Like any good epic, Pendragon Cycle starts with the origins of the origins. In this case, the supposedly cursed Elphin rescues a foundling from the salmon weir. Recognized as a child of destiny by the druid seer, Taliesin becomes Elphin’s redemption. Yet, as the grand tragedy requires, even the grown Taliesin’s remarkable powers of song cannot save his people from the pagan hordes.
No Arthur yet. Even Merlin remains one generation away. Eventually, he will be played by Tom Sharp, but we only see him fleetingly in a brief flashforward during the two episodes provided for review. However, Merlin’s parents are impressive—and their romance will be quite a story.
Merlin’s father will be Taliesin, who both curses and saves his people when he declines a Faustian offer from one of the nasty “Old Ones.” His mother will be Charis, a princess of Atlantis, who performs for the island city-state’s patron deity in the gladiatorial arena. She too rejects the enslavement demanded by her supposed demigod. Of course, we know what happens to Atlantis.
Consequently, Taliesin and Charis meet in Roman (for now) Briton, which is steadily falling to the barbarians. Elphin’s people have already been displaced, so they seek sanctuary on lands currently controlled by Charis’s father, Avallach, the exiled King of Atlantis. There is great friction between Elphin and Avallach. Sparks also fly between Taliesin and Charis, but it is a whole different dynamic. However, that does not sit well with Charis’s jealous sister, Morgain, who already dabbles in dangerous necromancy.
Indeed, Morgain is the most recognizably Arthurian character at this point, but she should be more than enough to keep Round Table fans hooked. Frankly, Rose Reid and Emree Franklin are terrific as the Atlantean sisters. Seriously, Boreing’s adaptation of Lawhead faithfully retains the Christian themes, but it is not prudish. Frankly, there is more heat going on here than in The Winter King the gritty Arthurian retelling based on Bernard Cornwell’s books. Taliesin’s Faustian temptation scene is also executed with the intensity of a quality horror film.
Reid and Franklin deserve to be breakout stars for their work in Pendragon. Yet, James Arden still holds his own appearing opposite them, singing and fighting with conviction, as Taliesin. The principal casting is truly first-rate, while the supporting players deliver suitably colorful, professional-grade-plus performances. Duran Fulton Brown is a particularly notable standout, portraying Elphin over a span of several decades.
In truth, Taliesin’s faith amplifies and accentuates the drama, without ever descending into preachiness. It establishes a convincing basis for his motivation, but it never bogs down the flow or intrudes upon the action. Indeed, Taliesin’s central tenet—that the one true God sacrificed himself for man, whereas the false, evil gods demand sacrifices from man—is a powerful and even inspiring conjecture. Clearly, Boreing and co-writers Josiah Nelson, Ryan Whitaker and Lee Blaylock very much engaged with Lawhead’s source novels throughout the adaptation process. As a result, the first two episodes (which could stand alone as a feature relatively easily) are enthusiastically recommended when The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of Merlin starts streaming today (1/22) on Daily Wire+.
