The episode begins with Arthur, once again, being hurt and rendered unconscious in the forest and Merlin, once again, desperate to save him. Merlin is relieved when he comes across Taliesin, a mysterious figure who heals the dying prince.
Afterwards, Taliesin leads Merlin into the Crystal Cave, a magical crystal ball where Merlin sees the future and it ain’t pretty. In one corner there is Morgana killing Uther and in the other he sees Morgana being crowned Queen. Merlin decides that he must stop this because….actually I have no idea why Merlin cares if a man who would burn him in a heartbeat is murdered, really. He is constantly acting like the death of Uther would be some great tragedy when the truth is it’s the best thing that could happen to everybody, the people of Camelot especially, but anyway he decides that he must stop Morgana’s “evil” plans.
When certain incidents seem to confirm that what he saw in the cave was not a result of cave fumes and that Morgana really is planning on offing Uther, he actively tries to stop her, which leads to her being fatally injured. Merlin is racked with guilt, both over having to hurt Morgana and for the hurt her condition is causing his friends, and decides to cure her. Everyone is overjoyed when she awakens but they shouldn’t be. It seems that Morgana has overheard everything while she was in a coma and even though she isn't the least bit moved by their love and devotion, Uther’s bedside confession of being her biological father sends her into a murderous rage.
An irate Morgana tells Morguese who is thrilled, since now Morgana has a legitimate claim to Camelot's throne and cautions Morgana to tread lightly. Morgana pretends to take her sister's advice,but decides that she'll kill Uther now and sort out the throne business later while Merlin, much to his horror, realizes that by trying to prevent the future, he actually set the events he saw in motion.
This was an incredibly sophisticated episode and I love the idea that you cannot change fate no matter how hard you try. This is especially poignant in a television series that is a prequel to one of the greatest tragedies in literature --- the fall of Arthur and Camelot. No matter how much we may love these characters and want their fates to be different, Camelot and Arthur are going down, Merlin will be defeated, and Morgana will play a huge role in that. This is about all the missed opportunities to stop that from happening, but ultimately, there is nothing Merlin can do differently to stop what is to come. Some people blame Merlin for not telling Morgana he too has magic and helping her with her gift, but Morgana has always been self-centered and unpredictable and he was right not to trust her with his greatest secret. Morgana hated Uther before she found out she was a witch, her powers just give her the means to do something about him.
I also liked Merlin’s moral dilemma. Merlin knows that Morgana is evil, but the fact that he feels sorry for what he has done, and the pain that it causes Gwen and Arthur, shows that he is a good guy and is a stark contrast to Morgana’s lack of conscious.
Questions/Comment
Uther has always had an irrational attachment to Morgana that is finally explained in this episode --- she’s his daughter. This is an interesting twist because it aligns Morgana with her mythological roots as Arthur’s half-sister --- although in the legend she is Ygraine’s elder child. I’m not sure if this familial relationship was always the plan --- Arthur and Morgana were clearly lusting after each other in season one before they grew out of it, and Gwen was sure something was going on that could lead to a future Queen Morgana, but even then their “sibling banter” was stronger than any romantic undercurrent so maybe the flirting was really much ado about nothing or a red herring.
I never bought Uther’s love for Ygraine, his guilt was just to strong and extreme to be solely about the way she died; to me he was clearly compensating in death for a love he could never bring himself to show her in life, but did he love Morgana’s mom? Is that why he is so crazy about her?
Was I the only one not the least bit moved by Uther’s theatrics over Morgana’s death? The only reason he is all over her this season is because she has been playing the dutiful daughter and her act appeases his guilt and assuages his ego. In the first season he was throwing her in dungeons, chocking her and threatening to kill her for her defiance of him.
Why didn’t Gauis know that Morgana was a Pendragon? I thought Uther told him everything. He certainly knew about Morgause.
What is Taliesin’s back story and is he related to Merlin in some way?
Uther asking Gauis to use magic to cure Morgana is interesting. One it shows that he is a hypocrite, and two how does he expect Gauis to get access to magic? I’m sure this is laying the groundwork for something that we’ll see unfolding in future seasons.
The Dragon’s motives are always suspect but he seems to speak truth when he says that everybody would be better of it Morgana dies. Merlin is constantly being shown as being stupid for not listening to the dragon’s advice, but why should he? Merlin has no reason to trust him. Is he really concerned for Arthur’s and Camelot’s future or does he have his own reasons for wanting Morgana dead? You’d think, given his hatred for Uther and Camelot, he’d be cheering Morgana on, after all, they share the same goals and are both magic, so why the hate?
I always thought in this version that Ygraine/ Gorlois/Uther/Vivienne were going to be given the traditional Arthur/Lancelot/Gwen story with Ygraine really being in love with Gorlois even though she was married to Uther, but now I’m not sure what’s going on. Maybe next series we’ll get a back story episode featuring Ygraine/Gorlois/Uther/Vivienne/Gauis when they were young so we can start connecting some dots.
Speaking of connections, how are Morgause and Morgana sisters? It was strongly suggested that they shared the same father, now that is clearly not the case. I always thought Morgause was Arthur’s half-sister way of Ygraine and Gorlois, which is why Uther wanted her dead, dead, dead, but if she is Gorlois daughter she’d have to be Vivienne’s as well for them to be related. Clarification on this would be nice.
I think Morgause is going to come to regret backing Morgana. She is a loose cannon and her desire for Uther’s blood after his revelation shows that she is more ruthless than Morgause is willing to admit to herself and if Morgana can turn on Arthur, the brother she was RAISED with ….
I love the fact that by trying to stop fate, Merlin only succeeds in making sure that his vision came to pass.
The vision of Morgana being crowned Queen as Gwen watches teases at a very interesting interesting future for Camelot.
I loved Arthur and Gwen’s hug. These two characters very rarely put their guard down, especially Gwen, so the fact that they are comforting each other shows the depth of their anguish. It also shows that even though they have never been so far apart physically since they fell in love, their feelings have never been stronger.
Colin Morgan’s acting is really good; he really is the anchor of this show.
I really liked the scene of a devastated Arthur taking his frustrations out on a dummy. It was beautifully shot and directed and it shows that Arthur really loves Morgana and just because it’s not romantic doesn’t mean it isn’t strong and powerful. It is also going to make her betrayal hurt even more.
Why are Morgana and Merlin’s powers still so weak? I’m serious, a year in the forest with Sister Dearest should have been like dark magic boot camp for Morgana and it’s been a year for Merlin as well so he should have studied something, right? They should be using magic to kick each other’s butts left and right.
Was it wrong that I was kind of rooting for Morgana to die? Just so Arthur wouldn’t have her as a threat.
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