TV Review: “Cursed”

The Netflix series aims to be a feminist retelling of the Arthurian legend, but it ultimately founders on its own messy mediocrity.

I thought long and hard about whether I wanted to write this review. In general, I’m in the habit of only writing about series that I really enjoy both because I find it easier to write such pieces and because I think that there’s a lot to be said for helping to create joy in the world. Given that I had decidedly mixed feelings about the Netflix series Cursed, I thought that it might be better to sit this one out. However, after giving it some more thought, I decided to write about it, both because I didn’t hate it and because, quite frankly, I needed to do so in order to figure out how I actually felt about it.

So, here we go.

Based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler, Cursed focuses on character of Nimue, the young woman fated to become the Lady of the Lake of Arthurian legend. Blessed with mystical powers, she soon finds herself caught up in the conflicts tearing her native Britain apart. Most importantly, she also finds herself in possession of a sword as powerful as it is sinister, capable of granting her enormous power, but at a terrible price. During the course of the season, we meet a whole host of characters, some of…