Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Cursed may look like a fairy-tale, but it’s not exactly made with children in mind. The fantasy series starring Katherine Langford is for a more mature crowd, and viewers expecting princesses and fairy godmothers might want to steer clear. Warning: Cursed spoilers ahead.
The new Netflix series follows a young woman named Nimue (Langford), who is destined to become the Lady of the Lake. While Nimue faces pressure to become the leader of her community, she yearns for much more, to explore and use her magic in the world. But when Nimue’s mother dies, she has to carry out her quest to bring the Sword of Power to the wizard Merlin (Gustaf Skarsgard). Nimue pairs up with Arthur (Devon Terrell), a young mercenary she meets along the way, and the two set off to fulfill Nimue’s destiny together.
While the series’ official description reads as pretty tame, Cursed is rated TV-MA on Netflix, which is largely in part to the Red Paladins. The warriors, led by Father Carden (Peter Mullan), are set on ridding the earth of the Fey, a group of magical people whose special abilities allow them to connect with nature. The Red Paladins pillage countless villages in bloody scenes full of beheadings, stabbings and shootings. Although there’s no question about what’s going on in the Red Paladins’ scenes, Netflix keeps it short by quickly cutting away from the gory action.
Cursed isn’t afraid of a bloody battle scene, but the series scales back on the sex. While there are romantic relationships and some kissing, there’s only one true sex scene between Nimue and Arthur. When the two hook up, Cursed keeps it PG-13, not showing any explicit nudity. The scene, which takes place at the end of Episode 9, is only about two minutes long and makes use of shadows and blurred shots to conceal any potentially graphic moments.
In the end, Cursed likely earns its TV-MA rating from the gore, not the sex. Sure, there’s a steamy scene here and there, but if the sight of blood makes you queasy, you may want to pass.
