Fantasy television dramas
Games of Thrones had set the bar high for fantasy television dramas, and after the completion of the final season, people have been waiting for a show that could match up to its standards. Netflix rose to the challenge and released Cursed that premiered on 17th July 2020. Cursed starred the lovely Katherine Langford, and the plot was premised on the original novel by Tom Wheeler, and Frank Miller shares a similar title. The television series provides a different perspective of the Arthurian legend, whereby the events in the film revolve around the main protagonist, Nimue (Miller, 2020). Furthermore, the film broke the monotony of having a male character play the main protagonist by focusing on the young heroine and her quest to save her people.
Cursed follows the life of the young Nimue who is destined to become the Lady of the Lake and save her ‘fey ‘community from genocide. In the first episode of the show, the audience is introduced to the main protagonist and her quest to protect her people and the mystical sword entrusted to her. The plot is set a time when a militant order of priests affiliated to the Church has embarked on a mission to obliterate all magical creatures in England. After an attack on her village, Nimue’s mother is killed, and she is tasked with the responsibility of returning the sword to its owner, who happens to be Merlin, the Magician. Nimue teams up with Arthur and his sister Morgana. The quest to return the sword is a dangerous one, and the protagonist with her friends encounter threats from the Red Paladins and other mystical creatures. Despite her age and gender, Nimue becomes a beacon of hope for the fey community whose existence hangs in the balance.
The show’s plot shares the same characteristics as other mythological tales, whereby the storyline is premised on the hero’s journey (Lawler, 2020). An in-depth look into the film revealed that the creators incorporated the different stages of the hero’s journey. For instance, the first episode encapsulates the first two stages of the hero’s journey, namely the ordinary world and call to adventure. The ordinary world in the hero’s quest mainly introduces the audience to the protagonist before her journey begins. In Cursed, the scene where Nimue’s mother gives her Merlin’s sword marks the heroine’s call to adventure. The actors did a recommendable job of executing the roles assigned to them. Additionally, the color grading in the show captures the medieval setting, making the TV show’s episodes captivating and memorable to the audience.
I particularly liked Nimue’s role because it broke the monotony of many films and narratives based on the Arthurian legend. The events in Cursed revolved around a female protagonist instead of the usual epic tales that focused on King Arthur. I think one of the reasons I liked the storyline is because the show premiered at a time when the coronavirus had confined people at home for social distancing purposes. Cursed broke the boredom that came with staying indoor for weeks, and I think it filled the void left by the revered Game of Thrones. All in all, the series is a must-watch, and I recommend it for anyone still intrigued by the hero’s tale. Furthermore, Cursed was enough proof that Katherine Langford could execute a leading role after featuring in 13 Reasons Why.