Secret Level Season 1 Episode 3, “New World: The Once and Future King,” opens to a large fleet of old-world-style ships navigating a storm. We close in on a boat that holds hundreds of soldiers drumming and chanting rhythmically. Standing proudly at the bow is a man dressed in obscenely elaborate gilded armor with a sword over his shoulder. As the leader encourages his crew toward an island up ahead, the ship is struck by strange red lightning. Suddenly, the armored king is screaming underwater as he reaches for his golden crown that sinks to the bottom of the ocean.
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Secret Level, “New World: The Once and Future King”
The king awakens on the beach of a beautiful island next to the wreckage of his ships. Enormous statues of guardians with spears loom ahead, and an elaborate kingdom is built into the lush hills behind them. When the king is helped up by the one-armed man who saved him from the water, he declares that this island of legend will make a fine addition to his kingdom. The one-armed man, Scaevola (Steven Pacey), informs his leader that his entire army perished in the storm. King Aelstrom (Arnold Schwarzenegger) reminds his companion that an army does not make a king; a king makes an army.
Aelstrom mistakenly calls a woman up ahead, “Boy,” then informs her that he has come to conquer this land and its people. She responds in her native tongue which the ignorant brute calls gibberish, prompting Scaevola to do a little translating. Scaevola tells the woman she has been chosen to be his king’s first subject and to prepare to receive his blessing. As Aelstrom points his sword at the woman, she kicks sand in his eyes and knocks him back. In one quick movement, she runs the sword through Scaevola, then slits Aelstrom’s throat, killing him … kind of.
Aeternum
The king immediately wakes up surrounded by glowing blue magic. His eyes also glow blue as he rubs his no longer open throat. Aelstrom foolishly believes that he is immortal because he alone was chosen by the gods to rule forever. That is until Scaevola resurrects next to him. The native woman mocks the ignorance of the king and explains that they are on the island of Aeternum, where no one dies or leaves. Aelstrom gets excited at the thought of ruling eternal subjects forever and starts toward the kingdom ahead, seeking conquest.
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Scaevola opens the doors to a large throne room and tells the current ruler, King Zimah (Gabriel Luna), and his council to rise to receive their new king, Aelstrom. The newcomer challenges the King of Aeternum to a duel, and Scaevola seems worried that his king doesn’t measure up. However, the loyal servant encourages Aelstrom anyway, who forgoes armor so his new subjects can admire his muscles.
The King of Aeternum immediately chops Aelstrom’s arm off and runs his sword through him. The defeated challenger wakes up on the beach again, where Scaevola waits to help him up. The insensitive oaf goes on about how happy he is to have his arm back and how horrible it would be to spend eternity as half a man like Scaevola. The poor soul thanks the gods for their mercy and Aelstrom gets in a few more laughs at his unfortunate companion’s expense.
Aelstrom, the Strategist?
Now emboldened by immortality, Aelstrom will not give up that easily and sets off to try again. This time, the stubborn brute suggests a competition of strategy for the crown. Cut to the King Zimah getting checkmate at a chessboard. Realizing defeat, Aelstrom reaches for his sword, but the Zimah slams his head onto the table, jamming a game piece into his eye and killing him.
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A short montage shows Aelstrom getting beat in one contest after another, including jousting, wrestling and a rock fight. As Scaevola watches the contests, Zimah’s aide asks if his ruler was born a king. The loyal servant explains that Aelstrom was born a king like his forefathers. The Aeternum companion says that his king is the son of a cobbler as Zimah takes down the foreign challenger one more time.
You Are Pretty Bad at Doing Things
Aelstrom revives on the beach again and tells Scaevola that he does not understand why he keeps losing. He has won every contest, no matter the challenge, for as long as he can remember, so it must be dark magic. Scaevola explains that everyone Aelstrom challenged let him because he was king. In an effort to level with his king as a friend, Scaevola tells him that he is pretty bad at doing things. Proud Aelstrom does not take this lightly, calls Scaevola names, tosses him aside, and says he never wants to see him again.
My Pancreas!
The determined former king climbs the top of a dark, ominous mountaintop that glows red underneath and approaches a dark sorcerer. When the sorcerer asks what Aelstrom seeks, the brute responds, “Dominion and the power to seize it.” The sorcerer leads him off camera, and Aelstrom laughs until he screams, “My pancreas!”
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Aelstrom revives at the beach, this time alone, but he now holds a menacing-looking mask that makes him sound possessed. Again and again, Aelstrom visits the dark sorcerer, and each time, he revives with a new piece of armor. Last, he acquires an amulet that charges him with the evil red magic. Now powered by sinister magic, Aelstrom marches toward the kingdom to challenge King Zimah again.
A Not-So-Epic Showdown
Apparently, Aelstrom’s quest for power has taken years, and Scaevola now advises the King of Aeternum. Aelstrom bursts in with his terrifying new look and demands the crown. He summons and shoots a burst of red energy toward King Zimah, which fizzles out before it even touches the King. Zimah simply wipes the resulting dust from his shirt. Then, he casually walks up to Aelstrom and, with one swoop, drops all of the armor to the ground.
King Zimah tells Aelstrom he is bored of killing him, and as he walks away, he flings his crown to the ground. Scaevola offers his hand to his downed and defeated former king. When Aelstrom asks why his companion shows mercy after everything he has done, Scaevola says this island is an eternity of second chances.
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Aelstrom laughs as he scrambles, grabs the crown, and runs out the door. Scaevola rolls his eyes and sighs while King Zimah casually opens a chest filled with identical crowns. Aelstrom runs to the beach, kneels by a pool of water, and places the crown on his head. As he looks at his reflection, he hears a noise and calls for Scaevola but realizes he is alone.
Friendship Forged From the Crown of Kings
The absence of Scaevola seems to affect Aelstrom, and he approaches the native woman with the crown in his hand. In a broken version of her language, he asks her to teach him how to forge. She says it will take a while, to which he responds, “I have time.” He works tirelessly for days and nights on end at a makeshift forge inside a wrecked ship.
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As the sun sets one evening, Scaevola relaxes on the beach, drinking wine. Aelstrom approaches his companion with a metal prosthetic arm he says was forged from the crown of kings. Then, the once proud king kneels and, while placing the arm, says, “For you, Aelstrom’s friend. I mean … my friend.”
Aelstrom helps Scaevola up with his new arm, and the latter beams at his new appendage. Scaevola then holds out his metal hand, and the two shake hands. As the camera pans out for this Secret Level episode, we see their silhouettes against the sunset as they hug each other in a friendly embrace.
Secret Level is now streaming on Prime Video.
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