Thie episodes shown so far are very entertaining. The acting is good, the special effects are very well done. The budget was obviously considerable. The main character is made affable and intriguing.
However, it has so little to do with the main-stream Arthurian Legend that it actually does a disservice to young viewers. The Arthurian Legend is rich and has many variables. Its main sources are early Welsh and Celtic poems, Geoffrey of Monmouth's "History of the Kings of England," the romances of Chretien de Troyes, the distillation of Thomas Mallory in "Le Morte d'Arthur," Italian Renaissance poems, Tennyson's "Idylls of the King" and the 20th century distillation and retelling by T.H. White, "The Once and Future King."
I really enjoyed this episode, but other than the names of the characters, it has nothing at all to do with the legend. If these people were renamed and given distinct identities, rather than being bogus representations of iconic characters from literature, it would be so much better.
Obviously, there was very little concern for historical authenticity in the screenplay, and this quite naturally spills over into the costuming, grooming, scenery and music.
If only castles of the Middle Ages were so clean! Stained glass was still a thing of the future.
In short, I'd like this so much more if it were not pretending to be Arthur and Merlin. Similar blasphemies have been committed regarding other rich and classic legends; just think of the big budget "Tristan and Isolde" of 2006.
I am in no way condemning the practice of revisiting the legends and presenting new viewpoints or insights. "The Mists of Avalon" is a 1982 novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley, in which she relates the Arthurian legends from the perspective of the female characters.
It is a wonderful read and is very faithful to the heart of the legend.
I just wish this series had been called something else in which its originality could be celebrated rather than its distortion of legend sending dried up humanities teachers like me into apoplexy.
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