All language subtitles for Inside The Pendragon Cycle Rise of the Merlin s01e07

Well, welcome back. Today's podcast is
storming through the finale of The Daily

Wire's The Pendragon Cycle, Rise of the
Merlin, like Aurelius' warband against

impossible odds.

Episode by episode, spoilers sharper
than a sword.

So, if you haven't watched Episode 7
yet, you need to stop and hit play now,

because we are going into the misty
heart of Calathon, the legendary

wood from Welsh lore and Arthurian
tales.

Now, the name Calathon is not a random
decision from Lawhead. It refers to the

ancient mythic Caledonian forest, which
is a vast woodland that stretches across

northern Britain in Welsh and Arthurian
tradition.

It's tied to King Arthur's early battles
and also to wild places beyond a Roman

order and also to Caledonia, which was
the Roman name for what we now call

Scotland. So this is the edge of the
known world. This is where civilization

thins and the spiritual realm presses
close.

And here, in a cave deep within that
forest, is where we find Merlin. Hail,

man of the wood.

He is broken, he's mad with grief, and
he's huddled in the darkness, something

like Elijah fleeing Jezebel in 1 Kings
19.

We're told that he's been here for 50
years, living on locusts and honey, so

another biblical reference there, very
much like John the Baptist in the

wilderness.

prophet, hermit, exile.

And just as in 1 Kings, the first remedy
offered to the shattered servant of God

is not rebuke or revelation, but food
and drink.

And it's always astonishing to me how
often scripture reminds us that rest,

nourishment, and just basic physical
care are the first steps back from

So the wise man who tends Merlin, first
glimpsed in Taliesin's visions long ago,

coaxes him back toward himself.

And in one of the most heartbreaking
moments of the entire series, Merlin

confesses that he cannot let go of his
burden because his grief and guilt are

all that he has left of his wife, of
Garniera.

Burden it may be, but it's all I have
left.

So his sorrow has become almost sacred
to him because it's the last place that

she exists for him.

Time has come, my son.

To be reborn.

And wow, then he sees a vision of his
father Taliesin.

Then we come back to the present where
we find that war has come.

Aurelius' army is camped in East Anglia
near the Saxon coast and the first

arrows rain down.

And as the commanders are counting their
numbers, the situation looks very grim.

15 ,000 Saxons against roughly 2 ,500
Britons. And these are really bad odds.

And Morcant, ever the opportunist, asks
the obvious question.

How are we to drive out?

How do you drive out an army six times
your size? And as desertion and

treachery spread, those odds are growing
even worse by the hour.

Except for Gorlaz. So he's the newly one
-eyed, and he is now all in with

Aurelius. In fact, so much so that he
confronts Mortant, who is planning to

leave quietly.

But just as swords are drawn,
reinforcements arrive. And what

they are, because it's the Atlanteans of
the north with Merlin at their head.

And I got to say that King Custodon is
such a great character.

I hear you brought us some Saxons to
kill.

He's easily become one of my favorites
over the course of this story. It really

makes you think, no wonder Ganyetta was
such an extraordinary singular woman.

So then Merlin reunites with his mother
and asks for Taliesin's sword.

That's big. She hasn't brought it, but
the request alone is enormous because

the first time since Conietta's death,
Merlin is willing to take up arms again.

At least we think so. This time for
Britain.

Uther, meanwhile, continues making eyes
at Gorlis' daughter, Igerna, and Merlin

questions him, and the exchange carries
some unmistakable foreshadowing. Does

your brother know?

My brother has more important matters to
attend to.

As do we all.

Anyone who knows their Arthurian canon
hears that drumbeat of destiny growing

louder. And speaking of drumbeats, on
the eve of battle, the War Council

Gorliss calls their plan desperate.

Custanin, however, remains calm because
he understands that their secret weapon

is not in numbers, but in Merlin. So
Uther leans into this. He's pressing

for a commitment to fight in this
battle.

But Merlin, meanwhile, is pointing out
the obvious problem.

I lead you into victory, Uther.

The men of Britain will proclaim me
king.

So if Merlin wins for them, it's going
to undermine Aurelius' authority.

So a bit of a catch -22 there. Yet
Uther, deeply patriotic in his own

way, acknowledges that even if it erases
Aurelius' hope of claiming the high

throne, it may still be worth the risk
if Britain survives.

So that tension, the difference between
winning the war and saving the nation,

sits at the heart of this episode. So at
that point, Merlin withdraws to pray.

Smartest thing you can do in a situation
like this.

And what he prays sounds unmistakably
like

St. Patrick's breastplate, which is also
known as the Lorica. Now, if you're not

familiar with that, it's traditionally
dated to around 433 A .D., right in this

period. And it's a prayer of spiritual
armor, binding oneself to Christ's

protection against both physical...

and supernatural threats.

Now, St. Patrick himself was not Irish,
as a lot of people tend to assume, but

he was actually a Romano -Briton, and
that makes this prayer especially

here. It's still an incredibly powerful
prayer recited by Christians today, and

if you've never heard it, I will
encourage you to maybe go find it, maybe

I particularly recommend a video reading
of the prayer by Northern Irish pastor

Jamie Bambrick, and you can find that
anywhere searching YouTube.

But the upshot here is that Peleus is
quite right to say that in his focused

pleas to heaven, Merlin is already
beginning to engage the battle. He's

fighting on his knees.

So Uther continues meeting with Igerna,
much to Gorlaz's displeasure.

Meanwhile, Custanin is gently pressing
Carus to encourage Merlin to act and not

just to wait for deliverance from the
Lord.

And then we hear something that's really
noteworthy. You're a lady of the lake.

You are King Golas of Tintagel, yes?

Caris is called the Lady of the Lake,
and that obviously has some huge

implications for where this story is
going.

We also hear the name Tintagel, and
that's a real place in Cornwall later

associated with Arthur's conception and
birth.

In medieval tradition, Tintagel becomes
this liminal space between worlds,

between royalty and prophecy.

And these are really not subtle hints.
These are the Arthurian signposts that

Lawhead is using to blaze like signal
fires, pointing out the direction we're

heading. Now, like his father Taliesin,
Merlin used this song as both history

and prayer. And that was standard for
medieval bards, who were not just

entertainers. They were also memory
keepers. They were morale builders and

spiritual anchors. Now, in Celtic and
Welsh tradition, they also rallied

warriors pre -battle with praise poems.

satire against foes and genealogies that
would make the warriors on the field of

battle proud. And it also served to
unify those troops and to strengthen

resolve. Think something like bagpipes
for Scots. So those songs are really

important, and it works.

Merlin's speech that follows reminds
them what they fight for, a united

where the true God is worshipped and
justice, not pagan blood sacrifice,

So emboldened by Merlin's words, the
warriors find fresh vigor and unity

they head out to that battle at dawn.

Final goodbyes are exchanged, father and
son, father and daughter.

Merlin meets Aurelius privately and
confesses his failure. He says that he

neglected his calling as Britain's bard
to uphold the army through song and

prayer during battle. So obviously he
plans to do that differently this time.

And historically, this matters because
in early medieval warfare, the spiritual

battle was believed to determine the
physical one.

Leaders did pray, priests did intercede,
and bards did sing. So victory was

never merely tactical. There was very
much a spiritual element to it.

Uther, however, offers Merlin another
form of service.

He leaves him a sword.

So he's not fully trusting in prayer. He
would like to see Merlin pick up a

weapon. But the next morning, Merlin
tells Peleus that they will not fight.

Aurelius rallies his men and draws the
sword of Britain, the sword of Magnus

Maximus, and he gives it to Uther, his
war chief. And that moment lands hard

because it echoes forward in time toward
everything that we know is eventually

coming in this story.

Then we hear the unsettling horns of the
Saxons. And with them, they bring a

Saxon dangling human heads like
talismans. So two religions are going to

on this battlefield.

One built on blood sacrifice and the
other built on sacrificial love.

Now, despite Hengist acknowledging that
the horses help make up the deficit in

troops, the Saxons look confident.

The Brits, however, look afraid.

Men are starting to run in panic.

At that point, Uther uses Merlin's trick
of emboldening his men through song,

and it appears to work.

And what we see here is Merlin's
increasing influence over Uther. And we

know that this also worked for
historical medieval armies who did

kind of rhythmic chanting or singing for
morale, intimidation, and coordination.

Merlin is standing above the
battlefield, praying, a little like

his arms while Joshua fought the
Amalekites. And now the fog and chaos of

The Britons seem to be acquitting
themselves well, but the problem is

vastly outnumbered. And just when
Hengist's vanguard is overcome, he sends

second wave while the Brits are already
stretched to their limit.

But there is still hope for Aurelius'
strategy as he and his band ride to

Hemhengistin from behind.

And with a word of caution, Merlin
finally releases his steward, Peleus, to

fight. Now, back at the field hospital,
Carus and Egerna are being kept sadly

busy by the mangled bodies of their
fallen men. Back on the hill overlooking

Battle Valley, a vision of Ganyetta
urges Merlin to fight rather than pray.

But is she a vision from heaven or is
she a vision from hell?

Oh, okay. Actually, it's Morgan. So
vision from hell it is.

But what a great piece of dialogue here.

You owe me a debt.

You owe me a father.

I got chills in that moment. And we also
learned that Morgan intended to kill

her sister way back in episode two, but
she accidentally hit Taliesin instead.

But even with a mistake here or there,
Morgan has always been playing the long

game. And historically, she echoes
Morgan Le Fay, who, fun fact, I played

high school in a costume that some of
the parents did consider a little bit

scandalous. She's sometimes sister,
she's sometimes aunt, she's sometimes

enchantress, but she's always a
seductress.

And Morgan Le Fay, whatever name she
inhabits in all of these various

traditions, is always an enigmatic
figure who's working outside moral

So in the 13th century Vulgate cycle,
she imprisons her master Merlin in a

And in other Welsh folklore, she will
entrap him in a tree. But here we learn

a terrible development.

The Saxons anticipated Aurelius'
strategy, and they demand that Morgan's

stepson, Lot, loose his arrows on his
own men.

From the distant hill, Morgan continues
to taunt Merlin. It seems she actually

is playing 4D chess and has plans for a
future that will see neither Hengist nor

Aurelius on the throne. Her desire is to
see Merlin take up the sword and rule.

And for a while, it might have been our
desire, too.

But I think we, the viewers, at this
point have to stop and ask ourselves, if

Morgan wants it, could it possibly be a
good idea?

Through her magic, she transforms his
ordinary sword into the Fisher King's

sword, manipulating Merlin's emotions,
both with that and also with the vision

of his lost wife.

And, you know, she is kind of right. The
Britons do need deliverance here. But

tempting Merlin to give in to his power
is just a ploy for Morgan.

She plans to rule through her nephew by
having him usurp Aurelius. And right

this second, Aurelius' chances of
victory do look to be dwindling. The

are drawing to the end of their
strength.

point that we have Custon out there
pummeling the enemy with his own false

And further highlighting this, at the
hospital tents, Caris is having to arm

herself now as she sees Saxon troops
approaching even that supposedly safe

space. Back on the hill, now we know
what Morgan's plan is. She will rule

through her nephew, the mighty Merlin,
if she can get him to usurp Aurelius'

place. But still, Merlin desperately
cries out to Christ for guidance.

And through that power slows the world.
We're suddenly plunged into this

flashback from Merlin's madness, except
that this is the healing moment that

finally brings him out of that madness
because there is Taliesin. We get this

sweet image of a father bathing his son,
something that he never had the

opportunity to do in life, thanks to
Morgan.

And it also acts as this sort of second
baptism for Merlin. It's very

reminiscent of Taliesin's baptism back
in episode two.

Because Merlin needs to have those sins
of his youth that continue to plague his

conscience washed away so that he can be
useful today.

And Taliesin tells him what every good
father tells his child.

You.

You were my vision, my son.

When Merlin cries that Taliesin is wrong
and that he's failed.

Taliesin doesn't deny it, but he does
tell him that he can go back and start

again. So it's really just this
beautiful, tender scene as Taliesin

his first shave and haircut.

Just very touching.

He at last lets go of the past as we
learn how Peleus first found him. But

all of the temptation, Merlin refuses to
take up the sword and thus the throne.

And with that refusal, we see that
Aurelius was successful in his gambit.

With the help of Lot, he had taken the
head of Hengist. So now we know that Lot

ultimately followed his higher instincts
and gave his allegiance to Aurelius.

And that was the one fatal flaw in
Morgan's plan.

She didn't consider that someone else in
her sphere might not make the mercenary

decision, but might actually make a
principal decision.

So I guess Morgan's stepson was the one
who was really playing 4D chess.

Demoralized by the loss of their leader,
the Saxon ranks quickly fall apart.

Morgan realizes that she has failed, but
she does pledge to regroup for further

nefarious business on another day. As to
what she sacrificed for the victory

that did not come, we see the image of
her son's torque.

So it appears that our little crab
torturer from episode four is no longer

us. And so the surviving kings of
Britain...

take the knee to recognize Aurelius as
their united High King. And that

Uther, who presents the Sword of Britain
to his brother. And for the first time,

we hear the title of Pendragon when
Merlin bestows it on Aurelius. All hail

Aurelius, High King and Pendragon of
Britain.

So what is a Pendragon, you ask?

Well, it's a Welsh -derived title
meaning chief dragon or figuratively

warrior or commander -in -chief.

Scholars believe it referred to the use
of the dragon standard, the Draco, which

was a war banner adopted from Roman
cavalry by British leaders to signify

command.

Now, in Arthurian legend, Pendragon is
commonly associated with Uther, not

Aurelius. So maybe we're getting a
little foreshadowing here of division

the brothers, as Uther looks conflicted
when he hears that. And as he walks

away, Goros makes it clear that he would
actually prefer to give his beautiful

daughter to Aurelius, who already looks
very smitten.

But what we do know is that Uther has
changed a lot in this story.

As Merlin and Uther clasp arms, we start
to see just how far Uther has come as a

character here. Because he's gone from
somebody who only distrusts Merlin and

only has cynicism for him.

to someone who starts to think, well,
gosh, you know, maybe this Merlin does

know a thing or two, and maybe his help
is going to be useful in ruling the

kingdom. But at that same moment, Merlin
has a vision of another future peril,

as the ownership of the Sword of
Britain, which is resting in Agurna's

disputed. So at that point, Merlin then
picks it up and drives it into that

iconic stone to prevent any further
squabbling.

And that is where the story ends.

Not so much with a king, but with a
choice.

Who is going to be the one to pull that
sword from the stone? And when?

And that brings us to the end of this
rewatch journey.

From the fall of Atlantis to the rise of
kings, from prophecy and sacrifice to

love, loss, and the terrible cost of
power, this series has reminded us why

Arthurian story endures.

Lawhead's vision and this adaptation
insist that Britain is not saved by

strength alone, but by faith. It is not
saved by conquest, but by choosing the

good when the throne itself is within
reach.

So Merlin's greatest act is not wielding
a sword, but laying it down. And in

doing so, he makes room for the once and
future king to come.

So if you've walked this road with us,
we would love to hear from you. What

moments stayed with you? Which ones were
difficult for you to watch? Leave us a

comment, share your thoughts, and join
the conversation.

Because legends only remain alive when
they're told together.

Thanks for joining us.