An epic Disney-esque fairytale, but make it gay. If that’s what you’ve been searching for, look no further than Gimlet’s fantasy adventure podcast, The Two Princes!
There’s nothing like seeing popular heteronormative fairytale tropes turned on their heads to raise your sprits, right? The Two Princes is a story full of magic and mystery, princes and knights, dragons and curses, and prophecies, balls, and royal weddings. However, the lovers at the core of the story are two boys, and this is a diverse and inclusive world.
The Two Princes centres around… well, two princes from enemy kingdoms who go on a magical adventure together and fall in love along the way. We follow Prince Rupert (Noah Galvin) as he sets out to break the mysterious curse that’s destroying his kingdom. He’s ready to face whatever dastardly villain or vile monster stands in his way, but what he isn’t prepared for are the bewildering new emotions he feels when he meets the strikingly handsome Amir (Ari’el Stachel), a rival prince on a quest to save his own realm. Forced to team up on a swashbuckling adventure, the two princes soon discover that the only thing more difficult than saving their kingdoms is following their hearts.
Here are a few reasons you should give this incredible, funny and utterly wholesome podcast a listen!
1. A truly epic LGBTQ+ romance that ends happily! The star crossed lovers, Princes Rupert and Amir are opposites who attract; Rupert is eccentric, has a wry sense of humour, and is easy to identify with. Meanwhile, Amir is reserved and calm and his grounding presence balances Rupert’s impulsiveness out. Rupert’s attraction to Amir is obvious from the beginning, while it’s more of a slow burn on Amir’s side. You can practically hear the tension, you can almost see the loaded glances, and they are a couple you’ll definitely be shipping hard.
2. A dragon named Porridge! Rupert and Amir adopt a baby dragon, name him Porridge, and call each other his mamas!
3. Strong female characters! From the Queens of the East and the West who have been running whole kingdoms in the absence of their husbands (and doing far better jobs than they ever did) to the fearless knight Joan and her army of women who go into the forbidden forest to save the princes, The Two Princes includes quite a few badass ladies who sometimes even steal the spotlight from Rupert and Amir.
4. Complex parent/child relationship that’s handled exceptionally well! Now this is something rare. Rupert has a complicated relationship with his mother; she clearly never understood him well and even kept some secrets from him, that ultimately resulted in Rupert feeling pressured and running away. But eventually the narrative handles their relationship with a level of maturity you don’t usually find in a show aimed at kids and teens.
5. The sound effects really stand out! While admittedly there isn’t much when it comes to environmental or atmospheric sound effects, the battle scenes are phenomenal. You can clearly visualise the back and forth of sword fighting as the blades clang and clash.
6. The narrative never gets overwhelming. Even though there’s a lot going on, the plotlines blend seamlessly into one another, creating a narrative that flows and is easy to follow, and before you know it you’ve reached the end of the story.
7. All the members of the star-studded cast deliver delightful performances! You’ll find yourself gleeful and absolutely charmed throughout the whole experience.
With The Two Princes headed to the screen as a 60-minute animated special, this might just be the perfect time for you to binge on the whole show. Then when you are thoroughly obsessed and have finished texting all your friends to GO LISTEN IMMEDIATELY, you can join the rest of us Heartlanders as we wait in eager anticipation for the adaptation coming on HBO Max. Seasons 1 and 2 are available for free on Spotify, Soundcloud, and several other platforms.
