Knightfall episode 4 review: A surprise pregnancy, a test, and a horse head
Also, is the entire concept of the Holy Grail cursed? Does this only bring about further death and destruction? Knightfall paints a nice parallel between the Grail and the One Ring from Lord of the Rings — the very thing that promises power but guarantees pain. Men die for the sake of it. “The grail will destroy us all.” This was one of the lines uttered in this episode, and it was likely one of the truest lines of all stated.
One of the main focuses in the episode was figuring out the identity of the Saracen’s murderer, which was (as you would have guessed) not an easy thing to figure out. There was an arrest that was made, but it was the wrong man. Tancrede was eventually found out to be the guilty party — alas, we did not see the full extent of consequences that were handed down towards him in this installment.
Through sequences of the past this week, one of the other things we had a chance to see was a little more of Landry’s own past and understanding of the Grail. He knew about it more than most, and you would assume as a result of this that he would be able to dissuade others from seeking its power. Yet, people are greedy.
Meanwhile, the arrival of Eleanor from Catalonia raised some questions when it comes to Isabella. We knew that she wanted to be in Catalonia; yet, what she wants may not be what she gets? One of the big challenges that came the kingdom’s way arrived in the form of rumors about her virtue … rumors that, in part, turned out to be true. Within a matter of just a few short scenes, we started to get a whole Romeo & Juliet situation unfolding before our lives. Isabella was in love, but Isabella was also naïve. She did not fully understand the challenges that her position put her family in. They were the ones who could end up bearing the brunt of some of her decisions.
What this storyline led to for Isabella was something far worse than we could’ve imagined — a purity check, which required her to be exposed to a wide number of people. This one act ensured that the planned marriage could continue — Isabella did seem to get some of what she wanted, but at a heavy cost. Not only was she exposed, but she felt as though Luis had betrayed her by spreading what transpired.
Now, Isabella is desperate to do anything in order to ensure that the marriage is called off — thinking your new-found love betrayed you will certainly do that.
Oh, and we should mention that Joan is … pregnant! Apparently, the midwives in the medieval era have a sixth sense for these sort of things. Also, it appears as though siding with Catalonia over England means that war is nigh — seeing the headless horse at the palace is a pretty bad omen for things to come.
CarterMatt Verdict
Knightfall ironically probably has its greatest amount of work to do with its knights — when the show focuses on the royal drama, it is probably at its meatiest. This is a show still finding its tone, but what we did sense tonight is a ambitious drama with characters all feeling the burden of traditions and the past. They want to move forward from them, but just like the pursuit of the grail, the only thing they know to do is follow suit.
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