Time for our second to last review to be posted, and this time it is Imperial Purple Robe. Overall, this episode finished with an average score like Sojourner Truth. The moat really dragged this episode score down too. Other than that, it was just an average episode.
THE IMPERIAL PURPLE ROBE OF EMPRESS THEODORA
MOAT: 3/10
The "shaky log" moat that this production day used was pretty infamous for being extraordinarily long and challenging. One of the moats from this production day even lasted for over 45 minutes! The objective of this moat was for once player to hold the log steady so their partner could cross to the other side. Once their partner made it across, then they will have to hold the log steady and allow their partners to cross the same way. If a player falls off the log and into the water, then they will have to start over again. The first four teams that make it across will get a chance to go onto the Steps of Knowledge. Like the other episodes that day, this moat was extraordinarily long. Why? Because it was very hard for the players crossing to keep their balance while their partner tried to hold the log steady. Most of the time, the partner could not hold the log steady because it was too much to handle. As a result, we get a lot of bad editing and teams struggling to get across. While this moat was not as bad as the "Cracked Crown" and "Stone Head" moat, it still took a long time for the final team to get across. The editing was pretty bad too and you couldn't even see some teams crossing. The final order for this moat was Silver, Red, Orange, and Green in that order. Blue and Purple didn't even get one player across before the final team got across. The long moat and bad editing really drags the score for this round down. On a side note, the Silver Snakes in this episode featured Jim and Kristen from the "Priceless Portrait" episode. They didn't even fall in once while crossing.
LEGEND: 5/10
(Credits to "Purple Parrots Fan" for her contribution to this section)
This legend centered around Empress Theodora, who was empress of the Byzantine Empire. She even encouraged her husband, Justinian the First, to stay in the empire and fight back in a rebellion. This move however, threatened to knock Justinian off his throne. Theodora however, saved both her husband and the empire, and also saved her imperial purple robe. After Empress Theodora died, the robe disappeared, and eventually made its way to the temple. This was an alright legend. It could've used a little more detail, but it was decent enough to get an average score.
STEPS OF KNOWLEDGE: 7/10
(Credits to "Purple Parrots Fan" for her contribution to this section)
The Steps of Knowledge was a rather close round. With the exception of the Silver Snakes, all the other three teams got a chance to answer questions. The Green Monkeys finished first on the final step, and the Orange Iguanas followed suit not long after. The Red Jaguars managed to get two questions right, but the Silver Snakes did not get a question right. They even rang in with one wrong answer just before the round ended. Like noted in the "moat" section, those particular Silver Snakes are Jim and Kristen from "The Priceless Portrait of the Polynesian Girl," from later on in the season. I wonder how they got another chance to be on a different episode. Especially since they actually managed to cross the moat, unlike most repeat teams/moat rejects.
TEMPLE GAMES: 8/10
The temple games featured a matchup between the
Green Monkeys an
Orange Iguanas, the third time this combination was used on this day. On the
Green Monkeys, we are introduced to
Ashley and
Joshua and their opponents
Laura and
Steven of the
Orange Iguanas. The temple games in this episode were very entertaining and close. First off, the first two temple games that were used were some of the most uncommon games in Season 2. Secondly, this episode came close to a 2-2 tiebreaker! Both teams entered the team game with 1 Pendant a piece, and if they tied the team game, then we might've had a team go home with two pendants! Overall, the temple games were very memorable and enjoyable to watch.
In the first temple game, Joshua and Steven had to climb a mountain and help conquer four different cities for the Byzantine empire. To do this, each player had to take their pegs and place it in a hole near the city. If they choose the correct hole, then the top of the mountain will spew feathers and they can move onto the next city. The first player to conquer four cities or the player furthest along after 60 seconds will win. In the end, both teams managed to score 2 times a piece and each player earns a half-pendant. In the second temple game, Ashley and Laura had to use a zipline to make a trade. First, the player will grab a golden object and place it in their satchel to carry it to the other side. Once they were there, they had to drop the golden object in the bin and grab a piece of corn and bring it back to the other side. Once they placed the corn onto the board, then it will count as a complete trade. The team that completes the most trades after 60 seconds will win. The temple game was neck and neck for the two teams. Both players got 3 corns a piece and earn a half-pendant a piece. Both the Green Monkeys and Orange Iguanas head into the temple game with a 1-1 score. In the final temple game, the teams had to load a cannonball into a slingshot and smash the rebel army. They had to use the cannonballs to knock down the four soldiers on the other side. Each player had to rotate and the team that knocks down the most soldiers after 60 seconds will in. In the end, the Green Monkeys knocked down 2 soldiers while the Orange Iguanas knocked down none. With two pendants, the Green Monkeys earn the right to enter Olmec's temple.
TEMPLE RUN: 6/10
While Ashley and Josh came close to grabbing the Imperial Purple Robe, they would've had a lot of more success if they actually moved a little faster. They were both too slow in the temple. Ashley was the slowest of the two where she pretty much moved through the temple at a leisure pace. It even took her 30 seconds to enter her third room.
In the Dark Forest, she tried busting through the wall to reach the Purple Robe in the Mine Shaft. Unfortunately, the wall did not break down at all as it was locked. This was not the first time it happened as that same wall was locked in "The Keys to the Alhambra". She was forced to go up into the Shrine, where she was removed from the temple with 1:25 left on the clock. Josh moved at a slightly faster pace than his partner, but he was still a little too slow as a second runner. After reaching the Shrine and assembling the Silver Monkey (which he almost knocked over the edge!), he slowly jumps into the "Well" (as Kirk kept referring to it as) and makes a very close encounter with the Purple Robe as mere seconds are left on the clock. He comes up fingertips short of reaching the Purple Robe as the Mine Shaft elevator stalls on the way down. This temple ending was just like the "Blue Pearl" run where the team was fingertips away from grabbing the artifact. Unlike Blue Pearl, this temple run was just not as exciting. Mostly because Ashley and Joshua were slow runners in the temple. Overall, this temple run was slightly above average with some memorable moments like the wall not breaking down and the close encounter with the artifact. But the players slow speed takes away from the excitement factor of this run.
FINAL VERDICT: 5.8/10
"Imperial Purple Robe" was an episode that was eventful all the way through. For the most part, the episode featured some redeeming moments. The low point of this episode is the moat, where it featured a long completion time and bad editing. The highlights of this episode though are the close temple games and temple run. In the temple games, we got an opportunity to watch a team almost pull off a 2-2 tiebreaker. Plus, the unique temple game sequence made it enjoyable to watch. The temple run featured a very close encounter with the artifact. However, the players slow speed and direct path did detract from the score for this round. This episode also featured a Silver Snakes team who will mysteriously return on later in the season. In the end, this episode ended up with a good score and recommend everyone to give it a watch.
Topic: Legends Episode Ranking System - COMPLETE (Read 87064 times)
