7:35pm UK time, France 2
It’s the most exciting day of the year! When all the speculation comes to an end and we get to see what precisely they’ve done with the show this year. It looks like it’s an expansion on last year’s ideas – more room theming and greater emphasis on the new adventures of which there are lots. There’s a new actress playing Judge Blanche and new gaming tables in the Council, the significance of which is yet to be determined. It also sounds like there are only three games played in the Council this time round, with 3:15 as a base time for the Treasure Room and games worth +/- 10, 15 and 20 seconds, which doesn’t change the fact that if it’s anything like last year it feels a lot of effort for not much reward, and if you started at 2:30 and just made the games worth 20, 30 and 40 seconds if they got won is exactly the same maths but feel a lot more rewarding and a lot less of a waste of time.
Still though.
You’re probably wondering how you’re going to watch this. At the moment the only solution I know, short of installing a satellite dish, is a paid for one – sign up to a VPN with locations in France (VyprVPN is the one I use) then watch it on Pluzz. Other solutions may present themselves, and if anyone finds any they are welcome to put it in a comment.
If you have TV5Monde Europe you can watch last year’s episodes on Saturday nights from 5:25-ish, and you can see our show discussion post for that series here.
Here’s this year’s pre-title sequence showing a lot of the things off, courtesy of fortboyard.net:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgysihD8Vrw#t=47
Rebecca Hampton is mean to chickens.
Also. Just to mention. The swedish Version returned On Friday. They used the abandon cabin like French. but have changed Gangarin to a new game Like the old game of Lights off in The Crystal Maze. Instead its more turn them all back on while spinning around. It was used as a clue game.
Never been a huge fan of Competitive Fort Boyard, but gotta say, if it’s gotta be done, the Swedish format is the best I’ve seen.
Enjoyed their version of Pere Fouras (is he new this year?) A welcome change from the usual Old Man in the Tower deal, yet somehow, still feels like he’d fit in with the Fort’s story.
Not a huge fan of the change to Gagarin, mostly cause it’s REALLY hard to follow as a viewer. Even with language barriers, everything non-verbal puzzle-based on the Fort is still relatively play-alongable, or at least you can recognize the what/why/how, but with the constant camera angle changes, half the board blocked by hands, and it being so small, it’s just really hard to tell what’s going on.
Mmm, I think I agree.
There have been three Swedish seasons since the remake, they’ve had a different third man each year. The first one was meant to be the son (I think) of the original Swedish old man if the tower from the 1990s – extra traction with the old hosts coming back as well. Last year it was like some comedy news reporter. I have no idea what this current guy’s story is, but evidently it’s being played for laughs. I quite like the idea of people visiting though!
Puzzle Gagarine feels more like it should be a key game really. And the Swedes quite clearly lie like crazy regarding times.
It’s quite nice to hear the original and rather good Unstable Chair tune make a surprise reappearance during Pied Marin, there.
There is a new Guy in the den because the last one died October last year
That reminded me, I *REALLY* didn’t like the music in the Swedish version. Not necessarily the pieces themselves, but *everything* was serious. Even the Treasure Room collection felt so… low-key cause they went for the darker music.
It’s a bit all over the place.
http://www.tv4play.se/noje/fangarna_pa_fortet – For the Swedish version.
http://youtu.be/Kzc5nnA6xOc – Sept 1 – All clips are marked 1/5, but it looks like they were uploaded in order…? *starts watching*
http://avro.nl/fortboyard/Player/fortboyard12_aflevering1/#.UEMQYFTFxdk
Episode One of the new Dutch series.
I’m not madly in love with the Dutch format, but at least it’s entertainingly edited and uses the Boyard music suite intelligently (unlike the Swedes who just chuck anything anywhere).
Interesting non-lock in edit in the mud wrestle game though.
3.2 Million for the last of the Fort boyard Summer Series. And how come the dutch have the episode on before monday? Strange tactic
Seasonal Thoughts:
The good:
Loved the change to Duels. Made it feel less repetitive, and no longer fast forwarded this segment. The new duels, as well as some alterations to old ones, were really nice.
Liked the change to Pied Marin, and the touch of showing the key being hidden made it more interesting to watch.
Less Engime Visuelle. These puzzles are WAY too easy, I think, plus, giving them two puzzles just extends a boring segment. Also good they cut down on trips to this room overall. Two’s okay, but three just felt like too much.
The meh:
Not enough Tete Chercheuse. Or Branchard. Or, well, a LOT of the Adventures. A good number of them were only used twice this season, while things like Chambre Froide, Egout and underwater stuff just felt overused.
Where’d all the prisoners go? Some eps didn’t have *any* of the usual lock-in games. Long gone are the days of Mr. Tchan AND a lock-in or two.
The editing. Maybe it’s been like this all along, and it’s the first year I’ve really noticed it, but it just REALLY lost a lot of the “Real time” aura. I mean, yeah, it hasn’t been real-time in a LOOOOOOONG time (if ever…?), but at least they’ve usually tried to make it look like it was. But with things like microphone changes (including those protective packs), other games in the background obviously not being ready in time, time inconsistancies…
Thoughts on new games:
Alerte rouge – Too easy…? It’s really nice to watch, great visually, but for a game that threatens lock-in to never be lost? Could see it coming back next year.
De la Terre a la Lune – Meh… Too easy when the person was strong enough, too boring when it was obvious they couldn’t get it up. (heheheh…) Don’t really see it coming back next year.
Gagarine – Cool idea, but I’d almost rather they went with the Swedish route and did a physical puzzle (but something more interesting to watch). Or maybe in an ep did EITHER this or Cabin Abandonee. Especially since the Duels have a riddle now.
Percolateur – Tough call on this one. Liked the music, good visuals, but it was only really fun to watch when failed miserably. Plus it seems like this one’s really begging for an injury to happen. (that’s a bad thing :P) Hard to tell if it will stick around, though.
Balance – S’alright, though I think I prefer it as a key game.
Boa sous-marin/Menotte immergee – Along with Cage immergee, the underwater games this year just felt really meh. They need to bring back something to explore the whole area, probably what Menotte SHOULD have been.
Chambre froide – Nice game, but I still say it feels more like a key game. Forget the code cabinet, just have the key attached to the pipe. Considering how much they used it, I see it coming back next year, but probably with some changes.
Code braille – Short, but effective, I guess.
Tremplin – Really fun to watch, although loses a little something when the climbing begins. Is it just me, or is the cable short enough that even if they miss, they are still able to climb? And it’s another one where an injury looks really possible (catching a limb in a hole). Definitely see it coming back, though.
Tyrolienne inversee – One of those where it’s a REALLY cool idea on paper, but just lost something in execution.
I’ve always thought that for the visual puzzles the second one should be offered on a must-win or become a prisoner basis. In the dutch show Chambre Froid is used as a key cell. I hope there are more than four new cells next year.
Percolator’s interesting because if you get the trick it’s pretty easy but if you can’t work it out you will never win, and obviously it’s a bit more entertaining when people go flying. If you try and run directly across the turntable you’ve got no chance, you have to run against it like a treadmill to keep balance.
Otherwise I basically agree with your assessments really – could do with being less slick and more charming, really looking forward to the return of the ship in the night episodes and presumably the new target-based interior bungee jump but overall it’s been a fun season. I think they should just play Spiders and Scorpions more if they don’t think the teams have the mettle for the full on Branchard experience.
Also I don’t think the underwater was overused – it was basically one adventure per episode which is about right. The problem is the games aren’t that good, although surprisingly I don’t mind the submerged cage, it *feels* difficult and slightly dangerous – breathing through a gap like that is difficult.
I also hope next year they use the underground for something. It’s too big an area not to use properly. I’d even consider sticking prisoners in the watchtower.