By Zoe Leininger
After the finale of fantasy drama Game of Thrones (HBO, 2011) aired last year, many new shows like The Witcher (Netflix, 2019) and Carnival Row (Amazon Prime Video, 2019) have risen up to take the spotlight in this increasingly popular genre of television shows. This summer Netflix added a new show called Cursed to the mix. After having it recommended by a friend I was curious to watch it and see how it measures up to other fantasy shows I enjoy.
A twist on an Arthurian legend, this new show focuses on the young sorceress Nimue, also known as the Lady of the Lake. In this retelling Nimue is one of the Fae, magical beings who are being driven out of Britain by the humans. Hunted both by King Uther Pendragon and a religious group called the Red Paladins because of her possession of the Sword of Power, Nimue has become a symbol of hope for the struggling Fae tribes.
For anyone with a previous knowledge of Arthurian legends the show may be somewhat confusing at first. For instance King Uther and Arthur are shown to be about the same age, even though traditionally Uther is Arthur’s father. I kept expecting some revelation about their kinship through the first half of the show only to find that they never even meet. For anyone planning to watch it just keep in mind that the show is very different from any other King Arthur story and needs to be watched purely separate from the canon materials. It takes the stories of chivalry and a golden age of knighthood and transforms them into a world of magical persecution and an honor code that oppresses the people.
A twist on an Arthurian legend, this new show focuses on the young sorceress Nimue, also known as the Lady of the Lake. In this retelling Nimue is one of the Fae, magical beings who are being driven out of Britain by the humans. Hunted both by King Uther Pendragon and a religious group called the Red Paladins because of her possession of the Sword of Power, Nimue has become a symbol of hope for the struggling Fae tribes.
For anyone with a previous knowledge of Arthurian legends the show may be somewhat confusing at first. For instance King Uther and Arthur are shown to be about the same age, even though traditionally Uther is Arthur’s father. I kept expecting some revelation about their kinship through the first half of the show only to find that they never even meet. For anyone planning to watch it just keep in mind that the show is very different from any other King Arthur story and needs to be watched purely separate from the canon materials. It takes the stories of chivalry and a golden age of knighthood and transforms them into a world of magical persecution and an honor code that oppresses the people.
Nimue (Kathrine Langford) discovers how to wield the Sword of Power in a shot that hints at her name in Arthurian legends "The Lady of the Lake"
While being an enjoyable show with a compelling female protagonist and an interesting premise, Cursed is currently in competition with the shows mentioned above. With so much content available in the genre a show really needs to stand out to succeed. Unfortunately I don’t think that Cursed really offers anything new to the fantasy scene. It definitely has potential, especially after the first few episodes, but when viewers make judgments about a show a few minutes in it isn’t enough for it to just have potential.
The character of Nimue, played by Kathrine Langford, was developed well early in the show. We see from the start that she has powers that even the other Fae don’t understand. She struggles with being feared by both humans who hate magic and her own people. She has to grow into her role as a leader and symbol for the Fae despite this. Langford’s portrayal of this young woman’s journey to becoming a warrior queen is compelling and brings new life to an ancient character.
This being said, I found the side characters to be somewhat lacking in dimension in the first few episodes. Later on in the show there were mysteries and more depth uncovered about some of the other heroes and villains, but it wasn’t foreshadowed in a way that made me anticipate learning more about the characters. King Uther is a whiny, belligerent ruler who relies on Merlin, a drunk, washed up wizard with no magic. Father Carden, the leader of the Red Paladins, is shown as purely evil who does nothing but burn Fae. For how serious the show is trying to be, these over dramatic characterizations don’t do it any favors. Although more is revealed about the characters roughly halfway through the season, I think most viewers won’t watch that far because the earlier episodes don’t promise much.
The character of Nimue, played by Kathrine Langford, was developed well early in the show. We see from the start that she has powers that even the other Fae don’t understand. She struggles with being feared by both humans who hate magic and her own people. She has to grow into her role as a leader and symbol for the Fae despite this. Langford’s portrayal of this young woman’s journey to becoming a warrior queen is compelling and brings new life to an ancient character.
This being said, I found the side characters to be somewhat lacking in dimension in the first few episodes. Later on in the show there were mysteries and more depth uncovered about some of the other heroes and villains, but it wasn’t foreshadowed in a way that made me anticipate learning more about the characters. King Uther is a whiny, belligerent ruler who relies on Merlin, a drunk, washed up wizard with no magic. Father Carden, the leader of the Red Paladins, is shown as purely evil who does nothing but burn Fae. For how serious the show is trying to be, these over dramatic characterizations don’t do it any favors. Although more is revealed about the characters roughly halfway through the season, I think most viewers won’t watch that far because the earlier episodes don’t promise much.
A tribe of the Fae beings who inhabit the world of Cursed
The Witcher and Carnival Row shows that are competing with Cursed for the fantasy fan’s attention, aside from having a season’s head start on Cursed, have managed to do what Cursed attempted but fell short at. Carnival Row has a similar premise to Cursed with a variety of races of Fae who are oppressed by human civilizations, as well as a strong female character who is fighting against that oppression. The Witcher is also set in a fantasy realm and deals with themes of magic and destiny like Cursed, but isn’t afraid to poke fun at itself and the cliches of the genre. What both these shows did well that Cursed missed the mark on at first was a good ensemble of supporting characters who are engaging and fleshed out. Cursed jumped right into developing an involved plotline and the characters didn’t have much to them until later in the season.
I genuinely enjoyed watching the latter half of the season. The action began to pick up and the whole story became more cohesive. The characters were given backstories that made them seem more real and less like caricatures. It is a shame that the show couldn’t have found it’s stride within the first three episodes because there isn’t a lot there to make viewers want to keep watching.
I genuinely enjoyed watching the latter half of the season. The action began to pick up and the whole story became more cohesive. The characters were given backstories that made them seem more real and less like caricatures. It is a shame that the show couldn’t have found it’s stride within the first three episodes because there isn’t a lot there to make viewers want to keep watching.
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