Original subtitles

Welcome back to our companion podcast for The Pendragon Cycle, Rise of the

Merlin. I'm Megan Basham, culture and entertainment writer for Daily Wire.

We are plunging deeper than Merlin's wilderness madness, episode by episode,

spoilers flying like sacks and arrows.

So if you have not watched episode six, cue it up now, because we are going to

be flashing back to Merlin's heart -wrenching origin story, love, loss, and

birth of a legend.

Now, we open this episode with another breathtaking sweep of the northern

We see wide skies, harsh beauty, and a sense here that life is lived on the

of survival. And immediately, the story grounds us, not in kings or battles, but

in birth.

We see a wise woman of the hill people, Gurney Fane, is summoned to help deliver

a child.

But the birth goes badly.

Both mother and baby die.

And I just want to pause on the language used here because it's quietly

devastating but also deeply wise.

Gurney Fane calls children...

child wealth.

And yes, exactly.

And we have forgotten this. Children are not inconveniences or accessories.

They are the wealth of societies.

And when a culture loses that understanding, it's already in decline.

That's a point that Lawhead is able to make here without sermonizing or

There's also a bitter irony layered into this scene as well.

One of the northern lords pays the hill people with a relic that once belonged

to Magnus Maximus, the Roman general who ruled Britain as emperor before

marching on to Italy and being executed in 388 AD.

Now, we've seen his shadow throughout this series, Rome's last gasp of order

authority, and it's reduced to trinkets here, just mere relics that are

bargaining chips for midwives.

What is this?

You killed her. She was bound for death.

Now, when the Northern Lord grows dissatisfied and threatens Gurney Fane,

steps in. And to protect Gurney Fane, he's willing to choke this Lord to

So he's ensuring that she is not going to be exploited.

I think it's a small moment, but it also tells us everything about Merlin's fury

when someone he cares for is threatened.

Gurney Fane tells him that this encounter has reminded him of his family

people and that he's soon going to leave.

And then, at last, we sense what this journey has been building toward.

We're about to learn how Merlin met his lost love, who is clearly a huntress.

And, ah, look at this. We have the classic romantic meet -cute.

A hide will make a fine coffee.

How's with yours, wolf boy?

Girl pulls spear on boy. Boy helps girl haul her boar carcass back to the

fortress. So honestly, if you're going to meet your soulmate in the 5th

this is a solid start.

But when they arrive, the tone shifts sharply.

The girl's father, King Custanin, is dealing with treason among his lords,

one of his own men has been aiding Irish and Saxon raiders.

Thankfully, Custin has a good dog. Good boy.

And now Merlin learned something that we already suspected.

Custin in two is Atlantean.

Savior of Atlantis.

Two ships survived the sinking of Atlantis, arriving in different parts of

Britain. And it's interesting that Merlin's great uncle, King Belen, is

referenced in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 12th century work that we keep

that history of the kings of Britain.

He's traditionally placed in the 4th century BC, which is almost smack dab

we are in this story. And according to legends, he and his brother built many

cities and roads throughout Britain.

His name likely derives from Belenus, a Celtic sun god. So Lawhead is once again

blending history, legend, and theology into a single thread here.

You've met my daughter, Ganyeda.

Ganyeda. And then finally, we learn the name of the woman who has been haunting

Merlin's visions, Ganyeda.

Now, this is not a random choice by Lawhead.

Gagnetta appears in medieval texts like Geoffrey of Monmouth's Vita Merlini,

which was circa 1150, and there she's a prophetess in her own right.

After Merlin descends into madness and retreats into the forest, he ultimately

renounces prophecy in Gagnetta's favor. In some other traditions, like the Red

Book of Hergist, which is a 4th century Welsh manuscript, Gagnetta is even

portrayed as Merlin's twin sister.

But Lawhead chose to make her Merlin's wife. And she isn't magical here. She

doesn't possess supernatural abilities. But she is elevated in the story as a

princess, an Atlantean, and almost a mythical huntress.

And, wow, I just have to say there is so much chemistry between these two

characters. I loved it. And this was such a big moment in our house because

16 -year -old is maybe the world's biggest Brett Cooper fan.

So we were wondering just how her performance was going to play out. And,

know, we especially wondered if we were going to be able to separate the Brett

Cooper that we know and love from her performance as Gagnetta.

And I have to say that she really did nail it here. As we got into the scene,

completely forgot that we were watching Brett Cooper as we were totally absorbed

into Gagnetta's story and into her relationship with Merlin.

So moving on, over dinner, King Custinan twists Merlin's arm about staying with

them a while rather than risk treacherous travel going back home

winter. And I'm just sitting here thinking...

Come on, man, look at that girl. How cute do her dimples have to be for you

agree to spend the winter in her father's house? Because Garnietta is

delight here.

She's a tomboy, but I love that it's not in a cliched way.

I love her flirtation with Merlin and how she's bold about going after what

wants. But it's also in this sweet and innocent way, not in a seductress,

Morgian way. So just a great character.

And then a year later, as we expected, the pair are married and they're living

in Maridunum, which we have to remember was originally a fortress built by the

Romans. So when Merlin begins to ride out with his lord, We get this

glimpse of the remnants of the lost Roman world in the background when we

this marble statue that's rising incongruously among the rough huts and

buildings. We realize in that moment that civilization didn't just vanish. It

eroded layer by layer as the Romans increasingly relied on barbarian

mercenaries. And I just want to pause and note how different Pandaren, the

of Maradunum, seems here from the first time we met him back in episode two when

Taliesin and Caris first entered his hall.

He clearly respected Taliesin, and it appears to have completely changed his

character. He's now taken Merlin under his wing. He wants to offer help and

to Merlin for Taliesin's sake. And, you know, personally, I have to wonder if at

this point, Pandaren has also become a Christian, and that explains how

different he is from the first time we met him.

Then we get this sweet, appropriate love scene between husband and wife showing

their domestic bliss despite these humble surroundings.

And once again, I just want to note that I love this type of marital love shown

in an appropriate and proper way. And that's something that we need to see

of in our entertainment, I think. But into this pastoral peaceful life comes a

barbarian attack.

Merlin and the king race back to rescue them, but the invaders have made

significant progress in capturing the fortress, and Ganyeta is almost killed

until a friend saves her. But then, as Merlin comes upon the scene, the

intensity of his fury at those who would imperil his wife brings out his power

at a magnitude that we have not seen before.

So he is just dealing death by the hundreds in what seems like something of

violent trance. And then the other warriors lay their swords at his feet to

him honor. So he is the new battle chief and adopted son of the king. And we now

know how he came into his throne at Maridunum. And I love seeing our old

Elfin there, Merlin's grandfather, at the ceremony.

And here Merlin claims the sword, the sword of his family that Carus has been

shepherding. all this time, and this is a key moment because we also begin to

understand why Merlin later refuses to take up that sword in Aurelius' cause.

I hate to send you north with such few men.

We flash forward a bit more, and Ganyeta is now with child, and Peleus has come

into Merlin's service as they travel to Custonin's kingdom.

Now, unfortunately, as those two sweet lovers linger in the glade, Merlin spies

emissaries from the hill people who tell him that Gurney Fane is dying.

But once by her side, she tells Merlin that he should not have come. And it's

such a moving scene in the way that Gurney Fane isn't afraid of death, but

is afraid for Merlin and what he's going to have to face as an immortal who will

have no relief from the pains and trials of this life. It's ominous. And then

she shuffles off her mortal coil, something that Merlin may never do.

Unfortunately, as Merlin is away, we find out why Gurney Fane tells him he

shouldn't have come.

Garnietta is feeling birth pains just as she hears the approach of barbarian

attackers. Merlin, writing to meet her, hears them too, but it's too late. She

is barely clinging to life and can only say the first name by which she once

knew him.

You know, for me, there have been a lot of painful deaths in this series so far,

but this one was the most painful because I loved this couple so much. So

really devastating to see Merlin's loss.

And then he goes back to the camp and one raider is left alive. And it is in

this moment that we see the beginning of Merlin's mad vengeance.

He confronts the entire band alone.

His golden eyes are ablaze. And he's something like the angel of the Lord in

Kings 19, who struck down 185 ,000 Assyrians in a single night.

Merlin is like that too. He becomes a...

He kills them all, even the wounded, even the fleeing. He's showing no mercy

here or even a sense of proportionality as he's slaughtering everyone who comes

into his path.

So at that point, what he's dealing out isn't justice, but it's vengeance.

And Peleus arrives just as Merlin reaches the peak of his bloodlust.

Bodies are burning, the ground is scorched, and Merlin doesn't even

his own servants. He doesn't recognize Custon in either, who then loses an arm

trying to reach Merlin.

Horrified by what he's become, Merlin drops Taliesin's sword and he runs.

And this is why Merlin fears his own power.

This is why he is resisting kingship. And it's why he says he will guide

but he's never again going to rule himself.

But what if Merlin wielding the sword is the only way that we're going to see

order returned and the Saxon expelled?

So we'll see if he's willing to pick up that weapon.

So for me, episode six was devastating.

Forging Merlin's eternal torment.

But what about you? What wrecked you? Was it the neat, cute sparks, the

sweetness, or that final frenzy? Comment below and then get ready for our final

installment. Thanks for joining us.