Skip to main content

"Full Metal Jousting" Episode 2 Review

This week's episode of "Full Metal Jousting" pitted Jake, a horse trainer, against Jack, an experienced theatrical jouster. In training, Jake appeared to be the obvious underdog, but he ended up unhorsing Jack in the first tilt.

Jake

Episode 2: "Unhorsed" did provide a tiny reminder of the danger inherent in the sport of jousting when Jack broke a molar after being lanced in the helmet. Still, the show presents a very (necessarily) tamed version of the sport as compared to when it emerged in the eleventh century or so, and Jack's injury could probably have been prevented with a mouth guard.



Jack

I want to like "Full Metal Jousting." I really do. And I have a hard time putting my finger on why it's not exactly "doing it" for me. I suppose I am a person who very much loves ceremony and pomp and circumstance and tradition - not to mention the whole idea of chivalry - and all of that has been stripped from the show. As we discussed before, the jousters have their names printed on their backs, creating an obvious parallel between their armor and jerseys. There are no fans gathered to watch the jousters compete for honor and recognition - there is not even a stadium. There are no heraldry-bearing shields hanging from a tree by which the jousters could challenge one another by striking a given shield. (I mean, seriously - how hard would that have been?) So, I miss all of that. And I'm sure this is not helped by the fact that I am accustomed to seeing jousting after it's been given the full cinematic treatment, or by my deep love of works like "The Once And Future King." When I watch jousting, I want it to be a grand affair, so shoot me.

If you disagree, and are, on the contrary, enjoying following History channel's new show, please comment and win me over, if you can.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Chain Mail Bikinis Don't Count As Armor, and Other Thoughts (Mild Spoilers)

Comics Alliance  calls it "The story Disney should have been telling for the past 20 years," and while I believe Disney plays its part in a healthy mix of fairy tales for children, every little girl (and boy, for that matter) should read a comic like "Princeless."  "Princeless," from  Action Lab Entertainment , introduces us to Adrienne, a princess who is not interested in waiting around in her tower to be rescued. A prince even shows up at one point to do just that, and she turns him away, saying, "Don't let the dragon hit you on the way out." Love it. 

Book Review: The Graveyard Book (No Spoilers)

My friends, both at work and in other circles, are kind enough to lend me books on a very regular basis. I know that when they lend me books, it is because that book impressed them, and they want to share the experience with me. This is what good friends do for each other. That being said, a couple weeks ago, I was thrilled when I returned the last book I had borrowed, because it meant that for the first time in a long time, I was free to begin reading any book of my choosing. Now, I was an English major, and I am a writer, and a writer's best fuel is usually reading, so this means that my  Goodreads  "To read" list is always about 80 times as long as my "Read" list. There really isn't an end in sight to the list of stories that I want to crack open and devour. But you have to start somewhere. So I took a very graciously gifted bookstore gift card, headed down to said bookstore just as giddy as can be, and headed straight for my pre-selected targets.

A Galaxy Big Enough for All of Us: A Brief Defense of "The Rise of Skywalker" (Spoilers)

After seeing "Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker," the final installment in the Skywalker saga, I left the theater awash in a mix of euphoria at being born at the right time to personally experience something so momentous and also in the inevitable bit of melancholy over the close of a story that has captivated my imagination and my heart almost all my life.  I'm sure there were many Star Wars fans like me, but, like me, if they have any exposure at all to the Internet, might have had their Star Wars geek glow promptly stomped on by critics both professional and amateur, eager to tear apart what we all have to recognize was a nearly impossible creative endeavor.  I say impossible because Star Wars has millions of fans across the world, all with their own favorite characters and films, and all with their own perspective on the saga's history and the direction they hoped it would go.  There are spoilers below, so only proceed if you have seen the film! I l