Warning: Spoilers for The Winter King season 1 below!
A clip from The Winter King episode 9 teases the imminent arrival of a key character from King Arthur lore. Arthurian myth has been thoroughly mined in movies and TV shows over the decades, though The Winter King – which adapts The Warlord Chronicles novels by Bernard Cornwell – brings something a little fresher to the table. The MGM+ series takes away most of the fantasy elements to tell a more grounded tale and is inspired by historical fact. The show is clearly going for a more Game of Thrones vibe, albeit one that features less magic.
The series has also been canny with its introduction of characters from the myth. Arthur (Iain De Caestecker) and Merlin (Nathaniel Martello-White) are big players, but Jordan Alexandria’s Guinevere only arrived in episode 6, while the likes of Galahad have yet to appear. The first season is nearing the end, with episode 8 confirming there will be no peace between Dumnonia and Powys, and that a war between the kingdoms is unavoidable. A new clip from the ninth episode sees Derfel (Stuart Campbell) reveal to Arthur that Powys has also allied with Winter King’s largely unseen foes the Saxons.
The Winter King Episode 9 Clip Sets Up Lancelot’s Arrival
Arthur’s original plan was to marry Ceinwyn of Powys (Emily John), which would have united their kingdoms and won the trust of King Gorfydd (Aneirin Hughes). Instead, Arthur ran off and married Ceinwyn’s bestie Guinevere, and Gorfydd’s union with the Saxons moves Dumnonia one step closer to war. The show has broken away from Cornwell’s novel more than once, and in the book, Ceinwyn was instead bethroed to Gundleus (Simon Merrells), Gorydd’s vile nephew, after Arthur broke the engagement. Her wedding to this unseen Saxon will likely not go ahead if the series is faithful to the source material, and this plot may instead set up the introduction of Lancelot.
In Arthurian myth, Lancelot is Arthur’s best friend and right-hand man who later has a passionate affair with Guinevere. There have been many takes on the character over the years, but in the Warlord Chronicles, Lancelot is depicted as a bully and a coward. Despite appearing in the first novel, the character has yet to be introduced in the series and is probably being saved for either the season 1 finale or the second season.
What Lancelot Joining The Winter King Means For Arthur’s Season 2 Story
Saving Lancelot for season 2 makes more sense, especially if it sticks close to Cornwell’s sequel novel Enemy of God. The betrothal between him and Ceinwyn is an important plotline, and one that plays out in a surprising manner. It will be interesting to see if The Winter King episode 9 hints more directly at Lancelot’s arrival, but assuming the show is renewed for another season, he’s all but guaranteed to become a major player – and one who makes Arthur’s life even more difficult.
