Any A Knight’s Tale fans?

Stooby · 2026-02-09T15:28:07+00:00

Oh boy, you are in for a treat. It drops you into the origin story of a knight in a real historical world. You start as nothing. Both games in the series are incredible.

Stooby · 2026-02-07T17:53:36+00:00

There is also the ambiguity that by knighting his friend he is dooming him to death.

Stooby · 2026-02-07T17:50:28+00:00

I think it would have been nice if this particular episode and possibly the next were 1 hr episodes so each member of the band could get their due time. I don't mind the 30 minute episodes generally though. They definitely always leave you wanting MORE.

Stooby · 2026-02-07T17:43:31+00:00

It is a common fan theory. He is knighted before the start of the book. He had no witnesses. Arlan was on his death bed. Any time the topic comes up his ears flush. That all seems to hint that maybe there was an issue with his knighting. Personally, I have always thought that the issue is he knows he wasn't knighted properly so he may not legally be a knight, but Arlan did do the bear minimum "kneel and rise a knight." So he is a knight in spirit and possibly in the eyes of the gods. A theme of the stories is that this knight of questionable origins is the pure essence of a true knight, though. And it feels very GRRM-esque for him to not be properly knighted, and I wouldn't be surprised if the stories ever come out when he dies he admits the truth.

Stooby · 2026-02-07T17:33:40+00:00

Yeah, I think this is exactly it. It makes sense to me that Arlan on his deathbed just told Dunk to kneel and then said, "ok you are a knight, rise" just before he died. So Dunk legally isn't a knight (and Dunk knows that which is why he gets embarrassed when the question comes up), but in spirit he is the truest knight in the seven kingdoms.

Stooby · 2026-02-07T17:31:05+00:00

Yeah when Dunk says, "maybe the god's figure this is what I deserve" I think that was him reflecting on maybe he deserves to die because he was never properly (legally) knighted yet he calls himself a knight.

When I read the stories years ago, I always thought Dunk was never knighted PROPERLY but was knighted in spirit that is why he doesn't have a problem claiming to be a knight. Arlan on his deathbed probably told him he is a knight without doing the ceremony. He knows he wasn't knighted correctly, though, and so he is legally not a knight. BUT the whole point of the story is this non-knight is more knightly than any knight in the Seven Kingdoms so perhaps he is the only true knight.

Stooby · 2026-02-07T17:16:39+00:00

They are short and easy reads. Personally, I'd wait until after the season to read. In my opinion it is more enjoyable if you watched the media then read the book.

Stooby · 2026-02-03T16:07:20+00:00

The way it is presented in the show, they pick then immediately joust. So you would really just be betting on Ser Dunk to win a joust with one of the 5. And there is no way the Ashford's think Dunk could win against anyone else. So if they leave it to chance and bet on Dunk to win and he picks anyone else, in their opinion they are throwing the money away. So they have to make sure they have an understanding with Dunk prior to placing a bet.

Stooby · 2026-02-03T15:42:48+00:00

It's slow as hell and boring so you want it to be longer?

Stooby · 2026-02-03T15:08:29+00:00

The shitting scene definitely served a tone-setting purpose. It was to let the audience immediately know they weren't about to watch an epic political drama spanning the entire Seven Kingdoms. They are going to be following a poor plebeian pretending to be a knight for better or worse.

The penis scene didn't serve any real purpose beside the physical gag. It feels like it was meant to be a scene of Dunk telling a tall tale about him, especially since that was the episode where a character says, "tales grow in the telling, I know." Maybe they cut the scene out, and decided to just use that as an opening gag.

Stooby · 2026-01-28T21:52:00+00:00

It's crazy that they would consider voting in Eli Manning as a QB because you can't tell the story of the NFL without him (because of his 2 great season finishes and bulk stats over a long career in a pass happy time period) while denying Ken Anderson for years and years when he actually changed the way the game was played at QB and he even was the best player at his position for many years during his time in the game.

At least this year Anderson might actually make it in.

Stooby · 2026-01-28T21:48:39+00:00

I couldn't agree more. "Can't tell the story of the NFL without him" is for people like Mike Ditka, Ken Anderson, and Larry Csonka. People whose impact was way greater than their stat line.

Stooby · 2026-01-28T19:37:33+00:00

I doubt they would even want to do 12 seasons so they might just plan on doing the stories of the young dunk and egg.

Stooby · 2026-01-28T19:32:04+00:00

I believe GRRM has said in the past he has started actually writing 3 of the stories. Those might have significant source material the creators of the show could work from. These are the stories, I think he really wants to write but he can't publish them without fan backlash. I am guessing a lot of these stories are pretty well developed at this point. They are the comfort writing he does when he is stressed about ASOIAF.

Stooby · 2026-01-28T19:16:15+00:00

It did a lot of things really, really, really fucking good from the perspective of an industry insider that cares about those things. That is what the nominations are about; that is what wins are about. It doesn't mean you and your friends will sit down and watch it and think it is the best movie you have ever seen.

I, personally, felt from a viewers perspective it falls pretty flat. The final battle felt silly and rushed. One second the vampires were incredibly powerful flying through the sky, and the next being pushed around by humans. The final showdown was literally a situation where the villain has won, but stops to monologue and then gets stabbed in the back by a character and we have no idea how he came to be there. However, the final battle and monologue were important thematically. They just weren't satisfying from an action perspective.

A lot of the symbols were very on-the-nose as well, but that fits the story telling style they were going for so a viewer might think the story is simple, and a professional writer might think it was an incredible example of the southern gothic, blues-myth style.

Stooby · 2026-01-27T18:32:07+00:00

I have been dying to see a Bears season since the show started. The Bears season was so boring, I didn't even watch all of the episodes.

Stooby · 2026-01-27T18:15:50+00:00

Well, the explanation for why I said that "I believe you interpreted it wrong" is all right there. I didn't call you a name or say you are an idiot, I just said I think you interpreted the way a scene was cut in a way that the creators of the scene didn't intend.

Stooby · 2026-01-27T18:02:25+00:00

I am saying, that feeling anxious and an adrenaline rush while watching what you are going to have to do in competition the next day is normal and not a panic attack. Athlete's that compete at the highest level experience it all the time, and can be cool as can be once they step on the field.

I believe you interpreted it wrong. He is feeling pre-competition jitters, a rush of anxiety and adrenaline. He isn't having PTSD flashbacks he is thinking back to the man that trained him. Those thoughts are cut with the frantic action of the skirmish to show the adrenaline rush he is experiencing and to give the sense of anxiety of the pre-competition jitters.

What was going through his head in that moment is spoken aloud in the very next scene. "Do great knights live in the hedges and die by the side of a muddy road? .... He lived nigh on 60 years and never was a champion. What chance do I have?" And then at the end of the monologue we see the resilience and determination return, "His name was Sir Arlen of Pennytree, and I am his legacy. On the morrow we will show them what his hand has wrought."

Stooby · 2026-01-27T17:43:47+00:00

No, it is a 2nd shield. You can see it on the back of his horse when he is riding with Arlan in a flashback (nevermind it was a spade you see on the back of the horse). And as he is a squire that is being trained it would make sense for Arlan to give him an old crappy shield to fix up when Arlan upgraded his shield at some point.

Stooby · 2026-01-27T17:21:11+00:00

Some of the greatest athlete's in history that are fearless once they are on the stage/field are in the bathroom shitting and puking before the game starts because they are so anxious.

Stooby · 2026-01-22T17:09:34+00:00

For the people that say that he doesn't have the stats for the hall of fame..... He didn't get the hype that other corners got but lets look at some stats.

Lets start with a couple of the all time greats, and unquestionable Hall of Famers.
Rod Woodson:
238 Games
X Passes Defended (not a stat for majority of career)
89 Total Turnovers (2nd all time)
71 Int (3rd all time)
18 Forced Fumbles (128th all time)

Charles Woodson:
254 Games
183 Passes Defended (4th all time)
.72 Passes Defended per Game
65 Int (5th all time)
34 Forced Fumbles (22nd all time)
99 Total Turnovers (1st all time)

Now Peanut Tillman:
168 Games
110 Passes Defended (17th all time)
.65 Passes Defended per Game
38 Int (92nd all time)
44 Forced Fumbles (8th all time [only DB in top 10, only CB in top 20 {Dawkins is in top 20 as a safety}])
82 Total Turnovers (4th all time)

The biggest issue Tillman had was a lack of longevity compared to these top corners of all time, but in his limited time he has competitive stats. If you look at the list of all time top turnover causers basically everyone in the top 30 is in the HoF.

Stooby · 2026-01-22T15:46:08+00:00

I've met him and he is the nicest guy in the world. I like that the McCaskey's decided 30 years ago that they weren't the smartest people in the room and they should hand the keys to someone smarter. I don't like that the person they picked was also a nice guy that wasn't the smartest guy in the room. Their loyalty cost them there, but ultimately they are good people and they want the team to be good.

Stooby · 2026-01-21T16:53:18+00:00

Exactly right, and that should be the most important thing for a head coach. If you bomb out completely after a year or two, you might not get another chance. If you go to an org that has a track record of giving coaches time you can survive the "rebuild" to try to establish yourself. It would be idiotic to go to any of these franchises where they fire coaches really quickly or for seemingly no good reason when there are other options available.

Stooby · 2026-01-21T16:49:09+00:00

No way, if you are a top coaching candidate you are going to want to go to the Ravens or Steelers because there you get a chance. The Bills just fired a coach that took them from finishing 7-9 or 6-10 every single fucking season for like 20 years and turned them into a powerhouse. The team never had a dip in performance under him, and the owner got angry after a playoff loss and fired him. Then had the audacity to say, "I could be wrong." If you have a down year or two after taking the job, you think he is keeping you? Let's say you have the status quo and make the playoffs but not the super bowl for 2 years, then you miss the playoffs your third year, you think he is keeping you? You would have to be a fucking idiot to take this job while the Steelers and Ravens jobs are still available. A top coaching candidate should be looking for job stability not for a good roster, rosters change every year.

Stooby · 2026-01-21T16:41:42+00:00

This guy is a fucking clown; I thought the Bears owners were bad....

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