Thrilla in the Villa
Encyclopedia
"Thrilla in the Villa" is the sixth episode and season finale of the first season of the comedic sword and sorcery
series Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire
. It originally aired on Comedy Central
in the United States on May 7, 2009. The episode was written by Peter A. Knight
and series co-developer Brad Johnson
, and was directed by Alex Hardcastle.
The episode title is a spin on Thrilla in Manila
.
In "Thrilla in the Villa", Kröd and his friends battle the evil Dongalor, who has finally activated his ancient weapon, the Eye of Gulga Grymna. The episode received generally negative reviews. According to Nielsen ratings
, "Thrilla in the Villa" was viewed by 858,000 households, about half the viewership the back-to-back season premiere, "Wench Trouble
" and "Golden Powers
", received a month earlier.
) and his friends Loquasto (Steve Speirs), Zezelryck (Kevin Hart
) and Bruce (Marques Ray), having survived an explosion during a secret mission, find a notice that Dongalor (Matt Lucas
) has declared victory following Kröd's death and offered amnesty (and a free mule) to freedom fighters who surrender. Since the warlock Grimshank (John Rhys-Davies
) was the only resistance fighter who knew of Kröd's mission, they realize he is a double agent
. After seeking advice from his ex-wife Agnes Grimshank (Janine Duvitski
), they learn Grimshank is powerless without the canine tooth
he wears upon a waist chain. Agnes turns the foursome into dogs so they can sneak into the castle and get close to Grimshank. They arrive at his room and learn he has acquired Pagan tears, the last ingredient needed to activate Dongalor's ancient weapon, the Eye of Gulga Grymna.
After spending the night in Grimshank's room and waking up as humans, Kröd and his men steal the vial of tears, throw the canine tooth out the window and tie up Grimshank. Kröd reveals to Aneka (India de Beaufort
) and Ralph Longshaft (James Murray
) that Grimshank is a traitor, but Grimshank insists he had to do it so that he could get close to Dongalor and stop him. Aneka is thrilled Kröd is still alive, but when Longshaft reveals that he and Aneka have been having sex, a disheartened Kröd gives him the Pagan tears, much to Grimshank's horror. Suddenly, Dongalor arrives with his army and Longshaft, who reveals himself to be the true traitor, gives him the tears. Kröd says the tears are fake and that he simply was trying to expose the real traitor, but Dongalor calls out his guards and takes the real tears from Kröd (Krod tries to swallow the vial, but ends up choking it up into Dongalor's hands: Aneka, Longshaft and Dongalor's advisor Barnabus (Alex MacQueen
) then make cutting remarks about what he could have done with the vial). An annoyed Grimshank explains he planned to give the tears to Dongalor then use his powers to turn the weapon against him, but that he is now powerless without his canine tooth and cannot help. However, Loquasto, Zezelryck and Bruce arrive to fend off the guards and a battle ensues.
While Dongalor activates the Eye of Gulga Grymna, Kröd and Longshaft fight each other with swords. Longshaft nearly kills Kröd, but Grimshank jumps in front of the blow and dies, telling Kröd with his dying breath that he remains unconvinced Kröd will save the day. Longshaft becomes disarmed, but Kröd cannot bring himself to kill an unarmed man; when Longshaft pulls out a secret dagger and tries to stab him, Aneka throws a sai into his chest and kills him: however, Ralph "remains classy to the end". Kröd confronts Dongalor, who reveals he is Kröd's brother-in-law, having married (and divorced) Kröd's crazy estranged sister. With the Eye of Gulga Grymna about to explode, Kröd shoves Dongalor and Barnabus aside, accidentally knocking them out a window. Following advice from the disembodied voice of his deceased mentor Arcadius (Roger Allam
), Kröd stabs the Eye with his flaming sword, destroying it. Aneka embraces Kröd, although a voice-over narrator reveals she will continue her promiscuous ways. Dongalor and Barnabus have survived by falling into a tree, while Dongalor's bastard
son, having survived his father's suicidal task (going on a fishing boat to the middle a lake with lots of rocks in his pockets knowing he can't swim), pelts them with rocks, and starts chopping down the tree they're in for revenge (the cleverness of which impresses Dongalor enough for him to declare the boy his heir).
and series co-developer Brad Johnson
, and was directed by Alex Hardcastle. It originally aired May 7, 2009 in the United States on Comedy Central
. The episode was filmed in Budapest
, Hungary
.
" and "Golden Powers
", which was seen by 1.6 million households on April 9, 2009.
Matt Fowler of IGN
said of the episode, "Kröd Mändoon wrapped itself up this past Thursday with about as much as a half-hearted attempt at humor and adventure as we've already witnessed throughout the season. It just wasn't that funny." Although he said the twist of making Longshaft the traitor was good, he said the episode ends abruptly, the resolution with Kröd and Aneka's relationship was unsatisfying and that practically all the jokes were unfunny, with the exception of Grimshank's dying words to Kröd: "I die unconvinced." Fowler was particularly critical of the scene in which Kröd and his fellow warriors became dogs.
Sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery is a sub-genre of fantasy and historical fantasy, generally characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts. An element of romance is often present, as is an element of magic and the supernatural...
series Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire
Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire
Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire is a British-American comedic sword and sorcery series created by Peter A. Knight, co-produced by Hat Trick Productions and Media Rights Capital for Comedy Central and BBC Two, which premiered on April 9, 2009 in the USA and on June 11 in the UK. It began...
. It originally aired on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
in the United States on May 7, 2009. The episode was written by Peter A. Knight
Peter Knight
Peter Knight is a folk musician, member of the electric folk group Steeleye Span.Peter Knight was born in London on 27 May 1947. As a child he learned the violin and mandolin before going to the Royal Academy of Music from 1960 to 1964. The recordings of the Irish fiddler Michael Coleman inspired...
and series co-developer Brad Johnson
Brad Johnson
Brad Johnson may refer to:* Brad Johnson , American actor, former Marlboro Man* Brad Johnson , American actor* Brad Johnson , former quarterback* Brad Johnson...
, and was directed by Alex Hardcastle.
The episode title is a spin on Thrilla in Manila
Thrilla in Manila
The Thrilla in Manila was the third and final famous boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier for the Heavyweight Boxing Championship of the World, fought at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines on October 1, 1975....
.
In "Thrilla in the Villa", Kröd and his friends battle the evil Dongalor, who has finally activated his ancient weapon, the Eye of Gulga Grymna. The episode received generally negative reviews. According to Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, "Thrilla in the Villa" was viewed by 858,000 households, about half the viewership the back-to-back season premiere, "Wench Trouble
Wench Trouble
"Wench Trouble" is the first episode of the first season of the comedic sword and sorcery series Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 9, 2009, then on BBC2 in the United Kingdom on June 11, 2009. The episode was written by...
" and "Golden Powers
Golden Powers
"Golden Powers" is the second episode of the first season of the comedic sword and sorcery series Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 9, 2009...
", received a month earlier.
Plot
Kröd Mändoon (Sean MaguireSean Maguire
Sean Maguire is an English actor and singer, who rose to fame in 1988 when at the age of eleven he took on the role of "Tegs" Ratcliffe on the BBC children's drama Grange Hill, in which he remained until 1992...
) and his friends Loquasto (Steve Speirs), Zezelryck (Kevin Hart
Kevin Hart (actor)
Kevin Hart is an American actor and stand-up comedian.-Early life and career:Hart was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was raised by his single mother...
) and Bruce (Marques Ray), having survived an explosion during a secret mission, find a notice that Dongalor (Matt Lucas
Matt Lucas
Matthew Richard "Matt" Lucas is an English comedian, screenwriter and actor best known for his acclaimed work with David Walliams in the television show Little Britain; as well as for his portrayals of the scorekeeping baby George Dawes in the comedy panel game Shooting Stars, Tweedledee and...
) has declared victory following Kröd's death and offered amnesty (and a free mule) to freedom fighters who surrender. Since the warlock Grimshank (John Rhys-Davies
John Rhys-Davies
John Rhys-Davies is a Welsh actor and voice actor. He is perhaps best known for playing the charismatic Arab excavator Sallah in the Indiana Jones films and the dwarf Gimli in The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
) was the only resistance fighter who knew of Kröd's mission, they realize he is a double agent
Double agent
A double agent, commonly abbreviated referral of double secret agent, is a counterintelligence term used to designate an employee of a secret service or organization, whose primary aim is to spy on the target organization, but who in fact is a member of that same target organization oneself. They...
. After seeking advice from his ex-wife Agnes Grimshank (Janine Duvitski
Janine Duvitski
Janine Duvitski is an English actress, known for her roles as Jane Edwards in Waiting for God and Pippa Trench in One Foot in the Grave. She also created and played the role of Angela in Mike Leigh's play Abigail's Party.-Personal life:Duvitski was born in Nottingham. Her father was Polish...
), they learn Grimshank is powerless without the canine tooth
Canine tooth
In mammalian oral anatomy, the canine teeth, also called cuspids, dogteeth, fangs, or eye teeth, are relatively long, pointed teeth...
he wears upon a waist chain. Agnes turns the foursome into dogs so they can sneak into the castle and get close to Grimshank. They arrive at his room and learn he has acquired Pagan tears, the last ingredient needed to activate Dongalor's ancient weapon, the Eye of Gulga Grymna.
After spending the night in Grimshank's room and waking up as humans, Kröd and his men steal the vial of tears, throw the canine tooth out the window and tie up Grimshank. Kröd reveals to Aneka (India de Beaufort
India de Beaufort
India de Beaufort is an English actress and singer/songwriter from London whose appearances include roles in Basil Brush and Run Fatboy Run. She played Aneka, a pagan warrior maiden, in the 2009 series Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire...
) and Ralph Longshaft (James Murray
James Murray (English actor)
James Murray is an English actor.-Early life :Murray was born in Greater Manchester; his great-grandfather, Richard Hollins Murray, invented the reflecting lens in 1927.-Career:...
) that Grimshank is a traitor, but Grimshank insists he had to do it so that he could get close to Dongalor and stop him. Aneka is thrilled Kröd is still alive, but when Longshaft reveals that he and Aneka have been having sex, a disheartened Kröd gives him the Pagan tears, much to Grimshank's horror. Suddenly, Dongalor arrives with his army and Longshaft, who reveals himself to be the true traitor, gives him the tears. Kröd says the tears are fake and that he simply was trying to expose the real traitor, but Dongalor calls out his guards and takes the real tears from Kröd (Krod tries to swallow the vial, but ends up choking it up into Dongalor's hands: Aneka, Longshaft and Dongalor's advisor Barnabus (Alex MacQueen
Alex MacQueen
Alexander Tulloch MacQueen is an English actor. He has appeared on television, film and radio in the UK in productions such as Holby City, Hut 33, The Thick of It, and Keeping Mum....
) then make cutting remarks about what he could have done with the vial). An annoyed Grimshank explains he planned to give the tears to Dongalor then use his powers to turn the weapon against him, but that he is now powerless without his canine tooth and cannot help. However, Loquasto, Zezelryck and Bruce arrive to fend off the guards and a battle ensues.
While Dongalor activates the Eye of Gulga Grymna, Kröd and Longshaft fight each other with swords. Longshaft nearly kills Kröd, but Grimshank jumps in front of the blow and dies, telling Kröd with his dying breath that he remains unconvinced Kröd will save the day. Longshaft becomes disarmed, but Kröd cannot bring himself to kill an unarmed man; when Longshaft pulls out a secret dagger and tries to stab him, Aneka throws a sai into his chest and kills him: however, Ralph "remains classy to the end". Kröd confronts Dongalor, who reveals he is Kröd's brother-in-law, having married (and divorced) Kröd's crazy estranged sister. With the Eye of Gulga Grymna about to explode, Kröd shoves Dongalor and Barnabus aside, accidentally knocking them out a window. Following advice from the disembodied voice of his deceased mentor Arcadius (Roger Allam
Roger Allam
Roger Allam is an English actor, known primarily for his stage career, although he has performed in film and television. He played Inspector Javert in the original London production of the stage musical Les Misérables....
), Kröd stabs the Eye with his flaming sword, destroying it. Aneka embraces Kröd, although a voice-over narrator reveals she will continue her promiscuous ways. Dongalor and Barnabus have survived by falling into a tree, while Dongalor's bastard
Legitimacy (law)
At common law, legitimacy is the status of a child who is born to parents who are legally married to one another; and of a child who is born shortly after the parents' divorce. In canon and in civil law, the offspring of putative marriages have been considered legitimate children...
son, having survived his father's suicidal task (going on a fishing boat to the middle a lake with lots of rocks in his pockets knowing he can't swim), pelts them with rocks, and starts chopping down the tree they're in for revenge (the cleverness of which impresses Dongalor enough for him to declare the boy his heir).
Production
"Thrilla in the Villa" was written by Peter A. KnightPeter Knight
Peter Knight is a folk musician, member of the electric folk group Steeleye Span.Peter Knight was born in London on 27 May 1947. As a child he learned the violin and mandolin before going to the Royal Academy of Music from 1960 to 1964. The recordings of the Irish fiddler Michael Coleman inspired...
and series co-developer Brad Johnson
Brad Johnson
Brad Johnson may refer to:* Brad Johnson , American actor, former Marlboro Man* Brad Johnson , American actor* Brad Johnson , former quarterback* Brad Johnson...
, and was directed by Alex Hardcastle. It originally aired May 7, 2009 in the United States on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
. The episode was filmed in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
.
Reception
According to Nielsen ratings, "Thrilla in the Villa" was viewed by 858,000 households in its original American broadcast. The viewership was nearly half of the back-to-back Kröd Mändoon season premiere "Wench TroubleWench Trouble
"Wench Trouble" is the first episode of the first season of the comedic sword and sorcery series Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 9, 2009, then on BBC2 in the United Kingdom on June 11, 2009. The episode was written by...
" and "Golden Powers
Golden Powers
"Golden Powers" is the second episode of the first season of the comedic sword and sorcery series Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 9, 2009...
", which was seen by 1.6 million households on April 9, 2009.
Matt Fowler of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
said of the episode, "Kröd Mändoon wrapped itself up this past Thursday with about as much as a half-hearted attempt at humor and adventure as we've already witnessed throughout the season. It just wasn't that funny." Although he said the twist of making Longshaft the traitor was good, he said the episode ends abruptly, the resolution with Kröd and Aneka's relationship was unsatisfying and that practically all the jokes were unfunny, with the exception of Grimshank's dying words to Kröd: "I die unconvinced." Fowler was particularly critical of the scene in which Kröd and his fellow warriors became dogs.