Merlin Review --- His Father's Son

On this episode of Merlin, King Arthur takes center stage as he tries to rule Camelot by being His Father’s Son, only to realize that he wanted to do this king thing his way.

This week's Merlin begins with barbarians at the gate as Arthur and the knights manage to trap an invasion army by using Merlin as bait. The Warrior King leaps into action, easily leading the knights to victory. Arthur is pleased to discover that they have also captured their King.

While Arthur is deciding what to do next, Uncle Scar slithers by King Arthur like a snake in the Garden of Eden and warns him that this is just the beginning of the rulers of the other kingdoms challenging his kingliness and that he has to make a stand --- either humiliate The King of the Barbarians by forcing him to sign a peace treaty in exchange for his life or execute him. Arthur is hesitant to go down this route because he knows that barbarians are a prideful lot and Caerleon would rather die than subjugate himself. Merlin tries to convince Arthur to really think this through but he’s closed himself off to his friend. He follows Uncle’s Scar advice and has The Barbarian King killed. He then returns to his woman and his kingdom and tries to convince himself and Merlin that he did the right thing. When Merlin once again questions his actions he once again tells a dejected Merlin that he is no longer interested in his advice or friendship and that Merlin “must learn to accept that.”

When The Barbarian Queen receives her husband’s body she goes ballistic when she realizes that he was executed. Annis vows to bring Camelot to its knees. She gets unexpected help from Morgana, who sneaks into the kingdom and begs Annis to help her avenge her father’s Gorlois death at the hands of The Pendragons. Annis, already seething for blood, agrees to align herself with her old friend’s stepdaughter.

While Annis is plotting Arthur’s downfall from without, Uncle Scar continues trying to lead Arthur down a dark roadfrom within by convincing him that King Arthur cannot marry a blacksmith's daughter. Despite years of arguing that this is not the case, he allows Uncle Scar’s words to sink in. After using Merlin as a punching bag to get out his frustrations (don’t worry he was only holding the bag but still...) Arthur dons his “I’m going to Gwen’s” blue cloak and visits the woman he promised to love forever, and who spent the last year wiping the drool of the man who killed her father out of love for him, to tell her that Prince Arthur may have made promises but King Arthur does not find her an “appropriate” mate.  Guinevere swallows her pain and manages not to slap Arthur into his next reincarnation by channelling her “Queen Guinevere “ stoicism and telling him to stop being lead around the nose by others and follow his own heart.

But Arthur has more to worry about than a broken heart, Annis has sent an army to invade Camelot and Arthur slowly begins to realize how his actions are having the opposite effect from what he wanted.

King Arthur decides to round up his knights and ride off to meet their aggressors. Arthur’s guilt is only heightened when Elyan, (taking center stage!) and the knights pay him a visit, pledging their loyalty and life to their king.

Arthur, feeling like he has recklessly risked his men’s lives decides to go to The Barbarian Camp to talk to the Queen. Queen Annis greets him with a slapticism and Arthur tells her that he now realizes that he was wrong. He offers her an idea --- his champion will go up against her champion. If he wins the war is over, if he loses she gets half of Camelot. Annis agrees.

Arthur let’s everyone know that he is going to fight this fight himself. Uncle Scar and Morgana decide to hex Arthur’s sword. (That’s the best they can do?) . As Arthur begins to prepare for battle he gives Merlin his mother’s ring and tells him to give it to Gwen if he does not survive. He then goes out to face Darian The Barbarian.

The two men are in mortal combat but Arthur’s hexed sword is making things difficult. Never fear though, with a little help from Merlin’s magic (because we couldn’t have one whole episode where Arthur is capable of getting himself out of his own messes) he wins, gaining the respect of everyone by sparing Darian The Barbarian’s life.  

After the battle, Queen Annis tells Arthur that she sees in him “hope for us all.” Later, she confronts Morgana, telling her that she is a bitter black wearing witch and while Arthur may not be his father’s son, she is Uther’s daughter. A disgusted Morgana storms off.

Arthur returns to Camelot amidst cheers and adulation from the people. His win has made him re-evaluate his actions the past few days (weeks?) First up --- reconnecting with Merlin and letting him call him a “Cabbage Head.”

He then summons Gwen to his chambers and offers her some sad flowers that he picked up on the side of the road. Gwen succumbs to his sorry and his smouldering looks and falls into his arms in no time flat as the screen fades to black as all becomes right in King Arthur’s realm.

This episode was very Arthur centric and I loved it. We finally got to see Arthur as a competent leader. Was his actions perfect --- no, but understandable given the stress he was under. I never thought we’d see King Arthur in action. I always felt he’d be crowned in the last episode of the series so I am pleased to be able to see a bit of his early reign.  Arthur and Gwen are actually my favorite characters in the series and while we see a lot of Arthur it’s never in a way that we have seen here. This was one of the few episodes not told from Merlin’s point of view. Arthur was driving this story and we really get in to his character and what makes him tick. More Arthur-centric episodes please.

Questions/Comments

I love the fact that Merlin is not afraid to show Arthur as a man who makes mistakes. Arthur’s killing of Caerleon was ill-advised and his treatment of Gwen was quite cruel given the fact that he spent YEARS promising her that when he was King they would be together.

I’ve been dying for them to play up Arthur’s ruthless side ever since he put that sword to the druid’s boy neck last season and I’m glad they show that Arthur has the ability to go dark, but he CHOOSES not to and it is his compassion and fairness that will make him a great king, but as we can see in this episodes it is his human failings that will make him a legend.

A lot has been said about Gwen’s reaction to the dumping and while the twenty-first century girl in me would have smacked him into the middle of next week, it would be OC for Gwen to be offering slapticisms (a method of slapping some sense into somebody) when she has always held back on her feelings and suffered every indignation with a quiet dignity.  Gwen knows Arthur very well and understands that he is being manipulated. I think she believed in her heart that he would come around, and if he didn’t, then “he’s not the man she knows” and she wouldn’t want to be with him anyway. I doubt very much Gwen would want Arthur if she thought there was a chance in Hades that he’d become Uther.

As a fan of the Gwen/Arthur relationship I was glad to see where they stood, even if the interaction wasn’t perfect. Would I have liked the rift between them to go on longer, yes for dramatic purposes, I think there is a lot to mine in a breakup, but with only 13 episodes that arc couldn’t be explored properly anyway so it’s better to just move on from it. Don’t forget, in that missing year between Season Two and Season Three Arthur and Gwen were not together, despite them basically declaring their love at the end of Season Two, and the writers choose not to show that angst and leave what happened between them in the unseen year, so they are not trying to go there.

Speaking of Gwen, why is she still a servant? Elyan got knighted for basically the same thing that Gwen did --- helping Arthur regain Camelot, yet the men get a title and I am presuming an income while Gwen gets to continue to scrub floors and empty chamber pots????  Shouldn’t she have gotten a bump in station? Then again, Merlin never gets rewarded for saving Arthur and being the best BFF Bodyguard a Princeling turned King ever had. Even though, they are the people that Arthur are closets too I wonder if on some level he feels that because they are servants they owe him their loyalty?

Speaking of Elyan what is his relationship with Gwen? He ran off with not a word before the series began, he only came back after Arthur made it very comfortable for him to do so; he hid while Gwen was in the castle during last season’s attack and he seems to barely talk to Gwen, let alone provide for her. Is he busy or just self-absorbed?

Was I the only one that found it funny that the invading army was made up of a bunch of long haired, dirty looking, grunting barbarians while Arthur and his men are almost clean and sparkly looking?

So, Cenred is dead; Arthur killed Odin’s son, presumably leaving him without an heir; Arthur killed Caerleon, presumably leaving him without an heir; wow his road to High King just keeps getting easier doesn’t it?

Speaking of Odin, Odin sends an assassin to Camelot and literally kills the king in his own chambers and Arthur doesn’t go after him? Why? That to me would have been a justifiable show of force and a clear message not to mess with him unless you wanted to get dealt with!

Merlin -- The Wicked Day

On this episode of Merlin, Arthur has the worst day ever as an evil traveling circus turns his birthday bash into a Wicked Day, depending on whose side you’re on, and sets in motion a chain of events that will change Arthur and Camelot forever.

It’s Arthur’s birthday and the kingdom is celebrating with a Circus du Arthur. The birthday boy is in no mood to celebrate; he is in Prince Regent Mode and can only think about his next duty. He changes his mind however when Uther wipes his drool and tells Arthur that he wants in on the B-day bash. Arthur is thrilled and soon the two are partying like its 1099!

Unfortunately for The Pendragons, the circus’ Gleeman is not there for merriment. He is an assassin hired by King Odin in another attempt to avenge his son’s death at the hand's of Arthur years ago. His last assassin didn't even put a dent in Arthur's Mack Daddying, chicken making, kissing to violins and jousting fun during The Once and Future Queen, but this one seems to be better at this assassin thing. After drugging Arthur he moves in for the kill, but is thwarted by Uther who channels his inner warrior and beats the Gleeman down, but not before he wounds Uther, leaving him on death's door.

A desperate Arthur decides to use magic to heal his father. Merlin sees this as a chance to show Arthur that magic is good and dusts off his Old Merlin Guise, while Morgana, after being informed of Uther’s plight by Uncle Scar has her own ideas. As Uther’s life hangs in the balance, the fate of an entire kingdom will be decided as the day of The Once and Future King may finally be at hand.

I’m just going to say it --- I didn’t particularly like this episode. I know this because I watched it three times trying to feel the love and just went blah every time. It pains me to write this because this is the episode I have been waiting years for and it felt like an anticlimactic thud. Maybe it was the placement of it. It just seemed odd that something that would shake the status quo up so much happened in the third episode after last week’s kick butt season opener. Why not do this in the season premiere? In my opinion it would have made the arc flow better.

Why was it necessary to insert a magical subplot at all with old Merlin? Oh yeah, to give Arthur a reason to hate magic and force Merlin to continue to keep the magic a secret. Last time I checked it was the very mortal King Odin who put this mess in motion, Arthur’s anger should be directed at him, but maybe that’s just me.

Don’t get me wrong, there were things I liked and there was really good things in this --- This episode saw another fantastic performance by Anthony Head who finally did the impossible, made me appreciate Uther for his complexities. I still hate the baby drowning bastard, but the ending of his arc just felt right.

Also, the last scene in this episode is iconic; there is no way around it. It made me smile and feel excited about what’s next; too bad all that other stuff had to happen before it.

Kudos to Bradley James as well. He brought his A Game in this episode. I felt Arthur‘s pain and his fear and ultimately his resolve.

Colin Morgan continues to shine as Merlin. As I said, it’s his party, and rightfully so, but can other people come to the table?

 The lack of Gwen was ridiculous. Given the magnitude of events in this episode she should have been at Arthur’s side. Why have an actress as good as Angel Coulby and give her nothing to do? I came across the completed script for Wicked Day which featured Gwen the way she should have been portrayed in this eppy, so my instincts were correct, her absence was odd. She was needed to make it feel like a complete story and her presence would have been an organic part of the story. So why was it cut? Oh look, another trouser joke!  

Maybe the fourth viewing will be the charm.

Questions/Comments

This is actually going to be more like a rant. I know that this show is about Merlin and everything, even as something as momentous as what happens in this episode, is told from his point of view, but the lack of view point from anybody else besides Arthur was a HUGE disappointment.

This is Morgana’s journey too, and what she did in this episode is yet another step into her decent to darkness, but we get no real reaction from her. What a letdown. In fact, she could not have even been in THIS episode. That makes no sense given her place in the story. Why is somebody like Morgana, who had the potential to be an amazing villain being treated like an afterthought in this of all episodes? You can argue that it was she who ultimately did the deed, but her scenes were so whatever that her role in all this lacked a true impact. I know some extra lines thrown Morgana’s way might have taken away from all the tomfoolery with Merlin and Arthur -- playing dress up and giving each other horseback rides and such, but geesh. Yes, the bromance is one of the things that makes this show sparkle but it was the subtle way that Merlin was there for Arthur in this episode that really tugged at the heart. They didn’t need all that other stuff.

Speaking of head scratching developments, this was THE moment the Gwen and Arthur have been talking about forever and?…I’m going to let this go because I could type at length on how Gwen’s small role in this episode tees me off. No Gwen being a supportive girlfriend and future queen for us! But I’m sure we will see PLENTY of Gwen when the Triangle of Doom returns ‘cause a woman’s real value is measured by how crazy she can make the men fighting over her, right. Maybe she’ll even be enchanted during that episode to give Arthur yet another contrived reason to hate magic. I know that the writers don’t want the Gwen/Arthur romance to eat this show, I get that. I even agree with that. If Gwen was Merlin’s love interest it would be different since he’s the main character, but she’s Arthurs’ so their romance is on the fringes, I get it, but as Arthur and Gwen move to their destined fate as husband and wife it might be a good idea to ,you know , show them acting like a couple. This was the perfect opportunity, too bad all the scenes that did that ended up on the cutting room floor.

No scenes with Uther and Uncle Scar talking? Really? That bedside scene doesn’t count! Uther told Arthur he knew everything going on around him, that would seem to mean that he knows his brother-in-law is back as well. Maybe they reunited off screen because who needs to see something as important as Uther being reunited with Ygraine’s remaining brother?  We know that Aggy hates Uther, and we all know why he hates Uther, and I’m sure Uther knows it as well. That much animosity and past issues warranted a scene or two.  
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Why does Arthur blame magic for his mother’s death? Does he know the truth about his birth? Last time I checked he didn’t believe the vision he saw, thanks to Merlin. Don’t tell me he found out off screen.

One last thing, I know that I rag on Gaius A LOT, but his scene with Merlin after things shake out when he basically shrugs his shoulders and says let’s go get something to eat just made me laugh! I’m sure he went to the pub afterwards and did a happy dance that he “made it.” I know I would have.

Merlin --- The Darkest Hour

Previously on Merlin…

·         Morgana returned after a year’s absence and spent the entire season being EVIL and smirking along with her SISTERRR Morgause and their new smoldering sidekick King Cendred who was zombie food by season’s end.

·         Gwen’s never before mentioned brother Elyan, Gwaine of the Luscious Hair, and Percival the Mighty joined the knighthood.

·         Lancelot returned and continued to bond with Merlin and pine after Gwen.

·         Gwen and Arthur’s romance continued to simmer in secret on a slow burn, with the exception of an almost marriage to clumsy, but adorable Fairy Princess, and a near burning at the stake courtesy of Uther and Morgana.

·         Arthur continued to do his father’s bidding without question, leading to a disastrous mission to retrieve “the cup of life” that paved the way for Morgana to take the throne from a shocked Uther and a neutered Arthur.  

·         Arthur and his newly formed Knights of the Roundtable, with Gwen’s help, overthrew Morgana’s curiously cruel reign.

·         With her sister near death, the kingdom scarred, Uther driven mad and her EVIL finally discovered, Morgana teleported out of Camelot with a HUGE chip on her shoulder.

·         Arthur STILL was clueless about Merlin’s magic.

Merlin returns for its fourth season with a creepy two-parter that sets the stage for  what is to be some dark days ahead for our heroes. As the series opens Morgana and Morgause are in route to their next big project --- tearing apart the veil between the mortal and spirit worlds so that evil spirits will descend upon Camelot bringing death and destruction wherever they go. At least they are learning how to delegate.

Morgana no longer seems to need to telegraph her EVIL through smirks and convoluted plans, but seems to have decided to wear black this season in case someone didn’t get the “I’m evil now memo.”  The two SISTERRS succeed in opening up the veil and all Hades literally breaks loose.   

With Uther spending most of his time catatonic, Arthur is acting as Prince Regent. He is troubled that Morgana is back causing problems and turns to  his long lost Uncle Agravaine for support. The black clad, slicked hair, fork tongue man is clearly up to no good and pretends to be touched that Arthur trusts him. Arthur discovers that the only way to close the veil is a blood sacrifice and after much deliberation (not really) Arthur decides that he is going to sacrifice himself to save the people of Camelot, but not before crying all over Uther about how he taught him to be a great prince (did I miss that?)  and saying a touching goodbye to Gwen who knows that something is up.

 Sure enough, faster than you can say Mufasta, a gleeful Uncle Scar can’t wait to tell his secret BFF Morgana about Arthur’s plan.

Gwen takes time from wiping Uther’s drool to see Lancelot whose clear happiness at seeing her is dampened when she asks him to take care of Arthur and doesn’t even wish him a safe trip. Lance promises to look after Arthur with his life so you can guess where this is going…

On their journey, the knight's experience some hilarious hijinks's from Gwaine that involve food and besotted monsters. OK. But the fun can’t last forever as Merlin is stung by an evil spirit and Lancelot volunteers to take him back to Camelot for help.  While on their own, the boys bond over magic and water spirits and unrequited love once Merlin is healed.  

Meanwhile, Gwen is upset to hear that Uncle Scar has closed the gates to villagers who need help because he’s scared of chaos and that’s  not what Arthur would do and let’s her opinion be known in front of The Council. The Council sides with Gwen much to Uncle Scar’s chagrin. He goes whining to Morgana who goes on a tirade about Gwen stealing her throne and how she was warned that a guy named Emery would be her doom. Uncle Scar, who is not only a coward, but not very bright, runs to Gauis of all people and asks him for info on Emery as Merlin overhears. Maybe Morgana left out the fact that Merlin is a constant spoiler of bad guy plans in her “What You Need to Know to be Evil in Camelot” briefing.

Determined to get that crown stealer tonight, Morgana sneaks into the citadel and unleashes her wrath on Gwen who manages to come throw it with merely a gash on the head. Better luck next time.

Meanwhile at the opening of the veil, as Arthur and Merlin play “I’m willing to die more than you”,  Lancelot makes the ultimate sacrifice, keeping his promise to Gwen, and his unspoken vow of loyalty to Merlin, by walking around the talkers and closing the veil himself, but not before throwing Merlin a contented smile and looking as sexy as he ever has.  

Merlin is devastated, but it’s nothing compared to Gwen’s grief who tells a shocked Arthur that she asked Lance to look out for him and he died to keep his promise. Realizing that Lancelot still loved Gwen, something I’m sure Lance went out of his way not to show during the unseen year, and seeing the depth of Gwen’s feelings for the fallen knight, Arthur leaves his lady love to grieve alone, but their conflicting feelings about Lance and his place in their lives, will no doubt come back in a strong was when a not so dead Lance reappears...

Morgana is furious that Arthur lives. Uncle Scar informs her that he just got lucky but Morgana’s been to this rodeo too many times. She’s determined to come out on top, if only she can find that pesky Emery.

I really enjoyed this season opener. It seems that the writers have a clear vision for this season and the show as a whole and this year everybody’s going to get knocked a bit. You really get see how everybody’s weaknesses are going to used against them --- Arthur attachment to the people he loves and his continued blind spot for his family; Merlin frustration at having to keep his magic a secret; Morgana’s selfishness and obsession with Camelot;  Gwen’s ability to love and need to be loved and valued (as seen when she makes the mistake of being flattered by Uncle Scar’s pretty words); and Lancelot’s love for Gwen. Personally, I like the darker tone of the show and I’m curious to how far the writers are going to push the envelope with the characters.

Questions/Comments
Lancelot and Merlin’s friendship was the highlight of this two-parter. I LOVE Santiago Cabrera in this role and I’m sorry that we only get him in so few episodes. He IS Lancelot. His relationship with Merlin is fantastic as Merlin can be himself around him and he has great chemistry with Angel Coulby.  The looks he was giving her during their scene together made me swoon!

Nice to see Gwen having a bigger role and a bigger say in Camelot. Speaking up at the Council Meeting? You’ve come a long way Baby. I feel like this was one of the first times we really saw the real her unhampered by her “servant role.” But taking care of Uther, the man who killed her father and nearly toasted her on the pyre twice? It’s a choice… Kudos to Anthony Head for playing drooling Uther so well, it’s almost enough to make you feel sorry for the guy until you remember he likes to drown babies for fun.

Morgana is so much more convincing as a villainess now that she’s gotten rid of that evil smirk, but tell me that’s she’s being a little bit more proactive than sitting in her hut, wearing black and getting info from Uncle Scar.

Morguase, that’s your grand plan, really? Maybe, it was the only way she could think of getting away from her SISTERRR. I’m going to miss typing that!

Was I the only one that laughed when Gauis did his typical “do the right thing Sire” speech to Uncle Scar and quickly shut up AS USUAL when he was smacked down?

So, I take it that Gwaine was reduced to comic relief irrelevance because with Lancelot in the house he just couldn’t compete. Well Lance is in limbo now so hopeful Gwaine will get his spark back.

WHY IS ARTHUR MADE TO LOOK SO BLOODY CLUELESS?  I’m sorry, but I had to get that out. I get that Merlin’s magic must stay a secret for the story to work as it currently set up, I also understand that Merlin is the hero of the show, BUT Arthur is the Once and Future King not Boo Boo the Fool. He doesn’t suspect anything once he wakes up from all these convenient knock outs? EVER? And come on, I mean, even Stevie Wonder could see that Uncle Agravaine is a BAD GUY --- the black clothing, the gelled back hair, the “I live to serve you nephew” attitude.  You’re the Prince Regent now Art, get it together!

Merlin may not do everything right, but they are building a triangle that is pulling at the heart strings. I’m a Huge Arthur/Gwen shipper, but even I see why Gwen likes Lancelot so much and I don’t blame the girl for giving him a second, third or fourth look! It breaks my heart to see him pining for Gwen. I thought it was very mature of Arthur to leave Gwen to her grief, but seeing it is going to make him wonder just how deep her feelings for Lance run setting the stage for what we know will be Lance’s return. Arthur’s shock when he realized that Gwen and Lance still had feelings for each other and Gwen’s grief and guilt was palatable and that sight of her alone at his pyre was beautiful.

Merlin seems to be growing tired with having to keep his magic a secret. I can’t blame him. I hope that this season we see his building resentment played out.

The Coming of Arthur

Merlin ends its fantastic third season with a two-part finale in which Morgana finally comes out of the proverbial closet and let’s everyone know that she is EVIL.

The episode begins with the death of Sir Leon the Brave during a battle against Cendred’s army. A shell-shocked Arthur has to deliver the news to his father, who despite sending so many of his knights to slaughter over the years for personal vendettas and ill advised crusades, seems upset. Sadness quickly turns to joy, however, when Leon appears alive and well and informs them that a tribe of Druids found him and restored him to life.

Uther deduces that they must have used the mythical Cup of Life to do the deed, and instead of leaving it with the Druids, who you know, have managed to keep The Cup safe for hundreds of years, Uther in his great wisdom, decides to send Arthur too retrieve The Cup so that he can throw it in his Vault of Magical Trinkets. Arthur is all too happy to follow his father’s orders and he sets off with Merlin. The two are immediately kidnapped by a slave trader who has also somehow managed to capture Gwaine of The Luscious Hair. After much fighting and magical intervention, the trio escape, and Gwaine joins Arthur and Merlin for the latest adventure.

It doesn’t take long for the trio to find the Druids who are protecting The Cup. Arthur demands that they hand it over, but the Druids warn him that he is messing with powers he doesn’t understand. The Once and Future Princeling isn’t trying to hear that, though, and threatens to kill a druid BOY, unless they hand The Cup over. The Druids quickly comply and a satisfied Arthur leaves the cave, walking right into an ambush.

Cendred now has The Cup and creates an immortal army that marches straight into Camelot and seems to capture the kingdom with little resistance. Morgana is thrilled that at last one of her EVIL plans have worked and she crowns herself queen as a distraught Uther looks on. Uther doesn’t understand what is going on with his loving ward, so Morgana breaks it down to him that (a) she knows he is her father and she doesn’t appreciate him never acknowledging her, (b) she has been plotting against him and Camelot for nearly a year and he was too blind to see it (c) she has magic and (d) she hates his guts for everything, especially making her hate herself.

Morgana is thrilled that her coup has seemingly pushed Uther to the brink of madness, and now that she no longer has to hide her EVILNESS, she begins her glorious reign as Camelot’s Sovereign. But instead of legalizing magic, freeing the people from Uther’s oppressive practices, and showing the people why she is a better ruler than Uther could ever be, she decides that it would be much more fun to play dress up and be an even bigger tyrant then Uther was! She makes killing innocents the new national pastime and gleefully plots the murderers of former friends Leon and Gwen for their “betrayals.”  

Meanwhile, outside of Camelot, a depressed Arthur finds hope when Lancelot, and his friend Percival, show up to help after being summoned by Merlin. Now, Arthur has the makings of a knighthood that he can take into battle against Morgana and her EVIL friends, but will it be enough to beat back an immortal army and restore Camelot to the light?  

Merlin really found itself this season and I hope that the writers continue to build on the mythology that they have built. This season was really helped by the darker shift in tone and I look forward to seeing the show get even darker and more adult next season.

Being able to watch the beginnings of The Knights of the Roundtable is real treat from anyone who is a fan of the legend and watching Arthur knight men based on merit and not birth lays the cornerstone for what his kingdom is to become.

I have a few quibbles with Arthur’s characterization. I know this show is called Merlin, but Arthur is the King of Legend. We don’t need to see Merlin saving the day all the time. We need to see why Arthur will be the greatest king of all time. Also, enough with this blind loyalty to Uther. I know he is his father, but Arthur is a big boy now, he can see all the wrong that Uther has done and he needs to acknowledge it.

My only major complaint about this season was Morgana. While I liked that she went from spoiled princess to villain, I did not like that she was turned into such a one note character. I can understand that she hates Uther, I hate Uther, but to feel nothing but hatred for Gwen and Arthur, the two people she has been closets too her entire life was baffling. She could have still done bad things without being totally EVIL. This would have been a much better story if we saw her conflict about what she was doing and saw that she was motivated by something besides personal power. What happened to the Morgana of Season One and Two whose hatred of Uther was rooted in his tyranny? That’s the Morgana we should have seen this season, teetering on the brink of EVIL not totally lost to it.

All in all an excellent season and I can’t wait to see what Season 4 brings.

 Questions/Comments

So…um… Arthur is into killing kids in order to get what he wants?  I’m all for seeing Arthur’s dark side explored, but this seemed really out of character for him. Still, it would be interesting if the show plays with this a little. Arthur has no qualms about killing and let’s face it, you don’t become High King of all Albion by being a nice guy. Some of Uther had to rub off on him and it would be interesting to see how Gwen and Merlin would react to him doing some less than noble things to secure his kingdom.

How great was it seeing Uther on his knees being forced to watch Morgana crowned as Queen? Anthony Head played Uther’s anguish to perfection and I loved every minute of it.

Loved that the first thing Arthur did when he returned to Camelot was look for Gwen, but why is Elyan hiding in Gwen’s house? Had he already left his sister for dead?

Why did Morgana keep Gwen as her personal servant? Was she just too lazy to train another one? Did she get off on the idea “knowing” that she thwarted her own rise to the throne, or does she really still care for her?

Speaking of Gwen not only did she mention her dead father again (something I don’t want the writers to ever stop doing) but she also mentions that her mother was a Lady’s maid who worked for Leon’s family and that she and Leon grew up together. This was interesting and I hope it ties into something next season.

It was great watching Gwen use her detective skills to break Leon out of jail. Too bad that Morgana was on to her in a hot second, but hey, at least she tried.

Speaking of Gwen/Morgana, how much more interesting would this dynamic have been to watch if you had two friends who did not want to betray each other , but because of their views of what is right and wrong ultimately do. Was Morgana really hurt that Gwen chose Arthur over her, or just mad that Gwen lied to her? One of the strengths of this new interpretation is that Morgana/Arthur/Gwen/Merlin really loved each other. Why not play on that to add conflict.

Arthur and Gwen are clearly committed to each other at the end of this arc, and Lancelot, while accepting of this new dynamic, is still very much in love with Gwen. It will be interesting to see where this goes.

Seeing the roundtable and seeing and hearing Arthur act like King Arthur gave me chills.  

Cendred, I barely knew yea, all that potential wasted.  Too bad.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Santiago as Lancelot and I think his friendship with Merlin is one of the most enjoyable aspects of this show. If I had one wish is would be that he could be a series regular.

It was nice to see Morgana show some emotion when her sister fell, it’s nice to know that she is still capable of feeling something for someone, but may I suggest that she take a page out of Morgan Pendragon’s book. Showtime’s Camelot may not get much love from me, but Eva Green’s Morgan is FANTASTIC and makes Merlin’s Morgana Pendragan look like she is just playing at being EVIL.

Gaius magic? Was I the only one surprised by that revelation or did I miss something in the earlier seasons? And am I to understand that he watched thousands of fellow witches and warlocks burn at the stack and continued to be Uther’s loyal friend and physician? What a guy!

Merlin --- The Queen of Hearts

In this week's episode of Merlin, Guinevere is revealed to be the Once and Future "Queen of Hearts" and Morgana doesn't like this one bit. After a prophetic dream in which she sees Gwen crowned as Queen of Camelot, Morgana manipulates a chain of events to rid herself of her rival at all costs. But Detective Merlin is on the case and he may have come up with the grandaddy of all schemes to save Gwen and to make sure that love wins.

After a week of taking a break from her EVIL scheming, Morgana is in a tizzy when she realizes that Arthur is destined to marry Gwen and place her on the throne, that as Uther's secret female spawn, is rightfully hers! She easily manipulates Arthur and Gwen into throwing caution  to the wind and taking a romantic picnic in the forest. She then coos and bats her eyelashes at Daddy Uther until he agrees to go riding with her where they conveniently catch an unsuspecting Gwen and Arthur making out among the grass and flowers.

Uther is amused to see his son getting it on with the help, since he has been known to "court" a servant or two in his day, but he quickly becomes angry when he orders Arthur to end whatever is going on between them and Gwen and Arthur balks. Uther realizes that Arthur actually has feelings for this servant girl and banishes her.

Morgana is thrilled until she realizes that Arthur is planning on running away with Gwen and returning with her after Uther croaks, making her his wife and queen. Realizing that she has in fact made her the prophesy come true by causing the banishment, she decides to kill Gwen. She convinces Uther that Arthur is bewitched, something that Uther is all too willing to believe because a) he seems to believe that everything is the work of magic and b) it's the only explanation that he can stomach for his son being in love with a servant.

Gwen is tried, slapped and sentenced to death by Uther in about two minutes as a horrified Arthur looks on. Morgana is pleased that one of her EVIL plans has finally worked, but she tosses out one EVIL smirk too many and Gwen sees it. Gwen being on to her is the least of Morgana's problems, however. Detective Merlin morphs into Merlin the Magician and the warlock comes up with a magical solution that Morgana doesn't see coming.   

My shipper heart LOVED this episode. It had everything --- romantic picnics, epic declarations of love, slow mo kissage, life and death drama and Gwen being kick ass. Also, kudos to seeing Merlin actually use his magic in such a focused and calculating way instead of just off the cuff like he usually does.

Once again, these are the episodes when Merlin could benefit from a darker tone and a longer season.
If this arc didn't have to be tied up in a bow by episodes end we could have had the lovers discovered and Uther either banishing Gwen, and we could see how that played out and how it affected his relationship with Arthur, or choosing to accept Gwen, something that he would be loathed to do. We could have really seen the fallout of their outing, how everyone would react, how they would cope. Also, imagine Morgana having to pretend to accept Gwen as an equal, something that would have been hard for her to do even if she weren't EVIL. It would have been much more interesting then this magical quick fix.

Also, those scenes where Uther is talking about his randy past and confronting Gwen and Arthur hinted at  terrifying consequences for the duo that are never really actualized. Now, nobody expected Gwen to be executed, but there would have been more suffering. She takes her banishment like she takes everything else --- stoically, and her trial and imprisonment lasts about a nanosecond. What if Uther had her flogged or worse tortured? What if he had Arthur flogged or thrown into the dungeons until he saw reason? What if Gwen was actually saved at the eleventh hour by Elyan and Lancelot? That to me would have made a much better set-up for the The Coming of Arthur. She, Gawain and Lance could form the Banish by Uther Brigaide and come across Arthur in the forest after Morgana's coup.

I just wish that such an important revelation actually lead somewhere. I'm tired of these resets. Yes, by episode's end Gwen now suspects that Morgana is EVIL, and yes Gwen FINALLY agreed to wait for Arthur, sorry Lancelot, but the Arthur/Uther dynamic, something that really fascinates me about this show, doesn't seem to change, despite him wanting to barbecue Gwen. Arthur doesn't seem to hold any of what his father did to them against him, at least not outwardly, and that is a problem for me.    

Questions/Comments

Angel Coulby looked absolutely beautiful as Queen Guinevere.

Why was Merlin still dressed as a servant during Gwen's coronation? Surely he would have risen up in rank. At least he got front row seats to the event. And Gauis outlives Uther? Figures.

One thing I can say for Morgana is that she is getting better at this EVIL thing. After one convoluted, DISASTROUS plan after another she finally decides to keep it simple and it almost works.

This is actually one time when I don't mind Morgana trying to kill Gwen because I feel as if it's in character. Nonevil Morgana would never have accepted her servant girl as her Queen, it would be unrealistic to expect her too no matter how much she may have liked Gwen. She would have agreed with the banishment "for both their sakes" or something "noble" like that. EVIL Morgana just took things further.

All the Arthur and Gwen scenes were something out of a romance novel and I thought it was great. The picnic date was lush and beautiful. Also loved the hallway scene at the end where they basically became betrothed. It was good to actually hear Gwen tell Arthur that she was in it for the long haul. It was also
good to hear Gwen say that Camelot comes first because it shows that she understands what she will be getting herself into as Queen. It's not all dresses and jewelry and parties --- being Queen means work and sacrifice. And that scene where Arthur and Gwen kiss and Arthur declares his undying love before they are pulled apart by the guards in slow motion? An instant favorite of mine.

I'm going to give Arthur a pass for not seemingly doing more to rescue Gwen and fanwank that he was feverishly planning to save her up until the very end. Once again since this show is all about Merlin always coming to the rescuse we really don't know what Arthur was up too.

As much as I was not a fan of the magical fix I have to say that Colin was amazing as old Merlin. Simply funny. He has great comedic timing, so does Bradley James by the way who has the thankless role as the straight man for the most part. Also, I appreciate any nod to Arthurian lore.

Kudos to Anthony Head and Angel Coulby who were just amazing in that trial scene. Uther was scary and Gwen managed to keep her dignity in the face of certain death, she even brought up that Uther killed her father. Imagine that.

I'm sorry but I laughed when Gauis tried to plead Gwen's case and Uther basically told him to shut up. You can really tell that when push comes to shove Uther values him and he really made the right decision turning and blind eye to his murderous ways and standing by him all these years. Not! But his own near burning in season one should have taught him that.

Uther really is mad. Seriously, he is crazy. That scene when he takes Arthur's face in his hands and promises him that he will thank him after Gwen is dead  is Uther at his scariest and delusional best.

Where is Elyan when his sister is banished and imprisoned? Working overtime at the forge?

Merlin --- Love in the Time of Dragons

This week on Merlin, Gauis gets a mysterious letter from an old love. The letter awakens memories in him long forgotten and we get a flashback episode  in which we see the beginnings of the purge, Uther's madness and cruelty, and how the choices Gauis had to make to stay in Uther's good graces continue to haunt him to this day. We even get a cameo of Baby Arthur! OK that didn't happen. Instead of fleshing out the mythology and shedding some light on Gauis's mysterious past, "Love in the Time of Dragons" turns into yet another episode about a magical baddie trying to kill a Pendragon, this time it's Uther's turn.

Gauis's old love Alice reappears. Alice is a healer who went on the run during the purge and her most recent patient was a peasant who would have died without her care. The word some how gets back to Uther that a peasant escaped the Grim Reaper and his Royal Pain gets all excited at the prospect that magic is afoot and starts drooling over who he can burn. Gaius decided to investigate, but covers when he realizes who the witch is. He is thrilled to see Alice, but Merlin....come on guess what happens... you can do it....you guessed it! Merlin's magical senses starts tingling and Detective Merlin soon figures out that Alice is up to no good. She's formed an alliance with a manticore who has used his powerful magic to help her save tons of sick people in need. All he wants is for her to help him poison Uther, sounds like a fair price to me. But the catch is that Alice is going to have to frame Gaius and Merlin isn't having that so he must find a way to stop Alice before it's too late.

I'll admit I wasn't excited about an episode that focused on Gauis, but I hoped this episode would at least give us something to ponder. Uther's purge is a big deal. He killed a lot of people and Gauis watched and perhaps even helped. These are issues that Merlin needs to deal with and it being a kid friendly story is no excuse, so is Harry Potter! Also a big thumbs down for Alice escaping. While I didn't want her to die I think her death would have created a rift between Uther and Gauis, and maybe even Merlin and Gauis, and it would have been nice to see where that lead everybody.

Questions/Comments

I am not to fond of Gauis. He is a collaborator and I hate collaborators. Yes, he does his bit here and there, helping Merlin and what not , but so what? Where was all his concern for Merlin when Uther was hunting his dad down like a dog and forcing him to leave him and his mother? I'm actually surprised that Merlin never questions Gauis more. If Arthur has a blind spot for Uther, Merlin has one for Gauis.

I understand that keeping his mouth shut saved his life, but Gauis had another option, in this episode we learn that he could have left with Alice, instead he stayed because he was scared.

So let me get this straight. When the purge went down Gauis knew that Uther had a list of people to slaughter, a list that I'm guessing he showed Gauis, and all Gauis did was erase Alice's name and keep on keeping on? How does he look at the families of the people that Uther killed?

This episode just seemed like one wasted opportunity after another. We learn very little about the past and there is no shakeup in the status quo. This reminds me of the episode where Arthur's Zoombie Uncle reappears to avenge his death at Uther's hads and we learn very little about the the nature of Uther and Ygraine's marriage,  Arthur learns nothing about his mother's true fate, and Uther ends up looking like the freaking hero! Memo to Merlin writers. You have added some brilliant twists to this legend, but if you don't flesh it, or even really get in there and play with it, what's the point?

Most important of all, why did the writers make me go through a whole 45 minutes with Arthur being all up Uther's you know what and no Gwen. And  you thought Morgana was EVIL!

Merlin - Eye of the Phoenix

In this week's episode of Merlin, “The Eye of the Phoenix,” Arthur is off on another dangerous quest, that his enemies have decided would be the perfect cover to assassinate him, and once again it's Merlin to the rescue.

Despite slaying dragons, beating back the undead, and generally acting like Uther's kick ass hammer all his life,  Arthur must prove that he is worthy of being King by going on a dangerous quest that could very well get him killed.  That this would leave Camelot without an heir doesn't seem to matter.  What matters is that the princes of Camelot have been doing this for eons and Uther, ever the traditionalist, will not break the rules for the son he killed his wife to have!

Arthur, after much meditation with the The Force, realizes that he has to travel to Dagobah, I mean the Perilous Lands, to retrieve the trident of the famed Fisher King. Merlin wants to go with Arthur, but Arthur says this is a solo project and he must stay behind. While Merlin is dismayed by the idea of the journey, Morgana couldn't be more thrilled. After her failed attempt at killing Arthur last week, Morgana decides to keep it simple this week and give Arthur an EVIL life sucking bracelet that she got from Morgause, who hobbles into Camelot looking like Snow White's Stepmother when she's got her Crone on. Merlin is suspicious when Arthur shows him Morgana's "good luck" trinket and Detective Merlin figures out that it's a tool of the Dark side and he has to find Arthur before it destroys him.

Realizing that he has to get to Arthur without Morgana or Uther knowing, Merlin tracks down Gawain, who is bored and down for an adventure. Merlin and Gawain arrive to The Perilous Lands and runs in to Yoda, Willow, Grettir, the keeper of the bridge, who tells them that he has been waiting for them and that they, along with Arthur, have a great destiny ahead of them.

Back in Camelot, Morgana is getting impatient with Arthur's unwillingness to just die already and gets all snappy when Gwen interrupts her Death to Arthur Voodoo Chant. She later apologizes, but Gwen is on to her and you can tell that things between them will never be the same.

Meanwhile, Merlin and Gawain track down Arthur, but will rescuing him really be that easy? And what will happen once they find The Fisher King?

“The Eye of the Phoenix”  is a good old fashion adventure and I loved it. It was great seeing Warwick Davis, WILLOW!,  being all snarky with Arthur and Co. and of course anytime Merlin and Gawain get together we are instantly in a buddy movie. It was also great that the girls got their own subplot as Morgana's EVIL became apparently to Gwen, no doubt setting up a showdown between the two former friends.


Questions/Comments

I know that that this show is about Merlin, it's called Merlin after all, but would it be too much trouble to let us see an adventure with Arthur where he saves himself ,giving that he is The Once and Future King of legend and all?  Arthur gets props for making it as far as he does alive with Morgana's Magic Bracelet of Evil on his wrists, but once Merlin arrives he is made to look like a clueless ingrate. His total obliviousness to Morgana's EVIL is also painful to watch. I know he loves and trusts her, but if Gwen can see that something is up, Arthur should have at least a small inkling that Morgana is acting different.

The Fisher King mentions that his kingdoms will be restored to greatness, it's implied by Arthur, yet His Cobwebbed Majesty is going on and on about Merlin's destiny, again, and how this was really Merlin's quest, and how it is up to Merlin to unite Albion. Huh? If the world of magic played a bigger part in the politics of the land I could buy this, by right now it's hard to swallow. It's more believable that Arthur's will and vision is why Albion will be united one day, not because of a Warlock, who may be the greatest bodyguard ever, but whose larger role, even now, seems small compared to Arthur's destiny.

Anybody else disappointed that that beautiful scene of Arthur on his knees crying  that we saw in the season teaser trailer was about a vision of tracking down the Fisher King? But it was funny watching Gwen and Merlin make fun of him.

So let me get this straight, in order to prove that you are worthy to assume the throne you have to take on a dangerous mission of the Fate's choosing in which death is very much likely? And if you die, then? Sounds like a great custom.

I like Gawain, really I do, but I can't help but thinking that it should be Lancelot in this episode not him.

Why is Morgan so cold towards Gwen? I understand that she was in the middle of some supernatural scheming and all and Gwen was getting in the way, but up until this point Gwen has been nothing but loyal to her.

Loved the quick kiss between Arthur and Gwen, it shows how comfortable they are now with each other.

It's great to see Gwen doing her own detective work and getting the goods on a scheming Morgana.
She's not the Once and Future Queen of Legend for Nothing.

Merlin --- The Castle of Fryrien

This week on Merlin Gwen takes center stage which is never a good thing for her --- it means she is either going to be arrested, have to watch the man she loves slip away from her, get kidnapped, get threatened with death, or have to watch a family member die. It's two out of three this week for our girl, as she and her long lost brother Elyan are kidnapped by Sisters Morgana and Morgause and their smoldering puppet Cendred as part of a plan to kill Arthur.

Last week, Morgana's EVIL powers of perception honed in on the fact that Arthur loves Gwen and like any good villain worth their salt she quickly deduces that she can use this bit of info to her advantage. Instead of letting it slip to Uther and instigating a showdown, that if she played her cards right could rid her of  both Uther and Arthur (That is Plan B apparently, see Queen of Hearts), Morgana comes with an extremely convoluted plan to have Cendred and Morgause kidnap Gwen and Elyan and force Gwen to lure Arthur to where her Partners in Evil are so that they can kill him.

Gwen doesn't take the bait however, and even though Cendred has threatened to kill her brother if she doesn't bring Arthur back after they release her, Gwen keeps mum. Luckily for Elyan, Detective Merlin is on the case and takes one look at a distraught Gwen, and her newly acquired bruises, and not only gets the whole story about the kidnapping, but convinces her to tell Arthur.

Arthur decided that he is going to ride to Elyan's rescue, much to the pleasure of the eavesdropping Morgana. The next morning Merlin is happy to be accompanying Arthur and Gwen, but worried and upset when Morgana announces that she is tagging along too. Now Merlin must find a way to help Gwen and Arthur rescue Elyan and keep Arthur alive without Morgana sabotaging their every move.

I really liked this episode, not only was it action packed, but it was great seeing Gwen get to interact with someone who she could really feel close too. Gwen's brother came out the blue, but Angel Coulby and Adetomiwa Edun have a nice chemistry and you believe that they are siblings who love each other.Guinevere has always been the damsel in distress in most of Arthurian Lore and I don't expect that to change. I don't necessarily think that is a bad thing because Gwen is not a silly girl. She has a quiet strength that makes Arthur a better man and gives Merlin someone to rely on and she goes out on a limb for the people that she cares about. She was willing to live with her brother's death on her conscience without ever telling Arthur. That takes a lot of inner fortitude.

Questions/Comments

So, you are an EVIL princess who needs to kill her beloved brother to upsurp his rights to the throne. You have access to said brother all the time but instead of poisoning him, assassinating him, or just running your sword threw both him and your much hated Daddy, you come up with this elaborate plan to kidnap your servant's long lost brother so that your Partners in EVIL can use him as bait when they kidnap your said servant and demand that she bring your brother to them or they'll kill hers knowing that your servant will run back to your brother and he will ride to the rescue of your servant's brother and be killed by your Partners in EVIL so that you now become the sole heir of the kingdom? Okay. 

Morgana's faux concern for Gwen only makes her plan seem more convoluted. If the plan was always to let Gwen go so that she could lure Arthur to them, why alert Arthur to the fact that she is missing in the first place?  Did she want to get Arthur so riled up that when Gwen did return he would demand to know what happened, forcing her hand?

LOVED The scene when Merlin tried to pour Morgana a drink and she put her hand over the glass like one poisoning is enough in one life time thank you very much!

Gwen seems to walk home at an ungodly hour ALONE and walks into an open house. Surely, the object of the prince's affections, the servant of the king's ward, and the daughter of a blacksmith can get a lock. 

Uther's continuous sloberfest over Morgana is really just icky at this point.

Does the fact that Uther agreed to send a mini search party after Gwen mean he like her in some itty bitty tiny weenie way, or does he have some sense of fairness somewhere in that cold, black soul?

I really enjoyed the Gwen/Arthur scenes. These two really have great chemistry and the almost kiss was perfect.

Morgana and Merlin have a fascinating dynamic. I actually understand why she hates Merlin and vice versa, go figure lol. They both have dirt on each other and can't tell on each other without telling on themselves. It was great watching Merlin try to foil Morgana's plans while Arthur and Gwen remained oblivious to her true intentions.  

I had a hard time at first believing that Arthur would agree to bring Morgana along on such a dangerous mission but later I rationalized it as him feeling that this had to be top secret and Morgana and Merlin were the only two people he could trust.

I love Cendred and Morgause but I think their characters are pretty much wasted. All they do is smirk and flirt and execute one ill-fated plan after another. Frankly, they hardly seem like a threat to our heroes. What kind of a king is Cendred really? This is an opportunity to show how other kingdoms are run and why Arthur will be such a great High King. Also, Morgause gives the show a chance to really delve into the world of magic in the Merlinverse and the politics of that world so why not go there.

I thought that Gwen trying to handle all this alone was so Gwen, but does the fact that she said nothing to Arthur mean that she was going to let Elyan die? I think so and not because she loves Art more, but because she would feel as prince his life was "more important." A horrible choice for anybody.

I really liked Elyan, but I didn't get a good read on him. He's typically a knight in Arthurian Lore so it's nice to see that all of Gwen's family will be moving on up, but why did he leave Camelot in the first place? Gwen tells us he is a bad boy and a nomad, but he seems like a great guy and at the end of the episode he has settled back down in Camelot with a home and a job, hardly the actions of a rascal.

Speaking of kin, I am glad to see that Gwen has family and glad that this family wasn't a long lost king, making her a instaprincess. Also kudos for mentioning Tom. Am I the only one though who thinks its unnatural that Gwen and Arthur never talk about Tom's death? Arthur was the one who arrested him after all. Does she only blame Uther? Was Arthur's "I'm sorry" after her father's death "proof" to her that if he had his way her father would still be alive? Are we even supposed to wonder about this because Gwen seems okay with it? Moving along...

Why has Morgana suddenly lost all feelings for Gwen and Arthur? I know that she is EVIL but come on, she has always cared a lot about them, especially Arthur who she clearly adored in Season One. I can buy that she sees killing him as a necessary evil, but I can't by that she is more thirsty for his blood then Cendred. Even Darth Vader had a soft spot for his family!

Merlin -- The Changeling

Arthur and Gwen's worst fears come true when Uther informs Arthur that he is to marry one of his oldest friend's daughter Princess Elena. Arthur balks at this, especially when he meets her and finds to his horror that she is a clumsy, oafish girl with an aversion to brushes and really bad table manners. Arthur isn't in the mood to sacrifice his own happiness for the good of the kingdom and is so distraught that he can't hide his preference for Gwen, something that's lost on a clueless Uther, but becomes glaringly obvious to Morgana.

Elena for her part is less than thrilled with marrying a prince she doesn't love, but that's the least of her problems. It seems that when Elena was a baby a fairy decided that her body was a great place to nest in and now that she is of age, the fairy wants control and poor Elena has no idea what's happening. Complicating matters is the fact that her nanny, Not Mary Poppins, is actually an agent for the dark side and is sticking close to Elena so that she can guide Fairy Elena when she marries Arthur and pops out their Fairy King.

While Arthur and Gwen try to be all noble about his upcoming nuptials, Merlin decides that he is going to put his detective hat on and see if he can dig up some dirt on Elena and Co. to stop  the impending nuptials. He hits pay dirt when he finds Not Mary Poppins, scheming with her fey brethren. He runs to Gauis for advice, but soon realizes that Gauis can be of use to him in another way when Not Mary Poppins makes a play for the Old Doc. Now Merlin and Gauis must find a way to work together to stop Arthur from making the biggest mistake of his life,while Arthur must decide if her really is the master of his own destiny.

I actually liked this episode.No, it isn't as heart wrenching as it could be, considering that Gwen and Arthur are being threatened with the prospect on losing each other forever, but I felt for everybody involved. I especially liked the scene when Gwen and Arthur are talking about the marriage and they are both fighting back tears. If this was a more adult show I have to wonder if Arthur would have married Elena. It would have pushed both Arthur and Gwen to their limits and it would have been interesting to see what being a part would have done to them, but Merlin is a kid show so we get this maritial threat over and done with and in a neat little bow at the end. This is one of the down sides to having so few episodes. Arcs that could really thrive from additional time, such as this one, and the whole Morgana is EVIL arc, have to be fast tracked.

Questions/Comments

Elena was very lovable and spunky and she would have made a great match for Arthur if he wasn't in love with someone else. Kudos to the writers for not turning her into a Mary Sue or a Betty Bitch and just allowing her to be a girl we can root for to find her own happiness? She'd make a great match for Lance...

Uther's desire for Arthur to marry a princess with an army makes sense, but it also shows the costs of all his ill advised campaigns and banishments. Camelot needs men and money. The reason Arthur can marry a servant girl is because he  makes himself an Uber King who doesn't need allies.

Don't you just love how being EVIL makes once oblivious people perceptive? Morgana actually managed to see past her own anger and her own agenda to notice that something was up with Arthur. Go figure.

I like that Gwen did not open up to Morgana about Arthur when she questioned her. It shows that Gwen understands their stations all too well. It also shows that Gwen is very perceptive, she may not know exactly what is going on with Morgana ,but her instincts tell her that something is up and she should stay quiet.

Why are the feys so hot for Arthur's DNA and does this have anything to do with Ygraine who in some legends have connections to the fey?

It was so great seeing Arthur FINALLY stand up to Uther and push back. Let's see how long this lasts.

I love Gwen in every incarnation, let me admit that now, but I want to see her get angry. I know that she is going to need all this stoicism when she is queen and I am glad that she cares enough about Arthur to put his destiny before her feelings, but geesh all this nobility is a bit thick at times. YOUR MAN IN MARRYING ANOTHER WOMAN! Cry, get angry, do something not so stiff upper lippy! I'm just saying.

While it was cute seeing Gwen and Arthur be all flirty at the end, their "I'm still single" convo did very little to change the status quo. Yes, it's obvious they want to be together and are thrilled to still have the chance, but all Arthur did was give them a chance to love another day, not make it their day to love.