Goblin'sGold

·       The latest episode of Merlin begins with Merlin accidentally freeing a Goblin from a chest that is stashed in Camelot’s equivalent of your  Downtown Library. The little fellow is of course incredibly mischievous and he has an addiction to gold that makes crack addicts look sober. It doesn't take long for the green goblin to realize that he can have all the gold and fun that he wants by taking over Gauis’ body, who may be old, but boy is he spry! Soon Gauis Goblin is making everyone fart, unleashing a plague of boils on the populace, so that can pay him outrageous fees for a “cure”, and drinking and partying like a sailor. This sets off Merlin's Magic Sense and he soon figures out that the goblin is in Gauis and demands an exorcism. The sinister little prick fights back, accusing Merlin of witchcraft and Uther, being the fair and impartial guy that he is, immediately sentences him to death. Merlin, however,  isn’t feeling like being turned into a Shish Kabob and enlists Gwen’s help to out Goblin Gaius. 

While many may have been disappointed that the episode following Merlin’s epic Series Three premiere was a comedy  featuring fart jokes, boils and donkey ears, I happened to have really enjoyed Goblin’s Gold. Gauis is not my favorite character. I find him to be a hypocrite who does and says whatever he has too, to stay alive, but Richard Wilson really shined in this. In England he is seen as a comedic “National Treasure” and in this episode I can see why.  He is a hoot and he and Colin work incredibly well off each other. I also really liked seeing Gauis at work. I think we don't see enough of "the people" and how they feel about things.  Plus, I'm a sucker for small guys looking for their pot of gold.

Questions/Comments

One of the strengths of this show is the Merlin/Gwen friendship and I was thrilled to see that Merlin went to Gwen for help. They have a nice chemistry and it sets the groundwork for their epic roles as Arthur's Love and Conscious.

Loved the “peace out” look on Morgana’s face when Uther sentences Merlin to death.

The Arwen scene was incredibly cute. Arthur has been acting like an ass for a long time so it was fun to see him get taken down a peg or two. Gwen and Arthur's scenes tend to be very serious so it's great when they have fun scenes like this. It was also nice to see that Gwen could offer him some comfort, even in his most uncomfortable moments.

I couldn’t believe it when Arthur had Merlin arrested.  Arthur gets kudos for plotting to trick Goblin Gauis into confessing, but would Arthur really have sat back and let Merlin die? I'd like to think not, but truth be told when it comes to his father, Arthur's loyalties become murky. We'll see in later episodes how he handles things when Gwen is in a similar situation, but at this point would Arthur go against his dad to save Merlin's life? It's interesting to contemplate. Also, what does Arthur mean when he says that he will take care of the guard who allowed Merlin to escape "personally"? Is this BS because he doesn't want the guy punished, or is Arthur doing some dark stuff off screen that we aren't allowed to see? 

Love when Morgana came to Gauis' place trying to use her powers as "The King's Ward" only to have Goblin Gauis smack her down and tell her that he could see her cold, dark heart. Morgana seems upset by this, but is she upset that people see her as evil when she doesn't see herself that way? Or is she upset that somebody is on to her? This is a case for fan fiction because we're not going to get any Morgana character deconstruction in this series, which is a pity.

Was Leon the Brave really going to kill Gauis for "disrespecting him?" How old is he? I know that honor is all important to him, but seriously, is skewering an old man in the knight's code? I know he calmed down later but it made me not like him for the rest of the episode.