Glitch’s new show, Knights of Guinevere, premiered earlier this month, and it’s blown away audiences. Within the span of 20 minutes, the team delivered a poignant introduction to the horrors the viewers will see throughout the series that left many wanting more.
The pilot begins with a story about a princess trapped in a tower and locked away by machines that run on blood and fear. A little girl comes into view, allowing us to think it’s about her, but we soon see an android on her bed. As the scene continues, we quickly realize who the trapped princess really is. The show jumps ahead many years, and we meet our protagonists, Frankie and Andi. Frankie is a factory worker and scrap scavenger, while Andi works for Park Planet, a planet-wide amusement park in the sky, as an engineer. One day, Frankie fishes up a bag of scrap from the ocean and finds a broken android that looks similar to Park Planet’s mascot, Princess Guinevere. This sets off a chain of events that will alter the lives of Frankie, Andi, and everyone around them.
First Thoughts
Right from the start, it’s easy to see the parallels between Park Planet and Disney. They’re both giant media conglomerates with an iconic mascot at the helm. They’re both responsible for creating some of the best parts of childhood, but they’re also both responsible for some heinous actions. This conflict is best shown through Frankie and Andi. Frankie has a starry-eyed fondness for Park Planet. Andi is jaded after working for them and seeing the horrors behind the curtain first-hand. I’m excited to see the conflicts that will arise from their differences.
As the episode continued, I saw glimpses of the issues that plague the world of Knights of Guinevere. Poverty, illness, and pollution were the three that stood out as I watched the duo navigate their daily lives. Frankie works in a factory and on a scrap boat, collecting trash and biohazardous materials to earn a living. Andie works for Park Planet, where she is also exposed to biohazards daily. However, Andie also faces heckling and abuse because she works for Park Planet. It’s obvious he company has done irreparable damage to the world, and people are angry. I can’t help but wonder what will happen in future episodes.
As I rewatched the episode, I wondered how the environment would affect the show and made inferences based on our reality.
Ecocide and Public Health
The environment is a titan that lingers in the background, heavily affecting the narrative. Throughout the pilot, we learn of Blue Lung, a condition that not only turns lungs blue but can also turn people blue. What is the reason behind blue lung? Park Planet. They use a blue liquid to power the machines within Park Planet that harm everyone. Throughout the show, we see many people with different symptoms of blue lung. Some have blue splotches on their bodies, and some cough up spit mixed with blue liquid.
Does Park Planet care? Of course not! Park Planet is inspired by our reality. The companies on Earth don’t care about the environment or public health and safety. They only care about maximizing profits.
It’s easy to draw comparisons between Park Planet and Disney, but it’s also easy to draw comparisons between Park Planet and OpenAI, Meta, Grok, and all of those other AI companies that want to build data centers despite studies and testimonies showing it’s actively harmful to the public and the environment.
It’s the same reason why people falsely believe the pandemic is “over”. One letter from airline companies crying about profit losses, and people said screw public health. Today, we have over a million cases of COVID/Long COVID and steep increases in cancer, dementia, brain fog, and that “weird cough that doesn’t go away”. Why? Because companies thrive on killing the working class to make millions that they quite frankly don’t need. Do the companies care? No. Does the general public care? Depends on who you ask.
Future Hopes
As the series progresses, I hope to see more commentary on these issues as they mirror current society. I have no doubts that we’ll start to see people dropping dead out of nowhere, or blue people locked up in asylums, or killed by Park Planet to save face. The show’s only going to become darker from here, and I’m excited to see the horrors unfold.
Knights of Guinevere is now available on YouTube.
