I used to have similar dream. Scheduled to serve at two different restaurants at the same time, had to drive between them during rush hour to check on my tables.

I guess upon googling, they’re not THAT similar. But I couldn’t shake while watching Excalibur how much the knights of the round table fought and looked so much like orcs in LOTR.

On top of that, knowing how much Tolkien was inspired by Arthurian legend, I also can’t help but wonder how much Peter Jackson was inspired by Excalibur for the LOTR movies. There were several armor sets that reminded me each other.

And I also know that my millennial American experience is likely entirely missing the general, samey-ness of sword and sorcery movies of the 60’s and 70’s, as well as how Arthurian Legend was one of the handful of unique cultural touchstones that British artists had to draw on.

Don’t get me wrong. I loved watching Excalibur. It’s beautifully designed and shot, and the high-drama of it all swept me away despite the garishness of it all.

Merlin’s introduction in Excalibur felt so reminiscent of Tim the Enchanter that I was gobsmacked when I double checked the dates of release. The fight scenes, the wobbly, shining, plastic set pieces and armor, the awful dubbing, the overly theatrical face acting…

But damn this is all gonna be great fodder for writing in *checks calendar* the summer of 2026…

Anthony Bourdain!