(Published Aug. 15, PDI-Entertainment)
By Oliver M. Pulumbarit
Contributor
A darker, grittier interpretation of the Arthurian legends, the series “Camelot” focuses on the trials of a young King Arthur, who must replace his recently deceased father Uther and fend off attacking usurpers. Familiar characters are made more human and cast into a more treacherous and chaotic world, which may make viewers forget the mythic figures’ predestined roles from time to time.
It tweaks the common mythology: the cruel King Uther (Sebastian Koch) was poisoned by his vengeful daughter Morgan (Eva Green), whom he exiled to a distant nunnery when she was a child. But another heir to the throne is revealed and retrieved by the king’s sorcerer Merlin (Joseph Fiennes). Raised by commoners, the carefree Arthur (Jamie Campbell Bower) is baffled by the revelation, but eventually accepts it and accompanies Merlin to a partly ruined stronghold. The structure was built by the ancient Romans, and is now known as Camelot.
Arthur is declared king in the nearly uninhabitable fortress. He is challenged by his half-sister Morgan, but after failing to take the throne by force, she resorts to sorcery and duplicity while guided by her scheming nun mentor, Sybil (Sinead Cusack). Arthur begins carving his own legend, marshaling forces loyal to his father and winning over skeptics after uprooting the enchanted “Sword of Mars.”
The 10-episode series has very few similarities with the ongoing fantasy show “Merlin,” which mostly offers more escapist fare. “Camelot” is often dreary and discomfiting, primarily because of its depictions of more violent situations. But the characters are still imbued with unpredictability despite countless prior reinterpretations. Merlin, for example, is portrayed as perplexingly moody and flawed. In one episode, careless mistakes he made during his acquisition of the sword Excalibur end in tragedy.
Some slow-developing subplots require patience, but there are noteworthy portrayals. Claire Forlani surprises with her sexy turn as the kind and impassioned widow Queen Igraine. Scene-stealing Eva Green’s disgruntled Morgan ultimately makes watching the show rewarding; she’s deliciously over-the-top as the commanding coup plotter, but amazingly subtle when showing her vulnerable side. Among all the “Camelot” characters, Morgan is rightly the most imposing, her dark but intriguing revenge story a crucial contrast to Arthur’s more “ordinary” tale of transformation.
“Camelot” airs Tuesdays,
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