{"id":42308,"date":"2023-12-21T19:00:53","date_gmt":"2023-12-21T18:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1947203"},"modified":"2023-12-21T19:21:25","modified_gmt":"2023-12-21T18:21:25","slug":"the-winter-king-ending-explained-writer-on-aelle-and-isle-of-the-dead","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/the-winter-king-ending-explained-writer-on-aelle-and-isle-of-the-dead\/","title":{"rendered":"The Winter King ending explained: Writer on Aelle and Isle of the Dead"},"content":{"rendered":"

Co-writer and executive producer Kate Brooke breaks down the season finale. <\/p>

By David Craig\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 21 December 2023 at 18:00 PM<\/p>

\n\n

The Winter King\u2019s first season introduced viewers to the dangerous kingdom of Dumnonia as it faced threats from neighbouring kings, invading forces and nefarious characters within.<\/p>\n

The story took our three lead characters \u2013 Arthur (Iain De Caestecker), Derfel (Stuart Campbell) and Nimue (Ellie James) \u2013 on a whirlwind journey, which came to its dramatic conclusion on the Isle of the Dead.<\/p>\n

Nimue had been banished there following accusations of murder by the ambitious priest Sansum (Andrew Gower), who sought to set up a church on the grounds of Avalon, despite it being sacred to the pagans.<\/p>\n

Ever loyal to his first love, Derfel staged a daring rescue \u2013 but can they escape the nightmarish prison unscathed?<\/p>\n

Read on for a full breakdown of the season 1 ending, including commentary from screenwriter Kate Brooke, speaking to ITVX\u2019s official The Winter King podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Winter King ending explained: Who is Aelle?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Arthur\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Iain De Caestecker stars in The Winter King.<\/span><\/figcaption> Bad Wolf Productions for ITVX\/Simon Ridgeway<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

After a colossal blowout with his protege Derfel in the penultimate episode, Arthur continues with his plan to forge a temporary peace with Saxon warlord Aelle (Craig Parkinson), which will buy them crucial time in the struggle against Gorfydd (Aneirin Hughes).<\/p>\n

In Derfel\u2019s absence, Guinevere (Jordan Alexandra) instead accompanies her husband to Aelle\u2019s territory, both to translate with her understanding of the Saxon language and to offer political counsel \u2013 which proves to be vital.<\/p>\n

Indeed, against Arthur\u2019s initial wishes, Guinevere adds to the truce agreement instructions on how to capture Ratae, realising that weapons and materials alone won\u2019t satisfy Aelle. Land is what he and his people truly desire.<\/p>\n

After being teased earlier in the season, Aelle is the latest foe added to Arthur\u2019s long list of worries, but The Winter King co-writer Kate Brooke explained she didn\u2019t want him to be a cut-and-dried villain like Gundleus (Simon Merrells) or Gorfydd.<\/p>\n

Speaking to ITVX<\/a>\u2018s official The Winter King podcast, she said: \u201cI think he\u2019s interesting, because we talked about him as being actually quite similar to Arthur. There\u2019s a civilised side to Aelle, which is surprising\u2026 his perspective is just a different one.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not like he\u2019s a bad guy, he\u2019s just there; he\u2019s conquering, he\u2019s got people to look after, his guys are going to die unless they conquer more land. And I hope that he feels like a surprise in episode 10. I wanted him to not be a toxic villain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brooke continued: \u201cThe way that we did that was, rather than doing a physical confrontation \u2013 a big sword fight \u2013 the thing that Arthur and Aelle do is talk, and you feel like Arthur\u2019s met his match in terms of a thinker and a thoughtful leader.\u201d<\/p>\n

If The Winter King is renewed for season 2, this is a character viewers can expect to see more from.<\/p>

What are the \u201cmonsters\u201d on the Isle of the Dead?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Derfel\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Stuart Campbell stars in The Winter King.<\/span><\/figcaption> Bad Wolf Productions for ITVX\/Simon Ridgeway<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Once a fragile peace is achieved between Dumnonia and the Saxon invaders, Arthur endeavours to catch up to Derfel, who has bravely infiltrated the terrifying Isle of the Dead in search for Nimue.<\/p>\n

He discovers her deep inside the isle\u2019s cave system, although initially she refuses to believe that he\u2019s real, having suffered to the point of delirium. Fortunately, he is able to convince her, pointing out the scar that bound them together much earlier.<\/p>\n

However, before they can escape from the isle, they are backed into a corner by a horde of sinister figures \u2013 are they zombies? Vampires? Demons? Actually, none of the above.<\/p>\n

Brooke detailed on The Winter King podcast how these are really just ordinary people, who have been turned \u201cferal\u201d by extreme mistreatment from Uther\u2019s regime.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe talked about, \u2018How do you make the Isle of the Dead frightening enough? And what is \u2018the monster\u2019?\u2019 And we decided that this is really just about people being so hungry that they become monstrous,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe really talked a lot about the kind of tribal nature of the Isle of the Dead \u2013 some people have gone into one area, and then these people have gone to the dark side.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fortunately, Arthur comes to the rescue of Derfel and Nimue, plunging his sword into a bricked up passageway, in an act that mirrors the traditional pulling off Excalibur from stone.<\/p>\n

The warlord is reeling from the revelation that his late father, Uther (Eddie Marsan), specifically requested the treatment of the prisoners to be so barbaric.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to return to Uther in episode 10 and get a sense of Uther\u2019s influence \u2013 and it is shocking that we hear that he actually condoned this,\u201d added Brooke. \u201cIt\u2019s a moment where Arthur steps out of his father\u2019s shadow.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s obviously horrified by what he sees, and he has a humanity to understand that all of these people are humans and have just been treated absolutely atrociously. So that all tied in very nicely.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a result of the terrible suffering he\u2019s witnessed, Arthur drops the Pendragon name in a bid to distinguish himself from his father, before making amends with Derfel and Nimue.<\/p>\n

Why does The Winter King end here?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Ellie\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Ellie James as Nimue and Stuart Campbell as Derfel in The Winter King.<\/span><\/figcaption> James Pardon\/ITV<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Readers of The Winter King book series<\/a> by Bernard Cornwell \u2013 titled The Warlord Chronicles \u2013 will be aware that season 1 takes us only about two-thirds of the way through the first entry.<\/p>\n

It is hoped that all three books will be fully adapted across five seasons of the series, although ITV is yet to announce whether the show has been renewed.<\/p>\n

Brooke discussed on the official The Winter King podcast how she and co-writer Ed Whitmore came to the decision to base their finale on the Isle of the Dead.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn episode 10, there are two story strands which we deliver,\u201d she began. \u201cOne is the Isle of the Dead and one is Arthur making a deal with the Saxons. And we felt that that gave us a good, epic out for all three of our triumvirate of key characters.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe challenge with the book is often they\u2019re in different places\u2026 because the book is written, obviously, entirely from Derfel\u2019s POV. We love the fact that, actually, in the book, in the Isle of the Dead, all three of them are there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brooke added: \u201cAnd we felt very strongly that, after all the conflicts between, for example, Nimue and Arthur\u2026 we really wanted to end up in a place that they were together.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat their journeys have all brought them into a space where they are literally all physically together, but also they\u2019ve all helped each other [and] learned from each other. That was really why the Isle of the Dead felt like the right place.\u201d<\/p>