All language subtitles for Inside The Pendragon Cycle Rise of the Merlin s01e02.eng

Well, welcome back to our breakdown and
analysis of the Pendragon cycle, Rise of

the Merlin, which means you've also
hopefully watched episode two because

will be spoilers.

We are diving straight into the fallout
from Atlantis, from the prophetic kills,

the family drama, and some seriously
shiny swords.

This installment kicks off with
fireworks.

The Atlanteans and the Cymru are at each
other's throats, and at first we're not

sure why.

But what we do know is that geopolitical
negotiations are always a mess, and

that's especially true when you're
dealing with things like ancient

magic, and wounded pride.

As Karis observes the peace talks
between her father and Elfin, we go into

flashback that reveals why she's known
as the savior of her people.

We also get some possible foreshadowing
as we watch her grab a sword.

But is it the sword?

It's not the one we see in the stone, so
I think more on that later.

But for me, the most significant part of
this backstory is how she saves her

sister's life.

This just makes Morgan's betrayal so
much worse because here she's been shown

this kindness, this love. We know that
Caris risked her life for her. And yet,

instead of gratitude, Morgan repays
Caris with...

treachery. Now, this is very different
from what we see so often in so many

postmodern stories, where the villain
only acts villainously because of some

wrong that they've suffered, the ideas
that it's warped them somehow.

And these stories always suggest that
evil comes from without.

What Pendragon shows us is something
different, and to my mind, something

truer. And that is that evil is coming
from within Morgan's heart. She's been

loved. She's been cared for. Yet it is
her own envy that's poisoned her soul.

Then we snap back to Taliesin. He's
fresh off his roadside revelation from

episode one. And as both a church lady
and a fantasy nerd, this scene had me

hitting rewind obsessively because I
wanted to listen again and again to this

absolute fire that he's whispering.

Okay.

So if you didn't catch that, here's what
he said.

I was with my Lord in the heavens when
Lucifer fell into the depths of hell. I

carried a banner before Alexander in
Egypt. I called the stars by name from

north to south. I witnessed the
destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. I was

Lord in the manger of oxen and asses. I
didn't catch all of it, but what we get

is this sweeping cosmic declaration of
having witnessed all of history, before

Christ and after.

culminating in Taliesin proclaiming
himself not just a poet, not just a

but a prophet.

I am Taliesin, and my name shall remain
until doomsday. Just absolute chills

I got with that scene.

And if you know your Arthurian lore,
this moment hits even harder.

Modern adaptations almost never include
this aspect of Merlin's origins, but

it's straight out of the medieval
tradition.

In the 12th century, Geoffrey of
Monmouth drew from Welsh mythology, but

explicitly made Merlin a Christian
prophet in his History of the Kings of

Britain, which was the very first full
narrative of Arthur's life.

This was then later picked up in the
13th century French poem Merlin by

de Boron. But de Boron took it one step
further and for the first time made

Merlin a prophet of the Holy Grail. So
what Lawhead is doing here is pulling

from deep old school Arthurian roots.
And it shows.

It explains what he saw, the supreme
spirit, the great light, the lord of all

worlds. It's clear that no one walks
away from that kind of encounter

As he puts it, very simply, I love the
power and the mysticism of this scene

and how it calls back to Christian art
through the ages. I really think

of Monmouth would be proud.

And that sets us up for what might be
the most important thematic contrast of

this episode. As King Avallac 'h tells
us, It's a sorry God that demands the

blood of his people, and a sorry people
who give it.

Now, that hits especially hard when it's
contrasted with Taliesin's vision of a

god who gives his blood instead. One god
demands sacrifice.

The other becomes a sacrifice.

And Avalac thrives that knife in deeper
by adding that it's an even sorrier

people who must give up their blood to
their god, as Belle, of course, asked

Charis to do back in episode one.

Now, I have to say that this next scene
with Taliesin did make me chuckle a bit

because actor James Arden played this so
well. You can see in his face that

Taliesin immediately knows something is
wrong here because my girl is not that

kind of girl. So he realizes that it
can't be Karis, and he begins to

immediately understand that he is under
Morgan's enchantment.

Why, Morgan?

Just know you, my love.

I have power too.

So he goes looking for the real Caris
and finds her just in time to rescue her

from a band of Irish raiders.

And in that moment, we see why Elfin and
Avalac have wondered just how safe

Ennis Avalac is. And we see why having
the Cymru as their warriors would be a

particular advantage for the Atlanteans.
And then Taliesin shows us how clever

he is.

Marry me, Caris.

Because he picks that very moment to
declare his love and to ask Charis for

hand. Because, I mean, how are you going
to say no to a guy who just saved your

life from a band of raiders?

I will not give my daughter to a
barbarian. Of course, Dad doesn't

you know, do they ever?

Before we can settle into any serious
dislike for Avallac 'h's character, we

this tragic backstory that does demand
our sympathy.

He was betrayed by his own brother,
King, in a terrible civil war.

And we do feel for him, even though he's
creating enmity with the Cymru, and

he's also, of course, standing in the
way of Carus and Taliesin's love.

But though the path of true love never
does run smooth, it can also never be

thwarted, so Carus agrees to flee with
Taliesin.

and become his wife.

Now, one thing I really love here is
that Taliesin is the one who insists

they wait to share a bed.

Choosing to honor Caris and also their
faith by delaying consummation until

marriage. It's handled...

So naturally, so often these things can
be preachy, but that's not what we see

here. It's something sincere, and it
really fits who these characters are.

Now, at this point, we return to the
sword called, not here Excalibur, but

Sword of Avalac, the Sword of the Lost
Civilization of the Fair People. There's

going to be more to say about those
swords later and why some of them end up

stones.

Some of them end up at the bottom of
lakes, so that in the inimitable words

Monty Python, But you can't expect to
wield supreme executive power just

some watery tart threw a sword at you.
Shut up!

But part of it is because Arthur's sword
myth evolved over centuries.

In early Welsh legend, it's Calidwll. I
think I'm saying that right.

But Geoffrey of Monmouth helpfully
Latinized it to Caliburnus. Much easier

say. French poets turned it into
Excalibur. And finally, in the 15th

Thomas Mallory gave us the name that we
all know today, Excalibur. The legend of

the Lady of the Lake is likely rooted in
those ancient Celtic customs of casting

weapons into bodies of water as ritual
offerings to water gods.

Even real historical kings like Richard
the Lionheart claim to possess Excalibur

as a symbol of legitimacy.

And I think that illustrates that these
swords aren't just weapons in these

stories. They're symbols of authority,
destiny, and divine favor. And in

Pendragon, that symbolism is only just
beginning.

Because then we are on to rebirth,
symbolized in baptism.

And I absolutely love how these two
actors show the contrast of their

in this scene.

We have Taliesin, who is filled with
joy. He's bursting with new life. But of

course, remember, he's had that
revelation that Charis didn't have. He

prophetic vision.

She didn't. So she's really just
following him at this point as her soon

husband. And she's understandably
trepidatious.

Remember, she's not just leaving her
home and her people behind. She's also

leaving behind her entire belief system
for something new. So she's a little bit

analogous to a Ruth figure here. She
doesn't really know Taliesin's God yet,

she knows that his God will be her God
and she will follow him.

And then she has a flashback to the
escape from Atlantis with a little bit

prophetic imagery there. Because
obviously we know that that sword coming

through the water is iconic. And it
foretells the key notes of this legend

we will be eventually hitting.

So now both of these Christians,
Taliesin and Caris, can be equally yoked

marriage. And it's such a beautiful
scene here. And I really want to note

costuming shift.

So Christian Caris, wedding Caris.

is somewhat more modest than the fierce
pagan Charis was. I love when you see

subtle shifts like this that tell you so
much about what's happening with that

character arc.

Because I'll tell you that the number
one thing people asked me about when the

Pendragon trailer was released was about
those love scenes and how explicit they

would be. Now, obviously, this is
romantic, but it's never gratuitous. It

touching and moving, and it illustrated
subtly, but also unashamedly, the beauty

of the marriage bed.

So, you know, maybe not for younger
kids, but this offers what we almost

see from Hollywood anymore. And that's
this beautiful, tender depiction of sex

that treats it as something holy, as a
gift from God when experienced within

marriage. So for me, this is firmly in
the tradition of the Song of Solomon.

I'll just on a little soapbox say, I
think we need more Christian art like

Just perfectly acted, perfectly
scripted, absolutely lovely.

And then it's on the road for Karis and
Taliesin with a rescue pet, a wounded

Merlin. I wonder what that could
signify.

And then after a cold welcome from
Pandaren, king of Maradunum.

Taliesin flexes his magical muscles and
reveals that druidic priest for the

fraud that he is, and in fact robs him
of his tongue.

Taliesin then further enchants the
warriors with his song.

Very reminiscent of Tolkien, and

that allows him to become the Lord's
resident bard.

But perhaps even more poetic than
Taliesin's song here is his vision of

kingdom of summer.

It's a place where the true God's ways
are claimed by all.

And again, if you know your Arthurian
lore, you know how significant this

is. But even more than that, it feels
almost like a vision of Christ's

millennial kingdom.

War has ceased.

Mercy flows over the land. The
inhabitants have never known pain or

It's a wonderful dream.

It sounds like a dream, but Taliesin
insists that this is what he's seeing in

the real world and that this world is
coming.

But is it heaven or is it earth? Is it a
vision that can be brought to earth? At

this point, we really don't know.

Then in the midst of this dream, real
bloody life breaks in.

Literally, Karis goes into labor. And as
she's struggling to bring Taliesin's

son into the world, Dafed and Hafgan
come as emissaries from Avalok carrying

sword. They tell Taliesin that Avalok
offers peace and he wants Taliesin to

in his place so he would be uniting the
Atlanteans and the Cymru. So for a

second here, it actually looks like
we're going to get our happy ending

we're barely getting started.

And then tragedy strikes.

The baby's dead.

The baby is stillborn. So Taliesin does
what every Christian does when he's

faced with this kind of suffering. He
cries out to Jesus for help.

And almost instantly, as he sings to his
cold child, the miracle

occurs.

Merlin is revived.

And that brings us to the moment that
took my breath away.

Everything shatters when Morgan makes
her final, unforgivable move and kills

Taliesin.

The shining bard who saw the face of the
Most High, who carried the light of the

Kingdom of Summer in his songs.

In the moment of his greatest happiness,
it is beyond a gut punch. In that one

instant, she snatches him away from his
wife, from his son, and she turns their

joy into ashes and sets the stage for
the long shadow that she is going to

over this entire cycle.

It's brutal. It's heartbreaking.

And to be honest, I'm probably never
going to forgive Jeremy Boring for it.

But it's also pure genius because now we
know that out of that tragedy will rise

Merlin, half Atlantean, half prophet,
carrying both of his parents' gifts

in one.

So that's our ride through episode two
and that absolutely devastating ending

that no one saw coming. We had prophecy,
betrayal, romance, jealousy, and the

very foundations of faith shaking
ancient Britain.

So what about you? What was the most
impactful moment for you this episode?

Leave a question, leave a comment, or a
favorite scene below and let us know.

Join us next time as we see what will
next become of Merlin and Karis.

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