Series 4 - Episode 5
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Resumed from time-out, and after a long discussion, bought the shoe from Merlin. It apparently came with a RUN spell. The team didn't hold up the eye-shield when exiting this room, so the advisers had to guide Alistair out!
Next, Doorkis the door monster. They slightly mispronounced the calling "True or false, false or true" instead of 'and', but Doorkis still responded to it. Scored 3/3 on the true/false riddles and gained passage through. Again, no eye-shield used.
after a brief eye-shield sequence, they came to the entrance of Ariadne's Lair. Chased by Ariadne into the hole in the tree, then into the lair itself. There was cheese (taken as food) and a bar of gold on the tree stump. However, Ariadne soon approached again, and they had to spellcast RUN to get out of there in time!
Then through a sped-up eye-shield sequence to the 'moat' scene. The boatman requested silver OR gold for the crossing fare this time (not both)! They gave him the gold and got across.
Down the steps of the castle again (watch for the graffiti!) and into the next room. This was the transporter pad room in its first ever appearance! After several discussions on how to avoid the knight, they took the correct steps and got out of the room. Notice how he takes a step onto the flagstone (on platform above the knight) before the advisers stop him - probably let off!
Level 3 clue room next. There was a green gem on the table, so they summoned Meris right away and gave her it. Gained a spell HERO from her, then were able to take two objects from the clue room table - the cloth and the bottle of poison.
Next was the entrance to the Corridor of Blades. Look closely and you'll see a small mark where they were lining up where the skull would appear. Then got hit by a blade in the Corridor of Blades - Ooh, nasty!
Next team were a team of girls from St Albans. Look at Treguard checking both the knapsack and the helmet for tampering before equipping the dungeoneer! As soon as she entered the place of choice... it timed out!
Interesting animation/film under the credits. Looks like a prototype new intro sequence, especially with the letters flying out of the water at the end.
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(This is the first episode I have seen of this run so excuse me for making some general comments to.
A reference to "Knightmare Castle" in the intro - is this the first time we hear the new name?
Don't like to reading from the book of quests but preffered the progress report.
Merlin tries the old "how much money do you have?" trick when the team pick the shoe instead of the spyglass(!?)
I don't like the habit of jumping from room to forest and back again.
The team nearly fell into the river as they travel with the boatman (who doesn't talk as much as the modern alternative the taxi-driver)
Treguard and Pickle prompted well at the transporter pad sequence:
"Thats closer to the truth!"
The advisor summed it up well:
"We could die because of this"
I think the Corridor of Blades came as a complete shock to them - even Knightmare fans wouldn't have seen this before.
The new team got as far as the Spindizzy but I like the way they show them at the door.
In the credits "The Players" is now used instead of individual character names.
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Ok, think I've got this door problem sorted. Dooris and Dooreen are female, and Doorkis male. Hard to tell, as the credits of this series lump most of the cast together as just 'The Players' (interesting terminology). Thank goodness for the cast list on this site.
Merlin, whaddya gonna do with all that junk, all that junk on that ol' table? Alistair humours him by listening, and they eventually pick the Shoe of Success. (made-up name) But wait! Looks like it wasn't so useless after all, as it contains a RUN spell.
"You're in a..." "Where am I?" "You're in a room". Hang on, haven't we seen this scene before? Nope, just Treg, Pick and Doorkis re-reading the same script they used for Team 1. Luckily we soon get to Ariadne's Lair, and then an ad-break...which seems to have gone back to the Knight-looking-shocked instead of the still 'Knightmare' logo used yesterday, for some reason.
When we get back, it seems the National Boat Crisis is over and the Boatman has dropped his fares, changing either silver or gold. Then the Transporter Pad room, which I don't think I've ever understood, but they seemed to. Malice then got her gem back, before giving them a spell - HERO. Apparently it'll resurrect someone 'long dead'. This team are doing great! They'll easily do it...
...but they didn't count on a little thing called the Corridor of Blades. The team look aghast that they've come this far and been beaten by something unheard of in the dungeon before now. I'd love to know what viewers reactions to it were in 1990. Treguard's no help, further rubbing it in with his rhyming wit..."A SLICE of life! You were SHARP enough, but so was the dungeon!" Ho de ho ho.
Guess we'll never know what HERO would have done...summon Bonnie Tyler? Enrique Iglesias? They're neither long dead, though...how about that woman from Much Ado About Nothing?
Looking back, I'm glad they didn't adopt that title sequence seen in the end credits. It looks ok, but a little...cheap, especially the start with the dungoneer falling down the well.
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Is there anywhere I can watch the end credits used in episodes 5, 6 and 8 of Series 4? They're missing from the clips on YouTube, and the comments in this thread have aroused my curiosity.
Finally got to see these end credits! Very cool, with the floating skull and the pooka and Ariadne in the woods. Kinda weird how the dungeoneer is carrying the old Medusa shield instead of the Eyeshield, though!
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I've re-edited the death scene from this episode and added a bit of tension music.
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Team 2 eventually decided to swap their gold for the slipper, which contained a "RUN" spell.
Entered ariadne's lair and collected food and some more gold, then used their spell to escape.
Used the gold for the toll to cross the water, then descended the steps to level 3.
Worked out the transporter pads ok.
Next-up was the clue-room, with a selection of items, including a green gem. They summoned "Merris" and received a "HERO" spell in exchange for it. Stroppy reaction from the dark sorceress: "With our pact redeemed, I have no further interest in your progress...."
The next room led into another moving corridor, but this one had a difference. The first appearance of the corridor of blades. They didn't move Alastair quickly enough and he got sliced.
Priceless reaction from the advisor: "Are we dead?"
Hmmm, your dungeoneer has just been sliced in half by a massive saw-blade. He's hardly gonna be 100%. More like 2 x 50%
Team 2 did well and the advisor Harry was extremely quick-witted. Unfortunately the one thing they struggled with was clear communication, which proved fatal in the challenging corridor of blades, where good directions and quick reactions are critical.
Team 3 barely had time to start before the bell sounded.
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(This is the first episode I have seen of this run so excuse me for making some general comments to.
A reference to "Knightmare Castle" in the intro - is this the first time we hear the new name?
Well noticed. I think you're right.
You see the same trainers when Alastair's on the pad as [when Dickon and Giles are on the pad]. Looks like Dickon's feet were the only ones they bothered doing a close-up on!
Are you sure? It looks to me like we do see a close-up of Alistair when it's Alistair on the transporter pads.
Wasnt it so corny the way treguard said, "Well I suppose thats just a slice of life team" when they got killed in yesterdays episode in the corridor of blades!!
LOL
I got a good laugh out of this part. Let me just break it down: the master of a castle, sitting next to a roaring fire with an elf assistant at his feet, is mocking three boys because their friend just got cut in half before their eyes by a simulation of a huge circular blade. This was first broadcast at teatime on Children's ITV. Knightmare is an amazing piece of television.
After dismissal, Treguard makes three separate references to the team's demise before they finally get to leave. A safe space this is not.
Team 2 did well and the advisor Harry was extremely quick-witted.
One might even call Harry their chief impact officer. (A job title which might also have suited Fatilla.)
As we see Nicky leaving the antechamber, Pickle waves her off. I wonder if it was improvised.
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I've learned never to be sure of anything anymore, and taking a look at those three close-ups I have to admit the one with Alastair's feet is indeed different feet from the other two. I always thought they were all the same shot, and now I think that's probably because of the kind of screen-roll effect (weird bit with a black line) at the top of both Alastair's and Giles's shots, and I always thought Dickon's had this too, but it doesn't. As far as I can see, there is actually a sure-fire way to distinguish between the three of them:
Alastair: Alastair's feet with weird black line.
Dickon: Dickon's feet with no black line.
Giles: Dickon's feet with weird black line.
It feels good to come to terms with all that after more than 30 years of watching Series 4.
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