Time bandits plan an Ocean’s Eleven-style heist

So that stormy-looking portal the Bandits fell through in the last episode was kind of a fake-out. Nothing unusual happened, they just didn’t like the experience very much. They said it was “like a nightmare,” but then they just fell into another historical place and time like they always do. Judy got lost in the portal, though (well, she got caught by the Supreme Being, it turns out). Now she’s trimming shrubs in SB’s palace. But the rest of the team is in North Africa in 1324 CE during the hajj of Mansa Musa, King of Mali, still considered the richest man to have ever lived.

Kevin refers to his book for this little detail, the one simply titled Historical persons. He hadn’t taken that one out of his bag yet, at least not that I remember. While he’s having a blast, the Bandits hatch a little Eleven Oceans style heist to steal the Mansa’s gold, with a planning sequence, and everyone has a role. (Alto plays a soldier, but desperately wants to play a camel.) The whole thing relies heavily on Kevin chattering about the story until everyone falls asleep so Penelope can step in and steal the king’s treasure.

Yeah, it doesn’t go so well. They’re caught right away, but Mansa Musa is such a nice guy—and so easily flattered by Kevin telling him how rich he is—that he just gives the Bandits some gold bars and lets them follow him around until they’re ready to leave. He doesn’t even really take them prisoner. He just revels in Kevin’s storytelling skills, which he appreciates more than anyone else. He’s even fascinated by the kid telling him about the drama of the modern British monarchy. “I really hope things work out for Harry and Meghan,” the mansa says. Kevin rocks. For once in his life, he’s not bothering people, and he feels like he’s found his purpose.

The emphasis here is on purpose, particularly the distinction between purpose and ability. For example, the wise mansa informs Kevin, “Telling stories is what you do; your purpose is to save your parents,” and the latter does not come easily to him. It is made even more difficult when you consider that he must leave this environment where he has found happiness and a father figure he adores in order to continue working toward that goal. This implies that everyone’s purpose is something that involves some work. It must be earned. And since things have become difficult everywhere, there is a crisis of faith for almost every major character.

Penelope is completely shaken by her failure to steal Mansa Musa and the fact that she, as leader, seems to keep losing bandits. Although the gang receives gold as a gift, it brings her no joy, because she did not steal it. It is essential to her. Kevin eventually tries to get Penelope to steal Mansa Musa’s staff, with the full knowledge and participation of the king, and it makes her feel appreciated. It is a warm and enjoyable moment to watch. However, it is not until she has stolen rubies from the Sultan, when he and the mansa meet and are busy arguing over who should kneel first, that she truly feels like herself again. Stealing and leading: this is where Penelope is at her best, and neither of these things comes easily to her.

Roger Jean Nsengiyumva in Time Bandits (Photo: Apple TV+)

Meanwhile, for most of the episode, Widgit is having an existential crisis in the desert with only the map as his solace (he even uses it as a blanket). While alone, he figures out how to use the map properly, realizing that time distances are encoded in the sky (?) and that the map and stars must be used together in order to navigate properly (?). Isn’t it funny how in movies or on TV, all you have to do to convince the audience that a character’s epiphany has weight is to have them announce it emphatically, with absolute confidence? Because I don’t think it makes any sense, but Widgit is really excited about it, so it must be true. He’s overcome his dark night of the soul to find his purpose too.

There’s a little side story about one of the mansa’s servants revealing to Biddelig that he has a crush on the queen, hinting that he cares deeply for a lost friend. (It’s Widgit, though we wonder for a moment if it could be Judy.) While it’s not the most compelling subplot, there are a few good lines to be had from it. The queen declines the bath the servant has prepared for her, preferring to take one in Cairo—“there’s so much soap!”—and she also rebuffs his gesture of affection, saying, “Not a chance. Of course. But it’s very sweet.”

This episode is generally very nice, really. Things are getting a little warmer here in Bandit Country, but thankfully it’s not too saccharine – yet. Let’s hope it stays that way. So far, the jokes keep coming, and that’s the most important thing in a show like this. It’s always on target.

Scattered observations

• • Cassandra said Kevin was going to tell stories to the kings, and she was right!
• • Kevin refers to his Historical persons In this episode, there’s a reason for that. After spending time with Mansa Musa, he rereads the section about his pilgrimage and sees that the book now says it included 6,005 people, proving they changed something that had already happened. Kind of silly, though, right? There were exactly 6,000 people present at the pilgrimage before the Time Bandits arrived, no more, no less? Yeah, right.
• • Speaking of things that could change history, Penelope’s rubies fell out of Biddelig’s “bottomless bag.” It would be a shame if that started a war or something.
• • Tyrell Williams wrote this episode. He is British, primarily a playwright, and co-created the viral web series #Documentary on the hoodI can’t wait to see what he does next because this episode was really funny.
• • Biddelig’s antics throughout this series really remind me of Little John in Robin Hood: Men in Tights. I was obsessed with this movie as a kid. It was my Historical persons book.
• • It seems like they are grooming Mansa Musa to be the analogue of Agamemnon in this series. Time Bandits In the movie, King Agamemnon, played by Sean Connery, acts as a surrogate father, and once Kevin returns to his own timeline, a firefighter who looks exactly like the old king arrives on the scene to put out a fire at the Haddock house. I wonder if they’ll do something like that here.
• • Everyone at the pilgrimage thinks that the English are very rude. “I heard that in England they boil beef and eat it without spices.” They are also concerned about his hygiene and ask him if he washes.
• • Let’s not forget that Fianna is still hunting. She saw Kevin’s arrow in the sand, to help Judy find them if she teleported later. It was clear that Fianna would find it the second he shot it. No one is surprised.
• • Also, Kevin leaves Mali a little later than the others. Let’s see if he ends up somewhere else.