Entertainment
The Best New Fantasy Series On TV Is Being Buried For Political Reasons, How To Save It
By Jennifer Asencio
| Published
Joe Rogan recently interviewed Oscar-winning screenwriter Roger Avary on his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience. During their three-hour discussion, Avary mentioned that he’s been watching the show The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin on Daily Wire+. He had high praise for the show, comparing it to the classic King Arthur movie, Excalibur.
“Mainstay producers are no longer reliable,” he complained, adding that they’re spending billions of dollars to make “Lord of the Rings things,” while Pendragon was made for very little and has flown under the radar of pop culture. He admitted that he went into the show thinking he wasn’t going to like it, but was pleasantly surprised: “This is, to me, as good as classic television.”
So why aren’t more people watching the show?
I reviewed The Pendragon Cycle for GIANT FREAKIN ROBOT. To say that I am “not its target audience” is a mixed statement. I love Arthurian legend, but the show and the novels it was based on embrace Christian themes that I was sure would feel too proselytizing. I agreed to review it out of curiosity, but I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. Rise of the Merlin should work for a wide audience, but for some reason, it isn’t getting the attention it deserves.
Major Critics Refuse To Review The Pendragon Cycle
Major critics are not reviewing The Pendragon Cycle. The only reviews being given are from content creators and pre-existing fans of its host service, The Daily Wire. Despite advertising on social media, YouTube, and releasing trailers, very little attention has been given to Rise of the Merlin. Even Melania got the courtesy of bad reviews from the press.
However, The Daily Wire has been controversial since its inception. The website and its streaming service are viewed as a far-right news channel, and many of its key figures have incited the anger of its political rivals.
Jordan Peterson, Ben Shapiro, and Matt Walsh are all associated with the channel, as well as other strictly conservative commentators who are very public-facing and often outspoken. Since much of the entertainment industry is progressive, they don’t agree with the politics espoused by The Daily Wire’s news arm.
The Pendragon Cycle Is Locked Behind A Paywall
Most people who subscribe to The Daily Wire are conservatives who are looking for conservative news and viewpoints. The Pendragon Cycle is limited to these viewers because The Daily Wire focuses mainly on non-fiction content. Most of its programming is news, commentary, and history. The majority of its fictional programming is kids’ television.
The streamer’s entertainment division is also less than a decade old and hasn’t produced much original content. The movies they have produced have been well-received by audiences but panned by critics: Run, Hide, Fight, which I have seen, scored 93% with audiences on Rotten Tomatoes but only 30% with reviewers. Audiences seem to enjoy the content on Daily Wire+, when they can access it.
There is not enough content on Daily Wire+ to be competitive with other small streamers like Shudder. This means that the quality entertainment The Daily Wire has been producing has not only been ignored by biased critics but also siloed away behind a paywall that has a niche audience. Their content is better than niche, and The Pendragon Cycle in particular is an incredible cinematic achievement that showcases what The Daily Wire is capable of.
How To Get Rise Of Merlin The Attention It Deserves
Given the difficulty Daily Wire+ is having getting people to sign up, they should consider licensing properties like The Pendragon Cycle for distribution beyond their service. Not only do these movies deserve to be seen, but they also have a much wider potential audience beyond the “far right.”
If Rise of Merlin had the chance to compete for viewership based on its merit rather than on whether or not someone is conservative enough to sign up for Daily Wire+, it would almost certainly succeed. In a world filled with slop created by the unreliable mainstream, The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin is the ideal alternative. Slop eaters will always slurp up their Rings of Power episodes, but the rest of the world would happily flock to the show.
People often complain that conservatives don’t create good art, but it’s easy to pretend that when their art isn’t even acknowledged. If you’re looking for good programming, heed Avary’s advice and get over the fact that The Pendragon Cycle was produced by The Daily Wire.
Entertainment
The new Dyson Supersonic Travel is the cheapest Supersonic yet
Table of Contents
Nearly three years ago, I asked if the (then) $429 Dyson Supersonic was still worth the price of entry.
These days, with the Supersonic line having expanded, the standard model having increased in price to $449.99, and the most expensive version of the hair dryer topping out at $549.99, it’s a question that feels even more apt.
The good news? If you’re not super into the idea of spending about $500 for a hair dryer, Dyson just announced the Dyson Supersonic Travel, a $299.99 model of its famous hair tool. In addition to its lower price point, it comes with more travel-friendly proportions and features.
As someone who’s personally tested Supersonics (and their many dupes), I took a closer look at the latest Dyson beauty launch to gather everything you need to know.
The design differences of the Dyson Supersonic Travel
In short, the Supersonic Travel is the standard Supersonic but smaller. According to Dyson, that comes out to exactly 32 percent smaller and 25 percent lighter than the OG Supersonic. In other words, it’s 0.7 pounds to the standard Supersonic’s 1.8 pounds, and 8.7 inches tall to the larger model’s 10 inches.
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This model also comes with one attachment, the styling concentrator, a la the now-discontinued Dyson Supersonic Origin (which ran for $399.99). For comparison, the $449.99 Supersonic comes with three attachments: a styling concentrator, diffuser, and wide-tooth comb. For all five attachments, you’ll have to shell out $549.99.
The Supersonic Travel is compatible with all original and Supersonic Nural attachments.
Credit: Dyson
The same attachments can be used between the Travel, original, and Supersonic Nural dryers. This means opting for the Travel could technically save you some money — individual attachments range from $19.99 to $44.99. If you only use a styling concentrator and diffuser, for instance, the total cost of a Travel dryer with the extra attachment purchase would come out to $344.98, making it still over $100 cheaper than the three-attachment original Supersonic.
The Supersonic Travel is more versatile in some ways, and less so in others
Functionality-wise, the Supersonic Travel is a slightly different product from the other Supersonics in the line. It has anywhere from 1,000 to 1,220 watts of power and an airflow speed of 11.6 liters per second, compared to the 1,600 watts and 13.3 liters per second of the standard Supersonic. In other words, the bigger dryer is slightly more powerful, so it wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect longer dry times.
The standard Supersonic and Supersonic Nural also feature four heats and three air speeds, where the Supersonic Travel features three heats and two air speeds.
The best noise-cancelling headphones for flying: 8 picks to improve your travel experience
That said, the Supersonic Travel has universal voltage compatibility, so it can be used from 100 to 240 volts, whereas the other Supersonics are locked into 120 volt compatibility.
In terms of its portability, it’s also worth noting the Supersonic Travel weighs the same as the Supersonic r, a professional grade hair dryer (priced as such at $549.99) that’s become more popular due in part to being lightweight and easy to maneuver.
Where to buy the Dyson Supersonic Travel
The Dyson Supersonic Travel is available for $299.99 at Dyson’s website, Amazon, and Best Buy. If you buy at the former, you will receive a complimentary $59.99 travel bag along with the hair dryer.
Entertainment
The gorgeous yet budget-friendly Samsung QN70F Neo QLED TV is the cheapest its ever been
SAVE $300: As of April 21, you can get the Samsung 55-inch QN70F Neo QLED 4K TV for only $597.99 instead of $897.99 at Amazon. That’s 33% in savings and the lowest price on record.
$597.99
at Amazon
$897.99
Save $300
We’re in peak sports season, y’all. Besides the action of the Stanley Cup playoffs and NBA playoffs, there’s a fresh MLB season taking shape. If your TV is looking dull or lagging, it’s a prime time to upgrade — especially since you can find some epic deals on 2025 models.
As of April 21, the Samsung 55-inch QN70F Neo QLED 4K TV is on sale at Amazon for only $597.99. That’s 33% or $300 off its current list price, as well as its lowest price to date.
As Mashable’s TV expert Leah Stodart explains, “Neo QLED is really just Samsung’s proprietary term for QLED paired with Mini LED.” So, the QN70F features a panel of quantum dots over a bunch of tiny LED bulbs instead of a basic LED panel. The result? A stunning display with impressive color accuracy, deep blacks, and spectacular contrast. All the little details will look good no matter the lighting conditions in your room.
This TV uses an NQ4 AI Gen2 processor to upscale content and enhance the quality of anything you’re watching. So even those old episodes of Friends will look more impressive on the QN70F. And thanks to a 144Hz variable refresh rate, gaming and sports will look noticeably smoother and less laggy than your old set.
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If an upgrade is in order, but you don’t want to spend a ton of money, the Samsung QN70F Neo QLED 4K TV is an excellent value at full price. At $300 off, it’s a steal.
Entertainment
The secret to faster AI output is better prompts
TL;DR: If writing prompts slows you down, VibeFarm helps you build, save, and reuse them for a one-time $39.99 for lifetime access.
Anyone using AI regularly already knows the real bottleneck isn’t the tools — it’s the prompts. Getting them just right can take longer than the actual work, and once you do land on a great one, it’s usually buried in chat history or lost in a notes app somewhere.
This is the issue VibeFarm aims to eliminate. It’s not another AI generator — it’s a prompt composition workspace designed to help you stay in the flow.
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Instead of starting from scratch every time, you can build structured prompts using layered fields, refine them with built-in tools, and save them as reusable “VibeCards” for future use.
With access to 10,000+ premium prompts and a system built for remixing and iteration, you can turn one successful prompt into a repeatable asset. Whether you’re working on visuals, writing, video, or something in between, everything stays organized and easy to reuse.
It also plays nicely with the tools you already use. You can export clean prompts directly into platforms like ChatGPT, Midjourney, or other AI tools — no formatting headaches. And with version control and rollback options, you can experiment without losing what worked.
This platform helps you cut wasted time from your AI workflow while keeping your best ideas working for you long after you’ve created them.
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Get lifetime VibeFarm Lite access on sale for just $39.99 (reg. $179) for a limited time.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Topics
Artificial Intelligence
The new Dyson Supersonic Travel is the cheapest Supersonic yet
The gorgeous yet budget-friendly Samsung QN70F Neo QLED TV is the cheapest its ever been
