Knights of God: Episode 13

" The king had to be found within yourself.”

Sigh. This has been a pretty good series, but this final episode is profoundly disappointing.

I mean, it all falls into place so conveniently. The civil war, with Mordrin finally killing Hugo, is so convenient for the royalist rebels to take over. All the messy stuff of reestablishing power and democracy is just handwaved. And Mordrin is literally shot while crowning himself. Still, thd cliffhanger resolution, with Gervase and Julia both saved by their mutual love, is cute.

Not cute enough to save the episode, though. And there’s definitely a whiff of un-British flag shagging here. The national anthem is sung. The closing titles are changed to the Union Flag. None of these things are inherently bad, of course- national symbols do not and should not belong to the far right- but, within the world this series has so carefully built, this is just not realistic. Better to end with the Knights still in charge but with a sense of hope.

The episode is also rushed, leaving it all to the end, so it’s all plot with no focus on character. It’s sad that a series I was enjoying should end like this.

Knights of God: Episode 11

 "Not toys now. Real."

There's a distinct feeling, and an odd one, as this often briliant and very '80s dark dystopian thriller draws to a close. In many ways it feels radical- yet the tools of revolution are the monarchy and the established church. We even have the Archbishop's seat of Canterbury as a Vatican-style independent state. It's decidedly odd, and small-c conservative, but the overall feel is not reactionary.

There are contrasts. Mordrin is losing his grip on reality, a Cromwell or Caesar who decides to take the crown, an act which coincides with the Knights, spurred by Hugo, turning against him. Meanwhile, Owen Edwards' rebels are proving both successful and hubristic... to the fury of Edwards himself, who stops the killing of prisoners and is full of self-doubt... a clearly intentional contrast to Mordrin.

Suddenly there are lots of things happening and nothing feels stable. Julia's unsuspecting father is to be sentenced to death. Hogo sends assassins after Julia and Gervase, who are about to be told by the archbishop where the king is until the assassins throw all into chaos. All the ryal stuff is a little neat, perhaps, but the plotting here is admirable.

I have no idea where this is going. But I'm impressed.