Follow TV Tropes

Following

YMMV / Knightfall (2017)

Go To

  • Complete Monster: King Philip IV, upon learning of his wife Joan's affair with Landry de Lauzon, sheds any of his good qualities, viciously torturing and beating Joan's maid for information. Later fatally stabbing the pregnant Joan, Philip is so bothered by the possibility her and Landry's child may live that he orders a purge of infants born around that time to ensure he gets the child. Aiming to destroy The Knights Templar, Philip grows to tyrannize his family, viewing his daughter as a piece of an alliance to be married off and his son as a tool and assassin. Philip tortures and massacres the Templars, having many burnt alive, his hatred and vengeance consuming any traits of who he once was.
  • Designated Hero: A lot of people felt this way about Landry given that he is sleeping with his best friend's wife. Ultimately addressed in Season 2 when Landry fully admits that his actions were stupid but points out that Gawain's betraying the entire order due to his grudge with Landry means he has no claim to the moral high ground.
  • Designated Villain: In Season 1 a lot of people felt this way about Phillip given that Landry is committing an egregious betrayal of trust. Subverted in Season 2 as Phillip's insanity causes his sympathetic qualities to dry up
  • Growing the Beard: The general consensus is that Season 2 is a massive improvement; the plotting is tighter and more focused, the characters are more fleshed out and interesting, and Landry gets called out on his misdeeds. Amusingly, the season coincides with Phillip literally growing a beard.
  • Large Ham: Mark Hamill chews the scenery with relish.
  • Magnificent Bastard: William de Nogaret is one of the chief powers behind the French throne. Inspiring violence in the capital to convince King Philip to confiscate the property of the Jewish population to strengthen the throne, de Nogaret later also poisons himself in a gambit to manipulate Princess Isabella in eliminating her fiancee Prince Louis of Navarre, assassinating the English ambassador and establishing a match for Isabella with England. Later returning to power and helping to manipulate the fall of The Knights Templar, de Nogaret achieves his revenge on the Pope who murdered his parents. Later tiring of Philip's madness and abuse, de Nogaret sides with his son Louis to leave Philip to his fate and secure de Nogaret's place as Louis' most loyal follower.
  • The Scrappy: Parsifal is this too many; ironically he dies off JUST when he starts becoming useful.
  • They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: What some people feel about the holy grail plot line, especially since it becomes an Aborted Arc.
  • Unintentionally Unsympathetic: Landry's "heroic" conflict in part 1 is how he can sleep with his best friend's wife behind his back (which is also high treason), with absolutely zero remorse for such a massive breach of trust.

Top