: 20 Nov 2002, 21:16
by Purgatory
i dont remember all thet much about season one, im sure i saw it but a bit to young to really get into ti at the time, but season one will always be great it started something very special.


i do remember some of the old rooms wich was cool, i guess the bes thing about it was the way it looked.. it was new and different,  also the talking trees..lol  and that they would be the woods and all of a sudden that black door would just stand in the middle of nothing..LOL

Re: Series 1

Posted: 24 Nov 2002, 16:36
by GrimaldineGrimwold
I forgot to mention Lilith's fabulous collection of double entendres.

Are you starting a S2 thread sometime, James?