Cursed

I am guessing most of the 1 star reviews are from people that watched only 1 episode, the show gets better as it goes and is a decent distraction.

Reading all those negative reviews made me want to say something positive. It's very simple: I like it. It's not perfect, but it entertains me. And that's that. Good day!

There was a lot of promise here. Just having Floki (Skarsgard from Vikings) play a version of Merlin you have not seen before ... well as they say in Greece, that is all the money. Which is high praise, in case it does not translate as well as I think it does.

Having said that, the show is not just about Merlin. We do have more of the Arthurian legend ... well retold! You have people/names that you probably recognize ... but you will not really recognize the side of them as they are portrayed here. Unfortunately a lot of times the show remains bland and a bit vague in certain respects. And while it does not seem to hold back any punches ... it does resolve and use a lot of cliches. Which is a shame all things considering.

What is a shame for sure, especially for those amongst you who actually loved this way more than I ultimately did (and I wanted to love it more): there will be no season 2. And with so many characters future being ... not fully told or resolved ... you might not be too happy about the cliffhangers and the open questions this leaves you with.

That being said, it does have really good production values and it does look good (and is quite violent, more than some may like I reckon). Acting is good and if the "woke" and inclusive mentality of it all does not bother you, you will have a lot to discover.

First major issue. Lot of reviews are about that this show cannot decide, if this is a proper fantasy for adults or teenage romance drama. I agree and add one thing to this idea, that balance between this two formats is weird and for me, as more demanding viewer, dumb. Add 2 stars if you are casual viewer.

Second major issue is a lore of that world. You start watching it like: " there will be some paralel between legend of king Arthur and Excalibur sword". And that is mistake. Only the names are similar. I like historical accuracy, but this is about something else and it should be mentioned for example in first 5 min of show.

Third major issue is "Netflix pattern" for this shows. So rebel teen got power, fighting against parents, want to run, then "unexpected" twist, ... :D So this is hard to watch again and again and again.

Dialogues and script. I have feeling that i have seen and heard it already in others fantasy shows or movies. So unoriginal. Acting is sometimes bad, sometimes good. Fighting choreography is ... is there at least :D

In general, good show for summer. With tons of blood in there not for kids, with weak plot and dialogues and lot of teen drama not for adults.

I tried, I really did. But something's missing. My feeling is the actors' performances. But I don't understand why, because they are, generally, great actors. Still, the dullness and lack of spark were disappointing.