Everyone is mad at Arthur (for good reason) in The Winter King Episode 9

The Winter King is only one episode away from wrapping up its first (and maybe only) season, and I’ve actually started to enjoy it. As a fan of the original books by Bernard Cornwell and a fan of well-constructed TV, I struggled with the first half of this season, which I thought kept making the wrong dramatic choices at every opportunity. But since around the time Arthur married Guinevere, things have improved. Characters have become more believable, the dramatic stakes have been raised, and the shows has had less in the way of outwardly ludicrous moments, like the time Merlin put guards to sleep with a Jedi mind trick. I’m still not over that one.

But Merlin hasn’t shown up in episodes, which I think is for the best. If I had to pinpoint one aspect of the show that has failed the books the most, it would be Merlin, a fascinating character on the page reduced to a cookie cutter magic mentor on the show. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the last few episodes haven’t included him and the last few episodes have been pretty good.

So what makes The Winter King Episode 9 another winner? Let’s talk specifics.

The Winter King ramps up the character drama in strong Episode 9

This episode could be called, “The One Where Arthur Realized He F**ked Up.” Everyone is down on the future King of the Britons, and with good reason. By choosing to marry Guinevere rather than going through with his betrothal to Ceinwyn, Arthur made an enemy of her father King Gorfydd, who’s allegiance Arthur needs if he’s going to protect Britain from Saxon invasion. Now Gorfydd has allied himself with a Saxon leader and killed Arthur’s advisor Bishop Bedwin essentially out of spite. Arthur’s sister Morgan, who had a long-standing thing for Bedwin, is especially mad with him and tells him off for all of his f**k-ups. Iain De Caestecker remains likable as Arthur, so we can sympathize with him, but it’s not like Morgan’s wrong.

All of Arthur’s ill luck starts with Guinevere (and it won’t end here; if you’re at all familiar with the Arthurian legend you know what I’m talking about). The only priest that would marry them was the opportunistic Bishop Sansum, who in return for blessing the marriage strong-arms Arthur into letting him build a church near the pagan stronghold of Avalon. This pisses off the druid Nimue (does anyone else find the show’s insistence on calling her a “druidess” a little off-putting?), who curses the Christians. When they start dying, they accuse her of poisoning them. Nimue doesn’t admit this to Arthur, but nor does she deny it, which fits with her stubborn streak. Choosing the middle path between executing her and letting her off the hook, Arthur exiles her to the Isle of the Dead, which is basically an outdoor insane asylum where the inmates are bound in my magic walls…or rather, everyone believe there are a magic walls around the place, which comes to much the same thing.

In this episode, Derfel finds evidence that the Christians actually died from drinking polluted well water, meaning that Arthur wrongly sent Nimue into exile. So on the one hand Arthur is getting told off by his sister, and on the other by the younger man who idolizes him, and no amount of tough talk is going to make things better.

The scene between Arthur and Derfel hurts more than the one between Arthur and Morgan, I think because we know that Morgan isn’t going anywhere. “Make it right,” she says. She still has faith that Arthur will do the right thing in the end. But Derfel is different. Actor Stuart Campbell plays this scene quietly; Derfel speaks to Arthur with deference, but there’s no spark in his eyes, no indication that he’s following this man out of love and respect rather than obligation. It’s a friend breakup from which there may be no coming back.

I like that the show has found a balance between Arthur and Derfel, who are kind of sharing top billing as the main character. Earlier in the series, the show couldn’t seem to decide who it wanted to spend time with, but now that both characters are well into their journeys, we can switch from one to the other without getting bored or frustrated. Arthur eventually pulls himself out of his self-pitying funk to try and shore up defenses against the Saxons, while Derfel disobeys his lord and heads to the Isle of the Dead to rescue Nimue. We sympathize with both of them and look forward to seeing how (or whether) they’ll resolve things, rather than dread how the show will mess up this time.

Verdict

Guinevere, who’s at the center of all these problems, is also emerging as a more well-rounded character. She joins Morgan and Derfel for telling off Arthur for his decision-making, and does what she can to bring Nimue back from exile. As a result of everyone he loves being disappointed in him, Arthur reaches a new emotional low point. He’s brought out of it mostly a pep talk from his wife, plus some makeup sex that operates on pure TV logic, meaning that they seem to reach climax despite no one taking off any clothes. That quibble aside, it’s easy to believe that these two really are in a relationship, with all the attendant ups and downs.

“Episode 9” is basically a lead-in to the finale; there’s no last-minute shocking twist like there was in “Episode 8.” But at least the show has righted itself to the point where I’m actually looking forward to the finale now.

But is this too little, too late? Are people still watching The Winter King, or did they fall off several weeks ago before the series began its upswing? That’s a question the executives at MGM+ will have to reckon with soon enough. For now, I’m happy finally enjoying the ride.

Episode Grade: B

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