Cover art by @anniestegg on Instagram

By Alena Nguyen

After seeing the hype on social media, I was curious as to what this new show called “Cursed” was about- and it deserves all the praise it receives. The show, starring ’13 Reasons Why’ star Katherine Langford as Nimue, is about the mythical Lady of the Lake who has to give Merlin his sword and teams up with some wannabe knight named Arthur (geez, I wonder who he could be in the future). And as with all teen shows, there’s obviously some romantic spark between our protagonist and her quest mate.

From the very beginning of the first episode, the visuals were as captivating as it was cryptic. Nimue’s red blood juxtaposing the blue water and white bubbles was stunning. The visuals are unlike most of Netflix’s fantasy shows like “The Witcher” or “Warrior Nun” where the color palette is anything but light, warm colors. The lush green forest adds to the fairytale lore and mystical aesthetic of the show. This teen take on Arthurian mythology is quite interesting as it features several “Game of Thrones” elements. The costuming was as beautiful as the cinematography and I greatly envy Nimue’s hairstyle in Episode 1.

While the show certainly looked quite aesthetically pleasing, the plot and lore of this fantastical universe was very confusing. I found it difficult to keep track of what was happening and how it fit into the ways of this universe while interpreting the significance of each character and whether or not they had magical powers. Maybe this is common with shows in the fantasy genre, but you have to be extremely dedicated to this show to be able to completely comprehend all the magical aspects of it- outside research may have to take place. The first two episodes are filled with lengthy yet dense information for the adventure to start in Episode 3. There’s definitely a better way to disperse all this knowledge throughout the series instead of making the viewers push through 2 hours worth of straight background information.

If you’re into complex world building, a drunk mage, forbidden romance, then “Cursed” may be the show for you. Stream all 10 episodes now on Netflix.