1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,060 Well, welcome back to our breakdown and analysis of the Pendragon cycle, Rise of 2 00:00:05,060 --> 00:00:09,560 the Merlin, which means you've also hopefully watched episode two because 3 00:00:09,560 --> 00:00:10,560 will be spoilers. 4 00:00:10,740 --> 00:00:15,640 We are diving straight into the fallout from Atlantis, from the prophetic kills, 5 00:00:15,880 --> 00:00:19,140 the family drama, and some seriously shiny swords. 6 00:00:29,189 --> 00:00:32,130 This installment kicks off with fireworks. 7 00:00:32,549 --> 00:00:36,690 The Atlanteans and the Cymru are at each other's throats, and at first we're not 8 00:00:36,690 --> 00:00:37,389 sure why. 9 00:00:37,390 --> 00:00:42,250 But what we do know is that geopolitical negotiations are always a mess, and 10 00:00:42,250 --> 00:00:46,290 that's especially true when you're dealing with things like ancient 11 00:00:46,290 --> 00:00:47,990 magic, and wounded pride. 12 00:00:48,270 --> 00:00:52,970 As Karis observes the peace talks between her father and Elfin, we go into 13 00:00:52,970 --> 00:00:56,390 flashback that reveals why she's known as the savior of her people. 14 00:01:00,490 --> 00:01:04,950 We also get some possible foreshadowing as we watch her grab a sword. 15 00:01:05,230 --> 00:01:06,710 But is it the sword? 16 00:01:07,070 --> 00:01:11,350 It's not the one we see in the stone, so I think more on that later. 17 00:01:11,790 --> 00:01:16,150 But for me, the most significant part of this backstory is how she saves her 18 00:01:16,150 --> 00:01:17,150 sister's life. 19 00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:22,020 This just makes Morgan's betrayal so much worse because here she's been shown 20 00:01:22,020 --> 00:01:26,440 this kindness, this love. We know that Caris risked her life for her. And yet, 21 00:01:26,520 --> 00:01:30,620 instead of gratitude, Morgan repays Caris with... 22 00:01:30,890 --> 00:01:34,910 treachery. Now, this is very different from what we see so often in so many 23 00:01:34,910 --> 00:01:39,430 postmodern stories, where the villain only acts villainously because of some 24 00:01:39,430 --> 00:01:42,350 wrong that they've suffered, the ideas that it's warped them somehow. 25 00:01:42,610 --> 00:01:45,910 And these stories always suggest that evil comes from without. 26 00:01:46,270 --> 00:01:50,250 What Pendragon shows us is something different, and to my mind, something 27 00:01:50,250 --> 00:01:55,210 truer. And that is that evil is coming from within Morgan's heart. She's been 28 00:01:55,210 --> 00:01:59,710 loved. She's been cared for. Yet it is her own envy that's poisoned her soul. 29 00:02:00,430 --> 00:02:05,090 Then we snap back to Taliesin. He's fresh off his roadside revelation from 30 00:02:05,090 --> 00:02:10,930 episode one. And as both a church lady and a fantasy nerd, this scene had me 31 00:02:10,930 --> 00:02:15,030 hitting rewind obsessively because I wanted to listen again and again to this 32 00:02:15,030 --> 00:02:16,930 absolute fire that he's whispering. 33 00:02:19,570 --> 00:02:20,570 Okay. 34 00:02:22,310 --> 00:02:24,590 So if you didn't catch that, here's what he said. 35 00:02:24,920 --> 00:02:28,980 I was with my Lord in the heavens when Lucifer fell into the depths of hell. I 36 00:02:28,980 --> 00:02:33,520 carried a banner before Alexander in Egypt. I called the stars by name from 37 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:38,080 north to south. I witnessed the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. I was 38 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:42,960 Lord in the manger of oxen and asses. I didn't catch all of it, but what we get 39 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:48,200 is this sweeping cosmic declaration of having witnessed all of history, before 40 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:49,940 Christ and after. 41 00:02:50,549 --> 00:02:55,690 culminating in Taliesin proclaiming himself not just a poet, not just a 42 00:02:55,850 --> 00:02:56,850 but a prophet. 43 00:02:57,110 --> 00:03:04,010 I am Taliesin, and my name shall remain until doomsday. Just absolute chills 44 00:03:04,010 --> 00:03:05,070 I got with that scene. 45 00:03:05,530 --> 00:03:09,730 And if you know your Arthurian lore, this moment hits even harder. 46 00:03:10,030 --> 00:03:14,910 Modern adaptations almost never include this aspect of Merlin's origins, but 47 00:03:14,910 --> 00:03:16,550 it's straight out of the medieval tradition. 48 00:03:16,890 --> 00:03:21,550 In the 12th century, Geoffrey of Monmouth drew from Welsh mythology, but 49 00:03:21,550 --> 00:03:26,170 explicitly made Merlin a Christian prophet in his History of the Kings of 50 00:03:26,170 --> 00:03:29,850 Britain, which was the very first full narrative of Arthur's life. 51 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:35,760 This was then later picked up in the 13th century French poem Merlin by 52 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:40,760 de Boron. But de Boron took it one step further and for the first time made 53 00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:45,820 Merlin a prophet of the Holy Grail. So what Lawhead is doing here is pulling 54 00:03:45,820 --> 00:03:49,360 from deep old school Arthurian roots. And it shows. 55 00:03:50,970 --> 00:03:55,630 It explains what he saw, the supreme spirit, the great light, the lord of all 56 00:03:55,630 --> 00:04:00,230 worlds. It's clear that no one walks away from that kind of encounter 57 00:04:00,670 --> 00:04:07,470 As he puts it, very simply, I love the power and the mysticism of this scene 58 00:04:07,470 --> 00:04:12,090 and how it calls back to Christian art through the ages. I really think 59 00:04:12,090 --> 00:04:13,630 of Monmouth would be proud. 60 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:18,860 And that sets us up for what might be the most important thematic contrast of 61 00:04:18,860 --> 00:04:23,520 this episode. As King Avallac 'h tells us, It's a sorry God that demands the 62 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:27,600 blood of his people, and a sorry people who give it. 63 00:04:28,120 --> 00:04:31,880 Now, that hits especially hard when it's contrasted with Taliesin's vision of a 64 00:04:31,880 --> 00:04:35,520 god who gives his blood instead. One god demands sacrifice. 65 00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:37,940 The other becomes a sacrifice. 66 00:04:38,300 --> 00:04:43,360 And Avalac thrives that knife in deeper by adding that it's an even sorrier 67 00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:47,860 people who must give up their blood to their god, as Belle, of course, asked 68 00:04:47,860 --> 00:04:49,360 Charis to do back in episode one. 69 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:53,300 Now, I have to say that this next scene with Taliesin did make me chuckle a bit 70 00:04:53,300 --> 00:04:57,820 because actor James Arden played this so well. You can see in his face that 71 00:04:57,820 --> 00:05:03,400 Taliesin immediately knows something is wrong here because my girl is not that 72 00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:08,580 kind of girl. So he realizes that it can't be Karis, and he begins to 73 00:05:08,580 --> 00:05:11,520 immediately understand that he is under Morgan's enchantment. 74 00:05:11,740 --> 00:05:12,740 Why, Morgan? 75 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:15,140 Just know you, my love. 76 00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:20,020 I have power too. 77 00:05:20,260 --> 00:05:25,360 So he goes looking for the real Caris and finds her just in time to rescue her 78 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:26,880 from a band of Irish raiders. 79 00:05:28,380 --> 00:05:33,720 And in that moment, we see why Elfin and Avalac have wondered just how safe 80 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:38,620 Ennis Avalac is. And we see why having the Cymru as their warriors would be a 81 00:05:38,620 --> 00:05:43,340 particular advantage for the Atlanteans. And then Taliesin shows us how clever 82 00:05:43,340 --> 00:05:44,159 he is. 83 00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:45,160 Marry me, Caris. 84 00:05:45,500 --> 00:05:49,740 Because he picks that very moment to declare his love and to ask Charis for 85 00:05:49,740 --> 00:05:53,360 hand. Because, I mean, how are you going to say no to a guy who just saved your 86 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:54,580 life from a band of raiders? 87 00:05:54,940 --> 00:06:01,560 I will not give my daughter to a barbarian. Of course, Dad doesn't 88 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:02,660 you know, do they ever? 89 00:06:03,320 --> 00:06:08,120 Before we can settle into any serious dislike for Avallac 'h's character, we 90 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:10,680 this tragic backstory that does demand our sympathy. 91 00:06:11,120 --> 00:06:14,520 He was betrayed by his own brother, King, in a terrible civil war. 92 00:06:26,580 --> 00:06:31,840 And we do feel for him, even though he's creating enmity with the Cymru, and 93 00:06:31,840 --> 00:06:35,200 he's also, of course, standing in the way of Carus and Taliesin's love. 94 00:06:35,760 --> 00:06:41,400 But though the path of true love never does run smooth, it can also never be 95 00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:44,720 thwarted, so Carus agrees to flee with Taliesin. 96 00:06:45,100 --> 00:06:46,100 and become his wife. 97 00:06:46,380 --> 00:06:51,520 Now, one thing I really love here is that Taliesin is the one who insists 98 00:06:51,520 --> 00:06:52,680 they wait to share a bed. 99 00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:03,740 Choosing to honor Caris and also their faith by delaying consummation until 100 00:07:03,740 --> 00:07:05,420 marriage. It's handled... 101 00:07:05,770 --> 00:07:09,610 So naturally, so often these things can be preachy, but that's not what we see 102 00:07:09,610 --> 00:07:14,230 here. It's something sincere, and it really fits who these characters are. 103 00:07:14,450 --> 00:07:20,170 Now, at this point, we return to the sword called, not here Excalibur, but 104 00:07:20,170 --> 00:07:24,750 Sword of Avalac, the Sword of the Lost Civilization of the Fair People. There's 105 00:07:24,750 --> 00:07:28,630 going to be more to say about those swords later and why some of them end up 106 00:07:28,630 --> 00:07:29,630 stones. 107 00:07:29,980 --> 00:07:34,140 Some of them end up at the bottom of lakes, so that in the inimitable words 108 00:07:34,140 --> 00:07:39,020 Monty Python, But you can't expect to wield supreme executive power just 109 00:07:39,020 --> 00:07:41,580 some watery tart threw a sword at you. Shut up! 110 00:07:41,900 --> 00:07:45,520 But part of it is because Arthur's sword myth evolved over centuries. 111 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:50,420 In early Welsh legend, it's Calidwll. I think I'm saying that right. 112 00:07:50,840 --> 00:07:56,000 But Geoffrey of Monmouth helpfully Latinized it to Caliburnus. Much easier 113 00:07:56,000 --> 00:08:01,660 say. French poets turned it into Excalibur. And finally, in the 15th 114 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:07,400 Thomas Mallory gave us the name that we all know today, Excalibur. The legend of 115 00:08:07,400 --> 00:08:11,900 the Lady of the Lake is likely rooted in those ancient Celtic customs of casting 116 00:08:11,900 --> 00:08:15,560 weapons into bodies of water as ritual offerings to water gods. 117 00:08:15,870 --> 00:08:20,510 Even real historical kings like Richard the Lionheart claim to possess Excalibur 118 00:08:20,510 --> 00:08:22,070 as a symbol of legitimacy. 119 00:08:22,490 --> 00:08:26,250 And I think that illustrates that these swords aren't just weapons in these 120 00:08:26,250 --> 00:08:31,610 stories. They're symbols of authority, destiny, and divine favor. And in 121 00:08:31,610 --> 00:08:34,850 Pendragon, that symbolism is only just beginning. 122 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:39,980 Because then we are on to rebirth, symbolized in baptism. 123 00:08:40,240 --> 00:08:44,840 And I absolutely love how these two actors show the contrast of their 124 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:45,639 in this scene. 125 00:08:45,640 --> 00:08:50,320 We have Taliesin, who is filled with joy. He's bursting with new life. But of 126 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:54,940 course, remember, he's had that revelation that Charis didn't have. He 127 00:08:54,940 --> 00:08:55,799 prophetic vision. 128 00:08:55,800 --> 00:09:00,040 She didn't. So she's really just following him at this point as her soon 129 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:02,400 husband. And she's understandably trepidatious. 130 00:09:03,390 --> 00:09:07,510 Remember, she's not just leaving her home and her people behind. She's also 131 00:09:07,510 --> 00:09:11,790 leaving behind her entire belief system for something new. So she's a little bit 132 00:09:11,790 --> 00:09:16,750 analogous to a Ruth figure here. She doesn't really know Taliesin's God yet, 133 00:09:16,750 --> 00:09:20,690 she knows that his God will be her God and she will follow him. 134 00:09:21,100 --> 00:09:25,000 And then she has a flashback to the escape from Atlantis with a little bit 135 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:29,680 prophetic imagery there. Because obviously we know that that sword coming 136 00:09:29,680 --> 00:09:33,920 through the water is iconic. And it foretells the key notes of this legend 137 00:09:33,920 --> 00:09:35,300 we will be eventually hitting. 138 00:09:35,700 --> 00:09:40,720 So now both of these Christians, Taliesin and Caris, can be equally yoked 139 00:09:40,720 --> 00:09:44,420 marriage. And it's such a beautiful scene here. And I really want to note 140 00:09:44,420 --> 00:09:45,420 costuming shift. 141 00:09:45,520 --> 00:09:48,520 So Christian Caris, wedding Caris. 142 00:09:48,860 --> 00:09:54,120 is somewhat more modest than the fierce pagan Charis was. I love when you see 143 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:57,940 subtle shifts like this that tell you so much about what's happening with that 144 00:09:57,940 --> 00:09:58,940 character arc. 145 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:02,520 Because I'll tell you that the number one thing people asked me about when the 146 00:10:02,520 --> 00:10:07,260 Pendragon trailer was released was about those love scenes and how explicit they 147 00:10:07,260 --> 00:10:11,840 would be. Now, obviously, this is romantic, but it's never gratuitous. It 148 00:10:11,840 --> 00:10:17,640 touching and moving, and it illustrated subtly, but also unashamedly, the beauty 149 00:10:17,640 --> 00:10:18,640 of the marriage bed. 150 00:10:19,120 --> 00:10:23,080 So, you know, maybe not for younger kids, but this offers what we almost 151 00:10:23,080 --> 00:10:27,460 see from Hollywood anymore. And that's this beautiful, tender depiction of sex 152 00:10:27,460 --> 00:10:32,580 that treats it as something holy, as a gift from God when experienced within 153 00:10:32,580 --> 00:10:38,060 marriage. So for me, this is firmly in the tradition of the Song of Solomon. 154 00:10:38,060 --> 00:10:41,380 I'll just on a little soapbox say, I think we need more Christian art like 155 00:10:41,460 --> 00:10:45,320 Just perfectly acted, perfectly scripted, absolutely lovely. 156 00:10:45,960 --> 00:10:51,400 And then it's on the road for Karis and Taliesin with a rescue pet, a wounded 157 00:10:51,400 --> 00:10:53,460 Merlin. I wonder what that could signify. 158 00:10:53,780 --> 00:10:58,380 And then after a cold welcome from Pandaren, king of Maradunum. 159 00:10:58,810 --> 00:11:03,810 Taliesin flexes his magical muscles and reveals that druidic priest for the 160 00:11:03,810 --> 00:11:06,910 fraud that he is, and in fact robs him of his tongue. 161 00:11:07,430 --> 00:11:10,890 Taliesin then further enchants the warriors with his song. 162 00:11:15,630 --> 00:11:22,450 Very reminiscent of Tolkien, and 163 00:11:22,450 --> 00:11:25,050 that allows him to become the Lord's resident bard. 164 00:11:25,530 --> 00:11:30,870 But perhaps even more poetic than Taliesin's song here is his vision of 165 00:11:30,870 --> 00:11:31,870 kingdom of summer. 166 00:11:31,970 --> 00:11:35,550 It's a place where the true God's ways are claimed by all. 167 00:11:35,770 --> 00:11:40,430 And again, if you know your Arthurian lore, you know how significant this 168 00:11:40,430 --> 00:11:45,630 is. But even more than that, it feels almost like a vision of Christ's 169 00:11:45,630 --> 00:11:46,630 millennial kingdom. 170 00:11:46,690 --> 00:11:47,750 War has ceased. 171 00:11:48,010 --> 00:11:52,570 Mercy flows over the land. The inhabitants have never known pain or 172 00:11:52,950 --> 00:11:54,170 It's a wonderful dream. 173 00:11:55,340 --> 00:12:01,320 It sounds like a dream, but Taliesin insists that this is what he's seeing in 174 00:12:01,320 --> 00:12:04,140 the real world and that this world is coming. 175 00:12:04,360 --> 00:12:09,320 But is it heaven or is it earth? Is it a vision that can be brought to earth? At 176 00:12:09,320 --> 00:12:10,620 this point, we really don't know. 177 00:12:11,040 --> 00:12:15,580 Then in the midst of this dream, real bloody life breaks in. 178 00:12:15,950 --> 00:12:20,970 Literally, Karis goes into labor. And as she's struggling to bring Taliesin's 179 00:12:20,970 --> 00:12:26,610 son into the world, Dafed and Hafgan come as emissaries from Avalok carrying 180 00:12:26,610 --> 00:12:32,210 sword. They tell Taliesin that Avalok offers peace and he wants Taliesin to 181 00:12:32,210 --> 00:12:36,470 in his place so he would be uniting the Atlanteans and the Cymru. So for a 182 00:12:36,470 --> 00:12:39,590 second here, it actually looks like we're going to get our happy ending 183 00:12:39,590 --> 00:12:40,590 we're barely getting started. 184 00:12:40,850 --> 00:12:43,070 And then tragedy strikes. 185 00:12:43,770 --> 00:12:44,770 The baby's dead. 186 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:50,360 The baby is stillborn. So Taliesin does what every Christian does when he's 187 00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:53,400 faced with this kind of suffering. He cries out to Jesus for help. 188 00:12:57,580 --> 00:13:04,180 And almost instantly, as he sings to his cold child, the miracle 189 00:13:04,180 --> 00:13:05,180 occurs. 190 00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:16,100 Merlin is revived. 191 00:13:16,440 --> 00:13:20,180 And that brings us to the moment that took my breath away. 192 00:13:20,540 --> 00:13:26,540 Everything shatters when Morgan makes her final, unforgivable move and kills 193 00:13:26,540 --> 00:13:27,540 Taliesin. 194 00:13:33,560 --> 00:13:38,700 The shining bard who saw the face of the Most High, who carried the light of the 195 00:13:38,700 --> 00:13:40,060 Kingdom of Summer in his songs. 196 00:13:40,540 --> 00:13:45,580 In the moment of his greatest happiness, it is beyond a gut punch. In that one 197 00:13:45,580 --> 00:13:51,200 instant, she snatches him away from his wife, from his son, and she turns their 198 00:13:51,200 --> 00:13:56,400 joy into ashes and sets the stage for the long shadow that she is going to 199 00:13:56,400 --> 00:13:58,220 over this entire cycle. 200 00:13:58,440 --> 00:14:00,460 It's brutal. It's heartbreaking. 201 00:14:00,760 --> 00:14:05,240 And to be honest, I'm probably never going to forgive Jeremy Boring for it. 202 00:14:05,790 --> 00:14:11,450 But it's also pure genius because now we know that out of that tragedy will rise 203 00:14:11,450 --> 00:14:17,730 Merlin, half Atlantean, half prophet, carrying both of his parents' gifts 204 00:14:17,730 --> 00:14:18,649 in one. 205 00:14:18,650 --> 00:14:23,510 So that's our ride through episode two and that absolutely devastating ending 206 00:14:23,510 --> 00:14:28,950 that no one saw coming. We had prophecy, betrayal, romance, jealousy, and the 207 00:14:28,950 --> 00:14:32,830 very foundations of faith shaking ancient Britain. 208 00:14:33,550 --> 00:14:36,910 So what about you? What was the most impactful moment for you this episode? 209 00:14:37,110 --> 00:14:41,330 Leave a question, leave a comment, or a favorite scene below and let us know. 210 00:14:41,450 --> 00:14:45,870 Join us next time as we see what will next become of Merlin and Karis.