Kaamelott



"C'est pas faux..."

Kaamelott is a French series created and written by Alexandre Astier and aired on the French M6 broadcast since 2004. Its four first seasons (called "livres", french for "books") were composed of short episodes (about 3 and a half minutes each.) Early seasons parodied depictions of daily life at King Arthur's court and the knights' ineffective quest for the Holy Grail; but as the author grew more self-confident, it got spiced by more and more continuity (including Retcon at some point), half-serious story arcs. The fifth season then had longer episodes (7 minutes) and a Darker and Edgier tone.

The sixth season was aired in October 2009; it depicts Arthur's youth in Rome (partly filmed in the décors of the series of the same name, in Cinecittà.) Alexandre Astier also plans to make three movies.

Kaamelott originally replaced another successful series, Camera Cafe but soon became even more popular.

You can find the character sheet here.

"Léodagan: (calmly) I am willing to forgive you for your attemted coups, your crooked schemes, your bogus alliances and everything else... However, if you don't shut up right now, and for good, (points the hammer) I'll use this to flatten your balls."
 * All Just a Dream: The whole episode "Dream On".
 * Altum Videtur
 * King Loth is very fond of meaningless Latin quotes.
 * Some episode titles are in Latin -- including every one of Livre VI (fittingly, as they mostly take place in Ancient Rome).
 * Anachronism Stew
 * Romans and Huns and Vikings and Saxons and Burgonds and Moors and Picts and Byzantines... all trying to invade Great Britain.
 * Venec knows an Egyptian architect, who specializes in building pyramids.
 * The Knights of the Round Table are often displayed in full plate armor, used in the 15th century, while the story takes place in the 5th century. Yet, to be fair, the designers of the show admitted themselves that they knew it was anachronistic, but got on with it because of the Rule of Cool.
 * Angrish: The weaponmaster is once reduced to this during an argument with Grüdü.
 * Animal Assassin: Grüdü the Bodyguard fears a scorpion attack on the king, given that a Roman imperator has been murdered like that.
 * Aren't You Going to Ravish Me?: Aelis, the first time she meets Arthur. He instead suggests she'd become a mistress... and she almost threatens to rape him.
 * Armor-Piercing Question: Arthur, to the Lady of the Lake (see the Our Gods Are Greater entry below); also, in Livre VI, one that is never answered, about the arranged marriage between Arthur and Guenièvre ("And if the chap doesn't manage to pull the sword out of the stone, is the marriage still happening?").
 * Arranged Marriage: Arthur and Guenièvre. Arthur makes it perfectly clear that he has married her for purely political reasons.
 * Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: In Livre VI. During a war council, right after everyone acknowledges that Loth tried to betray them, he justifies himself with a philosophical speech. Léodagan slowly walks away, then comes back with a spiked hammer.

"Loth: I have just one question: When are we betraying?"
 * The Bartender: The innkeeper
 * Beat: Quite possibly the most used gag on the show, usually with Arthur unable to respond to whatever absymally stupid comment was just made except by staring and sighing.
 * Bed Trick: As with the original Arthurian legends, this is how Arthur was conceived, Pendragon using Merlin's Polymorphic Potion to take the appearance of Gorlay since he lusted after his wife, Ygerne. Arthur is dubious about the story, however, since to his knowledge Merlin is hardly able to cook anything, least a Polymorphic Potion.
 * Berserk Button
 * Don't get in-between Karadoc and food.
 * The weaponmaster is extremely touchy about his father's one-leggedness.
 * Gods help you if Bohort calls you a nonbeliever...
 * Letting Guenièvre realize there isn't marzipan anymore, after she ate it all, is NOT a good idea.
 * The things you won't survive if you do/say them in front of Father Blaise: peeing on the Chapel's wall, being Perceval telling a story, singing/whistling/playing something that is not a fourth, a fifth or a unison.
 * The Berserker: DO. NOT. GET. BOHORT. DRUNK.
 * Big Damn Heroes: In Livre V, Anna tries to convince Arthur to intercede with Léodagan for Loth and her. When he refuses, she has Loth.
 * Big Eater: Karadoc. Just to put it in perspective, for those who don't know the show: in an episode, Arthur asks Karadoc how many meals does he eat in a day. The answer? If you count daytime meals and night snacks, Karadoc has eleven meals a day. Eleven.
 * Blatant Lies: In "L'abstinent", Arthur goes to great lengths to hide to his wife that he has sex with his mistresses. Even when she finds him and the twins naked and panting.
 * Book Ends: The unofficial Pilot for the series was a short film titled Dies iræ. The last episode of Livre VI, closing the TV series, is titled "Dies iræ".
 * Brutal Honesty
 * Léodagan. All the time.
 * Elias of Kelliwi'ch isn't shy about the truth either, especially toward Merlin.
 * Lancelot in an episode, toward Arthur.
 * Burn the Witch: The Répurgateur
 * Calvin Ball
 * Perceval is fond of totally unplayable games like "Contre-sirop" (Counter-syrup), "Raitournelle" (Raitornello), The Pelican (which involves filing a hundred artichokes from the smoothest to the most rough), and anything with lots of dice.
 * There's one other characters play, called Owl's Ass. Rules Not Included.
 * Casanova: Arthur is quite the womanizer. He has several mistresses at any one time, and doesn't mind the odd one-night stand with good-looking peasant women. This may have resulted in his fathering an unknown number of illegitimate children.
 * Catch Phrase
 * "C'est pas faux..." ("That ain't wrong...") is the default answer used by Perceval and Karadoc when they don't understand what people tell them. Which, given their stupidity, is quite often.
 * It doesn't take much for Bohort to state, "Nous allons tous mourir!" ("We're all going to die!")
 * "C'est de la merde." ("This is shit"), can be heard from Karadoc several times, when he gets to taste some bad food.
 * Cerebus Syndrome: When, the tone began to change, and at the end of the fourth season, everyone was warned that the fifth season would be Darker and Edgier. This trope is indeed called "Effet Kaamelott" in the French section of the Wiki.
 * Chekhov's Gun: In Livre VI, when Arthur discovers a dagger under his tutor's pillow, and then when, during the preparation of a party at Villa Aconia, the urban militia is not allowed to search her room. At first, it only shows the viewer that Aconia may be more than a tutor. It reappears later,
 * The Chosen Zero: In one episode, the kingdom runs into a problem that only Merlin can solve. So Arthur says, "Wait a minute, are you telling me our last hope is Merlin?" Cue concerned looks between all characters and Bohort saying it: "We're all gonna die!"
 * Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: King Loth

"Guenièvre: (hysterical) But before that, my life was crap, you understand!!! Greeting the chief-of-this, the king-of-that; always polite, always pretty... Symbol of the Briton Nation... There must be some compensations to all those bullshits! Always got to care of something, especially you because you got "responsibilties", AND WHO TAKES CARE OF ME IN THAT TIME?? WELL YES, now that there's no marzipan anymore, I'm milling around, I AM ON EEEEEDGE!!! (sobbing)... I've got no friends, no hobbies... Since you don't touch me, I can sit on the facts of love, figuratively speaking, so I buried myself in marzipan... And when I look at you, and I see the way you treat me, I think I better go from here to Rome by foot to get some marzipan because it's actually the best thing that ever happened to me... Arthur: (thoughtful) I don't think that you're really the "Symbol of the Briton Nation"..."
 * Cloudcuckoolander
 * Karadoc
 * Perceval, althought it is suggested that he might be The Fool, and eventually The Messiah.
 * In fact, in this show, Cloudcuckoolander works a bit like Deadpan Snarker: there are characters who are always like this (Perceval, Karadoc, Kadoc, Hervé de Rinel too), and the rest of the cast who get into that territory on some occasions (yes, even Arthur, in an episode).
 * Color Coded for Your Convenience: The Knights of the Round Table: brownish red (Arthur), navy blue (Léodagan), white (Lancelot), red (Karadoc, his brother and his wife), light blue (Perceval), green (Bohort), dark green (Calogrenant).
 * Comically Missing the Point: Happens quite often, but if we have to quote one, Arthur in "La Pâte d'Amandes" ("Marzipan"), answering Guenièvre's Berserk Button:

"Perceval: What do we care about a guy that's been dead for centuries? Léodagan: This is going to sound weird, but... I rather agree with him."
 * The Comically Serious
 * Father Blaise
 * Sallustius in Livre VI.
 * Cool Helmet: Inverted Trope and parodied -- the knights avoid putting on their helmets as much as possible, because it make them look stupid (even more than usual, for some).
 * Cool Sword: Excalibur, a longsword that catches on fire when wielded by a person with an exceptional destiny.
 * The Corrupter: Méléagant
 * Deadpan Snarker: Arthur; Léodagan; Loth; Séli; Galessin... To be honest, those five are just the most regular; almost every character of the series gets some snarky lines. Even Lancelot.
 * Death of the Old Gods: The Lady of the Lake is both a servant of the Celtic pantheon and of "the one god", implying the former is in fact welcoming the rise of Christianity. Merlin, on the other hand, is less than thrilled.
 * The Ditz
 * Guenièvre, though she has some moment of brillance.
 * Most especially Kadoc, Hervé de Rinel, and the Burgundian King.
 * Dumbass Has a Point: Perceval; for all his foolishness, he can sometimes prove surprisingly insightful. Even Léodagan admitted it once (about celebrating the birth of Alexander the Great):

"Father Blaise: (after being asked why he notes everything) To fit you into the legend! May I point out to you that between your dead horses and your ill horses, I have a legend to write!"
 * The Dung Ages: Arthur is the only one in the series remotely concerned about personal hygiene. Some supporting characters have never taken a bath in their lives, and are in fact unacquainted with the very concept.
 * Dungeon Crawling: Several of the earlier episodes are typical underground explorations, with plenty spoofs of RPGs. The series' author is an avowed RPGer (notably, of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay).
 * Ear Worm: In-universe example with À la volette. Just like Arthur, now every fan remembers this traditional French song. Because it stays.
 * Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": The weaponmaster ("Le maître d'armes"); the innkeeper ("Le tavernier"); the witch hunter ("Le Répurgateur")
 * Excalibur in the Stone
 * Face Palm: Often.
 * Fast-Forward Gag: Used at least twice, the first time being a clear Shout-Out to The Benny Hill Show.
 * Flanderization: On two characters:
 * Hervé de Rinel. At first, he was the less talkative Knight of the Round Table. Then, in Livre III, he became quite an idiot. Then, in Livre IV and V, he became so idiotic that even the chief of the Medieval Morons came to see Arthur and tell him that "Life is too hard for someone like him..."
 * Karadoc, even though he is already quite damaged, still manages to get this.
 * Flat What: A lot.
 * Food Fight: Between Arthur, Karadoc and Perceval with cottage cheese.
 * Freudian Trio: The main leaders of the kingdom:
 * Arthur -- Ego
 * Lancelot -- Superego (sometimes replaced by Bohort)
 * Léodagan -- Id
 * Funetik Aksent: Any transcription of the Burgund king's lines ends up with this.
 * Gasshole
 * The Burgund king pretty much farts as punctuation.
 * Karadoc is also often described as such.
 * Genius Ditz: Perceval
 * Genre Savvy: Father Blaise, and, to some extend, Arthur and the other knights.

"Gauvain: First, we're joyful. Second, we travel by foot. Therefore, I suggest an appropriated nickname... The Gay Ramblers."
 * Girlfriend in Canada: Played with. Bohort's wife is summoned to Kaamelott, but Bohort maintains that she arrived very late at night, after everyone went to bed, and has retired to her chambers with seasickness -- which is why nobody may see her. Turns out he's telling the truth.
 * Giver of Lame Names: Gauvain & Yvain. Especially Gauvain. "Knight of the Pancreas", indeed.

"Robyn: But wait, isn't there a common border between Britain and Byzantium?"
 * Global Ignorance: A lot of characters besides Arthur.
 * Hervé de Rinel, after a grand tour of Britannia, concludes that the island is round. Worse than that is when he adds, to be more convincing, "I went around it twice to be sure!"
 * Séli has basically no idea of geography: she doesn't know where Aquitaine, the Pyrénées, or Burdigala are.
 * And then there's Robyn:

"Séli: And then they fight with the servants. (blank stare from Arthur)
 * Glowing Eyes: Arthur and Léodagan were afflicted by this for a while after Merlin misfired a spell (to make plants grow...). Léodagan, especially, wasn't happy about the pinkish glow of his eyes.
 * Government Conspiracy: Parodied in the episode "Silbury Hill II", with Arthur and Co. trying to hide.
 * Grievous Harm with a Body: While complaining about the enormous appetites, drunken singing and lack of manners of the clan chieftains Kaamelott is hosting, Séli adds:

Séli: They fight with the servants.

(blank stare)

Séli: They grab the servants, and they use them to--"

"Father Blaise: Oh, I wanted to ask you: How did you get into the burgundian culture? Interpreter: (surprised) Burgundian culture? I didn't even know there was one. No, I wanted to study Modern Greek, but it was full; the only languages left were Burgundian or English. English! But that's even less widespread."
 * Hanging Judge: Léodagan, Minister of Justice. He also burns people at the stake -- in his defense, that's considered entertainment.
 * Heroic Comedic Sociopath: Léodagan
 * Historical In-Joke
 * Calogrenant, the king of Caledonia (Scotland), shows up with his butt wrapped in a quilted bedcover because his armor has rusted from a fall in a puddle. However the rules of the Round Table specify that every knight must show up properly dressed OR dressed in his country's traditional garb. Thus, the unproper but convenient improvised quilted bedcover skirt retroactively becomes the official costume of Caledonia.
 * Also, when Karadoc invents the croque-monsieur.
 * Honest John's Dealership / Snake Oil Salesman: Venec can provide you anything for really decent prices.
 * In My Language, That Sounds Like...: The Burgund king seems to find some Briton words inherently funny, notably "biography".
 * Inept Mage: Merlin
 * Insistent Terminology
 * Livre V -- "Don't call me 'Sire'."
 * Don't call either Arthur and Anna "brother" or "sister" without specifying "half-" before.
 * Invisibility Cloak: Played with. Merlin is unable to turn people invisible, but got around it by designing invisibility panes, which makes anyone hiding behind them invisible. Just make sure you remember where you put them.
 * Involuntary Shapeshifter: Merlin, as a druid, can turn into various animals. However, he doesn't much control it and follow whatever animal spirit govern the week.
 * It Will Never Catch On
 * The episode "L'Interprète" has the following discussion:

"Séli: Well, I cooked something that's not too shabby: some kind of tart, with onions, cabbage, celery and spices. (they taste it) Séli: So? Bohort: (embarassed) It's... interesting... Arthur: The more interesting part being: how do you manage to cook something that foul with normal ingredients. Séli: (shocked) Foul??? Bohort: Well, you can say it's... um, a particular taste... Arthur: It's incredible, it's like eating dirt, and cow dung, and gravel, it smells like a henhouse, but it really is celery and onions. It's amazing."
 * In another episode, when Merlin tries out "modern medecine" instead of magical healing, Arthur tells him it will never catch on. Though that's understandable, considering the best Merlin could come up with was throwing salt in an open wound....
 * Large Ham
 * Élie Semoun as the Répurgateur.
 * The weaponmaster, whenever in training mode.
 * The Burgund king.
 * Lawful Stupid: Grüdü can follow orders to the exclusion of common sense.
 * Lethal Chef: Séli

"Karadoc: (to Arthur, through the door of his bedroom) We are wily-nilly used by you to achieve on an end! Arthur: What??? Karadoc: We are willy-nilly used by you to achieve on an end! (beat) Arthur: (opening the door, thoughtful) You are unwillingly used by me to achieve my ends? Karadoc: Oh yeah, that's better... Perceval: The turn of phrase is more gradual... Arthur: ... Clearer? Perceval: Clearer, yeah. Arthur: (half-proud, half-amused) Did you notice that I understand you better and better? Perceval: Yes, that's what I was just thinking about right now. Karadoc: Quicker and quicker, at least. Perceval: It's more spindly! Arthur: ... More fluent? Perceval: Right."
 * Lovable Coward: Everybody except Arthur, Lancelot, and Léodagan. Bohort stands out as the most acute case.
 * Loyal Phlebotinum: Excalibur only light up when held by someone with an exceptional destiny, and will always comes back to The Chosen One. Unless stuck in the stone, in which case only the King of Britain can pull it out.
 * Malaproper
 * Perceval and Karadoc's dialogues are hilarious when they try to use big words.

"Arthur: Praying to Mars?? (laughs) Praying to Mars... (beat) Arthur: ... Yeah, Maybe. So What? Lady of the Lake: Are you kidding me?? You're praying to a roman god! May I remind you, for your information, that you're quite commited to a quest in the name of the One God... Arthur: Because the One God is Celtic?
 * The Burgund king has no idea of what he's saying, including such gems as "the flower in the bouquet withers... and is never reborn!", "I appreciate fruits in syrup", "Not change plate for the cheese!" and "strong in apples". He also starts sniggering at "biography".
 * Manipulative Bastard
 * Méléagant
 * Also, Mevanwi is a Manipulative Bitch.
 * Medieval Morons: From the peasants to the knights. It's even the reason
 * Midnight Snack: Karadoc often sneaks to the kitchen in the middle of the night to have one.
 * Mistaken for Gay
 * Lancelot in-verse.
 * Bohort (Bors), who was assumed to be gay by the audience until the writer showed him married in one episode, just because he was tired of this assumption.
 * Obnoxious In-Laws: Arguments between Arthur and his family-in-law are common.
 * Only Sane Man: Arthur, and (in his own opinion) Lancelot.
 * Our Gods Are Greater: Played with. The series is creatively ambiguous about which gods, if any, exist. Arthur has formally converted to Christianity for the sake of convenience but isn't much of a believer (in fact, he prays to Mars at one point), and retains an overtly pagan wizard on his payroll. It's even lampshaded by Arthur when the Lady of the Lake tries to make Arthur feel guilty for praying to Mars.

Lady of the Lake: (bewildered) Huh... Hmm... Well, he's the One.

Arthur: Yeah, right. And you, with your orange hair and your skin as white as a dairyman's crap, you're not Celtic?

Lady of the Lake: Yes, at first...

Arthur: (sharply) "At first"? What, you're working half-time with the ones, half-time with the others? Religion is a mess. Admit it and let me pray to whoever I want. Doesn't prevent me from searching for your damn Grail, anyway."

"Karadoc: Lord Arthur is back from a quest; maybe he can say something about it? Arthur: No. Perceval: Come on, at least tell us if it was successful, don't be shy. Arthur: (sighs) ... No, it wasn't. Karadoc: Okay... No Comment... Perceval: (sarcastic) I can see that there have been some major achievements, this week, again. What did you heroes do, apart from scratching your own feet? Léodagan: You know what "we heroes" have to say to that? Perceval: Yeah, right... When it comes to being unpleasant, you're proficient. [...] Karadoc: No, it's okay, do nothing. Finding the Grail will be a piece of cake... Perceval: It's not that difficult to put some effort in it... Karadoc: (getting angry) Lord Arthur, apparently you travelled across the whole country by foot; don't you think you could have taken a look? No no, me myself an me, always, always, always!!! Perceval: (disappointed) You really didn't brought anything back? Not even a small clue? (Arthur shakes his head) Karadoc: (sarcastic) Well done, then. Everyone else? Any news? [...] Perceval: (thumps the table) I can't believe it! You think you can fool us?! Karadoc: I'm warning you... Arthur: (interrupts) I did build a stronghold, at least. Perceval: ... What? Arthur: (very calmly, with a put out look) For the Grail. I did build a stronghold. Kaamelott, they call it. I sought and hired knights in the whole kingdom; in Caledonia, in Carmelid, in Gaunes, in Vannes, in Wales; I ordered a big table, to have the knights sitting together; I ordered it round, to prevent having a knight sitting in a corner, or at the end of it; it was complicated, so I tried to explain what was the Grail, to make sure everyone understand; it was hard, so I tried to laugh, to make sure nobody got bored; I failed; (stares at Karadoc and Perceval) but I don't want anyone to say that I did nothing. Because it's not true. (silence) Perceval: (embarassed) Come on Sire, you know you must not take what we say seriously; you know that we are fools... Arthur: (nods, depressed) Stop calling me Sire."
 * The Pig Pen: Most of the peasants, since it's The Dung Ages. Amongst the knights, Karadoc stands out.
 * Pilot
 * The amateur short movie Dies iræ, produced with most of the original cast before any TV series was considered.
 * As well as ten standalone episodes, created to test the format; they are more or less part of the Canon, although there were a few casting changes before the series proper.
 * Platonic Prostitution: Perceval in episode "L'Habitué".
 * Poke the Poodle: Bohort's "insults".
 * Prequel: Save for the last episode, all of Livre VI.
 * Protagonist-Centered Morality: Invoked Trope by Venec, who doesn't attack people he has done business with (and will likely do business with again); he will rob them on occasions, though.
 * Psychopomp
 * The Ankou.
 * And Morgane for heroes like Arthur. Although she was a bit early...
 * Public Domain Characters
 * Quip to Black: A rare inversion. Most episodes end with a Beat, a black screen and a one-liner (a snark or something absurd).
 * Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: The Knights of the Round Table. God, where do we start? Perceval, Karadoc, Bohort, Gauvain, Yvain, Léodagan, Hervé de Rinel, Lancelot, Galessin...
 * The Rainman: Perceval
 * Rapid-Fire Comedy
 * "The Reason You Suck" Speech: There are a few during the series, but the scene of the Round Table in "The Return of the King" (in Livre V) is often considered a raging, liberating, howling-at-the-moon Moment of Awesome by the fans, considering whom it is given to. Context : by some improbable twists of fate, Karadoc (who, in Livre V, is that kind of character), has been crowned king by his wife Mevanwi. Then, when Arthur came back from a quest, during the Round Table meeting, he and Perceval invite Arthur, and give a "The Reason You Suck" Speech to every knight in attendance, and to Arthur in particular (they don't know the purpose of Arthur's quest, i.e. find out if he's got children somewhere). Speech to which Arthur replies with one of his own, delivered in one of the calmest voice ever, with a bittersweet music in the background.

"(after Perceval tells him that he's going to relate his last adventure) Arthur: I imagine that this really will be epic, once more.
 * Retcon: Quite a few, since the first Livre was just a succession of funny episodes without any plot. Those are always minor details, though.
 * Riddle Me This: Attempted by Merlin against Elias, but backfires when Merlin chooses stupid riddles and/or makes mistakes.
 * Ring of Power: Arthur's ring of weapon control.
 * Running Gag
 * Léodagan ordering siege engines even when they are unnecessary/useless.
 * The Lady of the Lake offering pointless advice and being unable to be seen or heard by anyone except Arthur -- and Perceval being completely unable to grasp this.
 * Perceval's stories always involving old people.
 * Arthur being interrupted everytime he sings the pavane "Belle qui tiens ma vie".
 * [Character searching a word, asking to Arthur] > [Arthur suggesting the right word] > "Nah, [said word], that's everything happening in the countryside, isn't it?"
 * Sarcasm Blind: Perceval

Perceval: Well, no, I guess that this will be quite lame."

"Merlin: Elias de Kelliwi'ch; Great Enchanter of the North, Caller of the Caledonian Wolves, Slayer of the Dragon of Snows, Creator of the Potion of Omnipotence, Seer of... Arthur: (interrupts) Enough! You don't need to spout off his entire resume, do you? Merlin: It's a wizard thing; it's how we greet each other... Elias: Merlin; Enchanter of Britain, Defeater of the Winchester Weasel, Creator of the Potion of Ingrown Nails Cure, Author of the scroll Druidism for Old Folks...
 * Seers: Prisca
 * Serious Business: Father Blaise is not happy with the introduction of the tritone (a.k.a. diabolus in musica) in religious music.
 * Servile Snarker: Angharad
 * Sex Is Cool: Completely subverted:
 * The main character, Arthur, cheats so many times on his wife with numerous mistresses or one-night stands that he would be considered a lecher nowadays. Everytime his relationships are evoked, it becomes a source of comical relief or even humiliation for him or his wife. Oh, and of course, the only woman he doesn't touch at all is his wife.
 * When it comes to the rest of the knights, five of them are seen with a wife throughout the show: Léodagan, who seems to be quite faithful (emphasis on the quite), Bohort, who live away from his wife and took a vow of chastity, Karadoc, who considers sex to be "something necessary to make children, and that's it", Lancelot, who doesn't even know how to make love theoretically and King Loth, who never mentions his wife without the word "bitch", or other synonyms.
 * And, last but not least, the only time in the show that a sexual intercourse is not shown in a funny way (= Arthur and Mevanwi) is the point where the show gets Darker and Edgier.
 * Sexless Marriage: Arthur & Guenièvre; Bohort & Berlewen
 * Shell Game: Perceval, thanks to his Idiot Savant status, just can't lose at this game despite all the gambler's efforts.
 * Shock and Awe: King Loth can throw lightning.
 * Shout-Out: A lot.
 * Two episodes are named "Stargate"...
 * And one of them features a lightsaber from a desert planet with several moons.
 * Also, an episode called "The Phantom Menace".
 * Another has Arthur visiting central Europe, gets bitten in the neck by a local, and gets all moody, grows long fangs and cellos start playing in the background whenever he talks.
 * A guy called Robyn, fighting for the poor...
 * In Livre IV, there's an episode with a dialogue between Arthur and Lancelot copied on the one in Heat.
 * Venec, slave trader (among other activities), explains in an episode that he's got an Egyptian architect, and that he had to give three gladiators to get him at Glastonbury fair. Glastonbury is a town which is heavily related to the Arthurian Myths (it is supposed to be a possible location of the Isle of Avalon, and King Arthur's grave can be found in the Glastonbury Abbey).
 * Two for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: The equivalent of the inquisitor is called the Witch Hunter ("Le Répurgateur"). And one episode even mention a dungeon full of Skavens.
 * In Livre V, the episode where Arthur comes back to Kaamelott is called "The Return of the King"...
 * Actually, there is a quite a lot of episodes with a "shouting" title. Without quoting those above, we can find: "Angels & Demons", "All the World's Mornings" (a french novel), "Alone in the Dark", "Double Dragon", "Life Is Beautiful", "Dream On", "Goodfellas", "Arthur in Love"... And many, many others.
 * Small Name, Big Ego: Perceval and Karadoc. To the point that, in some occasions, they manage to brag about how they epically failed a mission as if it was a victory.
 * Smug Snake: King Loth; Léodagan
 * Special Effects Failure: In-universe examples:
 * One example is the In Name Only druid Merlin. He was supposed to set off a fireball, (which he couldn't if his life depended on it) and, well, failed to do so.
 * Reversed (or maybe inverted) in an episode featuring Merlin's long-time rival Elias of Kelliwic'h. As Elias threatens Merlin and King Arthur, his magical staff begins to glow eerily, prompting everyone in the room to take cover. Elias is initially puzzled by their reaction, then explains that, "Oh no, no, it always does this. It's just for show."
 * Spin-Off: The Comic Book Adaptation; six albums thus far.
 * Spirit Advisor: The Lady of the Lake to Arthur. Though she's not very good at it....
 * Straight Edge / The Teetotaler: The weaponmaster
 * Strategy Schmategy: Arthur, when he is playing with the Burgundian King at a strategy game which he doesn't know any rules.
 * Stupid Statement Dance Mix: Courtesy of the Burgund king.
 * Surrounded by Idiots: A great deal.
 * Take Our Word for It: Live version. Almost every battle only shows the commanders of the Briton army crying about the total inefficiency of their troops.
 * Those Two Guys: Karadoc & Perceval; Roparhz & Guethenoc; Yvain & Gauvain
 * Too Dumb to Live: Half of the Knights of the Round Table are just plain incompetent. The peasants also qualify, since they tend to revolt just for the sake of it.
 * Torture Always Works
 * Translation Convention: Occasionally averted. A summit with the Burgundian King required an interpreter. Also Played With, since after that episode, we learn that the Burgundian King took some lessons in Arthur's language. Though what he says still doesn't make any sense.
 * Try to Fit That on A Business Card: When two wizards are about to duel (in any way), they must announce the complete titles and honors of the other.

Merlin: (interrupts) Yeah, alright, alright. (to Arthur) You were right, it's gonna take forever."


 * Twin Threesome Fantasy: Played straight with Azilis and Tumet (but averted when Arthur can't stand to be kissed by Guenièvre and Démetra at once).
 * Vetinari Job Security: When Arthur steps down from the throne of Britain, the knights find out handling the kingdom is more work that they can handle.
 * Well-Intentioned Extremist: at the end of the sixth season.
 * What the Fu Are You Doing?: Karadoc and Perceval's "fighting techniques", all the time.
 * You All Meet in An Inn: Karadoc and Perceval recruit their whole new clan in an inn, which becomes their "headquarters". Not surprising, since they're working there to pay over their huge debt to the innkeeper.
 * You Fight Like a Cow: The weaponmaster's favorite schtick.

The Comic Book Adaptation provides examples of:

 * Failed a Spot Check: Karadoc and Perceval are rather oblivious as a general rule, but in Le Serpent Géant du lac de l'Ombre ("The Giant Snake from Shadow Lake"), they take it to a whole new level. While rowing on the title lake in search of the eponymous giant snake, a huge coil of said monster rises above the water behind them... and they don't notice. Then its tail strikes their boat, and they wonder if they hit a rock. Finally, a stronger tail lash capsizes their boat and sends both in the water. Their conclusion? There's no giant snake in this damn lake, they're just wasting their time.
 * Give Chase With Angry Natives: In L'Armée du Nécromant, Arthur and co. are climbing to the top of a mountain to defeat an evil necromancer. Along the way, they come across a gigantic Rodent of Unusual Size, fortunately asleep. When things go wrong at the summit, they slide back down on improvised sleds, hurling stones at the rat as they pass. When the pursuing Necromancer arrives, the rat is awake and angry, and proceeds to eat him.
 * Our Liches Are Different: The Necromancer from the first album, L'Armée du Nécromant ("The Necromancer's Army").
 * Stock Ness Monster: The Giant Snake from Shadow Lake. Alluded in one episode, and seen in the fifth album.
 * Turn Undead: Featured in L'Armée du Nécromant. The knights going on a mission to investigate a surge of zombies, they bring Father Blaise with them, on the principle that priests are supposed to have powers against The Undead. However, Blaise never tried this before, and all his attempts are failure. Except at a critical moment toward the end, after hours of prayer, where he obliterates a group of giant zombies, almost accidentally (and fries his holy symbol in the process).