Time Bandits Season 1 Episodes 1 & 2 Recap: 7 Story Reveals & Historical Events

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Time Bandits season 1, episodes 1 & 2.

Time Bandits season 1 had a 2-episode premiere that introduced viewers to the characters, taking them along for a time-traveling ride. The main Time Bandits characters are an 11-year-old boy named Kevin Haddock and a group of bandits who travel throughout time to steal valuable items with a map they stole from their boss, Supreme Being. Time Bandits season 1, episodes 1 and 2 explore their interesting dynamic, with Kevin trying to find where and when he belongs.

The first two episodes also made changes to the original Time Bandits movie ending, with the writers having the time and luxury to stretch the story out over 10 episodes. Time Bandits follows the same premise, but it appears the execution will be different, as episodes 1 and 2 teased changes in Pure Evil’s plan. The characters in the Time Bandits show also traveled to different time periods and met different historical figures, setting it apart from the 1980s fantasy movie and its story.

7 The Time Bandits Accidentally Time Traveled To Kevin’s House

Kevin’s House In Time Bandits Is A Time Egress

Time Bandits season 1, episode 1 was appropriately titled “Kevin Haddock,” as the series opened on the main character’s 11th birthday. He was established as a history nerd surrounded by others who didn’t share his passion for the subject. Thus, when a Viking suddenly appeared in his room, he was eager to join the adventure in what he assumed was a dream. However, unbeknownst to him, he had actually briefly time-traveled, which he’d learn when the five time bandits showed up in his room the next night.

Once again, Kevin assumed he was dreaming, but Penelope and the bandits assured him he wasn’t. As Penelope explained, Kevin’s room in Time Bandits is a transtemporal portal, which means those who know its location can travel through it. It also put Kevin in danger. The time bandits hadn’t meant to travel to Kevin’s room, but they were on the run from Supreme Being, who wanted them to return the time map. When a projection of Supreme Being showed up at Kevin’s house, he had no choice but to follow them through the portal to hopeful safety.

6 Kevin & The Time Bandits Traveled Back To Macau In 1810

Chinese Pirates Captured Kevin & The Time Bandits

Unfortunately for Kevin and the bandits, when they left Kevin’s room, they ended up in Macau in 1810. They didn’t intend for Kevin to join them in Time Bandits, but he’d slipped through the portal. While the bandits knew nothing about the time period or what they’d gotten into, Kevin’s knowledge came in handy when he recognized the ships and Madame Chung, who was leading the Chinese pirate ships in their final battle against the British Navy.

This part of history isn’t often portrayed onscreen, making for an interesting change in the Time Bandits series. The scene quickly turned violent and the group tried to escape through what Widgit claimed was a portal. However, it was just a door to the ship’s cabin. They were discovered by Madame Chung, who cornered them intending to kill them. She threatened their lives, but they were spared thanks to Kevin’s admiration of her and knowledge of the battle.

He advised her to change course, knowing she’d lose the battle if she didn’t, as that’s what happened historically. Madame Chung wanted Kevin to stay with her as a “soothsayer,” which he was interested in doing, but Penelope didn’t give him a chance, as she took him with them to jump through another portal. Penelope thought Kevin could see the future and tell him where the treasure they were looking for, but she was mistaken.

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5 Kevin & The Time Bandits Escaped To Stonehenge

Stonehenge Was Still Being Constructed When They Arrived

When Kevin and the time bandits jumped through the portal, they ended up in England in 1500 BC. Kevin became even more excited when he realized they were at Stonehenge during its construction. At the start of Time Bandits episode 1, Kevin’s family took him to Woodhenge to celebrate his birthday. He claimed he was saving Stonehenge for his next birthday, but traveling with the time bandits meant he wouldn’t have to wait until then.

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Unfortunately, his love for Stonehenge was sullied by a conversation with one of the men building the historical site. Kevin wanted to find out why Stonehenge was built, which he explained was “a mystery that has lasted over 4,000 years.” Yet, the answer was disappointing. He shared theories with the slave, only to find out it was a “venue for hire.”

When Kevin visited Woodhenge with his family, they said they’d rather go to Stonehenge because at least it had a gift shop. Though Kevin argued it was more than a “pile of rocks with a gift shop,” his conversation with the slave revealed otherwise, as even in 1500 BC, Stonehenge had a gift shop. Kevin concluded that it was still “pretty cool,” but he couldn’t look at it the same way as he had before.

4 Kevin & The Time Bandits Almost Changed The Outcome Of The Trojan War

Kevin & The Time Bandits Got Stuck In The Trojan Horse

After taking the night to rest in Time Bandits episode 1, Kevin and the crew time-traveled to Troy during the Trojan War, which took place around the 12th or 13th century BC. The bandits planned on stealing the Trojan Horse, as it’s “the world’s most famous horse,” but it was too big to steal and wasn’t empty as they’d assumed. According to Greek mythology, the Greeks gifted the Trojan Horse to the Trojans to allow the soldiers hiding inside to secretly enter the city of Troy and win the war.

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Once they realized they couldn’t steal it, the bandits decided to leave Troy and enter another portal to find something they could actually steal. However, the portal was in Troy, and they had no way inside. Kevin told them the only way into the city was through the Trojan Horse and tricked a Greek soldier into letting them inside. Once inside, two Trojan soldiers, Xanthus and Ophelestes, exited the gates and assessed the gift. Finding it “suspicious,” they started to burn it with Kevin, the bandits, and the soldiers still trapped inside.

Fortunately for them, a Trojan superior told them to stop burning the wooden Trojan Horse, as he saw it a gift from the Greeks to congratulate them on winning the war. Cassandra, a real soothsayer, tried to warn them against letting the horse inside Troy, but they didn’t listen. Before they left Troy in Time Bandits season 1, episode 1, Kevin and Cassandra commiserated about nobody ever believing them. Cassandra told Kevin about his future, saying he “had to stick with [the] stupid thieves because [he is] going to save the universe.”

3 The Time Bandits Tried To Drop Kevin Off In The Ice Age

Widgit Accidentally Took Kevin To His Home 50,000 Years Too Early

At the beginning of Time Bandits season 1, episode 2, the bandits planned to take Kevin back to his home, as he wasn’t supposed to be with them. However, Widgit, who is in charge of the time map, sometimes struggles with reading it. Thus, they ended up at Kevin’s home during the Ice Age, 50,000 years too early. Although it clearly wasn’t the same place they’d found him, the time bandits still tried to drop him off there at first, leaving him alone with Neanderthals they assumed were his family.

Kevin begged, but they still tried to leave him in the cold. However, Bittelig felt bad for him, and Penelope allowed Kevin to rejoin them. They decided to take him back to his home in 2024, where he belonged, but they failed to notice Fianna the Huntress, a demon disguised as a rock, lying in wait. Pure Evil sent her there at the end of Time Bandits season 1, episode 1, and ordered her to wait until 2024 to take the map from Kevin’s house and bring it to him by any means necessary.

2 The Mayans Didn’t Sacrifice Kevin & The Time Bandits

Kevin Had Assumed The Mayans Would Sacrifice Them In A Ritual

Time Bandits season 1, episode 2 followed a different format from the previous episode. Instead of traveling to different historical periods, Kevin and the bandits spent most of the episode with the Maya people, hence the episode title, “Mayan.” Kevin warned the bandits he’d read that the Maya would select people, give them “the time of their lives” and then brutally kill them in a sacrifice for the gods. They were caught by guards, who were unexpectedly friendly and welcoming.

They were brought to the palace to meet the Maya queen, Lady Sak K’uk’. Inside the palace, they were treated to a feast, which further convinced Kevin they were being prepared for sacrifice, while the bandits were more concerned about eating and finding things to steal. Surprisingly, Kevin was proved wrong in Time Bandits season 1, episode 2, when the queen revealed they hadn’t planned to sacrifice them. The ritual they’d invited them to just involved eating fruit and watching the sunset.

Lady Sak K’uk’ told them human sacrifice didn’t make sense, and Kevin confessed he’d learned about it from Wikipedia, reminding him not to trust secondary sources, especially invaders. However, Kevin and the bandits’ relief was short-lived, as they soon learned the Maya typically beheaded bandits. When their bags were checked, it seemed like Penelope would be caught with a stolen item, but it was just an avocado, which spared their lives. Kevin remembered what Cassandra had predicted for him, and jumped off a cliff that turned out to be another time portal.

1 Kevin’s Parents Were Turned To Coal At The End Of Time Bandits Episode 2

Fianna Coaled Them After Waiting Centuries To Attack

After jumping off the cliff in Time Bandits episode 2, the group finally returned to Kevin’s home in 2024. At the same time, Pure Evil told Fianna it was time for her to attack, waking her up from the rock she’d been encased in for tens of thousands of years. Since Kevin and the bandits returned one minute after they’d left, Supreme Being was still there looking for the map. They managed to hide from him, and he went through the portal, but their troubles were far from over.

The bandits were ready to part ways with Kevin when they heard his parents making fun of them. For the first time in Time Bandits, they comforted Kevin, realizing why he was so eager to go on adventures with them and wasn’t in a rush to return home. Just before the bandits were about to leave, they heard Fianna enter the house and shoot fire out of her eyes, turning Kevin’s parents into coal.

This changes the movie’s ending, as the original Time Bandits had a cliffhanger ending immediately after Kevin’s parents were coaled. In Time Bandits season 1, episode 2, Kevin asked Penelope if he could go back in time and bring his parents back. She let him join them, suggesting the future Time Bandits episodes will make major changes to Kevin’s original story. Time Bandits season 1, episode 2 ended with one of Pure Evil’s demons spying on Supreme Being and his top-secret plan, spelling more danger for the upcoming episodes.

Time Bandits (2024)

Eleven-year-old Kevin joins a group of time-traveling thieves on a comedic and perilous adventure. As they navigate through various historical periods, they embark on a mission to save Kevin’s parents and ultimately the world, blending humor with high-stakes drama in this adaptation of Terry Gilliam’s cult classic​.

Cast

Kal-El Tuck , Sarah Darkin , Lisa Kudrow , Tadhg Murphy , Rune Temte , Roger Jean Nsengiyumva , Kiera Thompson , Nikita Chronis

Release Date

July 24, 2024

Seasons

1

Streaming Service(s)

Apple TV+