REVIEW: Cursed is a Fresh Look at Arthurian Legend

The story of King Arthur, Merlin, and Excalibur, is a story well known. Fans have watched the story unfold on page, on TV and on the big screen over the years and now Netflix’s is trying their hand at the legend. However, instead of following Arthur’s story, they are following the story of the Lady of the Lake, Nimue’s story. For those who don’t know much about the Lady of the Lake, many believe she was the first person to wield the famous sword, Excalibur, and is the one who placed it in the stone.

In Netflix’s new series, Cursed, we are introduced to Nimue (Katherine Langford), a young woman who is destined to become the powerful Lady of the Lake. After the death of her mother, Nimue comes across a young mercenary named, Arthur (Devon Terrell) as she sets out to deliver a sword to Merlin (Gustaf Skarsgard). It is along this journey that Nimue and Arthur come across the violent Red Paladins and the Weeping Monk (Daniel Sharman), whose goal is to destroy all those who possess magic. With the sword by her side, Nimue begins to become a symbol of courage for those looking to go against the Red Paladins and realizes that her original quest may have a different outcome.

The show is based off a graphic novel by Miller, but you do not need to read the novel to understand what is going on. It is not often I say this, but I found the TV series to be better than the graphic novel. The story was easier to follow and the characters were easier to remember. For the case of Cursed, the story of King Arthur can feel tired to some due to how many times it has been told over the years, but the show gives fans a fresh look at the legend and its characters. By choosing to tell the story of Nimue, Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler have taken the normal story and turned it on its head. It was fun to see their take on how Nimue, Arthur, and Merlin’s stories began. Though, one of the weakest points of the series was the action sequences. These scenes seem to lack any type of chore but as you make your way through the season, the kinks begin to work themselves out.

Langford leads the show as Nimue and though the action scenes aren’t her strongest, she is still a great Nimue. Langford starts the season portraying Nimue as a naïve, uncertain child and ends the season portraying her as a strong, confident young adult. Her performance will have you joining the rebellion by season’s end. Skarsgard and Terrell are good additions to Nimue’s story and do not try to overshadow the show’s lead character. As Merlin and Arthur, one could assume that these two would take front and center since they are the more well-known characters, but they don’t. Their performances help propel Nimue’s story.

But there is one actress who won the show for me and that was Emily Coates. Coates plays Sister Iris and Coates’ performance will have you wanting to throw something at the TV every time she comes on. Coates manages to create a character that audience goers will hate, but her performance will have you loving her. I can’t wait to see what else she has in store for us because she has a very bright future in front of her.

Cursed is a great show to sit down and binge watch this weekend. Fans of Netflix’s show, The Witcher and of Arthurian legend will love watching Nimue and her gang take on the Red Paladins. As I said earlier, the first few episodes are a little bumpy, but once you get through those episodes you are in for quite the ride.