Galavant – Battle of the Three Armies/The One True King (To Unite Them All)

The finale is here, and Galavant goes out on a high. We’ve been building up to these final two episodes all season, and there’s no disappointing cliff-hangers like last time. No, we’ve got stellar songs, great character work and a lot of laughs in an action-packed ending.

The day of the battle has come, and there’s a huge difference in the confidence levels of the armies. Isabella tries to rally the troops of Hortensia, and Gareth is disappointed that Wormwood and Madalena don’t plan to take part in the fight. Galavant and Richard make their entrance with their zombie army, and our characters finally reunite. Isabella and Galavant finally get to share another kiss, while Gareth is torn between his love for Madalena and his friendship with Richard. But the choice may soon be made for him, as Madalena finally uses D’Dew to help turn the tide of the battle.

One of the series’ earliest running gags was Ben Presley’s Jester narrating and recapping events of the episode through song, and a big finale needs a big callback. We have a season recap song that sees him hit some phenomenal notes, and a stirring battle number that brings most of our characters together. ‘It’s a good day to die’, they sing, although meta-stating that there’s no way any of the characters are actually going to perish.

The Gareth-Madalena conflict emerged with the reveal that the queen had gone back on her word, and it’s been a pleasing character arc for Gareth, in love with Madalena but struggling with the fact she craves power more than she does him. She and Wormwood share a fun duet about evil magic, but the story of the day is Galavant and Isabella finally reuniting. The reunion was about right, and I’m glad we have one more episode for them to be together.

This is a high note, with strong songs, good performances and the perfect character resolutions, and lots of comedy

In our final episode, our characters are trapped in the kingdom of Hortensia, as the evil zombie army surrounds them. Madalena offers Gareth a chance to escape, but he realises the value of loyalty to his oldest friend. Sid turns up to help save the day with an army of background characters from this season, but the story is Richard finally getting the chance to be a hero, facing Wormwood and dealing with the evil wedding planner once and for all. Isabella takes the fight to Madalena, but Galavant warns her to be careful – the couple are closer than ever to their happily ever after.

This episode opens with a wonderful comedy sequence, in which a young Richard and young Gareth head to a playground. The two young actors nail it, and we even get a dig at songwriter Alan Menken – it’s really funny, and it leads to a stunning duet between Richard and his inner child (‘Will My Day Ever Come?’). Although the show is called Galavant, this has been Richard’s series – he’s overcome so much, and he has a dragon. Timothy Omundson is one of the show’s trump cards, beyond a doubt.

Richard and Isabella get their moments to be heroes, and then Galavant and Isabella are finally able to be together. Galavant proposes (we learn that his first name is Gary), and they share a duet about a happy ending – it’s simple and sweet, and they finally get it. It wasn’t the most exciting ending, but it was a satisfying one. Gareth has been changed by experiencing love, and Sid finally got a moment in the sun (with an army of background characters, because they couldn’t afford anyone the audience would recognise).

In a nice turn of events, Weird Al Yankovic returns as the singing monk, conducting Galavant and Isabella’s wedding, and singing about the likely lack of another surprise renewal. If this is the end of Galavant, it’s gone out with another incredible series, showing an experience unlike anything else. This is a high note, with strong songs, good performances and the perfect character resolutions, and lots of comedy. It’s been a good season, and I’ll hope beyond hope that season three is ever green-lit.