1
00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:05,059
Welcome back to our companion podcast
for The Pendragon Cycle, Rise of the

2
00:00:05,060 --> 00:00:09,060
Merlin. I'm Megan Basham, culture and
entertainment writer for Daily Wire.

3
00:00:09,280 --> 00:00:13,600
We are plunging deeper than Merlin's
wilderness madness, episode by episode,

4
00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:16,219
spoilers flying like sacks and arrows.

5
00:00:16,420 --> 00:00:20,979
So if you have not watched episode six,
cue it up now, because we are going to

6
00:00:20,980 --> 00:00:26,579
be flashing back to Merlin's heart
-wrenching origin story, love, loss, and

7
00:00:26,580 --> 00:00:27,630
birth of a legend.

8
00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:38,140
Now, we open this episode with another
breathtaking sweep of the northern

9
00:00:38,380 --> 00:00:44,519
We see wide skies, harsh beauty, and a
sense here that life is lived on the

10
00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:49,799
of survival. And immediately, the story
grounds us, not in kings or battles, but

11
00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:50,519
in birth.

12
00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:56,339
We see a wise woman of the hill people,
Gurney Fane, is summoned to help deliver

13
00:00:56,340 --> 00:00:57,390
a child.

14
00:00:57,450 --> 00:00:58,910
But the birth goes badly.

15
00:00:59,110 --> 00:01:01,130
Both mother and baby die.

16
00:01:01,350 --> 00:01:05,268
And I just want to pause on the language
used here because it's quietly

17
00:01:05,269 --> 00:01:07,550
devastating but also deeply wise.

18
00:01:07,950 --> 00:01:10,110
Gurney Fane calls children...

19
00:01:10,520 --> 00:01:11,570
child wealth.

20
00:01:11,660 --> 00:01:13,040
And yes, exactly.

21
00:01:13,340 --> 00:01:17,780
And we have forgotten this. Children are
not inconveniences or accessories.

22
00:01:18,080 --> 00:01:19,840
They are the wealth of societies.

23
00:01:20,180 --> 00:01:23,800
And when a culture loses that
understanding, it's already in decline.

24
00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:29,280
That's a point that Lawhead is able to
make here without sermonizing or

25
00:01:29,420 --> 00:01:32,740
There's also a bitter irony layered into
this scene as well.

26
00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:37,639
One of the northern lords pays the hill
people with a relic that once belonged

27
00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:42,759
to Magnus Maximus, the Roman general who
ruled Britain as emperor before

28
00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:46,300
marching on to Italy and being executed
in 388 AD.

29
00:01:46,700 --> 00:01:52,299
Now, we've seen his shadow throughout
this series, Rome's last gasp of order

30
00:01:52,300 --> 00:01:56,699
authority, and it's reduced to trinkets
here, just mere relics that are

31
00:01:56,700 --> 00:01:58,260
bargaining chips for midwives.

32
00:01:59,740 --> 00:02:00,790
What is this?

33
00:02:02,890 --> 00:02:04,870
You killed her. She was bound for death.

34
00:02:05,110 --> 00:02:09,869
Now, when the Northern Lord grows
dissatisfied and threatens Gurney Fane,

35
00:02:09,870 --> 00:02:14,490
steps in. And to protect Gurney Fane,
he's willing to choke this Lord to

36
00:02:14,550 --> 00:02:17,260
So he's ensuring that she is not going
to be exploited.

37
00:02:17,370 --> 00:02:22,049
I think it's a small moment, but it also
tells us everything about Merlin's fury

38
00:02:22,050 --> 00:02:24,030
when someone he cares for is threatened.

39
00:02:24,270 --> 00:02:28,849
Gurney Fane tells him that this
encounter has reminded him of his family

40
00:02:28,850 --> 00:02:30,970
people and that he's soon going to
leave.

41
00:02:31,450 --> 00:02:35,590
And then, at last, we sense what this
journey has been building toward.

42
00:02:35,810 --> 00:02:41,370
We're about to learn how Merlin met his
lost love, who is clearly a huntress.

43
00:02:41,510 --> 00:02:45,090
And, ah, look at this. We have the
classic romantic meet -cute.

44
00:02:45,530 --> 00:02:47,350
A hide will make a fine coffee.

45
00:02:50,390 --> 00:02:51,770
How's with yours, wolf boy?

46
00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:57,119
Girl pulls spear on boy. Boy helps girl
haul her boar carcass back to the

47
00:02:57,120 --> 00:03:00,680
fortress. So honestly, if you're going
to meet your soulmate in the 5th

48
00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:02,120
this is a solid start.

49
00:03:02,500 --> 00:03:06,000
But when they arrive, the tone shifts
sharply.

50
00:03:06,260 --> 00:03:10,919
The girl's father, King Custanin, is
dealing with treason among his lords,

51
00:03:10,920 --> 00:03:14,020
one of his own men has been aiding Irish
and Saxon raiders.

52
00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:21,420
Thankfully, Custin has a good dog. Good
boy.

53
00:03:21,660 --> 00:03:24,820
And now Merlin learned something that we
already suspected.

54
00:03:25,180 --> 00:03:27,260
Custin in two is Atlantean.

55
00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:38,140
Savior of Atlantis.

56
00:03:38,650 --> 00:03:43,349
Two ships survived the sinking of
Atlantis, arriving in different parts of

57
00:03:43,350 --> 00:03:47,469
Britain. And it's interesting that
Merlin's great uncle, King Belen, is

58
00:03:47,470 --> 00:03:51,849
referenced in Geoffrey of Monmouth's
12th century work that we keep

59
00:03:51,850 --> 00:03:53,830
that history of the kings of Britain.

60
00:03:54,130 --> 00:03:59,369
He's traditionally placed in the 4th
century BC, which is almost smack dab

61
00:03:59,370 --> 00:04:03,609
we are in this story. And according to
legends, he and his brother built many

62
00:04:03,610 --> 00:04:05,470
cities and roads throughout Britain.

63
00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:11,279
His name likely derives from Belenus, a
Celtic sun god. So Lawhead is once again

64
00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:16,279
blending history, legend, and theology
into a single thread here.

65
00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:18,339
You've met my daughter, Ganyeda.

66
00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:27,519
Ganyeda. And then finally, we learn the
name of the woman who has been haunting

67
00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:29,440
Merlin's visions, Ganyeda.

68
00:04:29,930 --> 00:04:32,710
Now, this is not a random choice by
Lawhead.

69
00:04:32,950 --> 00:04:37,010
Gagnetta appears in medieval texts like
Geoffrey of Monmouth's Vita Merlini,

70
00:04:37,190 --> 00:04:41,850
which was circa 1150, and there she's a
prophetess in her own right.

71
00:04:42,310 --> 00:04:47,049
After Merlin descends into madness and
retreats into the forest, he ultimately

72
00:04:47,050 --> 00:04:52,009
renounces prophecy in Gagnetta's favor.
In some other traditions, like the Red

73
00:04:52,010 --> 00:04:56,589
Book of Hergist, which is a 4th century
Welsh manuscript, Gagnetta is even

74
00:04:56,590 --> 00:04:58,510
portrayed as Merlin's twin sister.

75
00:04:59,020 --> 00:05:03,359
But Lawhead chose to make her Merlin's
wife. And she isn't magical here. She

76
00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:07,859
doesn't possess supernatural abilities.
But she is elevated in the story as a

77
00:05:07,860 --> 00:05:11,920
princess, an Atlantean, and almost a
mythical huntress.

78
00:05:11,921 --> 00:05:15,949
And, wow, I just have to say there is so
much chemistry between these two

79
00:05:15,950 --> 00:05:20,729
characters. I loved it. And this was
such a big moment in our house because

80
00:05:20,730 --> 00:05:24,130
16 -year -old is maybe the world's
biggest Brett Cooper fan.

81
00:05:24,430 --> 00:05:28,109
So we were wondering just how her
performance was going to play out. And,

82
00:05:28,110 --> 00:05:31,489
know, we especially wondered if we were
going to be able to separate the Brett

83
00:05:31,490 --> 00:05:34,990
Cooper that we know and love from her
performance as Gagnetta.

84
00:05:35,440 --> 00:05:39,719
And I have to say that she really did
nail it here. As we got into the scene,

85
00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:43,639
completely forgot that we were watching
Brett Cooper as we were totally absorbed

86
00:05:43,640 --> 00:05:47,560
into Gagnetta's story and into her
relationship with Merlin.

87
00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:52,999
So moving on, over dinner, King Custinan
twists Merlin's arm about staying with

88
00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:56,779
them a while rather than risk
treacherous travel going back home

89
00:05:56,780 --> 00:05:58,950
winter. And I'm just sitting here
thinking...

90
00:05:59,020 --> 00:06:03,219
Come on, man, look at that girl. How
cute do her dimples have to be for you

91
00:06:03,220 --> 00:06:07,719
agree to spend the winter in her
father's house? Because Garnietta is

92
00:06:07,720 --> 00:06:08,619
delight here.

93
00:06:08,620 --> 00:06:12,240
She's a tomboy, but I love that it's not
in a cliched way.

94
00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:17,779
I love her flirtation with Merlin and
how she's bold about going after what

95
00:06:17,780 --> 00:06:21,780
wants. But it's also in this sweet and
innocent way, not in a seductress,

96
00:06:21,840 --> 00:06:24,220
Morgian way. So just a great character.

97
00:06:24,540 --> 00:06:28,879
And then a year later, as we expected,
the pair are married and they're living

98
00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:33,579
in Maridunum, which we have to remember
was originally a fortress built by the

99
00:06:33,580 --> 00:06:38,199
Romans. So when Merlin begins to ride
out with his lord, We get this

100
00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:42,659
glimpse of the remnants of the lost
Roman world in the background when we

101
00:06:42,660 --> 00:06:47,679
this marble statue that's rising
incongruously among the rough huts and

102
00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:52,139
buildings. We realize in that moment
that civilization didn't just vanish. It

103
00:06:52,140 --> 00:06:57,019
eroded layer by layer as the Romans
increasingly relied on barbarian

104
00:06:57,020 --> 00:07:01,589
mercenaries. And I just want to pause
and note how different Pandaren, the

105
00:07:01,590 --> 00:07:05,789
of Maradunum, seems here from the first
time we met him back in episode two when

106
00:07:05,790 --> 00:07:08,010
Taliesin and Caris first entered his
hall.

107
00:07:08,360 --> 00:07:12,759
He clearly respected Taliesin, and it
appears to have completely changed his

108
00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:17,639
character. He's now taken Merlin under
his wing. He wants to offer help and

109
00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:21,759
to Merlin for Taliesin's sake. And, you
know, personally, I have to wonder if at

110
00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:26,099
this point, Pandaren has also become a
Christian, and that explains how

111
00:07:26,100 --> 00:07:28,390
different he is from the first time we
met him.

112
00:07:28,410 --> 00:07:33,029
Then we get this sweet, appropriate love
scene between husband and wife showing

113
00:07:33,030 --> 00:07:35,980
their domestic bliss despite these
humble surroundings.

114
00:07:36,330 --> 00:07:41,429
And once again, I just want to note that
I love this type of marital love shown

115
00:07:41,430 --> 00:07:45,309
in an appropriate and proper way. And
that's something that we need to see

116
00:07:45,310 --> 00:07:50,049
of in our entertainment, I think. But
into this pastoral peaceful life comes a

117
00:07:50,050 --> 00:07:51,100
barbarian attack.

118
00:07:53,330 --> 00:07:57,609
Merlin and the king race back to rescue
them, but the invaders have made

119
00:07:57,610 --> 00:08:01,989
significant progress in capturing the
fortress, and Ganyeta is almost killed

120
00:08:01,990 --> 00:08:06,749
until a friend saves her. But then, as
Merlin comes upon the scene, the

121
00:08:06,750 --> 00:08:11,489
intensity of his fury at those who would
imperil his wife brings out his power

122
00:08:11,490 --> 00:08:13,660
at a magnitude that we have not seen
before.

123
00:08:21,770 --> 00:08:26,809
So he is just dealing death by the
hundreds in what seems like something of

124
00:08:26,810 --> 00:08:31,789
violent trance. And then the other
warriors lay their swords at his feet to

125
00:08:31,790 --> 00:08:36,908
him honor. So he is the new battle chief
and adopted son of the king. And we now

126
00:08:36,909 --> 00:08:41,949
know how he came into his throne at
Maridunum. And I love seeing our old

127
00:08:41,950 --> 00:08:44,950
Elfin there, Merlin's grandfather, at
the ceremony.

128
00:08:45,170 --> 00:08:50,629
And here Merlin claims the sword, the
sword of his family that Carus has been

129
00:08:50,630 --> 00:08:55,389
shepherding. all this time, and this is
a key moment because we also begin to

130
00:08:55,390 --> 00:09:00,510
understand why Merlin later refuses to
take up that sword in Aurelius' cause.

131
00:09:00,890 --> 00:09:03,410
I hate to send you north with such few
men.

132
00:09:03,690 --> 00:09:09,849
We flash forward a bit more, and Ganyeta
is now with child, and Peleus has come

133
00:09:09,850 --> 00:09:12,920
into Merlin's service as they travel to
Custonin's kingdom.

134
00:09:13,480 --> 00:09:18,179
Now, unfortunately, as those two sweet
lovers linger in the glade, Merlin spies

135
00:09:18,180 --> 00:09:22,140
emissaries from the hill people who tell
him that Gurney Fane is dying.

136
00:09:29,160 --> 00:09:34,179
But once by her side, she tells Merlin
that he should not have come. And it's

137
00:09:34,180 --> 00:09:38,699
such a moving scene in the way that
Gurney Fane isn't afraid of death, but

138
00:09:38,700 --> 00:09:43,019
is afraid for Merlin and what he's going
to have to face as an immortal who will

139
00:09:43,020 --> 00:09:48,419
have no relief from the pains and trials
of this life. It's ominous. And then

140
00:09:48,420 --> 00:09:53,200
she shuffles off her mortal coil,
something that Merlin may never do.

141
00:09:54,119 --> 00:09:59,259
Unfortunately, as Merlin is away, we
find out why Gurney Fane tells him he

142
00:09:59,260 --> 00:10:00,310
shouldn't have come.

143
00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:04,979
Garnietta is feeling birth pains just as
she hears the approach of barbarian

144
00:10:04,980 --> 00:10:10,879
attackers. Merlin, writing to meet her,
hears them too, but it's too late. She

145
00:10:10,880 --> 00:10:15,499
is barely clinging to life and can only
say the first name by which she once

146
00:10:15,500 --> 00:10:16,550
knew him.

147
00:10:19,210 --> 00:10:23,120
You know, for me, there have been a lot
of painful deaths in this series so far,

148
00:10:23,210 --> 00:10:28,389
but this one was the most painful
because I loved this couple so much. So

149
00:10:28,390 --> 00:10:30,650
really devastating to see Merlin's loss.

150
00:10:31,260 --> 00:10:35,839
And then he goes back to the camp and
one raider is left alive. And it is in

151
00:10:35,840 --> 00:10:39,760
this moment that we see the beginning of
Merlin's mad vengeance.

152
00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:42,440
He confronts the entire band alone.

153
00:10:42,740 --> 00:10:47,439
His golden eyes are ablaze. And he's
something like the angel of the Lord in

154
00:10:47,440 --> 00:10:52,960
Kings 19, who struck down 185 ,000
Assyrians in a single night.

155
00:10:53,300 --> 00:10:55,800
Merlin is like that too. He becomes a...

156
00:10:56,040 --> 00:11:01,519
He kills them all, even the wounded,
even the fleeing. He's showing no mercy

157
00:11:01,520 --> 00:11:06,319
here or even a sense of proportionality
as he's slaughtering everyone who comes

158
00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:07,370
into his path.

159
00:11:07,390 --> 00:11:12,270
So at that point, what he's dealing out
isn't justice, but it's vengeance.

160
00:11:12,550 --> 00:11:16,990
And Peleus arrives just as Merlin
reaches the peak of his bloodlust.

161
00:11:17,210 --> 00:11:21,809
Bodies are burning, the ground is
scorched, and Merlin doesn't even

162
00:11:21,810 --> 00:11:26,489
his own servants. He doesn't recognize
Custon in either, who then loses an arm

163
00:11:26,490 --> 00:11:27,890
trying to reach Merlin.

164
00:11:28,380 --> 00:11:33,060
Horrified by what he's become, Merlin
drops Taliesin's sword and he runs.

165
00:11:33,360 --> 00:11:36,140
And this is why Merlin fears his own
power.

166
00:11:36,380 --> 00:11:41,280
This is why he is resisting kingship.
And it's why he says he will guide

167
00:11:41,380 --> 00:11:43,620
but he's never again going to rule
himself.

168
00:11:44,040 --> 00:11:48,639
But what if Merlin wielding the sword is
the only way that we're going to see

169
00:11:48,640 --> 00:11:50,840
order returned and the Saxon expelled?

170
00:11:51,160 --> 00:11:54,040
So we'll see if he's willing to pick up
that weapon.

171
00:11:54,670 --> 00:11:57,630
So for me, episode six was devastating.

172
00:11:58,250 --> 00:12:00,490
Forging Merlin's eternal torment.

173
00:12:00,730 --> 00:12:05,349
But what about you? What wrecked you?
Was it the neat, cute sparks, the

174
00:12:05,350 --> 00:12:12,109
sweetness, or that final frenzy? Comment
below and then get ready for our final

175
00:12:12,110 --> 00:12:14,230
installment. Thanks for joining us.

176
00:12:14,280 --> 00:12:18,830
Repair and Synchronization by
Easy Subtitles Synchronizer 1.0.0.0