EW loves Galavant—so much so that multiple writers wanted to take a stab at recapping it. Here, Hillary Busis and Danielle Nussbaum have a tag-team discussion of the comedy's fifth episode.
HILLARY: Galavant himself kicks off tonight's first episode by musing that he wants his rescue of Madalena to have a "dramatic build"—and that's pretty much the whole point of this half-hour, which finally brings our core trio to Valencian shores. (On one hand, I'm surprised that the rescue mission actually gets underway before the finale; on the other, it's nice to see Galavant defying our expectations again.) Before they can storm the castle, though, Isabella manages to buy a bit of time by bringing Gal and Sid to a monastery... where all the monks have taken a "vow of singing."
We'll get to that. First, though, we should probably address how the episode starts: with an ensemble sing-along starring Madalena, Madalena, and a few more Madalenas. You got your wish, Danielle! How does it feel?
DANIELLE: I've had some definite kvetches about these past few episodes: Where's the recall of the theme song? Why aren't we getting more of bitchy Madalena? Lo and behold, someone was listening! (Or it's just how these things pan out.) Regardless, we get both here—a nice bit of theme song in Galavant's hopeful "I can't believe we're almost there" and the king's "I can't believe he's almost here," and evil, deceitful Madalena, who has turned from bored to positively obnoxious. Galavant's creators clearly took copious notes on Susan Sarandon's wicked queen in Enchanted (which also boasts music by Alan Menken), and I'm tickled by it.
Madalena's big, showstopping number—the preamble for her coming up with an evil plan of her own—is a mashup of Cersei's vanity, A Chorus Line's finale, and Annie's lovely Boylan sisters. The way she croons "Like You" alongside images of herself in a hall of gilded mirrors is a neat trick that leads us perfectly into the barbershop quartet of monks. Is it just me, or does the music in this episode feel more Monty Python and less Broadway?
HILLARY: I actually got more "Glenn Slater is channeling the wonderful Howard Ashman" from the songs, at least "Like Me." It's so "Gaston"-y! Compare:
No one shoots like Gaston
Makes those beauts like Gaston
Then goes tromping around wearing boots like Gaston!
to:
No one's as smart and hard as heart and looks the part like you
...Nobody wheels and double deals in killer heels like me!
It's uncanny, n'est-ce pas?
DANIELLE: It is a sweet homage to Ashman, Menken's longtime collaborator, who sadly passed away in 1991. I like that Galavant is bringing back the best of Disney in these lyrics. I also have a secret sweet spot for Richard's quirky, bumbling chef, who's the best of Python and any Marty Feldman character (especially in Young Frankenstein) combined. And he gets his own song!
HILLARY: Yes, let's talk about it: Tiny Chef and Madalena's handmaiden, Gwynne (who's a dead ringer for Downton Abbey's perpetual scullery maid Daisy), sing a sweet duet about the misery of peasant life—and how it'll be just a little bit less miserable if they can spend theirs together.
DANIELLE: It is Daisy! Actress Sophie McShera, who plays Daisy on Downton Abbey, guests as Gwynne; she also played Annie in 1998's West End and touring revival.
HILLARY: Gasp! Good to see her getting out of the kitchen and... into another kitchen.
On one hand, Galavant goes to the "tongue-in-cheek love song" well a little too often; see also "Maybe You're Not the Worst Thing Ever" and next episode's "Love Is Strange." On the other, lines like "we'd share a hovel built for two, complete with vermin for three" and "we would have a dozen kids, and maybe one won't die" made me chortle, even if they're the sort of thing we've grown to expect from Galavant.
If Madalena's big number was a Gaston tribute, the archness of the peasant love song reminded me more of Enchanted's "Happy Working Song"—a "Whistle While You Work" parody all about getting disgusting New York vermin to clean a dingy apartment. In any case, I found the Chef's subplot completely charming; I wish there'd been time to introduce Gwynne in an earlier episode, since their shy flirting warmed the cockles of my cold, contemporary heart. Agreed?
DANIELLE: Their song is absolutely darling. I thought that I wasn't super into this ep's songs, but now that we're talking about it, I realize they were clever—just very different from what came before. Can we talk about the monks now, and the elephant in the monastery? Weird Al is a singing brother in The Order of Our Father of Perpetual Refrain!
HILLARY: A robe-sporting barbershop quintet, one complete with boy-band-esque labels for each member! There's a smart one, a cute one, a shy one, a bad boy... and also Weird Al. I guess that makes him the monk equivalent of Chris Kirkpatrick?
DANIELLE: Hillary. He is the Justin Timberlake.
HILLARY: This is literally the first time in history anyone's ever made that comparison.
DANIELLE: Let's also tick a wall notch for yet ANOTHER self-referential diss of musicals: Isabella tells Galavant the monks have taken a vow of singing. He groans and says "Kill me."
HILLARY: He sure sings a lot for a guy who hates musicals.
Anyway: I do think the music in this episode gets better in hindsight, though plot-wise, there's not much here. The episode very much treads water until the clock strikes 9:03—and Isabella finally shows up on Richard's doorstep, declaring that she'll hand over the jewel of Valencia only if Galavant lives. Naturally, the king vetoes that idea, which finally brings us to the moment we've been building toward all season (all series?).
The Trio sneaks into the castle; Richard catches them and reveals Isabella's deceit. I'd wonder where the show could go from here if the episode had ended at this moment (and, uh, if there hadn't been another airing right after it), but instead, it continues and closes on a cliffhanger: Galavant thinks he's being taken to the gallows. Instead, he and the chef are surreptitiously swapped—and the knight is brought up to Madalena's bedchamber, where she's laid out a sumptuous romantic meal. (Poor Gwynne; she probably could have used some braised rabbit.) Apparently, when an episode rains Madalena, it pours.
DANIELLE: That said, I do think the episode really belongs to the minor characters: Chef, Daisy, and especially Gareth, the King's straight man/head knight, who drops the show's funniest asides. He gets no love.
HILLARY: He'll get some next episode! So maybe we should move along. After all, the hour is getting late; the sun has cast its last shadow upon the earth, and a crescent moon is rising above the eastern ridge.
DANIELLE: So you're saying it's, like 9 o'clock?
