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.

Merlin - Crystal Cave

In this week's episode of Merlin, our favorite wizard learns that the road to Hades really is built on a stinky heap of good intentions...

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.

Merlin - Gawain

In the first season we were introduced to Arthur's future greatest knight and biggest threat, Lancelot the Poetic Saint, this season we meet Sir Gawain of the Luscious Hair.

Arthur and Merlin are out of town when they stop in to a local tavern for a drink. But apparently it's Sunday at the OK Corral and the not so friendly neighborhood extorters have come for their cut of the tavern's profits. Arthur decides to get involved and ends up in a bar fight that he only manages to survive courtesy of a mysterious young drunkard named Gawain.

Merlin and Arthur take their new friend back to Camelot and Gawain quickly gets to work drinking, wooing  and taking his shirt off whenever possible. Meanwhile Arthur is preparing for yet ANOTHER tournament, which means that a magical bad guy is lurking somewhere in the shadows waiting to use the melee as a way to off him. This episode baddies are the thugs from the bar fight who want revenge for their beat down and have managed to find a crystal that makes them magically delicious faux knights. It doesn't take Detective Merlin long to realize that something is rotten with the newest melee contestants and he enlists Gawain's help. Gawain, an undercover Noble, says no at first, he's one of the peeps now and would rather leave all that hero stuff to other guys, but he ends up helping anyway, but not before flirting with Gwen who doesn't mind the attention, much to Arthur's chagrin.

This was a really fun episode. It actually reminded me of watching an old  episode of Hercules The Legendary Journeys and seems to be the beginning of stories being told in the larger world of Albion. Let's face it, there is always something special about the introduction of a character from the legend, especially one as important as Gawain, and the actor playing him had to be a little bit better than the usual guest star of the week and Eoin Macken delivered. He fit right in with the cast and had chemistry with everyone. While we know  little about Gawain's past, I hope the fact he is a noble turns out to be significant. Usually Gawain is Arthur's nephew and Lancelot's BFF. I can't wait to see how Merlin re-imagines him, but I'd love for him to be Morguese's brother or maybe Arthur's cousin on Ygraine's side of the family. Hey, knowing Uther he could even be a long lost brother, although I still believe the never to be forgotten Mordred is Arthur and Morgana's little brother and that Uther has magic he is suppressing, but that theory is for another post.

 Also, these tournaments always seem to pit Arthur against some magical baddie with a grudge  so at least the show seems in on the joke and has decided to play this beat until the wheels fall off.

Questions/Comments
Loved getting to see Arthur interact with people who live outside of Camelot's walls. I wish we saw it more often. I'm also a sucker for a medieval bar fight.

As much as I love Lance, and I love me some Lance, he is super serious so Gawain is a nice change.
It was nice seeing a rogue interact with our usual serious boys and girls. As the anti-Lancelot, Gawain gets to flirt with Gwen, without the serious feelings that drag Lance into a depression: he gets to needle Arthur, sans the serious respect that underlines Lance's interaction with Arthur; and he gets to have a light hearted relationship with Merlin that is quite different from the Merlin and Lancelot Save the World dynamic that makes Merlin and Lance more like fellow superheroes than true buds.

It's always fun see Gwen's playful side and she and Gawain were totally adorable.

I loved Gawain and Merlin as instant BFFs but it reminded me that Merlin feels alienated from the two people closest to him --- Arthur and Gwen and doesn't feel like he can confide in them which is sad.

In the last season Arthur and Gwen were CLEARLY in love, Arthur even told Gwen that he'd never love another. So why are they acting like Gwen is the girl who sits behind Arthur in class that he doesn't have the nerve to ask out? If you take it in the context of this season's reset it makes sense but UGH.

As much as I hate Uther, and I hate Uther, I am glad that they don't sugar coat the fact that peasants had no rights. Gawain was obviously telling the truth but because Uther thought he was a commoner, he dismissed him. Jerk.

Loved that Gawain has no interest in serving Uther and called Uther out!

Way to stand up to Uther Arthur...oh wait but you didn't. Again!

Why do all the baddies have to be magic users? It makes Uther seem right about magic being EVIL. I know our hero is a wizard but this show tends to make Merlin using magic for good look like an aberration, not the norm.