Galavant Rewatch 2.8, "Do the D'DEW"

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The final confrontation of the season is set up, and kinks are introduced into other threads of the plot, as the second season of Galavant proceeds.

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2.8, "Do the D'DEW"

Written by Jeremy Hall, Luan Thomas, Julia Grob, and Joe Piarulli
Directed by Chris Koch

Synopsis

Night time is the right time to lead zombies along.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Galavant, Sid, Richard, and Roberta proceed at the head of an undead army towards Valencia.
The complications of such work are noted--and demonstrated as Galavant has to micromanage the zombies' motions while they mindlessly follow him. And Richard frets over how to proceed romantically with Roberta, doing so ineptly. She is not inept, however.

Isabella and Steve approach Gareth and Madalena's headquarters under flag of truce.
Steve is understandably nervous; Isabella is resolute. They confront Gareth and Madalena over surrender terms; Madalena's terms are excessive, and Isabella rejects them. Battle looms, and the Sword of the One True King is noted as the only available hope for Hortensia and Valencia--a sword they do not have. But Madalena does not know Isabella's forces do not have it, and she frets about the prophecy foretelling the unification of realms by the sword's wielder. Gareth makes to reassure her, and Wormwood reminds them that he is a practitioner of dark magic--and Madalena is immediately interested, though Gareth is hesitant. Madalena purposes to engage such magic, even so, and despite averring to Gareth that she will not.

Kind of them to leave a note.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Galavant and his cohort arrive at Valencia, finding the castle deserted, its forces diverted to Hortensia. Galavant notices Richard and Roberta, and the two explicate their assignation in song amid a song-and-dance number with the zombies.

Madalena persists in her drive to attain dark magical power. She calls upon Wormwood to teach her, thinking that she will need to sacrifice a child to attain the power. She does not, but does need to sign away her soul. Her evident relish of evil acts--infant-killing, signing in blood--unnerves even Wormwood.

Isabella reviews her forces and their potential arms. They are less than might be desired, and Isabella tries to make the most of it and motivate the Hortensians--to no avail.

Galavant reviews his own troops, finding them similarly less than optimal. He frets about his chances, stumbling onto the idea that the zombies are motivated by the expression of love. He, Richard, and Roberta make to head out; Sid has left a note saying that he has left to atone for his failure with Galavant, and Richard muses over his changes in character. Roberta notes that Richard will not do well in battle, and in detail. He tries to set aside her concerns, and she tries to get him to flee with her. He refuses, and she leaves.

As the episode ends, three armies march towards one another in preparation for a final battle, while others proceed to their own ends.

Discussion

Example I
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary

Example M
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary

One issue that emerges in the episode that reads poorly for me is that of boob-plate. As shown in Examples I and M, both Isabella and Madalena appear in it. (I do read Madalena's outfit in the example as moving towards armor, despite its material. No few of the other focal character are shown in leather armor, after all--including Gareth in the same scene, as witness his gorget and spaulders or pauldrons.) And it is stupid in both cases, looking like it would serve the function Emily Asher-Perrin and others describe of directing weapons towards the body's center mass--and the vital organs housed therein. That both characters display notable gaps in coverage on their sternums only highlights the folly. Yes, it appears meant to accentuate their femininity, to remind viewers that the characters are women (as if the series as a whole and the vocal registers they display during their "catfight" song--and the descriptor is itself a problem--do not do enough to do so already), but it also serves to reinforce ideas that are flatly wrong-headed. (Yes, there are anatomical realities that need accommodation. Exposing vital areas to attack is not an appropriate accommodation.) It's one more point at which the series, which is in many ways in line with what it needs to be, fails to live up to its promises.

There's actually a fair bit to say about the armor in the episode. Near the end, Galavant appears--for the first time in the series--in (nearly) full plate armor. It is relatively unornamented, as well, marking it through its lack of ostentation as a serious piece of equipment. Notably, though, it lacks a helmet (which Gareth wears in the final musical piece of the episode), as well as the surcoat that would keep the naked metal from growing intolerably hot in the sun. While the lack of helmet can possibly be justified both in-milieu--Galavant is not yet at battle--and for concerns of medium--having the character's face exposed eases audience recognition and improves the clarity of voice for singing--the lack of ornamentation stands out. Galavant is a known warrior; it makes little sense that he would not have a recognizable coat of arms, even if only his father's with a mark of cadence upon it. Oddly, such accoutrements as coats of arms are among the most recognizable "medieval" items, so the lack of one on the eponymous character of the series is strange. What is to be made of it is not at all clear...