All language subtitles for Inside The Pendragon Cycle Rise of the Merlin s01e06.eng

Welcome back to our companion podcast
for The Pendragon Cycle, Rise of the

Merlin. I'm Megan Basham, culture and
entertainment writer for Daily Wire.

We are plunging deeper than Merlin's
wilderness madness, episode by episode,

spoilers flying like sacks and arrows.

So if you have not watched episode six,
cue it up now, because we are going to

be flashing back to Merlin's heart
-wrenching origin story, love, loss, and

birth of a legend.

Now, we open this episode with another
breathtaking sweep of the northern

We see wide skies, harsh beauty, and a
sense here that life is lived on the

of survival. And immediately, the story
grounds us, not in kings or battles, but

in birth.

We see a wise woman of the hill people,
Gurney Fane, is summoned to help deliver

a child.

But the birth goes badly.

Both mother and baby die.

And I just want to pause on the language
used here because it's quietly

devastating but also deeply wise.

Gurney Fane calls children...

child wealth.

And yes, exactly.

And we have forgotten this. Children are
not inconveniences or accessories.

They are the wealth of societies.

And when a culture loses that
understanding, it's already in decline.

That's a point that Lawhead is able to
make here without sermonizing or

There's also a bitter irony layered into
this scene as well.

One of the northern lords pays the hill
people with a relic that once belonged

to Magnus Maximus, the Roman general who
ruled Britain as emperor before

marching on to Italy and being executed
in 388 AD.

Now, we've seen his shadow throughout
this series, Rome's last gasp of order

authority, and it's reduced to trinkets
here, just mere relics that are

bargaining chips for midwives.

What is this?

You killed her. She was bound for death.

Now, when the Northern Lord grows
dissatisfied and threatens Gurney Fane,

steps in. And to protect Gurney Fane,
he's willing to choke this Lord to

So he's ensuring that she is not going
to be exploited.

I think it's a small moment, but it also
tells us everything about Merlin's fury

when someone he cares for is threatened.

Gurney Fane tells him that this
encounter has reminded him of his family

people and that he's soon going to
leave.

And then, at last, we sense what this
journey has been building toward.

We're about to learn how Merlin met his
lost love, who is clearly a huntress.

And, ah, look at this. We have the
classic romantic meet -cute.

A hide will make a fine coffee.

How's with yours, wolf boy?

Girl pulls spear on boy. Boy helps girl
haul her boar carcass back to the

fortress. So honestly, if you're going
to meet your soulmate in the 5th

this is a solid start.

But when they arrive, the tone shifts
sharply.

The girl's father, King Custanin, is
dealing with treason among his lords,

one of his own men has been aiding Irish
and Saxon raiders.

Thankfully, Custin has a good dog. Good
boy.

And now Merlin learned something that we
already suspected.

Custin in two is Atlantean.

Savior of Atlantis.

Two ships survived the sinking of
Atlantis, arriving in different parts of

Britain. And it's interesting that
Merlin's great uncle, King Belen, is

referenced in Geoffrey of Monmouth's
12th century work that we keep

that history of the kings of Britain.

He's traditionally placed in the 4th
century BC, which is almost smack dab

we are in this story. And according to
legends, he and his brother built many

cities and roads throughout Britain.

His name likely derives from Belenus, a
Celtic sun god. So Lawhead is once again

blending history, legend, and theology
into a single thread here.

You've met my daughter, Ganyeda.

Ganyeda. And then finally, we learn the
name of the woman who has been haunting

Merlin's visions, Ganyeda.

Now, this is not a random choice by
Lawhead.

Gagnetta appears in medieval texts like
Geoffrey of Monmouth's Vita Merlini,

which was circa 1150, and there she's a
prophetess in her own right.

After Merlin descends into madness and
retreats into the forest, he ultimately

renounces prophecy in Gagnetta's favor.
In some other traditions, like the Red

Book of Hergist, which is a 4th century
Welsh manuscript, Gagnetta is even

portrayed as Merlin's twin sister.

But Lawhead chose to make her Merlin's
wife. And she isn't magical here. She

doesn't possess supernatural abilities.
But she is elevated in the story as a

princess, an Atlantean, and almost a
mythical huntress.

And, wow, I just have to say there is so
much chemistry between these two

characters. I loved it. And this was
such a big moment in our house because

16 -year -old is maybe the world's
biggest Brett Cooper fan.

So we were wondering just how her
performance was going to play out. And,

know, we especially wondered if we were
going to be able to separate the Brett

Cooper that we know and love from her
performance as Gagnetta.

And I have to say that she really did
nail it here. As we got into the scene,

completely forgot that we were watching
Brett Cooper as we were totally absorbed

into Gagnetta's story and into her
relationship with Merlin.

So moving on, over dinner, King Custinan
twists Merlin's arm about staying with

them a while rather than risk
treacherous travel going back home

winter. And I'm just sitting here
thinking...

Come on, man, look at that girl. How
cute do her dimples have to be for you

agree to spend the winter in her
father's house? Because Garnietta is

delight here.

She's a tomboy, but I love that it's not
in a cliched way.

I love her flirtation with Merlin and
how she's bold about going after what

wants. But it's also in this sweet and
innocent way, not in a seductress,

Morgian way. So just a great character.

And then a year later, as we expected,
the pair are married and they're living

in Maridunum, which we have to remember
was originally a fortress built by the

Romans. So when Merlin begins to ride
out with his lord, We get this

glimpse of the remnants of the lost
Roman world in the background when we

this marble statue that's rising
incongruously among the rough huts and

buildings. We realize in that moment
that civilization didn't just vanish. It

eroded layer by layer as the Romans
increasingly relied on barbarian

mercenaries. And I just want to pause
and note how different Pandaren, the

of Maradunum, seems here from the first
time we met him back in episode two when

Taliesin and Caris first entered his
hall.

He clearly respected Taliesin, and it
appears to have completely changed his

character. He's now taken Merlin under
his wing. He wants to offer help and

to Merlin for Taliesin's sake. And, you
know, personally, I have to wonder if at

this point, Pandaren has also become a
Christian, and that explains how

different he is from the first time we
met him.

Then we get this sweet, appropriate love
scene between husband and wife showing

their domestic bliss despite these
humble surroundings.

And once again, I just want to note that
I love this type of marital love shown

in an appropriate and proper way. And
that's something that we need to see

of in our entertainment, I think. But
into this pastoral peaceful life comes a

barbarian attack.

Merlin and the king race back to rescue
them, but the invaders have made

significant progress in capturing the
fortress, and Ganyeta is almost killed

until a friend saves her. But then, as
Merlin comes upon the scene, the

intensity of his fury at those who would
imperil his wife brings out his power

at a magnitude that we have not seen
before.

So he is just dealing death by the
hundreds in what seems like something of

violent trance. And then the other
warriors lay their swords at his feet to

him honor. So he is the new battle chief
and adopted son of the king. And we now

know how he came into his throne at
Maridunum. And I love seeing our old

Elfin there, Merlin's grandfather, at
the ceremony.

And here Merlin claims the sword, the
sword of his family that Carus has been

shepherding. all this time, and this is
a key moment because we also begin to

understand why Merlin later refuses to
take up that sword in Aurelius' cause.

I hate to send you north with such few
men.

We flash forward a bit more, and Ganyeta
is now with child, and Peleus has come

into Merlin's service as they travel to
Custonin's kingdom.

Now, unfortunately, as those two sweet
lovers linger in the glade, Merlin spies

emissaries from the hill people who tell
him that Gurney Fane is dying.

But once by her side, she tells Merlin
that he should not have come. And it's

such a moving scene in the way that
Gurney Fane isn't afraid of death, but

is afraid for Merlin and what he's going
to have to face as an immortal who will

have no relief from the pains and trials
of this life. It's ominous. And then

she shuffles off her mortal coil,
something that Merlin may never do.

Unfortunately, as Merlin is away, we
find out why Gurney Fane tells him he

shouldn't have come.

Garnietta is feeling birth pains just as
she hears the approach of barbarian

attackers. Merlin, writing to meet her,
hears them too, but it's too late. She

is barely clinging to life and can only
say the first name by which she once

knew him.

You know, for me, there have been a lot
of painful deaths in this series so far,

but this one was the most painful
because I loved this couple so much. So

really devastating to see Merlin's loss.

And then he goes back to the camp and
one raider is left alive. And it is in

this moment that we see the beginning of
Merlin's mad vengeance.

He confronts the entire band alone.

His golden eyes are ablaze. And he's
something like the angel of the Lord in

Kings 19, who struck down 185 ,000
Assyrians in a single night.

Merlin is like that too. He becomes a...

He kills them all, even the wounded,
even the fleeing. He's showing no mercy

here or even a sense of proportionality
as he's slaughtering everyone who comes

into his path.

So at that point, what he's dealing out
isn't justice, but it's vengeance.

And Peleus arrives just as Merlin
reaches the peak of his bloodlust.

Bodies are burning, the ground is
scorched, and Merlin doesn't even

his own servants. He doesn't recognize
Custon in either, who then loses an arm

trying to reach Merlin.

Horrified by what he's become, Merlin
drops Taliesin's sword and he runs.

And this is why Merlin fears his own
power.

This is why he is resisting kingship.
And it's why he says he will guide

but he's never again going to rule
himself.

But what if Merlin wielding the sword is
the only way that we're going to see

order returned and the Saxon expelled?

So we'll see if he's willing to pick up
that weapon.

So for me, episode six was devastating.

Forging Merlin's eternal torment.

But what about you? What wrecked you?
Was it the neat, cute sparks, the

sweetness, or that final frenzy? Comment
below and then get ready for our final

installment. Thanks for joining us.

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