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This is a new production from Spain - season 1 is 5 hour long eps. El Cid is played by Denver of Money Heist.
I know very little about El Cid but I know his sword. We carried a ‘Tizona’ at AFS, our own wonky version plus Oscar had one that’s akin to what is used in this show. And then we built one for Man at Arms. I even did some cutting with that but it didn’t make the episode (my lunge made the trailer). So I know the sword but not the story behind it beyond some old movies Ive forgotten and a few classic paintings. This is fiction obvs and I don’t think it’ll tell the whole story but I enjoyed the first ep.
It’s shot on location of some Spanish castles. It catches medieval life well (I especially like a princess pooping scene - that seemed authentic). Plenty of court politics - backstabbing medieval intrigues just like you’d expect from those days. The pooping keeps it real.
Then there are sword fights.
There’s some battlefield scenes that are decently bloody. There’s a wooden sword practice scene that was pretty good - a decently long complex bit of sword choreo that’s quite promising. Then there’s a scaffolding knife fight that’s surprisingly acrobatic. Looking forward to more of this.
Denver is ok. It’s different than his Money Heist character and he’s doing well so far. I’m down.
I’m only one ep deep so I’m withholding any recommendations until I see a few more. So far so good tho.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
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Charlton Heston ==> El Cid.
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm
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E2 was a bit of alright. Intrigues in the king's court and out where the squires are training. Good costumes, nice armor, cool settings and Denver is carrying the role well.
Nice duel towards the end. A joust becomes sword & shield v sword and axe. The coup de grace was a face full of sanguinuity. Almost evoked a D00M chuckle at its gratuitousness.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
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E3 sets up E4 with some talky bits, political posturing and gratuitous nudity.
E4 is the first big battle. Like full on medieval warfare - swords, spears, bows, cavalry, infantry, sanguineous chaos. It was ok - ‘twasn’t a GoT battle of the bastards but tis nuf. There was also gratuitous sex and court intrigues.
This show has really grown on me. It’s like any dark ages series but the Spanish perspective is really working for me. There’s something different about Spain’s take on this - can’t quite put my finger on what it is exactly but it’s got a certain style - a violent yet sexy soap opera if they even used soap in El acid’s day.
Only one more ep but Amazon prime just released s2, so there’s five more.
D00M recommended.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
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Finished s1: somewhat of a denouement after the penultimate ep’s big ass battle. Almost an epilogue but there was a literal twist of a knife (actually an ear dagger which is historically appropo because they originated from the Spanish Moors and the Cid comes from the moorish word sid apparently - D00M blade nerds will get this). The finale needed a sword fight.
There’s a lot of ass in this show. I think there’s been ass shots in every ep. I’m not complaining, just observing. For the most part, it’s been high quality ass - top shelf booty showcases. Ass and swords. Nice pairing.
I’ll come back for s2. I need to do some research binging.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
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One more footnote - Ruy (the sid) got gifted a fancy sword. Maybe it’s tizona. It looks really weird, almost a fantasy sword, but I didnt get that good a look at it.
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Started s2. Kinda talky. One okay sword fight. No ass. Not sure what happened to Ruy’s fancy sword. A tad disappointing for a season premiere.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
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02-26-2022, 10:30 PM
(This post was last modified: 02-26-2022, 11:05 PM by Drunk Monk.)
Finally got back to this. S2e2 was great - good sword fight, good gratuitous sex, good court intrigues, good locations, good decapitation, and a swirling one-er of a gathering, plus a shocking death. I love the look of this, the lighting and feel, the ancient castles and armor. Good stuff. Si. Muy bueno.
E3 had a wicked betrayal (but it did resolve several conflicts) and good battle. After a slow season premiere, El Cid is back on its game. I’m unclear how some people are getting around so quickly, like how the messenger got word of the deception to Ruy in time but I won’t quibble. The battle was satisfying enough to sustain this ep.
Only two more to go which I’ll get to next week.
This is a tight little historic action drama and I’m D00M recommending it even without seeing the finale. I hope more seasons are in the works.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
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Finito
Muy bien!
S2e5 had a major battle. And it was superb - several superfluous sanguineous sprays - some clever battlefield tactics and lots of stabby slashy sword goodness. Quite satisfying and many conflicts were resolved.
The s2 finale felt like an epilogue for the first half, and then delivered a castle wall siege that was epic. It ended on a cliffhanger and I do hope a 3rd season is on the way. The series was quite good as historical sword swingers go.
Definitely D00M recommended, especially in the original Spanish (but there is a dubbed option if you can’t handle subs or your espanol es malo).
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
