Only the most pedantic of audience members fact-checks a fantasy series about time-traveling bandits running from the physical personifications of the Supreme Being (Taika Waititi) and Pure Evil (Jemaine Clement). So of course I had to look into whether Casanova (Alex Gibson-Giorgio) ever traveled to England and if he and the 4th Earl of Sandwich (Mark Gatiss) could’ve crossed paths. Turns out, yeah, it’s totally possible. Go figure. Time Bandits Season 1 Episode 5, “Georgian,” has a solid historically accurate foundation for its shenanigans.
RELATED: Catch up with our recap of the previous Time Bandits episode, “Prohibition”
Kevin (Kal-El Tuck) and the bandits sit around a campfire near the recently erected Stonehenge chewing on sticks for sustenance. Widgit (Roger Jean Nsengiyumva) predicts that this will be an area where many portals will manifest soon. Penelope (Lisa Kudrow) outlines their plan to use the right portal to save Kevin’s parents and steal their food. Meanwhile, they plan to continue running from the Supreme Being.
Time Bandits’s “Georgian”
Just then, a portal opens and the floating multi-faced head of the Supreme Being emerges, announcing his intent to make them cower and return his map. Penelope tells everyone to run but Judy (Charlyne Yi) senses something isn’t right. She approaches the head and it starts to power down and falls over. Jasper (Roy Iro) climbs out from the head and warns them not to give the Supreme Being the map because he’s planning something very bad. The portal in the central lintel stone opens and Kevin and the bandits run through while Jasper repeats that they must not let the Supreme Being get the map.
On the other side of the portal, they fall from the sky onto a well-manicured lawn. Widgit sees a large manor house ahead of them and tells Kevin he’s home. Kevin points out this looks nothing like his house. Widgit checks the map and realizes he’s a few miles off. Kevin adds that he’s a few centuries off too.
RELATED: TV Review: Time Bandits Season 1
Recognizing there is a party in progress, the bandits try to gain entry to get at the food. As they are being barred due to their attire, a woman screams. All eyes turn to a man disembarking a carriage. He tosses his hair and more women squeal his name, “Casanova!” before swooning. Every woman faints as he passes by except Judy. This stumps him and he shoots smoldering glances at a couple of recovering ladies to send them into additional vapors to reassure himself his powers are still working. With a last look at the stoic, slightly befuddled, Judy, he enters the building.
Dressing the Part
Taking some outerwear off the fainted women, the bandits and Kevin run around the manor to the kitchen door. Kevin makes friends with and frees the turnspit dog while the other look for more clothes they can liberate. Finding the pantry, they make use of the linens and flour to turn themselves into Georgian nobility.
Upon entering the ballroom, they find platters stacked high with sandwiches. As Kevin helps himself, the Earl of Sandwich approaches him and tells him how he invented the sandwiches he’s displayed at his pineapple party. (By the way, “pineapple parties” were another actual thing that existed.) Penelope finds a pineapple displayed on a lit candelabra in a nearby room.
Alto (Tadhg Murphy) finds the performers and discusses the art of acting with them, impressing Martha (Ginette McDonald), the impresario of the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, with his eyebrow expressiveness. She recruits him to play the best part in her next production.
Casanova Hits on Judy and Misses
In the main room, Judy has attached actual baskets to her hips as panniers under her dress. As she moves from table to table, she fills the baskets with food. Casanova spots her and approaches her. He’s amazed when she doesn’t pass out from his greeting. Bittelig (Rune Temte) watches from across the room where he’s standing with Kevin, unimpressed with how Casanova is flirting with Judy. Casanova informs Judy he’s the world’s greatest lover. She questions the source of that list. He is intrigued by her aloofness.
RELATED: Watch Apple TV+’s Time Bandits Wacky Full-Length Trailer
Penelope calls Bittelig over. In the next room, she and Widgit demonstrate a trick with the map that seems to transport it from one place to another. To cheer Kevin up, she offers him some pineapple and shows him another magic trick with spoons she plans on stealing.
Fear Given Form
Outside the window, Pure Evil watches them through the eyes of a long-haired white cat. He scoffs at their plan to steal spoons when they hold a map that can transport them anywhere in space and time. He believes knives and forks are better because they are sharp and therefore evil. The demons around him argue that spoons can be evil. He doesn’t appreciate the feedback and disintegrates the usual demon, John (Ben Fransham).
At the Earl of Sandwich’s party, he gathers his guests and leads them to view the pineapple only to discover the bandits eating it. The Earl berates them, revealing the pineapple was an expensive RENTED one. He bemoans the fact he’ll die in debtors’ prison over the pineapple. Kevin offers to replace the eaten pineapple. The Earl doesn’t believe he can afford it and regrets allowing the child to enjoy his invention, the sandwich. Kevin questions whether he really invented it and the Earl takes offence.
RELATED: The Best Moments From Every Episode of Our Flag Means Death Season 1
He challenges Kevin to a duel. Penelope intercedes, stating that he can’t duel a child. The Earl takes offense to that and challenges her to a duel. He sets the time and place as the next day at noon in the dueling pit. Around the fire in the stables that night, Judy suggests they leave. Alto tells them they can’t leave because they have to come to see his play. He expects them all to show up even though they have to go to the duel.
Saffron Keeps Going
In the Ice Age, Saffron (Kiera Thompson) falls through a sky portal and lands in a blizzard. She gets up and starts fighting her way through, calling for Kevin.
In his throne room, Pure Evil checks in with Fianna (Rachel House). She admits she hasn’t caught the bandits yet because she took a detour. Pure Evil warns her not to take any more detours.
In the stables, Casanova finds Judy and declares his infatuation with her. He asks her to run away with him. She declines. Nearby, Bittelig smiles at her response. Penelope curls up with the piece of tapestry she took from the Medieval town.
RELATED: Read our What We Do in the Shadows recaps
Back in the Medieval town, Detective Katherine (Francesca Mills) examines the ruins of the market. She tells Sergeant Lewis (Imaan Hadchiti) they need to report back to the Supreme Being. Lewis suggests she meet some other people before they do that.
To Sleep, Perchance to Dream
At the manor house, Bittelig tells Widgit about having a dream. This is a new experience because the Supreme Being doesn’t let the people working for him to have them. They discuss what Jasper meant about the Supreme Being planning something bad. Bittelig expresses the hope that no one else will die. Widgit agrees but then they remember Penelope and the duel and run off.
Alto arrives at the theatre. Martha hands him a script and tells him he’s on in an hour. He accepts the script, The Tragedie of Macbeth, with gratitude.
RELATED: SDCC 2024: Apple TV+’s Silo to Make Its Comic-Con Debut
At the dueling grounds, Penelope waits for the Earl of Sandwich. He arrives and the weapons are offered. The duel begins and Penelope fires at the Earl while he fires straight up in the air. She misses him entirely but everyone is shocked that she would try to kill him. He’s so insulted by this breach of protocol that he challenges her to another duel.
Choices and Speeches
At the theatre, Alto is about to go on but notices the seats he’s saved for the bandits are still empty. He rushes out and stands between Penelope and the Earl before they can engage in their second duel. He makes a speech about forgiveness and compromise. It’s a touching speech but the Earl is irked that he was interrupted and insists they begin counting the paces again.
RELATED: Read our Time Bandits recaps
A portal opens nearby and Fianna falls through. She arrives at the dueling ground just as the Earl turns to fire his weapon. The bandits run. Fianna follows them through the dueling ground. The Earl states that she’s trespassing and challenges her to a duel. She’s offered a weapon, chooses a gun, and shoots him point blank before he’s even done explaining the rules of the duel.
Casanova Deterred
Kevin and the bandits run through the manor trying to escape Fianna. As they run out the door, Casanova jumps out to intercept Judy. She evades him and runs, telling him they’re running from a demon. He declares that he’ll wait for her forever. When Fianna arrives, pursuing them, he approaches her with his pick-up line but she growls at him and he runs. A dog bites down on her leg and won’t let go.
In the Ice Age, Saffron huddles under a rock outcropping and tries to start a fire. Nearby, a Neanderthal stops and looks in her direction.
The bandits reach a clearing. While Widgit tries to find the portal, Kevin asks Alto about the play. He says he didn’t do it and admits he’s never done one but plans to one day. The portal opens and they all jump through. Penelope and Kevin are the last ones through and it seems different. All of them fall slowly through a maelstrom of darkness.
Time Bandits streams on Apple TV+, with two new episodes dropping every Wednesday.
- SEVERANCE Season 2 Left Us With These 5 Unanswered Questions - March 26, 2025
- On Location: The Marine Building on the CW’s FAMILY LAW - March 26, 2025
- SEVERANCE Season 3 Renewed by the Will of Kier (and Apple TV+) - March 22, 2025
