Based on Frank Miller's re-imagining of the King Arthur legend through the eyes of the girl who would become the Lady in the Lake, the first two episodes of Cursed introduce us to the outcast witch Nimue (Katherine Langford) who is scorned by her village for believing she was cursed as a child (a sequence shown in flashbacks in the second episode of the series). The maurading of Christian zealots known as the Red Paladins, out to destroy the Fey (all magical and non-Christian souls), leads to the destruction of Nimue's village, the death of her mother (Catherine Walker), and a destiny entrusted to her to see a sword delivered to Merlin (Gustaf Skarsgård). I've seen both better and worse versions of the King Arthur legend, but, despite the slow moving first episode (and her inexplicable sudden control of a sword), I do like Langford in the role of the series' lead.
Taking place during the reign of Uther Pendragon (Sebastian Armesto), Skarsgård's version of Merlin is a broken man, a drunk who has lost the magic he once wielded. We also meet Arthur (Devon Terrell), a squire of sorts, who helps Nimue out multiple times in the first two episodes and takes it on himself to see her mission through. A vision puts Merlin back into the world suggesting that his path will connect with Arthur, although there is certainly time for complications on each man's journey. And while the end of the show's second episode seems to cast off Nimue's role in the larger events, I'm also betting she hasn't seen the last of Arthur or the sword just yet.
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