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.