I've said this before, but if I hear a podcast recommended enough, sooner or later I'll take a look at it to see what all the fuss is about. Sometimes I find the shows to be severely overhyped. Other times, however, I discover that the show in question is indeed worthy of all of the praise. The show we'll be taking a look at today falls into that second category. We're taking a look at The Two Princes.
Once upon a time, in a land far, far way, the King of the West and the King of the East faced each other in battle. Both kings wanted their kingdom to dominate the other, but their fighting caused a magical forest to sprout. Ah, but this wasn't one of those happy magical forests. It was a fearsome dangerous place that threatened to consume both the Kingdom of the West and the Kingdom of the East. All hope rests on their two sons. When two princes enter the Hallow of the Two Kings, upon reaching their eighteenth year, one kingdom shall rise, and the curse shall be broken.
Rupert, the Prince of the West, has led a fairly sheltered life. His mother, Queen Lavinia, has filled his life with parties and balls, and his trying her best to get Rupert married off. Rupert, for his part, prefers curling up with the good book, and cares not for the maidens he mother constantly tries to set him up with. Rupert decides that he must venture into the enchanted forest and break the curse. Along the way he meets Amir, Prince of the East, and a skilled fighter and statesman. There's plenty of adventure, comedy, and entertaining times as the two princes race to fulfill their destiny. Along the way, they were discover feeling for each other they never thought possible.
What can I say? I absolutely adore this audio drama. The humor reminds me a bit of the Shrek movies. And I mean that as a compliment. I love all of the Shrek movies and specials. A lot of people do so ironically, but I unironically love them. The Two Princes occasionally pokes fun, in an affectionate way, at various fantasy tropes, and liberally indulges in anachronisms. For example, you have characters who say things like "LOL" and "OMG" despite the setting being vaguely Medieval European. And there's one point where Rupert talks about how he thinks Sam and Diane should get together. It sounds like an anachronistic reference to Cheers, but then it turns out Sam and Diane are servants who work in the castle.
The characters will also often swear in the name
various figures from Arthurian Legend, despite living in a separate fantasy
world. There's also a point when Rupert nearly get eaten by a carnivorous plant
that disguises herself of Flora, the Roman goddess of plants. Well, she never
calls herself a Roman goddess, but she does call herself a goddess.
Also, I just love the voice acting. Yes, it is all very well performed, but there's another reason I love it: the accents. I know I'm going to get flack for this, but personally, I get tired of everyone on fantasy having British accents. Give me some American accents! Thankfully, The Two Princes give me my much longed-for American accents. Oh, there are a couple characters with British accents, but they are minor characters. All the major characters have American accents, and I love The Two Princes for that, among many other reasons.
However, also much like Shrek, The Two Princes more often than not plays the various fantasy tropes perfectly straight, and wholeheartedly embraces them. In fact, The Two Princes is very much a Heroic Fantasy story, but with lots of jokes and character development. Well, that and the interracial gay romance, but we'll talk more about that in a minute.
For now, we need to discuss what exactly Heroic Fantasy is. Heroic Fantasy is the middle ground between High Fantasy and Low Fantasy. There's less focus on geopolitics of different nations, and the setting is mostly there for the heroes to have adventures and quests in. It's also more hopeful and optimistic than Low Fantasy, and the heroes are genuinely heroic. The problems, while serious, tend to be more localized, rather than the potentially world destroying kind you see in High Fantasy. So less Lord of the Rings, and more Dungeons & Dragons, or perhaps Conan the Barbarian. Very closely related to the Sword & Sorcery genre, though that takes a somewhat darker approach.
Our two leads are a study in contrast. Rupert has been sheltered for most of his life, so he isn't much of a fighter. He usually tries to solve his problems with his wits and cunning, but his lack of real-world experience often proves to be a stumbling block. Still, he has his moments. For example, when he and Amir are attacked by a band of traveling thespians, Rupert, with Amir's help, comes up with a plan to disarm the performers. They do so by pretending to be aspiring actors who are looking for constructive criticism of their play, which requires them to use all the weapons the actors have.
By contrast, Amir has been trained to be a prince practically since birth. He's skilled with the sword, but also knows the art of diplomacy and state crafting. He's noble and has a strong sense of honor and duty. He's also kind to the low classes. For much of the first season, Rupert hides his identity from Amir, pretending to be a thief named Fitzroy. After getting of his initial disgust at "Fitzroy's" choice of career, Amir is shown to treat him with genuine respect, and comes to enjoy Rupert's company.
The feeling is very much mutual. As I have previously mentioned, a big selling point of The Two Princes is that it features Rupert and Amir developing an interracial gay romance. Rupert is white, and Amir...well, it isn't quite clear what race he is. The official series art clearly depicts Amir as non-white, but he could be black, or Indian, maybe Middle Eastern, maybe even some combo thereof. The Kingdom of the East seems to have the same vaguely Medieval European, with some elements of modern-day America, culture as the Kingdom of the West, with perhaps a dash of Middle Eastern for flavor. All that aside, I thought Rupert and Amir's romance was well-written and very cute.
Also, Rupert and Amir have a pet dragon named Porridge. They found him as an egg when they were exploring a cave, and he imprinted on them when he hatched. Rupert has always had a great love of dragons, especially since they were believed to be extinct. Of course, it turns out account of the extinction of dragons were greatly exaggerated. And no, I don't mean just because of Porridge.
In other secondary characters, I loved Sir Joan. She wants to be a knight like her father and grandfather, but her father and the other knights disapproves because she's a girl. Still, she proves herself, and Rupert and Amir's mothers task her with helping them find their sons. She also transforms Rupert's former suitors into an army of badass warriors. I really liked Sir Joan, and I wish she'd gotten more screentime. It might have been nice to have her join Rupert and Amir. Now, I can understand that this might have interfered with the development of their relationship. Oh well, maybe in a future season.
Okay, from this point forward we are going to talk about season two. I should also point out that season two is exclusively available on Spotify. As such, we're going talk about the ending for season one of The Two Princes. So, if you don't want any spoilers, now would probably be a good time to get off the train.
Last chance, you sure you want to continue?
Well, okay, if everyone who wants off is gone, let's begin.
Rupert and Amir make it the Hallow of the Two Kings. Their fathers are still there, but have been twisted into a pair of evil trees. This explains where the mysterious whispers Rupert has been hearing came from.
So, Rupert and Amir prepare to do battle, but then Rupert confesses his feeling for Amir. Before long, Amir does the same, and the next thing you know they're kissing. Not long after that the curse is broken, and the forest disappears. Surprise! The prophecy went that one kingdom would rise, because the two kingdoms will be united when Rupert and Amir marry each other. I must admit, I really like how the curse was broken, and the twist of the prophecy. The ending is really heartwarming, and our two princes certainly earned their happily ever after.
So, with an excellent first season under its belt, how does The Two Princes handle season two? Quite well, actually. In fact, I'd say it just keeps getting better.
Season two begins with Rupert and Amir preparing for their wedding. They've decided to build their castle between the two kingdoms, right where the Hallow of the Two Kings used to be. Unfortunately, Malkia, the former sorceress queen of the Midlands, has come to reclaim her kingdom. Rupert and Amir manage to save the kingdom, but at the cost of Amir getting amnesia. Worse, Malkia is going to return with an army of ghosts to take the kingdom by force. Thankfully, our two princes receive help from a good sorceress, who send the, on a quest to get ingredients from a potion to restore Amir's memories and defeat Malkia.
This season sees Rupert and Amir switch roles. Rupert has to be the proactive one who faces-off against the various threats. Amir, by contrast, has become scared of his own shadow, is easily distracted, and wants to be called Chad. It allows Rupert to grow as a character, while providing moments of comedy with Amir. There are also moments where Rupert questions if it is moral for him to restore Amir's memories. The is presented as a moral dilemma, but I call bullshit. Yes, amnesiac Amir will be gone with Rupert restores his memories, but old Amir will be gone if he doesn't. Why does amnesiac Amir, or Chad as he calls himself, have any more of a right to exist just because he's the one in the driver's seat? Doesn't old Amir get a say? It comes across as a weak attempt at drama, and a forced conflict.
Also, at the beginning of the season we learn that the royal baker refuses to make a cake for Rupert and Amir's wedding. And the royal florist also refuses to take part in the wedding. This is clearly mean to be a comment on the gay wedding cake debate, but it falls flat because The Two Princes is not set in our world. Rupert and Amir are, I assume, absolute monarchs. Couldn't they just throw the baker and florist in the dungeon, or threaten to have them beheaded, for refusing to make stuff for the wedding? Granted, both princes are wary about abusing their power because of their fathers, but still.
Thankfully, the moral dilemma doesn't play as big of a role in the plot as I might have made it seem. The quest itself is a lot of fun. One of the ingredients is unicorn horn, so Rupert and Amir travel to a menagerie in the hinterlands. Unfortunately, Rupert discovers that the menagerie was forced to eat its animals because the enchanted forest limited their food supply. And wouldn't you know it, that was the last unicorn in the world. Wow, Rupert and Amir really need to make a magical version of the Environmental Protection Agency. That would be pretty tragic, but what pushed it into comedy was that we're told the unicorn tasted like chicken.
The second item is the song of a siren. The siren they meet, named Lorelei, turns out to be surprisingly nice, and I hope she reappears in future seasons. She tries to seduce Rupert with her song, but it fails because he's gay. Amusingly, it turns out Rupert is the third gay person Lorelei has encountered. I must say that the third ingredient, hydra venom, was very well done. Each of the heads ask Rupert a different riddle, and it was a good opportunity to showcase Rupert's strength as a character.
Also, Sir Joan is back. She spends most of the seasons taking care of things so Rupert and Amir can go on their quest, but she's back all the same. She also has a girlfriend...sort of. Lady Cecily was head-over-heel for Rupert in the first seasons, but now she's got the hots for Sir Joan. This means the series has at least one confirmed bisexual character. For her part, Sir Joan isn't sure what to think of Lady Cecily, but there are hints that she'll come around to her eventually. Lady Cecily was my favorite of Rupert's hopeless suitors, mainly because she was the only one with a clearly defined personality, but still.
So, we've had two great seasons, but can The Two
Princes pull off an amazing third season? Oh yes, it managed to bowl a turkey.
Season three goes above and beyond its already amazing predecessors.
Like I said, this season goes even further in terms of quality than its already excellent predecessors. Also, this time round the season is a musical. All of the songs are excellent, and it certainly helps that most of the cast members have singing experience. Amusingly, it appears that everyone really is bursting into song and dance in-universe. At one point, members of the royal guard are late to a meeting because they got caught up in a dance number. I was also amused when the narrator recap at the begging of the episodes at one point said "Oh, why I am repeating all of this? You're probably binging this podcast." Yeah, that's more or less what I did this season. The Two Princes knows me well.
I suspected that Prince Darling was going to be behind the coming of The Despair, and I was even somewhat correct about why. He was blessed by the queen of the fairies to bring joy, happiness, and parties wherever he goes. Unfortunately, due to the balance between good and evil, Darling also brings The Despair wherever he goes. As the name suggest, it is the living embodiment of despair, and consumes all in its wake. Though, I will admit I was wrong about Darling's character. I assumed he was evil, but it turns out he takes no joy in bring The Despair. He was more or less exactly what he appeared to be.
One minor critique is that I wish Rupert's relationship with Lord Chamberlain had been developed. Lord Chamberlain is one of oldest servants of the palace, and figured out that Rupert was gay ever before Rupert himself knew. This is because Lord Chamberlain is also gay, but he had to hide his sexuality because, for most of his life, the kingdom wasn't a very accepting place for homosexuals. But Rupert and Amir's marriage has brought him tears of joy, because it shows that the kingdom will become a kinder and more tolerant place, where future generations of gay people will be able to live happy and openly. He also says that he has always been very close to Rupert, and considers him the son he never had. In turn, Rupert considers Lord Chamberlain to be a surrogate father. All well and good, but I think it would be a bit more meaningful if their relationship had a bit more development. And I thought it was nice that Lord Chamberlain got a love interest in the end.
I thought that the way Rupert defeated The Despair was very well done. He remembers all the people in his life who love him. He remembers his romantic love for Amir, his familial love for Lord Chamberlain, and the platonic love of all the subjects of his kingdom. The Despair might have consumed everything, but as long as Rupert remembered the love in his life, he would never be truly alone. Or to put it another way, remembering all of that love meant he never gave into despair. The actual confrontation with The Despair actually doesn't last all that long, but that just meant the final episode could devote more time to everyone's happy endings.
Sir Joan is back, and she has to deal with her disapproving father. Thankfully, Lady Cecily put him on his place with a rousing music number about how he needs to get with the times. That was especially nice because Lady Cecily broke up with Sir Joan at the start of the season, and started dating Sir Percy. But hey, we all knew that was never gonna last. Especially after, to the surprise of no at all, Sir Percy discovered that he likes boys.
This season also answered a question I'd been wondering for a while now. Rupert and Amir getting married is all well and good, but aren't they going to be concerned about needing a royal heir eventually? Well, as I somewhat suspected, it turns out that adoption was always an option for them. That's good, as it will prevent the kingdom from suffering any nasty succession crisis and/or civil war once they have gone to receive their great reward.
Things won't always be easy for Rupert and Amir, especially with their track record of luck. Still, just because there might be tough times ahead doesn't mean they won't be able to make it if they preserver and focus on the positives. This isn't their happily ever after, it's the happy beginning of a lifetime of more adventures. Rupert and Amir still have plenty of places to go and things to discover, and they'll do so together and happy.
Of course, you could also interpret the finishing musical number in a metafictional sense. The creators of The Two Princes are in talks with HBO Max to adapt the podcast into an animated series. I've also heard rumors that season three will be the final season of the podcast. That would make sense if the animated series has been given the green light. The producers, and I would hope all the actors for the podcast, would want to give the animated series their undivided attention. If this is true, it will be sad to see the podcast come to and end. Of course, all good things must come to an end, and all that. And hey, at least the podcast will live on in the animated series.
It would certainly be a pretty big thing if the
animated series happens. I hope they use the same art style as the title cards.
It might be fun to actually get to see the characters, and I hope they keep the
original voice cast. But this is all a topic for another day. For now, I think
it's time to wrap this review up.
Well, I think that's everything of note without spoiling the ending of season two. So, there you have it. The Two Princes is a fun, funny, entertaining heroic fantasy audio drama with a well-written gay romance. Be sure to listen today, you'll be glad that you did. Remember, seasons two and three are exclusively available on Spotify.
Well, I think that should do it from me for now. I
will see you guys next time.
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