Cursed

Amathe · July 2020

I binged through the tv show Cursed (Netflix) and liked it, in case you are interested.

cameltosis · July 2020

I'm watching it at the moment but have yet to really "get" it. Some interesting concepts and story, but actual implementation seems to be lacking.

Main things that have annoyed me so far:

1) The fight with the wolves. Terrible animation of the wolves, but more importantly, what the fuck was Nimue even attempting to do?!?! The actress just seemed to be stumbling about a lot, making some half-hearted swings with the sword. Yet, somehow, a kick that would barely bother a sleeping cat is able to kick a fully grown wolf off the top of a rock. A weak, slow moving backswing of the sword somehow manages to slice a wolf in half!

I understand what they were aiming for (power of the sword, the fae etc), im just disappointed in the execution. It was poor cinematography.

2) Arthur stealing the sword. One minute, they're taking shelter in an abandoned house, the next, they've travelled a great distance, snuck into a convent, and Arthur has stolen the sword and ridden off. HOW?!?! There is no fucking way that Nimue would sleep through all of that, let alone agree to any of it. Just seemed like a massive plot hole.

At least its not turned into a "coming of age" story for a teenage girl. For some reason, a lot of the shows I've watched recently have all turned into that (Warrior Nun and Hanna in particular) despite being advertised as something else entirely.

Amathe · July 2020

It is far from perfect.

cameltosis · July 2020

I am enjoying Pim's storyline (I think that's her name), was a really fun scene with her trying to heal all the vikings.

Plus, I like Gustaf Skaarsgard from Vikings, he makes a nice Merlin

Amathe · July 2020

I like the King's statement to the Red Paladins, if you do not approve of the deal I struck I have assembled an army of 5000 men who are prepared to answer any grievance you may wish to bring. Not an exact quote - from memory.

Amathe · July 2020

There is also the issue that by some accounts Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone are different swords. By other accounts they are the same.

In this story, the word Excalibur is never used. You would think a sword like that would be called by its name. But it is both a very powerful ancient sword and one whose possession entitles the wielder to kingship. That makes me think they are going the "both" route.

So will it ever get called Excalibur? Time will tell.

Sovrath · July 2020

cameltosis said:

I'm watching it at the moment but have yet to really "get" it. Some interesting concepts and story, but actual implementation seems to be lacking.

Main things that have annoyed me so far:

1) The fight with the wolves. Terrible animation of the wolves, but more importantly, what the fuck was Nimue even attempting to do?!?! The actress just seemed to be stumbling about a lot, making some half-hearted swings with the sword. Yet, somehow, a kick that would barely bother a sleeping cat is able to kick a fully grown wolf off the top of a rock. A weak, slow moving backswing of the sword somehow manages to slice a wolf in half!

I understand what they were aiming for (power of the sword, the fae etc), im just disappointed in the execution. It was poor cinematography.

2) Arthur stealing the sword. One minute, they're taking shelter in an abandoned house, the next, they've travelled a great distance, snuck into a convent, and Arthur has stolen the sword and ridden off. HOW?!?! There is no fucking way that Nimue would sleep through all of that, let alone agree to any of it. Just seemed like a massive plot hole.

At least its not turned into a "coming of age" story for a teenage girl. For some reason, a lot of the shows I've watched recently have all turned into that (Warrior Nun and Hanna in particular) despite being advertised as something else entirely.

I didn't have a problem with Arthur taking the sword. I'm thinking he's visited his sister before where the boat was (under the convent) so that's how he got in. Wasn't an issue. The scene probably played out that way because they wanted the audience to experience the horror with Nimue as she realized she was in a convent.

I don't know how you sleep but "I" would have slept through it and then some. Though, now that I think about it, how did she sleep through being "carried" into the Monastery? So unless there was some reason, such as using magic drains her or perhaps she was exhausted from all the running and hiding, it seems that was a plot point of convenience.

Though now I vacillate toward the other end as I remember a girlfriend of mine would literally "shut off" and waking her was very difficult. So perhaps there is some reality to it. Yet, if the scene doesn't convince it doesn't matter if there is a reality to it as it wasn't set up prior to the scene.

I also didn't like the animations with the wolves. Though in truth, when she got upon the rock I found myself yelling at the camera "fight goddmanit, fight." as she wasn't doing much of anything.

Having said that, I don't have a problem with her character and also felt that in that scene it was the sword that got her through it. Remember, she's not a fighter. So of course she's going to have wild swings. Part of the problem was where she was swinging and where the animators put the wolves.

I actually came here to see if anyone had posted anything about this show so thanks Amathe!

I'm really liking it. I think it grows as it goes on and becomes better. I like the tension with all the Red Paladins. Every time I see a group I think "holy sh*t, get out of there"

But that could be because I'm anxious about that type of fanaticism. To that point, how about that creepy convent girl? Man, I knew she was going to be trouble.

It's not perfect but I find myself watching 2 episodes at a time.

My thought is that if it's successful they might invest more in the cgi as it really leaves something to be desire. Not horrendous but not great. I think the Witcher series had the same issue as well.

I really like Pim. Moreso when they start expanding her character after she escapes. She's kind of funny.

cameltosis · July 2020

Made it to the end of the series.

For the most part, I was entertained. Interesting enough story, I liked the background of the Fae living in England and some of the acting was good. Pim's story was probably my highlight.

My main criticism at the end of it was simply that the series seemed to lack a focus. They tried to fit a lot in, but the result was that nothing really got the attention it needed.

For example, im episode 1, Nimue gets chosen / voted to be some sort of speaker / sorceress for her Fae village, but it's never explained what that was or what it means, or even if it's important.

We see Nimue get those scars on her back from a demon bear, and that seems to make some Fae afraid of her. But not others, and it's never explained what it means. The show is called "cursed" and they made a big thing out of the scars, so I assumed that the demon somehow cursed her, but, yeh, no explanation.

We get introduced to the shadowlords (or whatever they're called) but it's not explained who they are, how they fit with the world

Then there's Nimue's journey from shunned Fae in a small village to Fae Queen. That's the main character development in the series, yet it's barely touched on. She seems to cast maybe 2 spells, then all of a sudden she starts thinking she's Queen and starts ruling. Doesn't really fit with the personality we've already been shown, but we aren't shown the "growth" period where she accepts the responsibility.

Even Pim. We get like 20 seconds of mild flirting between her and the viking dude, but when he gets injured they make it seem like they're in love and his death is a tragedy! We simply weren't given enough time with the characters to make those emotions seem real.

Again, nothing was really wrong, simply that I feel that the show lacked the focus to give us what they were trying to do.

I'll watch a second season (if there is one) as I try to support as much fantasy TV as possible. Maybe the things that were missing in season 1 will be explored in season 2, or maybe they'll just give us a more focused experience in season 2.

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