ORBzine TV Review - "The 10th Kingdom" February 2002
The 10th Kingdom [Season 1, Episode 1]
Shown 24th December 2001 [Monday - Xmas Eve]
This is a wonderful piece of Fantasy produced by Robert Halmi Snr & Jnr ( Farscape ).
The Troll King (Ed O'Neill - Married With Children) breaks the Evil Queen ( Diane Wiest ) out of jail. She turns the spoilt brat of a Prince into a dog. However, the dog escapes and runs through a magic mirror that sends him to New York City circa 2000 CE. The Queen sends the Trolls (reminiscent of Nog in Star Trek: DS9 ) and a Werewolf after him.
The dog meets a beautiful girl in her late teens, Virginia. The Werewolf falls in love with her. The climax involves Virginia & Wolf at Granma's house ...
The 10th Kingdom [Season 1, Episode 2]
Shown 25th December 2001 [Tuesday - Xmas Day]
Everything starts to go wrong for Virginia and her father [John Larroquette]. They head to the park, pursued by the Trolls and the cops, and pass through the magical mirror. Oddly, once the protagonists travel to the Magical Kingdoms, the supporting characters they meet are all played by British actors!
Anthony is captured by the Prison Governor (John Shrapnel - Gladiator ) and imprisoned with Stoneface the Goblin (Jimmy Nail) and Acorn the Dwarf (Warwick Davis - Willow ) for cellmates.
Virginia is captured by the Trolls and taken off to their castle. Her only chance of survival is ... Wolf!
The 10th Kingdom [Season 1, Episode 3]
Shown 26th December 2001 [Wednesday - Boxing Day]
Wolf infiltrates the Trolls' castle to save Virginia.
Anthony, still in prison, tries desperately to escape.
Unfortunately, the mirror that contains the gateway to Earth has been thrown out. Our heroes must recover it, or they can never go home!
Anthony discovers magic that will allow him to turn things into gold. But then he has to help the Prince ...
The 10th Kingdom [Season 1, Episode 4]
Shown 27th December 2001 [Thursday]
Our heroes are pursued through the Disenchanted Forest by the Huntsman (Rutger Hauer - Blade Runner ). The Prince is not merely a dog, now he's made of solid gold!
They manage to meet some friendly gypsies, but Virginia's pity for some magical birds means that things end badly. They end up on the run, cursed by the gypsies and with the Huntsman on their tail.
The 10th Kingdom [Season 1, Episode 5]
Shown 28th December 2001 [Friday]
Anthony and Wolf must deal with a blind woodsman (James Cosmo - Braveheart ). Then they have to contend with the Huntsman (Rutger Hauer - Blade Runner ).
The dwarf (Warwick Davis - Willow ) sold the portal mirror in a village run by Grandfather Peep (Peter Vaughn - Time Bandits ). Wolf is having his time of the month, and expresses his feelings for Virginia and the flirtatious Sally Peep ( Lucy Punch ).
The 10th Kingdom [Season 1, Episode 6]
Shown 31st December 2001 [Monday - New Year's Eve]
Virginia has to enter the Lovely Shepherdess contest. This involves singing (a Queen tune!) and some sexy dancing. And sheep-related stuff, too.
Wolf is put on trial for murder. Virginia acts as his defence lawyer, while Anthony and the (de-golded) Prince try to find the real killer.
10th Kingdom [Season 1, Episode 7]
Shown 1st January 2002 [Tuesday - New Years Day]
Kissing Town, and our heroes try to win enough money to buy the mirror. Wolf doesn't want to see Virginia leave, so he starts arranging an expensively romantic evening with her.
10th Kingdom [Season 1, Episode 8]
Shown 2nd January 2002 [Wednesday]
Virginia, Anthony and Prince set off into the mountains without Wolf. Their goal is the Dwarven mines, where they hope to find another travelling mirror. Anthony has been cursed with seven years bd luck.
The Queen's Huntsman is still on their trail. Also, the Trolls are de-golded. The Queen tells them that Virginia killed their father ...
Virginia meets Snow White, her fairy godmother, who looks a lot like Rosie O'Donnell. We also discover the relationship between Virginia's mother and the Evil Queen.
10th Kingdom [Season 1, Episode 9]
Shown 3rd January 2002 [Thursday]
The Huntsman captures Prince. Virginia and Anthony get trapped in the swamp. Virginia discovers the Swamp Witch's hut, and does what her Fairy Godmother told her to do in the previous episode.
Wolf is still around to rescue his friends, and Virginia gives him something to set his tail wagging.
10th Kingdom [Season 1, Episode 10]
Shown 4th January 2002 [Friday]
Our heroes are captured by the Queen, and we get the final confrontation. The Huntsman takes Prince, while the Queen orders Wolf to poison everyone at the ceremony. Anthony faces off against the Trolls, while Virginia has to take on her own mother!
The dog-who-would-be-Prince has to convince the aristocrats that he is suitable material for the crown. He's as well-spoken as, well, a golden retriever. Are Queen Riding Hood III ( Kim Thompson ) and Cinderella ( Ann-Margaret ) so eager to trust him as to put him on the throne?
The ending is of the happy-ever-after type, but very bitter-sweet. Predictably, we get to see the singing ring ( Kate Robbins ) again. The story is left open for a new series ...
