       
|
Sir Percival is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. He débuts in the first episode of the fifth season and is portrayed by guest star Andrew Jenkins.
Percival is based on the character of the same name from the Arthurian legend.
History
Before First Curse
A young Percival comes home to his village in the Enchanted Forest to find everyone in it slaughtered, and everything ablaze with fire. Fearing he may also die at the hands of whoever is responsible, he hides, only for the murderer, the Evil Queen, to walk past and notice him. Instead of killing him, she smiles at him, causing Percival to have this memory of her ingrained in his mind for years to come. Vowing revenge, he goes on to become a knight of Camelot. ("The Price")
Some years later, in Camelot, Sir Percival travels with Lancelot and Arthur to track down the sword in the stone after Merlin prophesies that Arthur will pull it out and become the ruler of the realm. They are beaten there by Sir Kay, who foolishly tries to take the sword out, only to be turned into ash by the sword's power. As Sir Percival and Lancelot look on, Arthur succeeds in pulling out the sword, but strangely, the tip of the blade is missing. Arthur momentarily panics at this, but he then decides the kingdom's people don't need to know about it, and that all they need to know is he is now their king. Afterwards, Percival and Lancelot accompany Arthur on his return to the village of Camelot, where he partially unsheathes Excalibur, proving himself as king to the people. ("The Dark Swan," "The Broken Kingdom")Before Third Curse
Somewhere in the Enchanted Forest, Sir Percival accompanies King Arthur and other knights to meet up with Emma and some of her allies. He informs them that a prophecy has foretold they will help reunite Camelot with Merlin, who is currently missing. King Arthur then leads them to his castle in Camelot. ("The Dark Swan")
Percival, while he recognizes Regina as the Evil Queen who once mercilessly killed his entire village, tells no one. When the newcomers reach the castle grounds, he stands by as King Arthur introduces the guests to his queen, Guinevere, and then announces there will be an evening ball held in their honor. Percival is also present while King Arthur shows Emma and her allies a tree in the courtyard which Merlin is trapped in. When King Arthur asks which of them is the savior, Regina claims the title. Later on, Percival approaches Regina as she is studying the tree with Robin Hood, and he gifts her a purple gem necklace, stating that it's a gift from King Arthur that he wishes her to wear at the ball. However, this proves to be a lie, with Percival spying on Regina's movements through the necklace, in which he sees her learning how to waltz as a means to convince Camelot's royal court that she is the savior. During the ball, Percival interrupts Robin and Regina's dance, asking for his turn with Regina. Almost as soon as he is alone with Regina, his demeanor slowly changes, with him questioning who she is, before he tells her a nightmarish story of a boy coming upon his massacred village and the angel of death who smiled at him. Regina realizes Percival is recounting his own memory of her when she was still the Evil Queen, to which Percival attempts to kill her with an enchanted sword, but Robin intervenes, getting injured in the process. Before Percival can deliver a final fatal blow to Robin, David saves Robin by stabbing Percival in the chest, killing him. ("The Price")Trivia
Character Notes
- Unlike most of the Camelot residents, Percival does not speak with a British accent. This is probably because his homeland is the Enchanted Forest, where people commonly speak with an American accent. ("The Dark Swan," "The Price")
Popular Culture
- In Arthurian heraldry, Sir Percival has an azure coat of arms fenced with crosses.[1] On the show, he has a different crest. Once Upon a Time co-creator Edward Kitsis is a noted fan of the band Grateful Dead,[2] and Percival's coat of arms (a lightning bolt against a red and blue background)[3] is from the cover of the band's double live album Steal Your Face (1976). ("The Dark Swan," "The Broken Kingdom")
Costume Notes
- The armor Percival wears in present-day Camelot in "The Dark Swan"[4] and "The Price,"[5] is the same one Arthur wears when he kills King Fergus,[6] but with different shoulder pads. ("The Bear King")
Appearances
| Once Upon a Time: Season Five | |||||||||||
| "The Dark Swan": | "The Price": | "Siege Perilous": | "The Broken Kingdom": | "Dreamcatcher": | "The Bear and the Bow": | "Nimue": | "Birth": | "The Bear King": | "Broken Heart": | "Swan Song": | |
| Appears | Appears | Mentioned | Appears | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | |
| "Souls of the Departed": | "Labor of Love": | "Devil's Due": | "The Brothers Jones": | "Our Decay": | "Her Handsome Hero": | "Ruby Slippers": | "Sisters": | "Firebird": | "Last Rites": | "Only You": | "An Untold Story": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Once Upon a Time: Specials | ||||||||||
| "Magic is Coming": |
"The Price of Magic": | "Journey to Neverland": | "Wicked is Coming": | "Storybrooke Has Frozen Over": | ||||||
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | ||||||
| "Secrets of Storybrooke": | "Dark Swan Rises": | "Evil Reigns Once More": | "The Final Battle Begins": | |||||||
| Absent | Archive | Absent | Absent | |||||||
Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.
References
|
