History Headscratchers / KingsmanTheSecretService

* Eggsy's father ''wasn't'' a Kingsman Agent. He was a trainee who down to the last two candidates when he was killed, that's what Merlin is referring to. The other was "James" who became Lancelot by default when Eggsy's father was killed (and is the one killed by Gazelle at the start trying to rescue Professor Arnold)

** Or Eggsy's dad and the other guy both [[ShootTheDog shot the dog,]] and the combat op was the tiebreaker. Kind of like [[IncrediblyLamePun Sudden-Death overtime.]]

** Maybe there ARE other agents there. When we first see the hangar, if you look closely you can see some people in the hangar doing their works. It's just that those people are not in the focus other than the main characters. Think of James Bond movies, [=MI6=] has dozens of agents and people working inside it, right? But only M, Q, Moneypenny and a few others got prominent screentimes. Just because they're not there doesn't mean they don't exist. Remember Amelia? The girl that drowns in the first test? [[spoiler:She's an agent in the Kingsmen's Berlin branch]], and the HALO-jump test, two pilots are seen flying the plane to drop the candidates off, so obviously there ''are'' other agents. It's just that in the climax, the reason all three good guys go on alone is because they couldn't trust anyone, but if they manage to get the plane out of the hangar at all, it can only mean there ''is'' someone inside to open the hangar door. Also, the area that Merlin works might be off-limits to the official Kingsman field agents (aka those who has Arthurian codenames) so it makes sense that other employees aren't show up there.

** This is actually a bit of FridgeBrilliance when you think about how the test was presented to each candidate. Arthur took Eggsy into a sitting room, started a casual conversation with him, and built up a rapport with him, luring him into a false sense of security. He then presented the pistol, and casually ordered Eggsy to shoot the dog. In contrast, Roxy was called into the room with Merlin, and ordered to shoot her dog. Nothing else was shown to be exchanged between Merlin and Roxy. Arthur stacked the deck against Eggsy by making his test a more emotional scenario by playing against his love for animals.[[spoiler:However, this bit Arthur in the ass later when Eggsy plays against Arthur's more gentlemanly side by tricking him into looking away so Eggsy can switch the cups.]]

** He thought he already won, perhaps. For all he know, he successfully [[spoiler:killed Harry, who was also probably the best Kingsman agent left and the most dangerous threat, and turned Arthur to his own cause.]] He thought there's no one left to threaten him and his VIP friends so he let his guard down. He didn't even know Eggsy is a candidate to be a Kingsman until Charlie exposed him when he infiltrated his base. It was not until then that Valentine recognized Eggsy, and by then it's a XanatosSpeedChess between Valentine and Eggsy. And Valentine might possibly forget to turn off the security override for his [=VIPs=] and just focusing on completing his master plan to wipe out other humans.

* The Kingsman Secret Service can make stylish, comfortable, tailored suits [[spoiler:that can stop knives, bullets, and Gazelle's foot-blades (which can effortlessly slice through metal)]] but can't [[spoiler:come up with combat gear that protects against grenade shrapnel?]]

* During the scene where Harry, using a fake background, joins Valentine in the dinner, it's pretty much a given that Valentine knows who Harry really is when he asks 'Do you like spy movies?', and the following discussions turns quite serious for both sides in contrast of the earlier casual [[spoiler:[=McDonald's=]]] and wine chat. The question is, Harry doesn't really seem so concern about the fact that his cover's already blown, and proceeds to finish the dinner and go back to his HQ like nothing happened. Really? He should've asked Merlin to check whether Valentine secretly placed any tracing device or the like on him (which he really did). Even later when Harry discovers that Valentine, along with Gazelle, [[spoiler:show up right at the Kingsman front door at the suit shop.]] and another serious discussion take place. It's pretty much clear that he's compromised, and yet he plays along and travels to the hate church to track Valentine, fully knowing that it's got to be a trap. [[spoiler:And it gets him killed.]] NiceJobBreakingItHero?

** Maybe. This movie is kind of a homage to James Bond, anyway, so NoMrBondIExpectYouToDine is in works, but that still doesn't change the fact that Harry doesn't suspect Valentine might has some trick up his sleeves once his cover his blown. The tracing thing that Valentine put in Harry's drink brings him to the Kingsman and he manages to [[spoiler:convince Arthur to his cause]] because of it. If Harry has Merlin checks him up first, maybe the tracing substance would be found and foils Valentine's plan. And the mission to the church, I'll admit it leads to arguably the most awesome action scene of the film, but what was Harry thinking sitting in the middle of that church anyway? His distinctive Kingsman suit and glasses is a major giveaway for Valentine, so when he gets up to leave when he realizes he's about to fall into a trap, it's Valentine's cue to trigger the his weapon.

* This might be a silly question to ask, but the Kingsmen really do put emphasis on teamwork during the candidates' tests, right? That would make a lot of sense if not for the fact that only ''one'' candidate will be chosen to be an official spy (and he/she has to work with other senior agents they're not familiar with except for the one agent that bought them in for training in the first place) and the rest are either dead [[spoiler:(Okay, not really)]] or disqualified, and the full-time Kingsmen are only seen to be operating alone in the field anyway (with only a MissionControl courtesy of Merlin at best). The only times where the Kingsmen are seen to be operating as a team is in the opening (where two of them are still candidates competing for a position in the Kingsmen, and Lancelot got lucky because Eggsy's dad sacrificed himself) and in the finale, where [[spoiler:Merlin, Eggsy and Roxy all have different roles in stopping Valentine's plan, and yet the person who did mostly all the work is only Eggsy. It is kinda justified that Roxy was too far to help and Merlin had to do his job as the mission control, but what irks me is the reason they couldn't bring any other Kingsmen along because they couldn't know who they can trust.]] Then what was the point of the 'teamwork' stuff during training anyway if they can't fully work as a team??? I was kinda half-expecting of seeing all those other 'failed' candidates [[spoiler:(Minus Charlie, of course)]] showed up to help the team in the finale, demonstrating efficient teamwork with Eggsy despite their difference of low-high classes or something like that. That'll make for a much more awesome finale.

** Not a silly question at all, but I think the film gives us some hints as to why we don't see the Kingsmen behaving much like a team in the film. Choosing only the one candidate is a Kingsmen tradition, and their being steeped in tradition is a major plot point – one of the Kingsmen flaws that Harry is trying to push against. Although I don't think it's too much of a concern that the candidate would not have worked with the senior agents – it's not like they won't have time to do so after joining the team. In fact, since the cock up seventeen years ago, maybe the Kingsmen decided it was a bad idea to bring the candidates on legit missions like that until they had passed every test and become a full agent. Lancelot is shown working alone near the beginning, but he seemed to be on a surveillance mission more than anything, which the Kingsmen probably wouldn't consider especially dangerous. It's only when he notices [[spoiler:Professor Arnold's kidnapping]] that he decides to go in alone for the rescue, and I got the impression that when Harry reported it to Arthur that he (Harry) disapproved slightly of the approach. Then when Harry goes to the church, he goes alone, but as Harry was the only Kingsman Valentine had had contact with before, it's possible he didn't want to risk Valentine identifying other agents (remember, Valentine had visited [[spoiler:the tailor shop, but as far as Harry knew, he'd only actually seen Harry and Eggsy]]), and if he knew it was a trap, he might not have wanted to scare Valentine off with multiple Kingsmen and instead make him feel secure enough to reveal something with only one. If there had been eight of them there, Valentine might have just pulled out and rescheduled, without giving the Kingsmen any hint as to where next time. A bit foolhardy, certainly, but another Kingsmen flaw does seem to be a bit of overconfidence (though not without reason) and even Harry is not immune. Also by that point, [[spoiler:Arthur was in Valentine's pocket]], so the mission was ''intended'' to [[spoiler:kill Harry.]] As for the climax, I have no quibble with the idea that it would have been cool to see all of the former candidates teaming up, but I don't think the climax of the film was poor or badly explained. From a Doylist perspective, Eggsy ''was'' set up as the main protagonist of the film, so giving him the meat of the action was the film's way of Eggsy proving himself worthy of the Kingsmen (to Merlin) and just getting to be awesome. From a Wastonian viewpoint, I also don't think that the decision not to involve the rest of the Kingsmen was necessarily out of hand. [[spoiler:''Arthur'']] was in on Valentine's plan, and he was willing to [[spoiler:murder both Harry and Eggsy over it.]] I'd imagine that that betrayal shook Merlin to the core, and not only do they not know who else might have been compromised, but taking the time to try to figure it out would have been too much of a risk. Every single person they're concerned might be traitorous is an unstoppable badass with essentially the same resources the good guys have. Trying to ascertain whether or not they could be trusted would be playing with fire if one of more of them did turn out to be evil, and Eggsy took a risk even in going to Merlin. As to why they didn't get the other ex-candidates involved, I'd say that was also time and too much of a risk – after all, [[spoiler:Charlie turned out to be at Valentine's secret base, and the others were all from upper crust families]], which, judging by the film, where those most at risk to be on Valentine's side. Also, none of the other candidates had completed the full training, and if he'd had any other option, Merlin probably wouldn't have risked putting his two greenest agents into the field like that with so little support. I also only remember "teamwork" being mentioned twice during the course of their training – the "seduction" mission started out actually pitting the candidates against each other – and it might have also been that they wanted the candidates to know how to work as a team ''as well'' as alone, and particularly emphasised it because they were training in a group and wanted the candidates to know that they could trust and rely on the other Kingsmen when they joined, so that they would be able to work with them fairly well from the get-go and not get themselves killed with a LeeroyJenkins because they assumed that they were now ultimate badasses and could defeat anybody who came near them. Yes, the senior agents have this kind of confidence, but that's because they're senior agents with years and years of experience, which the new candidate won't have. And as noted in the dog folder on this page, the idea of getting them to trust others might also tie-in with one possible interpretation of the [[spoiler:"shoot the dog" decree – if they instill in their candidates the idea that they can trust those they work with, the candidate should trust the agency and do it. Especially since all of the other times they thought the agency was dooming them it wasn't, so it's the idea that "things aren't always as they seem" and ultimately the agency will always have their back. Which makes it especially twisted that one of their leaders defected...]] Anyway, that's what I've got.
** Yeah, I guess it's probably like what you said. It's just that I don't really know why the Kingsmen would want only one candidate per training, anyway. Granted, anyone that even managed to pass all the tests is automatically a qualified Badass and has no problem working alone, but they could've just easily put the other ''failed'' candidates in other positions and not just kick them off the program immediately. That way, it'll be a more efficient way to expand the organization and give a sense of belonging to its members (working with friends or people you're familiar with tends to work better as a team). One of the reasons the final battle at the climax worked despite the Kingsmen being heavily outnumbered and outgunned is because its three members all know each other well, leading to them doing everything efficiently, despite not all of them gets to join in the action itself. If there's a sequel, I'd love to see the Kingsmen finally operate as a team and not just focused on the main character. Maybe not only introducing the field agents themselves, but other employees in other roles like a tech genius similar to Merlin, an AcePilot or a minor officer like [[spoiler:Amelia]], and how they contributed to the organization.
** Well, as I said, the choosing of one candidate is a Kingsman tradition, and they've got a bit of a flaw there. Honestly, before [[spoiler:Eggsy failed his final test and Harry was murdered, leaving the position of Galahad neatly available for Eggsy]], I assumed that both Roxy and Eggsy were going to pass every test, and that Galahad was going to lobby to allow both of them to join. Arthur would say no, Eggsy would prove himself worthy and get to join as an agent with a new title, etc. That didn't happen, of course, but it would be interesting to see if they mix it up in the sequel by following Harry's more progressive ideals and adapting the agency to the changing times by getting more field agents from different backgrounds and such. Although admittedly, the crazy rigorous testing our heroes went through ''were'' specifically for the job of field agent, not anything else. While it's not like the Kingsmen should necessarily turn down all of the field agent candidates, this is the toughest job in the entire organization. Field agents are definitely intended to be the elite, and there are probably few people badass enough to pass all the tests. We didn't see all of the candidates' training, naturally, but it's reasonable that for such a high, dangerous position, the Kingsmen were going to make damn sure that their agents are ready for anything. Even [[spoiler:Charlie]], who almost made it to the final round, turned out to have a serious flaw. It might be rather unusual to end up with two people who both truly qualify for the job, given how hard it is. Also, we don't know what happened with the other candidates after they left. Maybe the Kingsmen sent them home for failing the field agent bit, but then contacted them later about other jobs they might qualify for. But you're right, the three working together at the end knowing each other did undoubtedly help them, and maybe the organisation will learn from that. Although again, I would expect the Kingsmen to usually send a fresh new agent on slightly less dangerous missions in the beginning to get them well used to working with their teammates before throwing them into the really crazy shit like [[spoiler:assaulting a supervillain's base!]] It's just that at the end of the movie, they didn't have any other options.
** Agreed, and seeing that [[spoiler:Arthur is already dead]], I wondered who's going to take up the position as well. [[spoiler:Since Eggsy inherited the Galahad position from Harry and Roxy is already Lancelot, they're going to need a new member to become Arthur if none of the other original Kingsmen or Merlin takes up the position. And seeing that Arthur is the position for the freakin' leader of the Kingsmen itself, they're going to need only the best of the best, so maybe the extreme training condition for a solo winner is justified.]] Still, I stand by my statement that ''if'' there is a sequel, we'll get to see more of the organization aside from the field agents themselves. An organization as big as this and still maintained its secrecy's gonna need more than a dozen people to manage itself.
** True, but those people are implied, and this movie at least wasn't about them – it was about the field agents and Merlin. Having too many characters is going to muddy the waters of a narrative, so when we watch something like ''Franchise/JamesBond'' or ''Series/TheManFromUncle'', we only get some hints as to the organisation as a whole before we follow the main character(s) out the door and spend most of our time with them. The sequel may expand upon the organisation as a whole, but it's probably not going to dig too deep. Personally though, I would imagine that ''if'' [[spoiler:Harry does come back, because there is a rumour about Colin Firth returning for a sequel (although I don't know in what capacity), that he would become the new Arthur, since he seemed to be a very trusted, senior agent and Eggsy has already taken over for him as Galahad.]] Of course, they're probably going to choose somebody else before that. I really doubt they'd bring in a newbie for that, though – I imagine they'd promote one of the senior agents and then train somebody to take his place.
** Yeah, I don't think they'll just choose a newbie to become [[spoiler:Arthur]]. Maybe Percival will take up the role? He's the only other original Kingsmen we saw in a flesh other than Galahad, Lancelot and Arthur, and he's also Roxy's mentor. Hopefully, if he returns to the sequel he'll take up [[spoiler:Arthur's rank, just before Harry revealed his comeback (also hopefully) and becomes the new Arthur.]] Also, when I mentioned that we would like to see more of the organization, I don't mean expand the story to other employees and loosen the focus on the main character, but just add supporting characters that makes the Kingsmen organization more interesting, like Q, Moneypenny did for [=MI6=] in James Bond movies, something like that. They're not field agents themselves, but they make James Bond's life more interesting. Of course, we already kinda got a Q in form of Merlin, but maybe there's another tech genius somewhere inside Kingsmen to make all of those cool gadgets. (There's been no mention that who made those bullet-proof umbrellas, poisoned shoes or exploding lighters, so maybe it's not Merlin and someone else.)

** The odds of the wrong person showing up is really unlikely, when you think about it from a real-world perspective. To successfully infiltrate you'd have to hijack the identity of one of the people on the list, which would be very hard to do to begin with, as not only would they be naturally protected by virtue of being incredibly rich and important people, up until the very last day Valentine and his crew were keeping a close eye on their chosen many. You'd also have to take the identity of someone who wouldn't be recognizable to the guards--you couldn't steal the President's ID or that of a celebrity. Then you'd have to know where the base was--it's not like you could stumble upon it by accident, the Kingsmen were lucky to already know where it was beforehand. Finally, even once you get in, there's not much you could do unless you had a top-notch hacker at your back and someone already taking out the satellites for you: the place is swarming with guards, Valentine and Gazelle are on high alert, and you'd be always running the risk of someone realizing that you're not the person you claim to be. It's really more of a failing on King's part than anything else, as he was perhaps the only identity on the whole list whom Valentine wouldn't be actively monitoring and who wouldn't be recognized by anyone at the party. It's not Valentine's fault that he expected [[spoiler:the head of the Kingsmen]] to not fall into BondVillainStupidity.

** Google and Facebook are already carrying out plans to deliver free internet; or at least free limited internet. Google's is in the USA. Granted, Fiber is not yet entirely free (there's an installation fee), but that is their eventual goal. The fact of the matter is that, no matter how much a company cries and throws a tantrum, they cannot prevent another company from using their infrastructure however they please. Also, very recently, and despite opposition from pretty much every big cable company, net neutrality rules were passed in the USA. Besides, by that point, Valentine already had in his bag the president of the USA and some other high dignitaries (as suggested by the fact that everyone in the war room [[spoiler:lost their head]]). They could have made sure to get Valentine clearance to deliver his SIM cards.