The Winter King (2023– ) User Reviews

Unfaithful adaptation

[thecomputationallinguist · 5/10 · 21 August 2023]

This review is from someone who has read and loves the books. While I understand that some adaptation needs to happen to fit this complex narrator-driven story for the screen, I feel that some of the corners that were cut were not trivial.

Final Edit: I can't do it. I'm on episode 6 where Guinevere and Ceinwyn are introduced. The dialogue juvenile. Okay now Derfel has a mullet, classic Saxon trailer park fare. I advise others to turn off their screen and read the book instead. Better yet, Audible's recording narrated by Jonathan Keeble is fantastic.

Edit after episode 2: ep 2 is chaotic, and lacks cohesion in editing. The acting is good, and it is nice to see some events from the book portrayed, although again, they are adapted and delivered in a way that is less satisfying than what happens in the book. I'm annoyed at Morgan's character, as she is simply nothing like the twisted, scarred and bitter character from the book. The shades of character seem to have been reduced to "good guy" and "bad guy". Arthur at least is supposed to be nauseatingly "good", but Merlin, Morgan, Namue, Owain....come on. Give these characters back their grit! Their nuance! I think my score still stands but I will continue to edit as episodes come out (I swore an oath to finish the series).

Original review:

First, Merlin's character thus far is far from what he was in the book, and a lot of important plot elements are founded on his characteristics as an old, bearded, Celtic Druid and his particular balance of sagesse and lunacy. A young, black, lucid, intelligent, smooth-faced buddy Merlin simply clashes with essential plot points, and it is unclear how this will affect the original story. So far, it makes little sense. Also, him and Arthur are supposed to have a more complicated relationship. They admire each other, but aren't all "buddy buddy" like it shows in the TV show. They're not peers, or old old college roommates, and its weird to see them portrayed as such in the first episode.

The first episode tries to cover a lot of ground, but I feel like it rushes to establish relationships that took many chapters to develop in the book. I already mentioned the Arther/Merlin relationship is completely off, but the Derfel/Nimue dynamic felt extremely rushed and flimsy. Again, their relationship is integral to the story, and I feel like it would have been worth building up Nimue's Druidic ambitions and how that affects Derfel over the course of several episodes, rather than within the first 2 minutes of meeting her. Similarly, the TV show tries to establish Derfel's complex history into a shortened sequence that can't have lasted more than 4 minutes cumulative. And what's up with that terrible wig!

I appreciated the attempt to explain Arthur's presence in Gaul by depicting events not covered in the books. But similar to the Nimue and Derfel arcs in the first episode, this did end up feeling rushed and implausible. E.g. As he's being escorted out of Cair Cadern, he happens to be right next to the War Room where he pulls in his Buddy Owain (they are rivals in the book, not friends) and conveniently shows us the map and recites the main players in the upcoming struggles. The guards just kind of let it happen. How serendipitous!

It is possible that future episodes will improve on pacing, but the character changes are concerning. It feels like the richness of Bernard Cornwell's characters are being sacrificed on the altar of marketing startegy. Hopefully it gets better. Hopefully I'm wrong.

Watchable, but a disappointing adaptation

[hmbcxwwp · 6/10 · 1 January 2024]

The Warlord Chronicles are among my favourite books, having read them a number of times. Whilst this adaptation captures some of the key elements of the first book, there is still much that is missing, particularly a heart to the story.

This is made to be Arthur's story rather than Derfel's. Consequently the complexities and nuances of certain relationships between characters are lost, particularly through the role of Merlin. This makes the production less interesting than it could otherwise have been.

World building is also a bit lacklustre and the sense of scale is lost by putting characters on horseback, a very noticeable shift in the story. Thus we lose some of the grit and realism of battles that came through the book (where are the shield walls?) and could have made for a compelling adaptation, rather just giving us something that we've seen before.

The adaptation also seeks to reflect "the world we live in today" through both its casting choices and the way in which certain characters are written. This works in some respects, but doesn't in others which is ultimately to the detriment of the show.

I've watched through the whole of series 1 and whilst I found it watchable, as a long time fan of the books, i felt this was an opportunity missed.

Just not compelling

[Coolelle-Towanda · 5/10 · 26 August 2023]

It's hard to quantify why this show doesn't work. Certainly the historical inaccuracies turned me off, especially the language - who in the fifth century asks, "Gotta minute?"

But it's way more than that - mediocre acting, uninteresting characters, a plot as slow as a soap opera, and no beauty or elegance whatsoever. I'm not really into fight and battle scenes, but I would have welcomed a few in the first episode, in place of the violent beatings and degradation it contained.

Game of Thrones has huge pluses over this show, including internal consistency, and gorgeous actors with true talent.

Steak source material but served as tofu?

[DazzlaMF · 3/10 · 26 December 2023]

Bernard Cornwall's Winter King trilogy are three great historical fiction novels centred around the legend of King Arthur. The books are full of characters, intrigue, action and compelling plot lines, all told with Cornwall's excellent skills that bring 4th century Britain to life.

So seeing a TV adaption with string source material filled me with excitement. Sadly, this series, while broadly following the books had inexplicably replaced strong characters with the cast from a day-time TV soap, with a similar dilution of any of the colour, depth and visceral action that make the books so compelling.

In truth I struggled through watching this with a constant sense of irritation and disappointment as the characters I so enjoyed in print were portrayed with all of their interesting flaws, eccentricities and depth of character removed. This felt like ordering for steak and red wine for dinner but being served tofu and water.

Entertaining Enough

[Rob1331 · 8/10 · 28 March 2024]

The Winter King is even better than I expected would be. It tells the story of how of former monk turned warrior, Arthur Pendragon, became known as King Arthur and the lord of war. My only hesitation was that the role of Arthur went to Iain De Caestecker who I only knew from Agents of Shield. His character in that was more of a nerdy scientist so I thought I would have a hard time buying him as Arthur. I was wrong. He is terrific as the lead here. Actually, the entire cast is great here except for the actress who plays Nimue. She's awful and badly written. If you're a fan of this story and King Arthur then this will not disappoint. It's a must watch for any Arthur fan.

Complaints

[dreamingwolf-01253 · 7/10 · 30 September 2023]

I want to start by saying I never read the books this is based off of. Just like other shows and movies, I base my reviews on the actual show not a comparison. I like the winter king. It leaves me begging for more. The characters are good. The writing could use a little work but not every show is perfect. As for the complaints of the show not being the same as for the books, everyone loved the Harry Potter movies but yet they were off from the books. Can't pick and choose which adaptations are ok to forgive and which ones are not. I like the winter king. Each episode gets better and better. I hope it continues.

Just awful, don't waste your time

[auntieajr · 3/10 · 1 September 2023]

I was so looking forward to The Winter King being on the same par as The Last Kingdom also based on Bernard Cornwell books. However, I'm left greatly disappointed after having slogged through the first episode of The Winter King. The dialogue was stilted and cringe worthy, the casting was bland, the wigs looked like they came out of grandma's dress up box, the direction was odd and wonky, and the editing was just bad. All of it was just.... ugh! I haven't read the books so I can't speak to the adaptation (given the other reviews, it looks like only the names of the characters were left intact) but given how truly terrible the first episode was, I think I will seek out the books just to erase this show from my memory.

Pretty Good

[Supermanfan-13 · 8/10 · 25 March 2024]

I have to say that I've been looking forward to The Winter King ever since I first heard about it. I love these kind of shows, this genre is definitely one of my favorites. When I first heard about this I was excited but once I saw the trailers my expectations grew even more. While it might not be quite as good as I was hoping for it's still pretty good and worth the time to watch it. It might start a little slow for some but stick with it because it picks up in a hurry and you won't be able to stop watching. I didn't think Ian De Caestecker would be able to pull off the role of Arthur but he does. He's actually the best of the show. Besides the acting and writing being pretty good, the visuals are also good. I hope that we get multiple seasons of this.

Slow to start but very good overall making me want a 2nd series.

[frank-brennan-1 · 7/10 · 6 January 2024]

It took a while to get going but by episode 4 compelled me to keep watching and by episode 6 I binge-watched to the end. It was well-acted and solidly produced. Ignoring the views of the history buffs, this is a solid watch. Overall not as good as The Last Kingdom (which is as good as Game of Thrones and Vikings so a very high bar for comparison) but excellent all the same. Ignore the very low reviews which are simply not realistic considering the acting and production values. I'd give this 6 stars for the first 4 episodes and 8 stars for the last 6 so 7 overall. My anticipation is that the 2nd series will be better now that the main characters have been established.

Bastardization of the books

[jamasperspers · 2/10 · 29 August 2023]

It feels like they could have not tried harder to misrepresent the books. Arthur does not appear as a character right away in the books. Uther should be okd as hell, Merlin too, and politics is central to the story. Freaking start there, strong, like Game of Thrones does; thats the strength of the original plot. What in gods name are the writers doing, are they even fans of Arthurian literature? It doesnt feel like it. The books present to me as ready made for film adaptation, an adaptation that requires little in the way of dramatization for a series that requires at minimum three seasons. And they botch it, from the start. What a wasted opportunity. I cant imagine that Bernard Cornwell is happy with this.

Loved this

[annabethlynch · 8/10 · 6 March 2024]

This was right up my street. It is an original telling of old tales. The performances are strong with a good blend of actors. Good locations too.it felt accurate from a pagan point of view although a little judgemental at times. I thoroughlyenjoyed it andwould highly recommend to anyone wanting a more realistic take on King Arthur legends and the beliefs, practices and pressures of the times. Just a personal thing but I'd have liked more music of the time, I always feel this adds more authenticity and places the audience there in a very subtle but powerful way. As always, a joy to see Craig parkinson appear, a hugely underrated actor.

Gets better

[GunterOtte · 7/10 · 1 January 2024]

First couple of episodes aren't that good, but once past that, it's getting better and better and I'm hooked now. Most likely, the people which are giving a ridiculous low rating didn't watch more than one or two episodes, but the story needs some buildup.

There are quite some nice plot twists, and the lead characters are performing decently. Some of the supporting characters are not very talented, but it's not that hard to look over that, because the story is actually quite nice and refreshing.

Worth the try. I really enjoyed watching this.

This is one of the many series where you don't want to rely on the IMDB rating and see for yourself.

The only thing in common with the book is the character names

[ibme-88055 · 1/10 · 27 August 2023]

No golden masked Morgan. Merlin is present from the first. I re-read the books just to see if my memory of the series was wrong. Very disappointing. Owain and Arthur have a respect for each other, but we're not friends. Nimue is Merlins teenage lover and 2nd on the tour. And the use of horses is confusing. They shouldnt say it's based on the warlord series. Author didn't save Derfel from the death pit. The kid walked out on his own. If you're going to say it's based on a series you should try to keep it as close as possible. This show doesn't even attempt that. The first chapter of the books is the birth of Mordrid. Merlin was not there and derfel was a small child. It's just bad.

I had such hopes for a historic piece.

[bash-01270 · 1/10 · 26 August 2023]

I expected at least sensible care to be taken to stay true to historicity of an ancient indigenous people and their ancient lore and superstitions whilst also working within the framework of the books. What I didn't expect was a complete slap in the face of ahistorical nonsense that feels like the creators didn't even know it was based on a series of books to begin with.

This is as much a period piece as A Knights Tale. And as much true to the books as Game of Thrones' last episode was. This was painful to endure, but I powered through hoping for some kind of redeeming quality to come into the light. I am actually more disappointed with myself for holding out any hope given the state of media in the last ten years than I am with the writers. I should know Hollywood writers are going to destroy everything they touch by now. I wasn't surprised.

Honestly good, dont trust the haters

[sadan_astrid · 6/10 · 8 October 2023]

I didnt expect much and honestly the show is really good. It looks very good, the actors are talented, the plot is gritty.

The show has a goal and it gets there. The sidestories are nice and it feels like there are no fillers.

There are 3 Camps of people reviewing: 1.: Those that read the book 2.: Those that read a lot about the arthurian Legend 3.: Those that actually watch it with an open mind.

The first 2 groups are disappointed because they come in expecting something specific. The third group (which I belong to) Appreciates the show for what it is: An intruiging Drama. I hope that you watch it with an open mind. The Show does not deserve its low rating. It objectively atleast is an 7/10

Do watch it!

Terrible Adaptation of a great book series

[tempashot · 2/10 · 27 August 2023]

As a huge fan of the books, I was both excited and nervous when I heard they were being made into a TV series. From the moment I watched the trailer I knew I wasn't gonna enjoy this. It seems the writers have just used the book title and a few character names and just made their own story. All the things that made the books stand out as a brilliant different version of the Arthur tale have been pushed aside in favour of another generic take on the story. The character of Merlin was a highlight in the books. Old, senile, rude, selfish and basically a dirty old man. But here they have just turned him into a generic forgettable heroic type. Derfel and Nimue's dynamic that was essential to the story has been totally forgotten. Where's the blood pact with the scars on the hands??? When did Somerset have a mountain range??? Where is Morgan's Mask, Nimue's gold eyeball, Hywelbane, the religious turmoil etc etc etc I could go on and on, there's so much difference to the books that it just isn't The Winter King.

Such a disappointment and shame, if they had just followed the books then this series could have been a real hit!

Another typical terrible 'Hollywood' adaptation, completely ruined a fantastic chance to do the books the justice they deserve.

A MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT!

[GilVillahermosa · 7/10 · 28 August 2023]

I love historical works.

And I love the works of Bernard Cornwall - who I think is a brilliant writer!

But the writers of the first two episodes of THE WINTER KING have missed the mark. The first two episodes fail to hook the viewer early (or even later).

The Arthur character appears for the first few and last minutes of the firsts two episodes. The writers have failed to place him at the center of the story. Perhaps they thought it would build suspense. It doesn't.

As a result we are left with many back and other stories, all far from Arthur.

Furthermore, most of the story drags on with the viewer wondering how long until something happens. And when it does happen it does so in a predictable way with few plot twists & turns.

There could have been much more complexity and conflict in both episodes. As it is, there is little here that is compelling.

I watched more from curiosity than anything else.

These first two episodes could have been done in a single episode with Arthur at the center.

I will watch the third episode when it posts simply because I have a rule to watch three episodes of a new TV series before throwing in the towel. But I'm warming up my throwing arm.

Do The Show Runners Know This Is Based On Books?

[tfconsultinginc · 1/10 · 4 September 2023]

I have never looked forward to a series as much as this one... I was all over the production company's website the day I heard they bought the rights... I was counting the days... I am absolutely bummed after watching the first 2 episodes.... They have done the book an awful disservice... this is terrible... I don't even know where to begin... Morgan and Merlin have been completely changed for the worse... Morgan is now a beautiful, polite and loving woman... Merlin is much more concerned with the Dumnonia then the gods and goes to bring Arthur back home... I appreciate that you need to make some changes to make the transition from book to film, but this is atrocious.

Atmospheric

[lizkyme · 10/10 · 21 January 2024]

Not having read the books, I enjoyed The Winter King for the excellent (if often gory) series it is. I found it suspenseful and atmospheric and as it was caught up on ItvX, episodes were watched back to back! Excellent casting, especially Aneirin Hughes as Gorfydd and Steven Elder as Bishop Bedwin. I believe Bernard Cornwell based The Warlord Chronicles on Welsh history and that makes it, in my mind, far more interesting than the often more magically inspired dramatised versions of the Arthurian legends. I hope a second series is going to be made, as series 1 was left on a cliffhanger and there is so much more left to tell.

Give it a chance with a clear mind

[catherinemccutcheon1-722-557842 · 7/10 · 24 September 2023]

I'm not a massive fan of political dramas, but in an historical setting retelling a story that you think you know and it's enjoyable or at least I am and have.

It's not The Last Kingdom but I found that so slow to start before being told to give it a chance and I was glad I did. People need to give this a chance and stop comparing it.

You don't know what's going to happen and I'm finding that exciting and enjoyable. You think you know what pieces are moving and your wrong, or at least I am. I haven't read the book though!

Just give it a chance, watch it all and then decide on your own. Iain as Arthur is playing a role you think you know in a completely different way to how other shows have shown him.

Did you read the books: if yes I doubt you'll like it. Never read the books: probably won't hate it but doubt you'll like it.

[grantgoodrich-68267 · 5/10 · 25 September 2023]

So I love anything that has to do with King Arthur and Bernard Cornwell is one of my favorite writers so to have him do an Arthurian book series was awesome!! I love the tv version of "The Last Kingdom" by him and was really hoping this would be similar but sadly it's not even close. The creators/writers of the show either never read the books or decided to just ignore them entirely. I've watched all 5 episodes to air and every one makes me more disappointed in what could've been a great show. Outside of the fact it's very different from the books the acting, writing, casting, and overall production is just bad. Only gave it a 5 cause I love the legend and original books so much.

Skip e1&e2. Clever begins in e3

[mrs-katherine-rodgers · 7/10 · 12 September 2023]

Don't even bother with episodes 1&2. Yes, it's an introduction. But certain parts are dumb or contradictory enough to be annoying. You can live without them.

This story doesn't get interesting until Arthur joins in. Now it looks like a show worth watching. Looking forward to episode 4.

Except I don't understand why the bishop looks like a beggar. It's hard to remember he is an important character; he is dressed like a background actor. No finery or distinction at all.

Wikipedia says this show is based on The Warlord Chronicles or The Warlord Trilogy, a series of three novels about Arthurian Britain written by Bernard Cornwell. The story is written as a mixture of historical fiction and Arthurian legend. The books were originally published between 1995 and 1997.

Since I didn't read the books, I am relieved to know that being from the 1990s means it is not purely intended to be a Game of Thrones copycat. There's hope.

Slow and tedious

[xsdtnkzv · 3/10 · 1 January 2024]

I was looking forward to this new adaptation of The story of King Arthur, the first episode wasn't bad but that's as good as it gets. The characters are without any description apart from the already known characters. But even them seem lifeless, I have enjoyed Bernard Cornwalls novels, however this does little to be anything like he's excellent and exciting storytelling. Hopefully the next series will be better as this series fails to ignite any semblance of a fantastic story. It builds up certain plots within the story which I thought would define into something special, sadly not. I'm an avid follower of ancient period dramas, The Lost Kingdom and obviously Vikings are more memorable, however sadly the Winter King left me very disappointed,

It is a different telling of the great story of Arthur Pendragon

[drpablocalamari · 8/10 · 10 November 2023]

It is a different aproach to the legendary story of Arthur Pendragon. A Tale a little more realistic and dark than the usual. You got to see it with an open mind. It have a very interesting view of thing, very deep in the human process, in the human progress, and in the evolution of the character. You have to see it with patience and profund prospect of analysis. Nothing is in vain. Everything mean something. The ambientance is particularly realistic and with a touch of humility, the main characters are complex and a very human structuration. The interaction bethwen them is very rich. I recommend this serie.

I like this Arthur

[ana-brigovic · 7/10 · 29 October 2023]

I am not crazy about the usual tale of Arthur, perhaps because it has been done to death. But i really like this Arthur.

Lets get this out of the gate right away: Merlin character is not good in the series. And the pacing at the start of the show is a bit hmmmm... but it gets better. But it gets better and Merlin goes away.

The world looks good -grimey and muddy as it should. All the characters (besides Merl) are well done and interesting. Actors are great. And Arthur himself, both charatcer and actor, is truly refreshing.

The show keeps me coming back and also looking forward to it. I enjoy it on a weekly basis! And it works as a weekly drop. It is not a must binge till my eyes bleed kinda watch. Which is a remedy for my overbinged soul.

All in all a solid fantasy watch.