Well...I actually watched some of this, courtesy of a friend who recorded it.
Yes, it is terrible. Bad acting, and some seriously dense, as in impenetrable, plotting.
I would have deleted the 'right-wing' label if it were not so blatant a part of the messaging.
It's meant to be a retelling of the Arthurian legend...although it takes a watcher some time to get it.
They lost me with the smashing together of the Atlantis myth with King Arthur and Merlin~
www.esquire.com
The Pendragon Cycle is a TV series executive-produced by right-wing commentator Ben Shapiro exclusively for DailyWire+. If you’re unfamiliar, it’s the conservative streaming outlet attached to Shapiro’s Daily Wire news service. As “alternative” broadcasting like the “All-American Super Bowl Halftime Show” becomes the new normal for the MAGA faithful, The Pendragon Cycle is a discount Game of Thrones that retells the story of King Arthur’s most trusted magician during the arrival of Christianity. But much like the political base’s previous efforts to provide its audiences with “anti-woke” versions of actually successful TV shows, The Pendragon Cycle is yet another example of the largest hurdle that MAGA faces in creating a Netflix for the Right. Turns out, it’s hard to find a TV creator who can make these shows watchable.
The Pendragon Cycle is created by Jeremy Boreing—cofounder of Daily Wire and the director of the very anti-trans sports comedy Lady Ballers. He adapted Pendragon’s story from the novels of the same name by Stephen R. Lawhead, with season 1 blazing through the first two books (out of six) in the series. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Boreing stated that The Pendragon Cycle was “probably the most Christian piece of mainstream entertainment since Braveheart,” even though he later reversed course by adding that “it is not a piece of Christian entertainment” in the traditional sense. But true to his word, there is something deeply biblical about The Pendragon Cycle.
Much like the book of Numbers from the Old Testament, The Pendragon Cycle’s first two episodes play out like a literal genealogical list. Names, places, and signposts that signal massive time jumps like “75 years later” appear before you can even grasp who anyone is onscreen. Then, when something exciting finally happens, like a coliseum-set bullfight, you find yourself wondering where the series spent its alleged seven-figure (per episode!) budget if it wasn’t on the action.
Much of The Pendragon Cycle is also told to the audience as if it’s completely familiar with the source material. It wouldn’t be much of a problem if medieval fantasy weren’t one of the most confusing genres on TV. But it is. So when Princess Charis’s home of Atlantis is destroyed by the bull god Bel, or when Taliesin’s face is burned to a crisp from the blinding light of the cross, there’s a lot to quickly piece together before Merlin even shows up.
The Daily Wire has yet to reveal how many people tuned in for the first season of The Pendragon Cycle, but I can’t imagine it was anywhere close. Not enough major outlets have reviewed the series for a score to even populate on Rotten Tomatoes.
Just like Kid Rock performing his hit song full of gobbledygook lyrics at a concert that started out in protest of a non-English-language singer, The Pendragon Cycle’s alternative Game of Thrones is simply incomprehensible. If your platform is anti-everything, then it seems that your TV shows can’t really excel at being pro-anything either.
Yes, it is terrible. Bad acting, and some seriously dense, as in impenetrable, plotting.
I would have deleted the 'right-wing' label if it were not so blatant a part of the messaging.
It's meant to be a retelling of the Arthurian legend...although it takes a watcher some time to get it.
They lost me with the smashing together of the Atlantis myth with King Arthur and Merlin~
There’s a Right-Wing ‘Game of Thrones’ and It’s as Terrible as You’d Think
‘The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin’ is executive-produced by Ben Shapiro and is imbued with the mad ramblings of a Daily Wire article.
www.esquire.com
The Pendragon Cycle is a TV series executive-produced by right-wing commentator Ben Shapiro exclusively for DailyWire+. If you’re unfamiliar, it’s the conservative streaming outlet attached to Shapiro’s Daily Wire news service. As “alternative” broadcasting like the “All-American Super Bowl Halftime Show” becomes the new normal for the MAGA faithful, The Pendragon Cycle is a discount Game of Thrones that retells the story of King Arthur’s most trusted magician during the arrival of Christianity. But much like the political base’s previous efforts to provide its audiences with “anti-woke” versions of actually successful TV shows, The Pendragon Cycle is yet another example of the largest hurdle that MAGA faces in creating a Netflix for the Right. Turns out, it’s hard to find a TV creator who can make these shows watchable.
The Pendragon Cycle is created by Jeremy Boreing—cofounder of Daily Wire and the director of the very anti-trans sports comedy Lady Ballers. He adapted Pendragon’s story from the novels of the same name by Stephen R. Lawhead, with season 1 blazing through the first two books (out of six) in the series. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Boreing stated that The Pendragon Cycle was “probably the most Christian piece of mainstream entertainment since Braveheart,” even though he later reversed course by adding that “it is not a piece of Christian entertainment” in the traditional sense. But true to his word, there is something deeply biblical about The Pendragon Cycle.
Much like the book of Numbers from the Old Testament, The Pendragon Cycle’s first two episodes play out like a literal genealogical list. Names, places, and signposts that signal massive time jumps like “75 years later” appear before you can even grasp who anyone is onscreen. Then, when something exciting finally happens, like a coliseum-set bullfight, you find yourself wondering where the series spent its alleged seven-figure (per episode!) budget if it wasn’t on the action.
Much of The Pendragon Cycle is also told to the audience as if it’s completely familiar with the source material. It wouldn’t be much of a problem if medieval fantasy weren’t one of the most confusing genres on TV. But it is. So when Princess Charis’s home of Atlantis is destroyed by the bull god Bel, or when Taliesin’s face is burned to a crisp from the blinding light of the cross, there’s a lot to quickly piece together before Merlin even shows up.
The Daily Wire has yet to reveal how many people tuned in for the first season of The Pendragon Cycle, but I can’t imagine it was anywhere close. Not enough major outlets have reviewed the series for a score to even populate on Rotten Tomatoes.
Just like Kid Rock performing his hit song full of gobbledygook lyrics at a concert that started out in protest of a non-English-language singer, The Pendragon Cycle’s alternative Game of Thrones is simply incomprehensible. If your platform is anti-everything, then it seems that your TV shows can’t really excel at being pro-anything either.
