Time Bandits Season 1 Episode 2 Review: Mayan
Now that’s more like it. Perhaps I spoke too soon in my Time Bandits Season 1 premiere review because Time Bandits …
The post Time Bandits Season 1 Episode 2 Review: Mayan appeared first on TV Fanatic.
Now that’s more like it. Perhaps I spoke too soon in my Time Bandits Season 1 premiere review because Time Bandits Season 1 Episode 2 plugs some glaring, worrisome holes.
Nevertheless, the gulf between Taika Waititi’s vision and the original ’80s classic remains sizeable. It’s good to see a few cohesive elements beginning to draw together into something akin to a clear painting.
No, I still don’t believe Apple TV’s new take on a Terry Gilliam classic will ever outdo the original, but episode 2 presents a few plot twists worth pondering before Episode 3.
Thankfully, the second episode slows things down a little, allowing for a greater appreciation of the scene and storytelling. The first outing was like watching a starving coyote accidentally walking into a chicken coop.
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That said, let’s start with the bad and work our way up from there.
Comedy is Great Until it Isn’t
Growing up on similar comedic styles in the vein of Monty Python, along with later, cruder offerings from the Farrelly brothers, Waititi’s style is funny and welcome.
Waititi’s problem, especially with Time Bandits, is his inability or unwillingness to take a breath. Sure, this iteration clearly aims at children, and it laudably makes efforts in that pursuit.
But if there were 10,000 words of dialogue throughout the episode, 9,999 and a half are flippant and whimsical. There’s never a break from it.
At the risk of spoiling the episode, there is a scene in which two of Kevin’s relatives are burned so badly that they are essentially reduced to charcoal. Worse, it happens directly in front of Kevin. There is no moment of despair before the time bandits are joking about it.
It feels surreal and inappropriate at the moment for obvious reasons. Knowing the show is geared toward an incessant degree of comedy still doesn’t overcome the scene. There are others as well, though they lack the poignant seriousness of this one.
Taika Waititi’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Our Flag Means Death, and What We Do in the Shadows all exhibit similarities, but they even have moments where they briefly give the audience a respite. As the saying goes, “Too much of a good thing is never good.”
Characters Are Important
The closest thing I can compare the characters of Time Bandits to is What We Do in the Shadows. Nandor the Relentless is absolutely absurd and probably one of the most low-IQ vampires ever represented on the small screen.
However, he has a history — a background in the Ottoman Empire as a warrior. Though his naivete is quite frequently at the forefront of his decision-making, he clearly has a fondness for his human servant Guillermo and his fellow vampires.
By the end of Time Bandits’ second episode, there is little to no information regarding any of the bandits. We know their basic storyline, but a quick jaunt across a Wikipedia screen will tell you that.
Some of the bandits show empathy towards Kevin, though not very often, and much of their backstory is a gigantic blank.
At this point, I find it difficult to empathize with their plights, most of which they have inflicted upon themselves, despite the fact that we are only two episodes in. Of all the time bandits, Kevin generates the most rapport.
Thanks to a backstory of ambivalent, smartphone-obsessed parents, bullying, ignorance, and alienation, Kevin stands head and shoulders above the rest of the cast despite the benighted young actor’s obvious inexperience.
If any of the other characters fell off a cliff, it’s hard to imagine feeling anything one way or the other—except for Widget. He may lack a backstory, but he’s the most straightforward, blunt character of the bunch. He’s a breath of fresh air and fun to watch.
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Which Brings Us to the Good
Despite my incalcitrant resistance to the sheer volume of comedic appeal in Time Bandits, I can’t deny it is funny, even hilarious, at times. There’s no doubting Waititi’s gift for comedic appeal. The juxtaposition of comedic personalities is striking as well.
Penelope plays the aloof, sarcastic wit as if she never left Phoebe’s (of Friends fame) shoes. Bittelig’s facial expressions are ceaselessly entertaining, while Judy’s dry, dull humor is contagious. Widget is blunt and straightforward despite the circumstances.
Only Alto remains apart from the rest, but that may just be a matter of my own personal humor. All six characters share the screen most of the time, and there is never a moment where they don’t seem right at home with one another.
That’s often difficult to achieve. Some actors and actresses have a natural chemistry, and some do not. Waititi has a team of characters that do, and it shows through the show’s very pores.
Time Slows Down for the Time Bandits
Unlike episode 1, where the bandits were constantly moving through history, most of episode 2 takes place in ancient Maya. It’s a welcome restraint on the manic flow of the season so far. There is time to gather bearings and observe the territory, as well as the bandits and how they act within it.
Only at the end do things shift to the modern era, and the change makes sense from the story’s perspective. Both Pure Evil and the Supreme Being make appearances, and both serve to open up the story’s scope and potential directions.
In terms of twists, Pure Evil reaches out via his minion, a particularly creepy-looking demon, and pulls the most fundamental twist while defying the source material, at least in terms of timeframes.
The Supreme Being leaves us with a semi-cliffhanger, though it appears we do not know exactly why we are hanging from the cliff — at least not yet.
Things Are Looking Up
With the Time Bandits Season 1 Episode 2 behind us, there are reasons to believe this show has some happy and entertaining surprises in store.
This time around, the characters are genuinely funny, have plenty of chemistry, and even some empathy, even if it’s only for Kevin.
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Even better, the story slows down, allowing for some growth potential and interesting plot twists that feel like they matter. This is Apple TV+ we’re talking about, so it’s nice having time to enjoy the cinematography before the bandits move on.
There’s a budding seed of genuine stakes as well, especially with Kevin, whose loss will probably lead to some interesting intersections.
Admittedly, the comedic flow is overly heavy-handed, but given Waititi’s recent filmmaking history, there’s probably little that will change. Don’t get me wrong — I love a good comedy. But I also appreciate a breather every now and then.
Will Apple’s Time Bandits ever match the original?
Probably not.
But things are looking up from the closing credits.
After the premiere episode, that is more than enough for me.
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