The Winter King (Season 1) Episode 9: In the previous episode of ‘The Winter King’ on MGM+, we saw Arthur and Guinevere return to Caer Cadarn after their marriage. To fulfill his earlier promise, Arthur allowed Sansum to continue with the construction of their worship house. However, it does not sit well with Nimue, who gets accused of poisoning several Christian men. On the other hand, Bishop Bedwin, who had gone to Powys to form a truce after Arthur’s impulsive decision, ended up getting crucified by ruthless Gorfydd. Morgan and Derfel could do nothing but stand there and witness this cruelty.
Now, in the ninth episode, we see Arthur learning a crucial detail about Gorfydd’s plan – that can go against his hope for a united Britain. Meanwhile, Derfel learns that Arthur has banished Nimue and discovers the truth behind the death of Christian men.
Spoilers ahead.
The Winter King (Season 1) Episode 9 Recap
Gorfydd’s Evil Plan
The penultimate episode of ‘The Winter King’ follows the aftermath of Bishop Bedwin’s (Steven Elder) death in the kingdom of Powys. Gorfydd (Aneirin Hughes) and Gundleus (Simon Merrells) subject Morgan (Valene Kane) and Derfel (Stuart Campbell) to a humiliating treatment. They return to Caer Cadarn with the Bishop’s dead body. On the way, they meet Princess Ceinwyn (Emily John), who warns them about Gorfydd’s evil plan – Gorfydd is planning to marry her off to a Saxon king as his way of seeking revenge against Arthur.
Eventually, Morgan and Derfel return to Dumnonia with the Bishop’s body. Arthur (Ian De Caestecker) gets emotional seeing the results of his own actions. He and Guinevere (Joran Alexandra) learn Gorfydd’s plan to get Ceinwyn betrothed to a Saxon. Arthur is devastated to learn the shockingly high price of humiliating Gorfydd. He believes that silence is not an option since that will result in even worse circumstances. So, he decided to prepare for a war against this united front.
Arthur’s Decision
Arthur thinks Gorfydd only played the part of a wounded patriot for Britain, who wants nothing but peace. But because of Gorfydd’s focus solely on Powys’ future, he decided to take a big step. Arthur wonders what he will be strategizing in exchange for this alliance. He plans to speak with King Tewdric (Sagar Arya) to find the truth about the truth with the help of his best-placed spies in Powys. So, he sends Lanval to speak with him. On the other hand, because of Sagramor (Ken Nwosu), Arthur learns that they do not have enough manpower to defeat the combined forces of Gorfydd and the Saxons.
Arthur and Guinevere discuss other alternatives for this situation. Because of Sansum’s (Andrew Gower) accusation that Nimue (Ellie James) killed several Christian men, Arthur decided to banish her. But now, the absence of this druidess, along with Merlin’s (Nathaniel Martello-White), creates a challenging situation for them. Since Derfel (Stuart Campbell) has no knowledge it happened, Arthur decides to tell him the truth. But as one would suspect, this decision does not sit well with Derfel. He thinks he could have stopped whatever happened between Sansum and Nimue. But Derfel does not see it the same way.
Nimue’s Whereabouts
To know Nimue’s whereabouts, Derfel meets Raila (Charlie Duncan), who mentions that Nimue felt alone in his and Merlin’s absence. But she cannot answer where Nimue may have gone, nor can Culwyn (Gwïon Morris Jones). He stresses the need for preparations for war against the danger of the Saxons. Eventually, Derfel walks upon a chamber, believing Nimue would be there. Instead, he meets Guinevere, who pushes him to find the answers to Nimue’s troubling situation. Because of her, Derfel decides to check whether it was really her curses that killed the deceased Christian men.
Soon after, Raila reveals that Arthur kept Nimue under guard in the tower. After that, some strangers came to take her away. Derfel wonders whether these were Sansum’s men. But Raila cryptically mentions that these were more than just ordinary men. He speaks with some of Sansum’s men to know a probable cause for deaths. Eventually, he stumbles upon the reason why the woodsmen fell ill and took a long time to get better. So, it was not Nimue’s curses but this natural cause that resulted in their deaths. As a result, Derfel questions Arthur’s lapse in judgment. But Arthur makes him realize his duty against the Saxons is a higher priority.
Arthur’s Worries about Dumnonia
Morgan mourns Bedwin’s loss and blames Arthur for not thinking about the impact of his actions. How could he think Gorfydd would let him walk away after breaking his daughter’s heart and humiliating him? She questions him. She expects him to make things right to stop Dumnonia’s ruin. Later, Lanwal returns to Dumnonia to confirm Gorfydd’s proposed bond with the Saxons. Gorfydd hopes to get Ceinwyn to the Saxon king Aelle.
Meanwhile, after learning the true reason behind the death of Christian men, Guinevere calls Arthur out for making an ill-judged decision. It leads to an argument where he takes it upon his ego. Arthur even mentions how Gorfydd doubted Guinevere – which ends their conversation on a bitter note.
The Winter King (Season 1) Episode 9 Ending Explained
After getting banished, who had taken away Nimue?
After his conversation with Culwyn, Defel becomes certain that Nimue was taken away by the Isle of the Dead. Meanwhile, Guinevere apologizes to Arthur for questioning his judgment, considering all that he has experienced in his life, from neglect to banishment. With Sagramor, Twedric, and Lanval, Arthur discusses their strategy against the Saxons. While they can find a way to reach Saxons before Gorfydd, they are unsure what to offer them. Tewdric suggests exploiting a fracture between two Saxon leaders for their advantage. So, Arthur decides to make his approach known to Aelle. Eventually, he plans to offer tin in exchange for buying time for them. Guinevere suggests offering a piece of land, which Arthur rejects without a thought.
