The Pendragon Cycle: Episodes 3 & 4

According to some versions, Merlin lived his life in reverse, starting at the point of his death (from the rest of the world’s perspective) and aging backwards. Obviously, that would be hard to convey on film. However, Merlin has a feast of flashbacks in the third and fourth episodes of creator Jeremy Boreing’s The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of Merlin, which are now streaming on Daily Wire+.

Frankly, episode three, “A Fatherless Child,” directed by action-specialist Jesse V. Johnson, represents a major flashforward from the previous episodes, which ended with Merlin’s birth. Since then, many decades have passed, but Merlin still looks like a young man. He comes from good stock, considering his mother, Charis, does not look a day older herself. However, she is Atlantean. Like Merlin, she is also Christian. Merlin has just emerged from what he might describe, as a Christian, his wilderness period, both spiritually and literally. Now that he is back, he finds post-Roman Britain has become a complete dog’s dinner, desperately in need of his help.

Merlin is too late to help Vortigern, the self-proclaimed High King of Britain, even if he thought he was worthy, which he doesn’t. However, Merlin convinces him to make some late amends. Ironically, Merlin identifies Aurelius, the man who deposes Vortigern, as a much better candidate. The potential King possesses greater virtue and he wields the sword. However, his brother Uther distrusts Merlin, which leads to scuffles with the Christian wizard’s companion and sworn protector, Pelleas.

If Britain will have any hope of resisting the Saxon invaders, all the minor petty kings must swear allegiance to Aurelius, but that will be easier said than done in “The King of Maridunum,” directed by Ryan Whitaker. Of course, Merlin has a talent for convincing people, but Uther’s undiplomatic directness and lack of anger management threaten to undermine his efforts. Meanwhile, Aurelius develops an alliance with Charis that might endanger the Atlanteans’ position.

While these two episodes do not stand alone as easily as the first two, they will keep bingeing viewers hooked, while faithfully respecting the spirit of Lawhead's novels. They also feature more identifiably Arthurian characters, obviously starting with Merlin, but also including Uther and Pelleas. Plus, Morgain has grown downright sinister, while remaining as vampy as ever. Indeed, Morgan le Fay is having a pop culture moment, prominently appearing in Pendragon Cycle, while also serving as the main villainess in the limited time travel superhero series, 1776, wherein she has magically intervened to quash the American Revolution (it is the best title Marvel started publishing in 2025).

Tom Sharp makes the most of his mid-season entrance as the sub-titular Merlin (or Myrddin, or Hawk). He genuinely looks the part, commanding but vaguely eerie. Rose Reid has comparatively little time in episode three, but she emerges as a worthy fantasy queen, like the charismatic moral inverse of Lena Headey’s Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones. However, Emree Franklin definitely holds up the Lannister tradition as Morgain, chewing the scenery with relish. Yet, Alex Laurence-Phillips and Myles Clohessy really drive these two episodes with the bickering and battling rivalry of Pelleas and Uther.

Boreing and his fellow directors, Johnson and Whitaker, continue to maintain the grabby pace and epic-worthy quality. This series will rekindle a lot of viewers’ fascination with all things Arthurian (which says a lot), so maybe someone will tackle Jack White’s Camulod Chronicles or Hal Foster’s Prince Valiant next. Still enthusiastically recommended, “The King of Maridunum” starts streaming today (2/5) on Daily Wire+.