Cursed Episode 3 Review: “Alone” is the thinnest episode yet

Waking in an abbey, Nimue finds herself surrounded by strangers and forced to tend to Red Paladins. Arthur sets out on an adventure of his own. 

Secrets. The world of Cursed is full of secrets, and a lot of them come home to roost in the third episode, “Alone.” Nimue is alone for a while, but she finds unlikely allies along the way. Arthur and Merlin also operate solo and come to regret it. Teamwork is the name of the game, people.

Forced to pose as a nun in the abbey where Arthur left her, Nimue must tend to the wounded members of Father Cardin’s Red Paladins. She overhears that, with their lists and maps, Cardin and his followers have what they need to finally exterminate the Fay, once they obtain her people’s fabled sword, that is. She later manages to steal and burn some of those lists and maps and escapes Cardin’s clutches with the timely help of Arthur’s nun sister (Shalom Brune-Franklin).

CURSED (L TO R) DEVON TERRELL as ARTHUR in episode 102 of CURSED Cr. Netflix © 2020

Switching to Arthur, we flash back to his childhood, when he witnessed his father’s death. Back in the present, the budding leader convinces his uncle Sir Ector to fund him in a tournament. Arthur lies about how he obtained the sword he plans to use, but is found out. Merlin, meanwhile, goes to drink and sees the Widow. Her visions of his suffering to come unsettle but do not deter him.

A lot of secrets are exposed in this episode: Uther keeps his mother locked on a tower; Nimue’s charade as a nun goes up in smoke; Igraine is revealed to be a lesbian, with Nimue offering a strangely modern reaction; Igraine is also Arthur’s sister, actually named Morgana (that name is loaded in traditional Arthurian lore, as is Igraine); Arthur lies his face off to Sir Ector and ends up in the pillory and losing the sword to the bad guys.

There’s so much going on in this episode that it trips over itself, with the web of lies and intrigue becoming a liability. “Alone” feels thinner than the previous two episodes. Merlin’s journey is becoming increasingly hard to follow, or care about. We learn more about Arthur’s past, but his journey with the stolen blade feels more like a tangential morality tale than an important part of the main narrative, a device to drop the sword into the hands of the Red Paladins.

“Alone” is the weakest installment of Cursed so far: despite numerous secrets spilled, lies revealed and a hidden escape route, nothing much really happens. With so many legendary story arrows in its quiver, it seems impossible that Cursed won’t find its way to more engaging tales ahead.

Episode Grade: C+

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