Warning: Major spoilers for The Winter King episode 1 below!
Summary
- “The Winter King” sets the stage for an epic fantasy show, combining Arthurian legend and historical fact in a gripping narrative.
- Arthur’s banishment by his father is rooted in his illegitimate status and the belief that he failed to save his brother’s life.
- Derfel’s forbidden romance with Nimue and his secret warrior training pave the way for future conflicts, while Merlin seeks out Arthur to save Britain from the evil future King Mordred.
The Winter King’s first episode reinvents the legend of King Arthur and sets the pieces in place for a dramatic first season. The Winter King is the first novel in Last Kingdom series creator Bernard Cornwell’s The Warlord Chronicles, which also consists of Enemy of God and Excalibur. These novels combined Arthurian legend with historical fact and stripped back on the more overt fantasy elements of the tale.
The Winter King has the potential to become the next big Game of Thrones-style fantasy show, with The Warlord Chronicles trilogy providing a great narrative backbone. The Winter King is set in the so-called “Dark Ages” in 5th Century Britain, where Eddie Marsan’s King Uther Pendragon struggles to unite the other warring tribes of the country against the invading Saxons. Arthur (Iain De Caestecker) is Uther’s illegitimate son, who despite being a great warrior and leader, is scorned by his father.
7 Why Arthur Is Banished By His Father King Uther
The Winter King opens on a blood-soaked Arthur, who is cradling the dead body of his brother Prince Mordred in the aftermath of a battle with the Saxons. The Prince’s body is taken back to Caer Cardarn, the capital of Dumnonia, with Arthur personally informing the grief-stricken Uther of his son’s death. Uther’s fury at Mordred’s death leads him to viciously beat Arthur, and he almost executes Arthur with his own sword. Uther’s daughter Morgan (Valene Kane) and Merlin (Nathaniel Martello-White) convince the King to spare Arthur’s life.
Instead, Merlin proposes banishment, with Arthur being cast out of Britain for his supposed failure to save Mordred. As Merlin later reveals to Arthur, not only did he suggest banishment to save his life, but that experience outside of the kingdom would give Arthur valuable experience and wisdom. Uther’s hatred of Arthur largely stems from the fact he’s a “bastard,” and he refuses to accept him as a son because of this.
6 Arthur Saves Derfel From A Death Pit
After being thrown out of the castle, a badly wounded Arthur steals a horse and makes his way out of Dumnonia. Along the way, he encounters a fishing village that was recently raided and happens across a “death pit” filled with bodies. Among the corpses, he discovers a Saxon slave boy named Derfel, who is still alive. Arthur pulls Derfel off a spike and rides him to Avalon, a safe haven run by Merlin. The boy is taken for treatment while Arthur and Merlin have a conversation about the former’s future. Despite being offered a hot meal before he leaves, Arthur refuses, stating his King “wills” his immediate departure.
5 What Happened During The Winter King’s Eight-Year Time Jump
The Winter King then jumps ahead eight years, where the grown Derfel (Stuart Campbell) has become part of the community at Avalon. He’s also in love with young priestess Nimue (Ellie James), with the two carrying out a romance in secret. In the years that have passed since Arthur’s banishment, Britain’s situation has grown even more dire, thanks to a lack of unity between the warring tribes and the Saxons gaining more ground. King Uther himself has grown old and ill but manages to father a new heir, whom he also names Mordred.
4 Why Derfel And Nimue’s Romance Is Forbidden
Despite being in love, Derfel and Nimue are forbidden from being together. During a scene where they almost make love, Nimue has a vision of a growling wolf, which Derfel can’t see. Merlin arrives to explain that in time, Nimue will grow to be a powerful magician, but the price of those powers is a solitary life. If she has sex, the Gods will take them away and will never speak to her again. Despite being a heartbreaking decision, she chooses the Gods over Derfel, who goes on to get drunk before having flashbacks to the night he and his mother were thrown into the pit.
3 Derfel Trains In Secret To Become A Warrior
After accompanying Merlin and Nimue to the castle where Winter King’s future villain Mordred is born, Derfel decides to forsake life as a farmer in Avalon and stay there. While he tells Nimue he’ll be tending horses, his real agenda is to train to become a warrior. Derfel has serious hero worship of Arthur after he saved his life, and wishes for his return. In the meantime, Derfel plans to learn how to fight so that one day they can battle side by side. Arthur’s friend Owain (Daniel Ings) discovers Derfel’s secret training area, and after some mild teasing, offers to give Derfel some sword training in the future.
2 Why Merlin Seeks Out Arthur
The turning point of The Winter King episode 1 is when the future King Mordred is born. Merlin notices the boy is born with a clubfoot and has a vision of the grown Mordred in a golden mask. Merlin’s vision sees Mordred mercilessly behead people, with pools of blood flowing from a tangle of corpses. While Uther is delighted by the news of a new son, Merlin warns there is “evil” in the boy that will grow year by year. The magician states that Mordred will become a tyrant that enslaves his own people and that he’ll do the Saxon’s bidding.
Uther dismisses Merlin’s grim predictions of the “death” of Britain and orders him to raise the baby in Avalon until Mordred is ready to become King. Instead, Merlin implores Uther to seek out Arthur, beg his forgiveness and bring him back to Britain. King Uther’s feelings for Arthur haven’t grown any softer in the years since he was cast out, so he refuses. Merlin then vows to head to Gaul and bring Arthur back, as Merlin claims only Arthur can unite the clans and save the country in the years ahead.
1 Derfel Realizes Gundleus Killed His Mother
One of the final scenes of The Winter King episode 1 sees Gundleus (Simon Merrells), King of rival kingdom Siluria arrive to pledge loyalty to King Uther. Siluria is notorious for its killing and raids, with Morgan suggesting that they should just kill him instead of hearing Gundleus out. Uther doesn’t have much love for Gundleus – who claims to have had a religious conversion – either, but when he vows to undertake any task Uther sets out to prove his loyalty, he asks him to kill his uncle, King Gorfyddyd of Powy.
Gundleus accepts, but when bowing to kiss Uther’s hand, Derfel recognizes the tattoo on his chest. He realizes Gundleus killed his mother eight years prior and will no doubt seek revenge in future episodes. The Winter King episode 1 ends on a note of positivity because after traveling for three months, Merlin catches up with Arthur in Gaul and asks him to “come home.”
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