El cid

The Legend of El Cid is a bit of a disappointment for me, but it's not outright bad. It was nice to see Denver from Money Heist in a different role after a long time, and he is the main reason why I started watching the series. The Legend of El Cid has a relatively engaging story, the protagonist starts as a squire and has to build his career from the bottom, which is a theme I enjoy. The visuals and historical setting seem to be accurate, the intrigues, betrayals, and political schemes work more or less as well as in any other historical series, but the biggest letdown is unfortunately the action, which is almost nonexistent. I wouldn't mind so much if the first four episodes were plot-driven and the creators served up the expected long historical battle in the finale, but getting a battle of not even ten minutes in five hours felt like a betrayal to me. While I wasn't bored and the series moves quickly, I'm angry that it's once again heading in this direction. Why bother with any large battles when the audience is satisfied with political intrigues, right? Story****, Action**, Humor>No, Violence**, Entertainment****, Music***, Visuals****, Atmosphere****, Tension***. 6.5/10. (24.01.2021)

Personally, I found this dive into the Spanish Middle Ages quite successful, largely due to the fact that it steered clear of historical inaccuracies. The creators skillfully played with intricate details (at one point, I was even reminded of Black Adder with its lavishly detailed description of a well-ventilated waste disposal system in a lavatory), so I didn't mind the emphasis on manipulation and intrigue over action-packed sequences. (23.05.2021)