How do you rewrite a tale as old as time? That is the daunting question that any creator drawing from the deep well of Arthurian legend must ask themselves. For Tom Wheeler and Frank Miller, co-creators of Netflix's Cursed, the answer is to reframe the narrative entirely. Take the "King" away from Arthur and place the sword in the stone in the hands of the canon's most underused character: Nimue, the Lady in the Lake.
Played by Katherine Langford (13 Reasons Why, Love, Simon, Knives Out), Cursed uses Nimue to bring the mysticism of the legend into its foreground, as well as give renewed meaning, through a modern lens, to its zero-to-hero arc. After being scarred by a dark power as a child, Nimue grows up feeling like an outsider even within her ostracised community of Fey folk, who live on the fringes of human society in Medieval Britain. The magically-inclined species is under attack from a cult of religious extremists, the Red Paladins, led by Father Carden (Peter Mullen, Ozark) and his deadly Fey hunter, the Weeping Monk (Daniel Sharman).
Empowered by the Church in Rome, their razing of Fey land forces Nimue to undergo a quest -- bring the Sword of Power to Merlin (Gustaf Skarsgård, Vikings). Along the way, she encounters Arthur (Devon Terrel, Barry), a charming mercenary who is down on his luck and desperate to restore his family's honor, and Igraine (Shalom Brune-Franklin, Our Girl), a humble nun who harbors a deep sympathy for the Fey -- along with dark ambition.
Nimue and her people's struggle for survival is just one conflict within Cursed's politically unstable Britannia. As is key to Arthur's fabled rise to the throne, a war for the crown is brewing between the seated monarch, King Uther Pendragon (Sebastian Armesto) and the invading Viking warlord, Cumber the Ice King (Jóhannes Hauker Jóhannesson). These various warring factions eventually coalesce for a clash set to determine the island's future.
As well as giving Nimue the spotlight, this blend of history and fantasy is one of the ways Cursed attempts to separates itself from a multitude of other modern King Arthur retellings. Those looking for the razor-sharp back-and-forths and political intrigue of a George R.R. Martin text won't find it here, though. Playing to a wider audience could be one excuse, but though Cursed doesn't shy away from difficult subject matter like religious persecution and racial subjugation, the script never truly sinks its teeth into it, either. Some side characters, like the psychotic Sister Iris and a hired assassin tailing Merlin feel utterly superfluous, while Igraine's arc rushes to its peak far too quickly and clumsily.
Higher praise can be given to its visual components. Systems of magic that draw from nature are the easiest for audiences to grasp without layers upon layers of accompanying exposition, or, worse still, no explanation at all. What is made descriptively clear in Nimue's inner monologue in the novel the TV series does a fine job at visually and audibly conveying.
The Fey's connection to different elements of the natural world also differentiates them as peoples, instead of a single people, a repeated problem of fantasy race creation. An entire alien planet inhabited by one identical group -- no matter where you land on it -- is usually a necessary creative shortcut but does little for diverse world-building. Cursed's Fey, made up of snake-skinned, tusked and other hybrid humanoids, all with their own cultures, efficiently establishes them as a living, breathing species independent of their human relatives.
Through the plight of this marginalized group, Cursed opens itself up to the rocky territory of fantasy racism allegories. The so-called "Mutant Metaphor," as defined by Marvel's X-Men, runs into trouble when it fails to adequately include members of the group it stands in for. A conscious effort has clearly been made in Cursed to try and avoid this problem in its inclusive casting and characterization, which also extends to the human members of the principal cast; most notably, Arthur and Igraine, who play key roles in aiding Nimue's rebellion.
Devon Terrel, introduced as a twinkle-eyed bard, successfully brings out that earnest quality we've come to associate with youthful versions of Arthur. But with the freedom of not having to wear the crown -- or even consider wearing it -- the actor also has a lot more room to make the part his own: this is an Arthur who's deeply unsure of himself, which is far more pleasant to watch than Charlie Hunnam's cocky Eastender in Guy Ritchie's King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.
Katherine Langford, on the other hand, falters at times in her role as the future Lady in the Lake, sometimes feeling a bit uncomfortable with her dialogue that, in fairness to her, clunks and drags in places. The most enigmatic performance, though, comes from Gustaf Skarsgård as Merlin -- here, a washed-up drunk whose slippery nature makes him less of a heroic mage and more of a trickster figure; one foot in the world of humans and the other in the shadowy realm of gods and monsters. He also quite literally steals Nimue's thunder in the finale.
Coming from the same streaming service as The Witcher, comparisons between the two fantasy series are unavoidable, as well as to the aforementioned Game of Thrones, which has set a new, high benchmark for the genre on the small screen. Cursed has to be more creative on its stricter budget -- some large-scale fight scenes are kept off-screen and animations inspired by Frank Miller's book illustrations are used as colorful interludes -- which may put viewers expecting million dollar episode price tags off. Considering how quickly Cursed tips its hand with certain twists and turns, viewers shouldn't also expect something as slow-burning as a Martin-penned epic, either.
Cursed's core story, though -- in which an environmentally-empowered, oppressed minority rise up against a man-made establishment -- is sure to strike a chord with younger, more politically-conscious audiences.
Based on the novel of the same name by Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler, Cursed stars Katherine Langford, Devon Terrell, Gustaf Skarsgård, Peter Mullan, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Daniel Sharman, Sebastian Armesto, Ella Prebble, Scarlett Rock and Daniella Gad. The series is available for streaming on Netflix now.