Netflix’s Cursed is a worthy telling where Katherine Langford shines as Nimue

Netflix’s Cursed is worth checking out and finally does justice to Nimue’s long-overdue story in the folklore of King Arthur.

I came to the new Netflix series Cursed as a fan of both Excalibur and the BBC series Merlin, intrigued and excited to explore the background of Nimue, a pivotal figure in the Arthurian legend. We’ve seen vague representations of her character as an ethereal water nymph in Excalibur (Lady of the Lake), a high priestess and enchantress in the BBC series Merlin, as the original Dark One sorceress on Once Upon a Time (particularly inventive), and as a joke in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. (“Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.”)

It doesn’t help matters that Nimue’s narrative has often been muddled by either splitting up her storyline among characters (Morgan Le Fay for one) or with various names (Lady of the Lake, Ninianne, and Viviane, to name a few). If you think about it, Merlin is always Merlin, Arthur is Arthur, and even Uther Pendagron remains consistent in title.

The water nymph version of Nimue has always bored me, and it’s refreshing to delve into her narrative. Considering the much larger role she plays in Thomas Malory’s famous 15th century telling, Le Morte d’Arthur (even replacing Merlin as Arthur’s chief advisor), it’s about damn time her story is front and center.

Langford as Nimue

The strength of spotlighting Nimue’s journey rests on the shoulders of the actress who plays her, and in this case, Cursed is in the capable hands of Katherine Langford. The Australian actress — a Golden Globe nominee for her excellent work on 13 Reasons Why — excels at winning us over. Langford’s haunting blue eyes convey all the pride, anger, and desire to fight for her people, the Fey, who are cruelly hunted down by both Uther Pendragon’s and the pope’s enforcers, the Red Paladins. In a world dominated by corrupt men, Langford’s winning presence states her claim to wield the Sword of Power herself (and perhaps for all of Britannia).

Bolstering Langford’s presence are strong female representations throughout Cursed, another highlight of the series, created by Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler and based on their novel. As Uther’s mother, once again scene-chewing Polly Walker is terrific here (Rome). And she’s not the only one. Several actresses bring this fantasy world’s richly drawn women to life, including Shalom Brune-Franklin, Emily Coates, Lily Newmark, Zoe Waites, and a fabulous tough-as-nails Bella Dayne (Red Spear). These women bounce off the screen, and they are no sideshow.

The Men of Cursed

The men in Cursed unfortunately don’t fare as well, mostly due to the main characters. When the story shifts focus to the woes of Arthur, Uther, and Merlin, the storytelling tends to drag a bit. Besides, we’ve seen their storylines told better elsewhere (and we’re here for the women), the most compelling reimagining demonstrated with a much younger Merlin (a brilliant Colin Morgan) bromance with spoiled brat-turned-hero Arthur (Bradley James) in Merlin.

As Arthur in Cursed, Devon Terrell (young Barack Obama in Barry) has wonderful chemistry with Langford and is fun to watch in the fight scenes. His part as the underrated hero will yield dividends if the series gets a second season, but I found it distracting and not compelling enough when the story focused on him.

Likewise, there was too much screen time given to Sebastian Armesto’s Uther Pendragon, and the storyline drags when the drama is centered on him (except for his scenes with Polly Walker thanks to her incredible presence).

The same goes for Merlin, played by Gustaf Skarsgård. (Like the Hemsworth brothers, the Skarsgårds seem to pop up everywhere.) Merlin spends much of this first season wandering around drunk without any magic. If Cursed gets a season two, there is potential for Skarsgård to build on his character, a brilliant glimpse of which we see in the conclusion. A standout on Vikings (Floki!), Skarsgård is a gifted physical actor and it will be fun to see where he takes Merlin with the developments that occurred in the dramatic finale.

One fun element of Cursed is the surprise Easter eggs for character reveals. Two male roles captivate in particular: Squirrel, a brave Fey boy portrayed by 12-year-old Billy Jenkins, with a maturity well beyond his years; and a mesmerizing Daniel Sharman as the Weeping Monk (a standout from Fear the Walking Dead). Their character reveals are a fascinating surprise.

Gorgeous Storytelling Steeped in Rich History

Cursed begins strong, with a rich, fantasy landscape steeped in historical significance. Although King Arthur is a paragon of medieval legend, many equate him with historical Romano-British generals who attempted to protect the outposts of the Roman Empire in fifth-century Britain from the Saxon hordes. (A real Ambrosius Aurelianus existed, Arthur’s supposed uncle and brother to Uther Pendragon.) Cursed pays a tribute to the Roman origins of Arthur, a nod that serves as another highlight of the series. I believe Cursed is the first in the Arthur entertainment lexicon to forge this tie, a link I found fascinating.

As in the books, the storytelling is beautifully illustrated by Frank Miller, interspersed as effective transitions in between scenes. Like other medieval-inspired tales, such as The Witcher and Game of Thrones, Cursed is populated with political factions, this time vying for the Sword of Power. These include the Paladin zealots who are persecuting the Fey, Uther’s forces, assassins, vengeful nuns, the Fey themselves, and a Viking king who are all entangled in a political war. Nimue’s journey gets lost in the shuffle, which bogs the series down in the middle.

But Cursed wraps up Nimue’s storyline with a satisfying conclusion that leaves the door open for several enthralling scenarios. When the show works (which is most of the time), it is a real joy to watch, with fun nods to character reveals (Dayne’s Red Spear is particularly intriguing). I’m hoping that we will get a second season of a show that prioritizes the women of this legendary universe.

The full season of Cursed is streaming on Netflix now.