The finale of a 10-episode first season, Cursed received a positive audience reception when it debuted on July 17, 2020.
Touched by dark gods as a child, Cursed followed Nimue as she sought to flee her village and the expectations being thrust upon her. That decision was ultimately taken out of her hands when her people were brutally slaughtered by religious fanatics known as Red Paladins. Entrusted with the Sword of Power, Nimue is instructed by her dying mother to seek out Merlin. That quest served to bring her into with a lowly mercenary named Arthur and several familiar names from the original stories. Equally, both the mystical sword and her burgeoning powers positioned her as the leader of the Fey rebellion, with the surviving tribes choosing her to be their queen.
In order to give her people a chance at survival, Nimue surrendered herself to King Uther and Father Carden. After it was revealed that the Red Paladins had tortured Gawain to death, however, she went on to brutally kill Carden and escape their camp. Nimue was aided in that endeavor by Morgana and an injured Merlin. Unfortunately, they were confronted by Sister Iris while they crossed a bridge. Having made several failed attempts on Nimue's life throughout Cursed season 1, Iris finally seemed to succeed by shooting her with multiple arrows. Nimue ultimately fell over the edge of a waterfall into the unseen depths below. Though Nimue wasn't seen again for the entire rest of the episode, here are some ways she may still live to fight another day in Cursed season 2.
Theory 1: Nimue Survives Her Injuries
A substantial twist — and one of Cursed season 1's significant changes from the established legends — was that Nimue was actually Merlin's daughter. As revealed across the episodes, Merlin himself has lived an extremely long life. And during those centuries, he has survived more than his fair share of otherwise mortal injuries. Merlin even proved directly just how notoriously difficult he is to kill when he survived a brutal attack from an assassin known as The Fisherman.
Such durability could've been inherited by Nimue. After all, Iris's arrows only seemed to catch her in the shoulder and the hip — potentially far from life-threatening injuries. Though they will have no doubt been exacerbated by the fall, she could still either heal or be able to hold on long enough to be patched up. However, a wrinkle in this particular theory is that the original incarnation of The Widow predicted Nimue's death as a painful consequence of Merlin's decisions.
Theory 2: Morgana The Widow Refuses To Claim Nimue
Another shocking development saw Morgana successfully kill the embodiment of death known as The Widow. The price for that action turned out to be that Morgana became her. It was already prophesized that Morgana would become the most powerful sorceress in the land. How exactly her new position will play into that is one of Cursed season 1's most lingering questions. However, as The Widow, she will now have a certain power over life and death. As witnessed by Morgana prior to her transformation, it was The Widow's duty to claim people's souls as they died.
When Nimue first met Morgana, she was already a firm ally of the Fey rebellion. Her for the cause only grew more ionate as Nimue was chosen as the new Fey queen. Though she sometimes disagreed with Nimue's more pacifistic methods, she was nonetheless loyal. She demonstrated that during her first act as The Widow — when she revealed her newly terrifying visage to Father Carden and disorientated him enough for Nimue to strike. If Nimue is indeed on the verge of death after Iris's attack, it would be Morgana's task to collect her soul and guide her transition to the afterlife. In order to preserve the faith that Nimue accumulated and the overall ion for the rebellion, Morgana will likely refuse to see that responsibility through. It's unclear how exactly the whole process works, but it would no doubt be enough to keep Nimue among the land of the living.
Theory 3: The Hidden Save Nimue From Death
Throughout Cursed season 1, Nimue was hailed as extremely powerful, even among gifted of her own tribe. This was likely, in large part, due to her heritage as Merlin's daughter. However, Nimue also maintained a special connection to The Hidden. The as-yet indeterminate force was central to the Fey's belief system, though only a few were directly attuned to hear and evoke it. Nimue was one such person. Despite being deemed cursed by of her village, The Hidden itself chose Nimue for the coveted role of The Summoner. She was also able to channel her connection to it to protect herself from harm, albeit subconsciously, at times of emotional or physical distress.
Across the episodes, Nimue grew less fearful of her abilities and even learned to channel them more effectively. Under Merlin's guidance, she was able to resurrect an apple tree. She would later use her powers to her famous Lady of the Lake persona during Cursed season 2.
