quests u did not understand??

[Drassil]

that snobby team of girls in s4 team 5 i think they had to answer merlins questions but ina reverse way i never really got that??

Hi, Dave. Like many points of confusion from Knightmare quests, the Opposites scene has been discussed before: here, here, and in the relevant episode thread here. There's also a Lexicon entry on it, under 'Chamber of Opposite Extraction'.

The Chamber of Opposite Extraction can be watched on YouTube here, from 2:22 onwards. In my opinion, this is where the team went wrong with each of the 3 questions:

1. Apparent lack of general knowledge. They work out that daughter should be changed to son, but don't seem to know who Uther Pendragon's son was anyway. If Merlin had said, "Arthur wasn't the truth I sought", then the advisors' reactions would have confirmed whether or not they had known.

2. Lack of detail. One advisor suggests an answer that includes mention of the pumpkin, but the answer offered in the end is simply, "It appeared." They don't know whether or not to give their answers as opposites, but in my view, had they said either "It turned into a pumpkin" or given a reverse answer, "It didn't turn into a pumpkin", they'd have been given a point, as they'd have included the required information and demonstrated some understanding of the concept.

3. Lack of general knowledge. They simply don't know about the Ides of March. Again, my opinion is that they'd have got a point for saying "Julius Ceasar" or equally for saying "Not Julius Caesar"/"Anyone except Julius Caesar".

Opposites aside, there were other teams that got an easier trio of questions from Merlin on matters of history and legend (such as Team 7 of Series 2, in my opinion). Yet there were also teams who had to get 1 out of 1 from Merlin to earn an essential spell (Team 3 of Series 4, Team 12 of Series 2). I wonder what score out of 3 Vicky needed to earn SPRINT.

Merlin confused matters by 'breaking character' to give the team results for each question ("Falsehood" meant that they really had got it wrong, as it turned out), then switching back into opposite mode. I feel that this breaking of character could have been done more effectively: for a genuine wrong answer, "Truth accepted" followed by a sad shake of the head; for a genuine right answer, "Falsehood" and then a quick wink, smile and nod.

Theres always been several quests on knightmare you didnt understand

Quests I don't understand include:

- Quest 7 of Series 5. I explain why here.
- Quest 4 of Series 8. Should the team have tried the trapdoor, even with nothing to guarantee a safe drop? If the team had picked up the Brain Pills instead of the stinkwort, when could they have done something with them, and how would it have helped?
- Early quests where teams complete Level 1 with a clue object left over, e.g. Quests 5 and 10 of Series 2, Quest 11 of Series 3. How could quests have been written in that way, when other quests in the same series were written so that dungeoneers would and did perish on Level 1 without two correct clue objects (e.g. Quest 7 of Series 3)?

[Anonymous]

Wow - fascinating thread! Fleeting visit, I'll try to add a little something.

True enough: regarding the 'Opposites Scene', I think we've rounded up the answers likely to have been met with approval. I'm also agreed that the method of response worked against everything else in the rest of the scene - it creates even more confusion. In my view, the best part about it is just that it adds to the variety, even in a series when variety was at a premium. I think plenty of teams suffered for the sake of variety catching everyone a little unaware, but where would all the talking points be without the odd fun little twist here and there?

I'll leave thoughts on Series 5, Quest 7 at the link kindly supplied. I'm certainly agreed that Series 8, Quest 4 kicks up a problem. Treguard's afterword doesn't imply that they took an incorrect clue item, so there's no immediate sense here that, as was often the case, he could offer some sort of explanation for the end of the quest. Dunstan's quest saw them falling through the trapdoor on the Golden Galleon without protection. They try and open the palladin bottle, but given its real purpose, I don't see how that helps them get through the trapdoor. However, Mike's quest has the added complication that their passage from level 1 to level 2 was via Rothberry, who not only sells them a Float spell, but also informs them that 'it needs two people'. This said, he advises them initially, if the memory serves, to 'just jump up and down'. I can definitely understand the panic in pressing for the door, but such a shame really. These, like Ben's quest in S7, seemed to start off a bit light-heartedly with chips on shoulders, but took the game increasingly more seriously as it got more difficult. I loved the synopsis for their level 2: creating the 'Fillet' spell with ingredients and a binding spell. I was glad that this portion of their quest was completed.

Interesting too to note about left-over clue objects. I last watched Series 6, and it's a common feature of the last few quests. Winning dungeoneer Ben doesn't need the cross he is carrying, and leaves it behind once he has collected the crown. One might assume that he is told to do so (after all - a final encounter with a spell in hand - it's just a matter of good timing), and it wouldn't look too majestic arriving back handing over the crown and the unused cross. This is followed up as well by Sophia's quest. They take gold in level 3, and is it not needed by the time they reach the Great Causeway, one might assume that was surplus to requirements as well. Then, the final quest of the series, Chris ends up giving Ah-Wok the mallet just to free up his hands.

An few queries of my own. Sophia's quest has the scroll in the dwarf tunnel: 'No Right Turn'. Even Pickle expresses his bemusement at that. Any ideas to that one?

Something I don't understand in the later series is how teams are meant to use spells 'in motion', so to speak.

Series 7, Quest 5 (Ben): not only can I not conjure what on Earth the spell they were collecting might be, other than perhaps the name of the troll, but would they then have had to cast it during the Trial by Spikes when the troll appears? How could it possibly help other than making the thing disappear or invisible?

Series 8, Quest7 (Oliver): They get the spell from Smirkenorff to slow down the blades, but (as far as I'm aware), they don't need to cast it: it just takes place.

A bit of spell fun on the run? A few left over puzzles from this observer. Happy Days

[Gizensha]

Can't say I'm immediately familiar with most quests sufficiently to get proper memories of them, but "No Right Turn" seems clear that it reverses the general principle of, "If no information available, the right path is right."

Was there anything in Sophia's quest that goes against that assumption of what that scroll meant?

[AriadnesLayer]

An few queries of my own. Sophia's quest has the scroll in the dwarf tunnel: 'No Right Turn'. Even Pickle expresses his bemusement at that. Any ideas to that one?

Unless it was intended for a later "plot" that was dropped, I always assumed it was simply to add a sense of impending doom/danger.

"No right turn" suggests that turning right leads to bad things, but there's nowhere else to go!!! Hence, excited 12 year old viewers on the edge of their seat. I guess just a one off alternative to storm gueists or goblins in spicing up the dwarf tunnels.

[knightmaredave]

Another quest i was never sure about was in series 3 and the team that it was number 2 they didn't show mercy to Mcgrew but if sum1 was so agressive like he was wouldn't you run a mile asap??