The Two Princes is a fantasy/action podcast by Gimlet Media (now Spotify Studios).
Two princes from warring kingdoms, Prince Rupert of the West and Prince Amir of the East, form an unlikely alliance when they venture into a mysterious forest in order to save their realms.
Along the way, they fall for each other.
Three seven-episode long seasons are available currently and more are on the way.
Tropes
- Arranged Marriage: Queen Lavinia tries to distract Rupert from his research regarding the Forest by trying to marry him off to some random princess. Joan's father also tries to set her up with an arranged marriage.
- Big Bad: The Forest itself appears to be this. Turns out it's actually a Big Bad Duumvirate between Rupert and Amir's fathers.
- Big Damn Kiss: Rupert and Amir have one that breaks the curse.
- Cast Full of Gay: Rupert and Amir is the main couple, with Rupert being gay and Amir possibly bisexual/pansexual. Several other characters are implied gay/bisexual or end up in same sex couples.
- Constantly Curious: Prince Rupert, though for very good reason, as he wants to find a way to stop an Eldritch Location from destroying his kingdom.
- Dangerous Eighteenth Birthday: The prophecy states that the Princes are fated to meet and work to end the curse on their "eighteenth year".
- Disappeared Dad: Prince Rupert's father died before the start of the story. Except he didn't.
- Ear Ache: Queen Lavinia pulls Rupert by the ear when she discovers he was the thief in episode 1.
- Eldritch Location: The Forest, which has been spreading and, at the end of episode one, actively attacks the castle.
- Establishing Character Moment: Prince Rupert is caught disguising himself as a thief and stealing the Forbidden Book from his own palace, highlighting his recklessness and curiosity.
- Falling Chandelier of Doom: The Lord Chamberlain is seemingly crushed by one during the Forest's attack in the first episode, right in the middle of telling Rupert about the prophecy. Fortunately, he survives.
- Fourth-Date Marriage: Rupert and Amir traveled for 3 days in the Forbidden Forest before declaring their love and intent to get married. The actual marriage is set three months later then gets delayed for several weeks due to events in season 2 & 3.
- Great Offscreen War: Before the princes were born, their fathers, the King of the West and the King of the East, went to war and were punished for it by being sealed away in the forest, trapped in the form of trees. They planned on picking up where they left off during Amir and Rupert's eighteenth birthdays, forcing them to fight to the death so one King can rule over all.
- Love Triangle: Prince Darling comes to visit in season 3 and repeatedly flirts with Rupert.
- Musical Episode: Season 3 has at least 1 musical number per episode.
- My Beloved Smother: Queen Lavinia, who goes so far as to strangle the Lord Chamberlain when he suggests that she tell Prince Rupert the truth.Lavinia: I've been protecting Rupert for the past eighteen years and I'll keep protecting him for the next eighteen-hundred!
- Nightmare Sequence: Rupert has dreams about a voice beckoning him to come to the Forest.
- The Power of Love: Rupert and Amir's love is what breaks the curse at the end of season 1. Rupert's love also defeats the Despair monster at the end of season 3.
- Prophecy Twist: The Prophecy that drives the plot of season one goes thusly: "When Two Princes meet in the Hollow/Upon their 18th year/One Kingdom will then Rise/and all of the Curse will be Broken." The initial assumption is that Rupert and Amir must fight to the death when that day comes and the victorious party's kingdom will rise above the other, breaking the curse and freeing the tyrannical kings. It turns out, however, the true meaning of the prophecy was that the two kingdoms must come together, united by the princes' love for one another, vanquishing the forest and killing the kings in the process.
- Queer Romance: The romantic subplot of our story is between the titular pair of princes.
- Quicksand Sucks: In episode 5, Amir has to save Rupert from this.
- Rescue Romance: Rupert first meets Amir when the latter kills a carnivorous plant monster to save him.
- Stepford Smiler: Queen Lavinia, despite her cheery partying exterior, wants to deny that the forest is out of control, fearing that the kingdom will lose faith in the royal family if the public finds out.
- Straight Gay: Prince Rupert...and implicitly, the Lord Chamberlain.
- Tomes of Prophecy and Fate: The Forbidden Book acts as this. Rupert goes out of his way to try and steal it at the beginning, hoping it'll have a way to stop the Forest from spreading.
- Valley Girl: Lady Cecily, one of Rupert's "potential brides", talks like this, using phrases like "OMG" and "fangirling". Somehow...
- Wicked Wasps: Rupert's attacked by a gigantic wasp in episode 2. It's the first monster he defeats, so he's fairly proud...until its friends find out.
- Wham Line:
- From early in episode one, we get the identity of the "thief" who stole the Forbidden Book.
Guard: Remove your cloak and show yourself!
(Thief does just that, prompting the crowd to gasp)
Queen Lavinia: RUPERT!?
Prince Rupert: ...Hi mom.- A big one in episode 5:
Rupert: So what if some stupid kings fought a duel and started this whole mess a thousand years ago-
Amir: A thousand years ago? This forest was created exactly eighteen years ago right after we were born! Right after our fathers went to war!
Rupert: ...Our fathers?
Amir: Who do you think is waiting in the Hollow? - Yes-Man: Queen Lavinia complains about the Lord Chamberlain being this at one point.
- You Are Grounded!: In episode 1, Queen Lavinia grounds Rupert because he tried to steal the forbidden book.
