The Winter King’s first season is nearing the end and a big battle is on the horizon, but the show must avoid one Game of Thrones mistake.
The first season of The Winter King is nearly at the end, and it has to avoid a mistake Game of Thrones season 1 made as it was wrapping up. MGM+’s adaptation of Bernard Cornwell’s epic Warlord Chronicles books offers viewers a more stripped-down take on the King Arthur myth. While Winter King has similarities to Game of Thrones on the surface – from its sprawling cast of characters to its mix of gritty historical drama with fantasy elements – in reality, they feel very different in tone and scope.
Chiefly, the show has a lot less money to play than HBO’s fantasy saga. Towards the end of its run, Game of Thrones featured lengthy battle sequences involving dragons and armies of the undead, but the newest Winter King has gotten to an elaborate setpiece is two characters having a sword fight in the rain. It should be noted that Game of Thrones’ first year was a little more budget-conscious than the later series, which included its approach to battle sequences.
The Winter King Must Avoid Game Of Thrones Season 1’s Battle Trick
It wasn’t until season 2’s famous Battle of the Blackwater – where Stannis Baratheon tried and failed to take King’s Landing – that the show started to commit to the big battles from the source material. The closest the season 1 got was Battle on the Green Fork, where the Lannisters faced off with Robb Stark’s men. A thoroughly ill-equipped Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) is also forced by his father to take part, but he is soon accidentally knocked unconscious and when he awakens, the fight is already over.
This was a clever – if cheap – way for Game of Thrones to get around depicting the actual battle, and thankfully, the show had the budget necessary to show future conflicts. As Winter King is nearing the close of season 1, the end of episode 8 makes it look like a war between Dumnonia and Powys is completely unavoidable. While the show has had a somewhat contained scope thus far, it really needs to avoid Game of Thrones’ cop-out and show this battle in all its bloody glory.
Will Arthur Go To War Against Powys In The Winter King Season 1?
Much of the first season has involved Arthur (Iain De Caestecker) trying to forge unity within Britain’s divided kingdoms. This was so they could work together to fight off the invading Saxons, and part of his plan involved marrying Ceinwyn (Emily John) of Powys, daughter of the powerful King Gorfydd (Aneirin Hughes). Powys doesn’t have a great relationship with Dumnonia, so the planned marriage was a way for Arthur to bridge that divide and foster trust. Unfortunately, he immediately fell in love with Ceinwyn’s best friend Guinevere (Jordan Alexandra) instead.
Arthur broke soon off the engagement and wed Guinevere instead, which understandably ticked Gorfydd off. In the closing scenes of The Winter King episode 8, he makes it clear by crucifying and then executing Bishop Bedwin (Steven Elder) that there will be no peace between their kingdoms. This appears to make civil war inevitable, and if it stays true to Cornwell’s first novel, this will be how the first series wraps up.
