Cursed premiered on Netflix on 17 July 2020. Based on the illustrated novel of the same name by Thomas Wheeler and Frank Miller.
Cursed is a re-imagining of the Arthurian legend, told through the eyes of Nimue, a teenage heroine with a mysterious gift, who is destined to become the powerful (and tragic) Lady of the Lake.
The Lady Of The Lake…
“There is a story lost to the mists of time. About the Sword of Power, and the young woman who wielded it. They called her a demon sorceress.”
The series starts like any usual series with a female protagonist. People demeaning Nimue (Katherine Langford) calling her a witch, sorceress, and whatnot. Though Nimue is headstrong and her mother is the priestess of the village she lives in, her character is still shown as scary and indecisive at times where she needs her headstrong qualities.
Nimue and Pym (Lily Newmark) have a beautiful bond- A friendship where they stick around no matter what. While we would have loved to see more of the bond that does not happen.
When Nimue gets selected as a Summoner, we didn’t understand what was it? Who is a summoner? What is his/her role? With little to no discussion about the whole ritual, it becomes a bit difficult to understand.
Nimue falls in love with a thief Arthur (Devon Terrell), who is very helpful. Yes. But it felt more like Disney’s Tangled to me, where the lead falls in love with a thief who eventually changes and becomes good and then theirs love and support!
Merlin – The Sword Bearer?
Cursed has a lot of mythical and mysterious elements in it. One of the most impressive and complex characters is Merlin (Gustaf Skarsgard.) Skarsgard is the strongest point of the series in my opinion. While his character does leave you with some questions, but all in all its worth it.
Merlin is the type of man who keeps things to himself, doesn’t trust anyone not even his king with secrets, defies authorities, and is the smartest of the lot.
Merlin and Nimue share a relationship that is deep and the reveal was unexpected (gasps!) They have their part of ups and downs. But Merlin is a man of his words for Nimue, he would give himself to anyone to keep the Fey (community) and Nimue safe.
Father Carden- The Evil In The Name Of Lord
Red Paladins are the killers who work under father Carden and kill Fey people brutally. Father Carden (Peter Mullan) brings with him perfection to the character of a father who sees Fey people as demons and kills irrespective of gender and age. Mullan’s Carden doesn’t say much usually, his expressions say everything for him.
He kills and doesn’t blink. He is a scary priest, the one who holds dominance on the clan and brainwashes people to an unreal cause.
An important aspect of the series is a man from Carden’s crew- The Weeping Monk (Daniel Sharman,) the unpredictability of the character is amazing! You cannot figure out when he’ll kill or when he’ll pardon. The Red Paladins is the horror that rules the series.
The Conclusion
While the first half of the series is seemingly slow, the second half of the series is action-packed and entertaining. The series ends with the loss of Nimue but nobody knows if she’s actually dead or unconscious which paves the way for season 2 for various reasons- Merlins life, Nimue- dead or alive and Nimue and Arthur’s love story.
The relation of Arthur and Nimue is underdeveloped throughout the season, though they share some intimate moments together.
Stream It or Skip It?
STREAM IT! While the female protagonist isn’t as strong as they are in other fables, Cursed is worth watching. Even with some of its faults, the makers have managed to bring a stream worthy series. Cursed has also made its way to the top 10 on Netflix!
Cursed is streaming now on Netflix.