The last two decades of television have delivered an absolute lion’s share of Arthurian legends brought to life. Each series has had its own unique style, from the quirky humor of Merlin to the sex appeal of Camelot, though none are quite like MGM+’s epic new adaptation of Bernard Cornwell’s The Winter King. While the series is rife with pagan mysticism, it is far more focused on being rooted in the realism of its historical context. Though the pagan priestesses and even Merlin (Nathaniel Martello-White) may have intuitive foresight, they are not all-powerful beings capable of otherworldly magic. Set in the period of late antiquity in Great Britain, following the Roman occupation and amid the conflict with the Saxons, The Winter King is a sprawling tale about a warrior’s rise to power during uncertain times. In this, Arthur (Iain De Caestecker) is not the rightful heir to the throne, but rather a bastard son with power foisted upon him to secure the seat of Dumnonia from threats both inside and outside the kingdom.
This review was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn't exist.
De Caestecker is nearly unrecognizable as Arthur, especially for those whose frame of reference for him is playing Fitz on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and not just because he spends the better part of the premiere bruised and battered and covered in blood. His screen presence feels like that of a fabled king. He commands every room he walks into, even when those rooms are looking to cast him out of Britain. He plays Arthur masterfully as both a reluctant ruler and a loyal warrior, seizing on the qualities that make him endearing to both his peers and the audience. Even though few interpretations of Arthurian lore play upon Arthur’s role as a warrior, De Caestecker makes it believable and compelling. When his banishment comes to an end, you believe that he has been battling armies out beyond Britain for years.
While Arthur is the central character of The Winter King, he is not the sole protagonist of the series. Cornwell’s novel is told as a retelling of historical events by the Saxon-born Derfel, and while the series strips away the narrative styling, it is through Derfel (Stuart Campbell) that many of the plots are explored. Derfel’s view of Arthur is entirely colored by the fact that he saved his life when he was a boy, which shapes him into an unreliable narrator. Even without Derfel putting pen to parchment to tell the tale of Arthur in The Winter King, the scripts borrow heavily from the novel down to the letter. Each character is shaped around Derfel’s opinion of them, whether it be Arthur’s prowess and battle acumen or the love and adoration Derfel feels for Nimue (Ellie James).
James’ portrayal of Nimue rivals all other interpretations of the legendary Lady of the Lake. She is unrepentantly headstrong and confident, even though the script does call for her to be punished for these attributes. Her relationship with Derfel is the heart and soul of the first half of the season, and even when they are at odds, they are still united. There are entire scenes between Derfel and Nimueh that are word-for-word what Cornwell published three decades ago, yet with James and Campbell bringing them to life they feel far more vivid and real. Where the book sometimes painted their dynamic as tenuous and one-sided, The Winter King seems keen to convince the audience that they have a genuine love for each other — and not just because that’s what Derfel is rewriting history to say.
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Credit: Maggie Lovitt, Collider, 14th August 2023