Camelot
Note: This show isn't exactly PG-rated, and there are some adult scenes in them, albeit not many. So for those of you who are underage, best not to take a peek just yet!
"Camelot" is a new TV show based on the famous Arthurian legend, an original series by the Starz channel. It premiered on April 1st and airs every Friday evening at 10 p.m. However, unlike "Merlin", which airs on BBC and is currently about to launch its fourth series, "Camelot" is much more adult and gritty and is slightly truer to the legend.
The show starts with King Uther Pendragon dying after being poisoned by Morgan, his own daughter who recently returns to her home after being sent to a nunnery. She's going after the crown, but what she doesn't expect is for there to be another Pendragon offspring. Then again, nobody knows of Arthur's existence except Merlin and his adoptive parents. Not even Arthur himself is aware that he's of the Pendragon line. Needless to say he's quite shocked and not at all prepared when Merlin informs him that he's to be the next King.
Although full of doubts of fear, Arthur eventually rises to the challenge and follows Merlin to Camelot, where he is to rule his new realm. It's not going to be an easy journey, especially with Morgan also wanting the throne and the land being in chaos after Uther's death. So far as of the time this review is written, there has been seven episodes, and I must say while in the beginning it's quite exciting, my interest now has started dwindling a bit.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Eva Green's portrayal of Morgan and Joseph Fiennes' of Merlin, Tamsin Egerton as Guinevere is really pretty and exactly the way I imagine Guinevere would look, but Jamie Campbell Bower just isn't selling Arthur to me. And the way the Arthur/Guinevere relationship is being handled? Well, let's just say I'm not fond of it either. To be fair, there has yet to be an adaptation in which I actually like this relationship. But I started out liking it in "Camelot", before they pulled the whole forbidden love thing again. Suffice it to say after seeing the same thing in "Merlin", it was getting old for me.
But for those of you who are looking for something more serious than "Merlin", "Camelot" is worth a try. It's less comedy and more action for sure. The tones of both shows are very different, so much so that it's almost impossible to compare them, even if their core story is supposed to be the same. And well, it's hard to resist a good old Arthurian story, isn't it? If anything, the knights are worth swooning over, most notably Sir Kay and Sir Gawain.