Page vs Screen: Cursed

Born in the Dawn - To pass in the Twilight

As I write this, I'm still hesitating between writing a single post about the Thomas Wheeler (author) & Frank Miller (illustrator) book Cursed and the corresponding Netflix series, or keeping page and screen separate. Even with the series - cover each episode as I have done for other series? Or because it's Netflix and I marathoned through it treat it as a single 10h film? So many decisions... I guess I'll just have to start writing and we'll see what comes out of it.

Cursed is a feminist retelling of the Arthurian myth, written by Thomas Wheeler and illustrated by Frank Miller. It's a young adult fantasy novel that reframes the Arthurian legends by telling them through the character of Nimue, famously known as the Lady of the Lake in the traditional versions (sometimes an ally of Arthur's, others the keeper of Excalibur, and in yet others a protégé of Merlin's who steals his magic and leaves him trapped in a tree). In Cursed she is a young Fey woman (the Fey are various clans of humanoid beings with a connection to the spirit world that probably inhabited Britain before humans came, and have been slowly being pushed out of their lands by humans, more recently persecuted by  fanatics called Red Paladins sent by the Church), whose mother Lenore is the Arch-Druid and healer of her Sky-Folk clan. The story begins as their village is attacked by Red Paladins, and Lenore entrusts Nimue with a powerful sword and asks her to deliver it to Merlin.

Since books have trailers now (?!), here's a look at the book and show trailers:

 

I thought it would be interesting to contrast the book and the show, as they were pretty much created at the same time (Wheeler and Miller hadn't even finished writing it when Netflix optioned it for a series adaptation, and the book hadn't been released yet while the show was filming) and Wheeler is showrunner of the Netflix series. Well, book 1 and season 1 (in case others come out in time).

Obviously spoilers for both book and TV show below! (and potentially for a follow up book if they pick up some of the threads from the show that weren't in the book)

Robin Hood 113: "A Clue: No"

In which the Sheriff and Gisbourne corner Robin and his men forcing a violent standoff... while everyone else prepares for the return of the King.

And that's just the first 5 minutes! More violent than usual as Robin changes his methods out of despair from the previous episode's ending (this one picks up exactly where the previous left off). Standoff saved at the last minute by the reappearance of Will and Alan who decided not to abscond with Gisbourne's riches.

Do not mess with this Robin...

Spoilers below!

Robin Hood 112: "The Return of the King"

In which Robin and Marian are finally honest with each other, and Robin desperately tries to prove the identity of an assassin and stop a wedding.

The news of the King Richard's imminent visit to Nottingham on his way to London brings a sense of urgency with it, as Gisbourne prepares for his wedding to Marian, she prepares for a final outing as the Nightwatchman, and Robin tries to find the proof that the Sheriff and Gisbourne plotted to kill the King in the Holy Land.

Could this be our last outing with the Nightwatchman?

Spoilers below!

Robin Hood 111: "Dead Man Walking"

In which Gisbourne ups his tax collecting, the Sheriff organizes a Festival, and a family secret is revealed.

Taxes, taxes and more taxes! And if you can't pay? Arrested! The excuse this time is "the King's levy", money to help pay for the war in the Holy Land. Unfortunately while pressing a cooper in Locksely for his taxes, Gisbourne's men happen upon a couple of Saracen war bows he's made for Robin's men... His arrest is made worse by their taking his apprentice as well, who turns out to be John's son! Of course John loses it, tries to free them, and ends up a prisoner himself!

Spoilers below

Robin Hood 110: "Peace? Off!"

In which Robin and his men help out a returning Crusader, and find themlseves embroiled in some international diplomacy and spy-craft.

There's a lot going on here, and at the same time nothing much to move the overall seasonal plot forward: PTSD. Superstitions (fears of Saracen "witchcraft"). Discussions of magic vs science. Kidnapping. Assassination attempts. International diplomacy...

Spoilers below!

Robin Hood 109: "A Thing or Two About Loyalty"

In which Robin must foil the Sheriff's plans to get his hands on a weapon of mass destruction.

This one's pretty straightforward: a friend of Gisbourne's has invented a black explosive powder (gunpowder!), which everyone is calling "Greek Fire" (because at the time gunpowder was still exclusive to the far East, and the only scary explosive Western man had witnessed was the Byzantines Greek Fire in the Eastern Mediterranean).

Boom!

Spoilers below!

Robin Hood 108: "Tattoo? What Tattoo?"

In which Robin spends a lot of time tied to a tree, and discovers the identity of a would-be royal assassin.

Robin awakes from yet another nightmare about his time in the Holy Land. This time the night a saracen assassin infiltrated the camp, stabbed him and left him for dead and went to kill the King. Robin managed to foil the attempt and in so doing sliced through a tattoo on the assassin's arm, leaving a distinct scar.

It so happens it's the King's birthday, and Much finds it galling that Gisbourne is throwing a feast in Locksley Manor! At said party he also announces to all that Marian has accepted to be his wife on the King's return.

Spoilers below!

Robin Hood 107: "Brothers in Arms"

In which the Gisbourne sets a trap for a spy in Nottingham Castle, a family member causes trouble, Marian kicks ass, an offer of marriage is made and a snake gets his comeuppance.

Two new characters move along the action in this episode, together with the Sheriff and Gisbourne's usual plotting to catch Robin: 

Carpetbagger Lucky George

• Lucky George, a slithery character in league with the Sheriff who visits villages ahead of the Taxman and offers the villagers pennies in exchange for their valuables, so they'll have cash to pay their taxes. Valuables Robin and his men of course later relieve him of (and return to their owners) as he passes through Sherwood.
• Tom, Allan's brother, a no-good conman and thief who starts off the episode trying to defend himself from angry villagers by claiming he's one of Robin's men and Robin will defend him (this to Robin's face, so rather amusing scene for all involved, except Tom).

Suspecting there's a spy in Nottingham helping Robin, the Sheriff orders Gisbourne to set a trap to flush out the spy (misleading information about a chest of silver traveling through the forest with no guards, told only to his sergeant so he could set it up).

Spoilers below!

Robin Hood 106: "The Taxman Cometh"

In which the Sheriff sets yet another trap for Robin, but gets more than he bargained for.

This story appears to be all original, although it does involve stealing of taxes and continues to play with disguises and trickery and people who are not what they seem in order to trick either Robin or the Sheriff.

Appearances can be doubly deceiving...

That and Gisbourne doesn't let up on his wooing of Marian.

Spoilers below!

Robin Hood 105: "Turk Flu"

In which miners strike, slaves are brought in to replace them, Robin attends an archery competition and the gang gets a new member.

It's time for one of Robin Hood's most famous adventures: the archery competition! Which as we all remember is usually a trap concocted by the Sheriff for Robin, whom he knows can't help but show up and win it. Various versions have involved various more or less elaborate disguises and daring escapes, this one of course does the same.

Instead of doing a traditional take on the competition, here it was incorporated in a more elaborate scheme to once again foil Gisbourne and the Sheriff, involving an iron ore mine, slaves and a good dose of prejudice and superstition. Plus some well-applied Saracen science. 😉

Spoilers below!

Robin Hood 104: "Parent Hood"

In which Robin and co. find a babe in the woods, and lose one of their own.

"For every man there is a purpose which he sets up in his life. Let yours be the doing of all good deeds."

Robin quoting the Coran to his men.

This is the episode where the series creators want to show us that not everyone is safe, that characters we care about can and will die.

But before we get to that (and after they find the babe in the woods), Robin continues to be a show-off when he tries to help Marian get food into a quarantined village (that the Sheriff wants to starve so he can use it as accommodation for his troops). Instead of just tossing the food over the wall he shoots it over with arrows grinning as the villagers yell "Bless you Robin Hood"!

Spoilers below!

Robin Hood 103: "Who Shot The Sheriff?"

In which the Sheriff tries to make the people hate Robin Hood, we are introduced to the Nightwatchman, and Gisbourne has a political rival in Nottingham.

As the episode opens, Much calls out on Robin's need to be loved by the people (even the Sheriff comments on it later), so he tries to play it down by not taking credit for his actions 

"Do me a favor. Tell them you have not seen me. Tell them this is your own scheme. (Why?) My friends think I am vain!"

An archer goes around killing people (either popular officials or innocent people who die in attempts to kill the Sheriff or just randomly in Nottingham), and first off the people think it's Robin. The Sheriff is also aware of how much Robin needs to feel loved, and so blames all the deaths on Robin, and enjoys watching the people turn against Robin en masse... 

Robin and his men in a tussle with the villagers

Spoilers below!

Robin Hood 102: "Sheriff Got Your Tongue?"

In which the Merry Men come together, get a mission statement, and Robin a new name.

Robin Hood's second episode brings us the Merry Men! Or at least the members of Robin's band who already lived in Sherwood at the start of the series. These include the famous John Little, leader of the Sherwood outlaws. These all consider themselves to be "dead men" (and are believed to be so by the families left behind when they had to flee the local justice).

John Little and Royston White

Of course Robin's group and these don't become instant friends, bonding over their hatred of the Sheriff. Nope. It first involves one or other group tying the other up and stripping them (and then vice versa), possibility of a reward, a self-sacrifice to save some villagers' tongues and a daring rescue.

Robin Hood 101: "Will You Tolerate This?"

In which we meet our heroes and villains, and the adventures begin.

Well, well! Robin Hood's first episode definitely landed on its feet and immediately started running! Within the first 10' we've established Robin's skill with the bow and a sword, his intolerance for abuse of power, and that he's a ladies' man. :p

Lady Marion of Knighton and Sir Robin of Locksley, Earl of Huntingdon AKA Robin Hood

We also get our new Marian, who is feisty and speaks her mind (to her father's regret), and who has no time for Robin's flirting (we sense a past there!). Their fun banter gives us a taste of the romance to come.

"Robin: Marian, wait. This is not the time, I know. But I must say, you are, more than ever... your eyes, even when you look at me in anger... I feel you. And I still believe, even after all this time, you can see into my soul.

Marian: Five years and you're still peddling the same old drivel? Does it ever work?"

Adventures galore in the BBC's Robin Hood

I remember when I first heard about the BBC doing a Robin Hood series. It was a family trip to London in September 2006, and there were posters on the bus stops advertising it. I remember thinking "A Robin Hood TV series?! Yes please!".  I'd only ever seen the odd episode of Robin of Sherwood (the only other Robin Hood TV series I know of, to be reviewed here some day in the far off future ), so was extra excited at the chance to see one of my favorite characters brought to life on a weekly basis (and with the quality the BBC is known for). Of course it didn't come out on TV in Belgium where I lived at the time (boo!), but the next year (or later? not sure when exactly) I saw the 1st season on DVD in the Fnac in Alicante and just jumped on it! Then ended up having to order the following seasons off Amazon UK since for some reason Spain only did "one and done".

I also remember my first general reactions while watching it. It was a lot of fun, the actors were great (particularly the villains) and we were thrown straight into the action from the very beginning. However I also remember needing a while to adjust to the dialogue! The language felt a bit too modern for me, both in terms of jargon (some odd slang sneaks in from time to time, as well as groan-inducing puns or word games, showcased for example in the episode titles, i.e. 102 "Sheriff Got Your Tongue") as well as modern references or winks (political and cultural). To that I could add on the negative side the anachronistic elements in some of the costumes (some head coverings resemble bandanas or beanies, shirts under the armor clearly industrial etc.). I'm guessing the anachronistic wardrobe was due to budgetary restrictions, and the language probably to attract a modern young audience. Anyhow, once I got the hang of it, I was in it for the long haul, and on a re-watch the lingo is more amusing than jarring!

Deaths of King Arthur and Robin Hood on Once Upon a Time

It's funny how despite not sharing much screen time during this show, both Robin Hood and King Arthur managed to join the lists of the tragic dead in the same episode!

If you don't want to know how it happened... Stay away from the spoilers below! ;o)

Robin Hood and King Arthur sharing screen time on Once Upon a Time!

Woohoo! My two favorite legendary characters are finally on-screen together! :o)

Robin Hood

King Arthur

Although they don't interact almost at all, they do share the screen in a couple of scenes during the first half of Once Upon a Time's fifth season.

Tragic Merlin on Once Upon a Time

Every version of the Arthurian Legend has its own version of each of the legendary figures, and Once Upon a Time is no different. After several episodes in which we've gotten to know these versions of Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, in episodes 505 & 507 we finally learn Merlin's story.

Warning: Spoilers for Season 5 of Once Upon a Time from here on out!

Camelot meets Storybrooke in Season 5a of Once Upon a Time

Once Upon a Time started out based on the characters in the fairy tale of Snow White, then episode by episode expanded the cast to include other stories, sometimes even letting us visit those other lands. But through the first four seasons to only reference to Camelot was in passing, a land of legend mentioned by an exiled Lancelot when he meets Snow White and Prince Charming in the Enchanted Forest. That ends now as a magical twister drops Grannie's dinner and our heroes in the Kingdom of Camelot!

WARNING! Spoilers ahead for season 5a of Once Upon a Time.

The first half of season 5 of OUAT takes place between Camelot and Storybrooke, with the Camelot stories taking place 6 weeks before the "present time" in Storybrooke. I won't go into all the story details of each episode, since the point of this blog isn't OUAT. We'll just look into our favorite Arthurian characters and see what they're like in their fairytale world, and how they adapt to our modern world.

In Camelot

First off, this Camelot is definitely a fairytale-medieval version of Camelot! Gorgeous castle with turrets and pennants etc, you can definitely see the Disney influence. They of course throw a gorgeous ball (to welcome our heroes to their land, and to celebrate Merlin's prophesied imminent release from the tree).

Lancelot returns to Once Upon a Time!

We met Lancelot in the s2 episode "Lady of the Lake". A knight who exiled himself from Camelot for the love of a woman, and who helped out Snow and Charming in the past, and who was apparently killed by Cora (Regina's very evil mother, the Queen of Hearts). Episode 503 "The Siege Perilous" references this when Arthur and Charming talk of the Round Table.

"This is the Siege Perilous, reserved for the knight with the purest heart. The one destined to carry out the most sacred quests. It belonged to a man I trusted more than a brother, but he betrayed me. It's been vacant since."

When Charming tells Arthur that he and Snow met him once, Arthur seems genuinely happy to hear of him and asks how he is. And truly downcast when Charming tells him that he died.

"Lancelot failed to resits temptation but he was a good knight. He tortured himself for his sins more than I would have done and I wished him happy, just not with my wife."

But Snow sees Lancelot at the end of the episode! He warns Snow that the Dark One is not the only villain in Camelot.

"There is a terrible villain in Camelot. (...) Arthur. Trust me, Camelot is not the place it seems."

And with that cryptic beginning, Lancelot is BACK! And definitely not dead. ;o)