Cursed – Season 1 Episode 10 (The Finale) Recap & Review

The Sacrifice

Heading Out To Battle

We begin the season 1 finale of Cursed with Iris burning the dead body of a Fey in camp. This is an ominous omen for Nimue and Arthur who head over to investigate the charred body in the morning. With tensions at an all time high, Iris continues to stir up trouble as she kills another sentry with a sickle. Believing Wroth is the one responsible for this, Arthur confronts him.

With Blood paying for Blood, Arthur sacrifices his hands but Wroth stops his men from severing his limbs at the last second, telling Arthur he’s a brave fool before eventually deciding to ride with him.

Writhing in pain, Merlin speaks to Nimue in the hallway and suggests she use him in her plan. At the same time, Morgana enters Nimue’s chambers and looks at the Sword of Power. Only, Widow suddenly arrives and tells Morgana she’s been touched by the Cailleach – that spider we saw in previous episodes – and this has given her unnatural sight.

As Morgana continues to question her, Widow grabs the girl and forces her up against the wall. On the back of this, Morgana decides to leave Gramaire for good and walks into the woods where she sees her lover again. When Celia tries to convince her to head over to the Cailleach, Morgana rejects this and walks away.

Captured In The Paladin Camp

Back in the Paladin Camp, The Weeping Monk kneels before the Lord; red tendrils gripping his back and plaguing his thoughts. Father Carden stands before him and tells the man he’s the one responsible for turning him into their warrior and that he’s an abomination. After convincing The Weeping Monk not to question him again, he leaves.

Merlin arrives before Uther in camp and finds out he’s killed his Mother. Merlin quickly turns the attention to Nimue and asks him what he wants with her. Instead, he stabs Merlin multiple times and leaves his body in a tent nearby.

With Arthur heading out to greet the boats head-on, Nimue stays behind in the castle where she winds up captured and brought before Uther. Only, she doesn’t have the sword as she gave it to Morgana. This happened to be her plan all along but as the Paladin deliberate over to do with her, Nimue is kept captive for the time being.

Only, Morgana shows up at camp and sneaks behind the different tents. Widow suddenly materializes before her though and tells Morgana she’s made a mistake.

Eydis meanwhile speaks to Father Carden about their deal. As he sits atop his horse, he speaks to his men and informs them that Uther has betrayed them and chosen the Fey instead. 

The Battle

As chaos reigns down on the camp, The Weeeping Monk slays the torturer and frees Squirrel, hoping to save him. Unfortunately the Trinity Guard stand outside waiting for him. Drawing both swords, he holds both hands over and allows them to beat the man. Only, Squirrel saves them before being killed and it’s enough of a distraction for the Monk to make swift work of the soldiers.

Down on the shores of Beggar’s Coast, Arthur is ambushed by Cumber and his men. As they’re quickly outnumbered and all hope seemingly lost, Viking Ships suddenly appear on the horizon and save the day, turning the tide of battle in their favour.

Back at the camp, Nimue looks upon the dead body of Gawain and weeps. That weeping turns to anger as she conjures her powers and causes a surging wave to blast across camp. In the wake of this, Nimue is brought before Father Carden. Only, just before he slashes her with a sword, the Widow arrives before him with the face of Morgana and it’s enough of a distraction for Nimue to suddenly grab the Sword and kill Father Carden.

As chaos breaks out in camp, Nimue grabs Merlin and asks what every character has probably been wondering – “Why can’t I die?” Hunted by Red Paladin thy make it out of camp and to a bridge by the waterfall. Iris follows them though and ambushes Nimue, shooting her in the chest with arrows and watching gleefully as Nimue falls to the water below.

Merlin grabs the Sword of Power and instantly his eyes crackle with lightning. While Iris cowers in fear, Merlin uses his powers to conjure forth bolts that destroys all the approaching Paladin forces. Snatching up Morgana in his arms, he uses its power to teleport away.

Setting Up Season 2

A wounded Weeping Monk rides away with Squirrel. It’s here we learn his name is actually Lancelot. Some time later, Iris is brought before the Pope who enters Iris into the counsel of the Trinity. As she walks purposefully away, Nimue falls to the bottom of the lake but has she survived?

The Review Write-Up

Despite some enjoyment and exciting action set pieces dotted throughout, the season 1 finale of Cursed is a perfect example of deus ex machina at its worst. There have been so many instances in this episode of characters bein saved at the last second that it belies any tension built up until this point.

From Arthur’s hands and the Vikings saving Beggar’s Coast to the Widow saving Nimue and Squirrel being saved himself, the entire episode is essentially propped up by these instances and it makes the victories ring hollow.

Other characters who have been built to be big players this season – like Pym for example – fade into the background late on in favour of other minor characters who are introduced for one episode and then abandoned. Kaze is a great example of this, having shown up halfway through the show and looking like she may play a major role in the plot and then quickly relegated to the sidelines.

If you’ve made it this far though, no doubt you’re invested for season 2. Cursed has really done very little to enhance or stand out next to the traditional Arthurian legend though which is a real shame. The big question now lies over whether Cursed will be renewed for a second season or not.