TIME BANDITS ended its frustrating run with a predictable whimper. While it did pay tribute to the original movie, it wasn’t enough for me to wholeheartedly recommend it.
Despite having a climatic cheesy montage, E9 PELL-MELL worked because audiences finally saw character growth in the “leader,” Penelope (Lisa Kudrow). E10 FORTRESS OF DARKNESS was full of tedious exposition and characters talking about a showdown rather than having one. Even worse, the series ends on an uneventful cliffhanger that won’t be enough to hook audiences into a second season.
I can’t travel through time, but if I could, I’d predict that TIME BANDITS mercifully ends its run after one season, and Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement go back to polishing the final (and hopefully best) season of WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS.
The entire first season is available on Apple TV+.