s this unique retelling of Arthurian legend begins, the people of the British Isles are fighting against a barbarian invasion. Igraine (Caroline Goodall) and her daughter, Morgaine (Margulies), are blessed with the sight. Igraine foresees trouble ahead for her husband Gorlois (Clive Russell). When
her sister, Viviane (Huston), arrives, she is told she must bear the future high king of the land for the good of Avalon. Viviane is the Lady of the Lake and the high priestess of the mist-shrouded island of Avalon.
Igraine refuses to betray her husband, but when she meets Uther Pendragon (Mark Lewis Jones), she feels drawn to him. There is magic afoot and Uther is driven to kill Gorlois. When he takes Igraine for his wife, Morgaine goes with them to live at Camelot. There is soon a baby brother named Arthur, who is
destined to be the next high king.
Meanwhile, Igraine's other sister, Morgause (Allen), has married Lot (Christopher Fulford), the king of Lothian, and borne him a son named Gawain (Noah Huntley). Morgause has plans of her own regarding the kingdom.
Viviane takes Morgaine under her wing with hopes that she will someday become the next Lady of the Lake and protect Avalon from the encroaching Christian beliefs. Arthur is sent to study with Merlin. When they reach adulthood, Arthur does indeed become the king. Morgaine leaves Avalon, but not before falling in love with Viviane's son, Lancelot (Michael Varlan). Unfortunately, Lancelot has fallen for Gwenhwyfar (Samantha Mathis), the woman destined to become Arthur's wife.
Viviane and Morgause plot to protect their interests--Viviane in the name of Avalon and Morgause for her own selfish reasons. As Morgaine carries a terrible secret, Arthur must protect his land from the continuing barbarian threat. Gwenhwyfar is distraught because she hasn't been able to give him an heir, and her love for Lancelot deepens despite her wish to remain true to Arthur. Viviane and Morgause continue to spin their tangled webs, and in the end no one will be left untouched.
A legendary tale lavishly told
Based on Marion Zimmer Bradley's novel of the same name, the TNT original miniseries The Mists of Avalon retells the Arthurian legend in lavish and rich detail from the point of view of the women involved. From the castle interiors to the battlefield to the fertility rituals to the rolling landscapes, this mini creates a unique and fascinating look at the popular legend, with some of the most powerful actresses in the business taking on the key roles.
The script, by Gavin Scott, does a good job in adapting the novel to the miniseries format. However, because of the scope of the Arthurian legend, if anything Mists seems short and would have benefited from an extra night. The original novel was quite hefty, and even though there is depth to the story it could have been even better given a bit more time to develop. Because of this there are a few points when some of the developments seem to be glossed over in an effort to keep the tale moving. For example, it's never explained why Morgaine would leave her son to be raised by Morgause or why
the powerful Viviane doesn't try to get control of him before Morgause has had time to corrupt him. Lot and Gawain vanish from the action at the end with no explanation. Still, overall, these are minor complaints.
While the production values, including the art direction, cinematography and soundtrack are all top-notch and add to the moody and magical tone of the mini, by far the reason to watch Mists is the performances by Huston, Allen and Margulies. After seeing powerhouses Huston and Allen go up against each
other, it's too bad there aren't more scenes with them together. The fairly realistic battles on the battlefields are nothing compared to these fine actresses going at it.
