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MERLIN |
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Merlin - Colin Morgan Arthur - Bradley James Gwen - Angel Coulby Uther - Anthony Head Gaius - Richard Wilson Morgana - Katie McGrath 
OTHER MYTHICAL SHOWS Series 1 Series 3 Series 4 Series 5 OTHER MYTHICAL SHOWS Mists of Avalon The Dresden Files Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire Jason and the Argonauts The Sword of Xanten 
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The Curse of Cornelius Sigan - first transmitted 19th September 2009A vault of treasure is unearthed beneath Camelot castle. Gaius believes it belonged to Cornelius Sigan, the greatest and most evil sorceror there ever was. When he was killed he vowed to return and wreak his vengeance on the castle. Fortunately, the vault is locked and Arthur has the only key. Unfortunately, a thief called Cedric has usurped Merlin's place as Arthur's servant and has access to the vault, freeing Cornelius and bringing terror to Camelot. MERLIN returns to our screens with all the confidence of a series that has gotten past its first showing and found itself renewed with some speed. We ourselves were sceptical when we first heard of the show with its anachronistic racial diversity and Arthurian legends as teen fodder premise, but we're big enough to admit when we're wrong and we were quickly won over by the show's sheer joie de vivre and entertainment value. This second season sets out to be no different in this opening episode that sets out its story early enough that it can throw in a bunch of living gargoyles for the second half action fest. Sure, the plot's uncomplicated, but that's not the fun of the thing. The script is witty enough and is on to a winner with the casting of Mackenzie Crook as the thief who takes Merlin's place. His performance is fun enough to wipe away the memory of his appearances in the much les successful DEMONS. Only Colin Morgan and Bradley James get enough screen time to make their presence felt (though neither Anthony Head nor Richard Wilson need much screen time), but there is a flash of the impending attraction between Arthur and Gwen that presages things to come (it'll all end in tears). The gargoyles are well enough rendered, though there are several brought to life and only one destroyed on screen with no explanation as to what happened to the rest. Still, MERLIN is back and is welcome. Written by Julian JonesDirected by David Moore Top The Once and Future Queen- first transmitted 26th September 2009Arthur learns that the knights of Camelot have been taking it easy on him in the training grounds due to who he is. He determines to take part in the latest joust incognito and comes up with a plan that requires him to share Gwen's quarters for the period of the tournament. A neighbouring king has hired the greatest assassin known to kill Arthur in revenge for the loss of his son and the joust may prove to be the perfect cover. MERLIN continues with its cheerful scrapping of all the standard Arthurian texts in creating yet another fun episode that fizzes with the wit and charm that has won us over. The script is full of nice lines that the cast make the most of. Frivolous it most certainly is, but it's also fun. Getting away from the CGI creatures is also a good move, focussing more closely on the characters. Merlin is suffering under the yoke of expectation that sees him servant to Arthur, servant to Gaius and full time protector of the future of all Britain. It's something of a burden, but then so is being the young prince eager to prove himself when nobody will give him their best shot for fear of the King's reprisals. OK, not the deepest of character analyses going on, but enough to give the grown ups something to think about whilst the younger audience are just enjoying the jokes and the knights being knocked off their horses. And then there's the budding romance between Arthur and Gwen that takes a huge step forward and then quickly three steps back. All good stuff. Written by Howard OvermanDirected by Jeremy Webb Top The Nightmare Begins- first transmitted 3rd October 2009King Uther's ward Morgana finds that her nightmares (which are in the habit of coming true) are now so strong that they can start fires. Considering how forbidden magic is, she is terrified and Merlin points her in the direction of the Druids, against Gaius's advice, and that of the Great Dragon. There she finds some of the answers that she has been looking for, but Uther believes her kidnapped and sends out troops to find her and kill all the Druids. MERLIN changes gear abruptly with this dip into more adult, darker fare. Yes, there are bantering scenes between Arthur and Merlin and yes there are giant scorpions for the younger members of the audience, but once again the legends are starting to emerge into the set up and anyone familiar with those will see all the foreboding that is going on. Anyone that doesn't know the legends (what really?) can just enjoy it as a romp. Katie McGrath gets to take centre stage and shows what she can really do. Her terrified, confused, pained Morgana is excellent work and never for a moment unbelievable. Through her, the darkness that is at the heart of Uther's hatred of magic is revealed. Her soft plea to Merlin that magic might one day be seen as a force for good is chilling in its hopelessness for those who know what's coming. Even Merlin's struggle with his desire to help her and his fear of being found out comes across as real. That the more mature audience will find so much real drama and emotion to get their teeth into shows just how far this series has come since its Arthurian legends as teen soap origins. It's knocking on the door of unmissability and this hints that there are much darker places for it to take us to. It's true that we can't wait to go there. Written by Ben VanstoneDirected by Jeremy Webb Top Lancelot and Guinevere- first transmitted 10th October 2009Lady Morgana sets out to visit her father's grave, but the group is ambushed by men working for Hengist of Mercia. Morgana escapes, but the men disguise Guinevere as her mistress and pass her off as Morgana to avoid their master's anger. With Uther refusing to pay a ransom for a servant, Arthur and Merlin set off on a rescue mission alone, but find that Lancelot beat them to it. It would appear that this season is going to be all about the growing relationship between Arthur and Guinevere. Now that the young prince has fallen for the kitchen maid, knowing full well that nothing can come of it, she has fallen fo the young knight Lancelot, once again played by the dashing Santiago Cabrero. This is one of the great love triangles of legend and the show is finding a new and interesting way of playing with it. Knowledge of the way the legend goes has allowed all kinds of foreboding to be woven into the scripts and the actors are enjoying playing their more grown up roles. The plot is really just an excuse to play with the triangle and Merlin is becoming more and more of an observer in what is supposed to be his show as events fall more and more onto the shoulders of the others in the ensemble. Everyone has fun with the bantering script that continues week after week to amuse and bring smiles to every member of the family. The only downside is the giant hairless rat/pig things that look like the computer was playing up the day they were created. They look the part, but never move right and never convince for a second. It's true that we can't wait to go there. Written by Howard OvermanDirected by David Moore Top Beauty and the BeastPart 1 - first transmitted 24th October 2009Uther falls in love with the tragic Lady Catrina, whose family was killed by invaders. Gaius, however, is not convinced that Catrina is who she says she is and Merlin finds out that she is no less than a Troll. It is not often that anthony Head's King Uther takes centre stage in a story and so it is nice to see him getting enough screen time to flesh out some of the character's apparent contradictions. It is unfortunate, therefore, that his subtle performance is blown away by the excellently-judged over the top showing from Sarah Parish as the Troll in princess's clothing. When she is being Lady Catrina then she is nothing special, but when the Troll's control slips and she starts guzzling on rotten fruit then she really is a villain to behold. It's also a surprise that this story is a two-parter, since the story is really pretty slight, but the incidental pleasures manage to fill up the running time without ever straining. The only strain comes in the troll makeup which is never convincing as anything other than an actress smothered under layers of latex. Written by Howard OvermanDirected by David Moore Top Beauty and the BeastPart 2 - first transmitted 31st October 2009Lady Catrina is now married to Uther and sets about destroying those who lie in her way. She frames Merlin for theft and gets Arthur to refuse Uther's more extreme demands, driving a wedge between them. Working in secret, Merlin manages to expose her for what she is, but her enchantment over Uther remains. The only solution apparently lies in Arthur's death. This looks like being a fairly straightforward conclusion to the story right up to the point where the troll is unmasked, but then it finds a whole new life with Uther being besotted with the ugly thing. This leads to some very funny comedy that Anthony Head plays with perfect comic timing. Sarah Parish continues with her quality comedy showing as both sides of the troll and walks away with most of the plaudits, but there are two great performances here to enjoy. Even the Great Dragon finds plenty to laugh at. Written by Ben VanstoneDirected by Metin Huseyin Top The Witchfinder- first transmitted 7th November 2009A moment's inattention by Merlin leads to a magical act that brings fear to Uther that magic is being used within the walls of Camelot. He summons the Witchfinder who quickly unearths Merlin as the culprit, but when Gaius takes the blame to save him, Merlin must find a way to save his mentor without revealing his secret. After the knockabout fun of the Beauty and the Beast double header, MERLIN wades out into deeper, darker waters thanks to the appearance of Charles Dance's witchfinder. Dance can do evil in his sleep and sometimes can be accused of that as well as going over the top in the other direction, but this is a controlled performance that convinces as a result and creates a villain unlike any that Merlin has yet faced - one with no magic, but whose ability to manipulate the fear of those around him can be even deadlier. Richard Wilson gets to take centre stage as the mistreated Gaius and show just what he can do when asked and the trio of himself, Dance and Anthony Head, show the younger generation just what they have to aspire to. MERLIN continues to confound our expectations by being so good. Written by Jake MitchieDirected by Jeremy Webb Top The Sins of the Father- first transmitted 14th November 2009A knight challenges Arthur to a duel and is unmasked as a woman who calls herself Margause. She beats Arthur and spares his life only if he will meet with her and pass her challenge. When Arthur seems reluctant, she reveals that she knows the truth of Arthur's mother's death. The Sins of the Father shows just how far this show has come from its first days. Whilst the knockabout fun (Prince falls into horse manure), witty banter and likeable performances remain to standard, the plotting ramps up a notch as Arthur learns that he was born of magic, that Uther used magic to become a father and that the king's war against magic is aimed at assuaging his own guilt. It also places Merlin in a place where he must make a great sacrifice to save his master. There are some serious themes running just below the surface of all this and as Arthur rushes off to take revenge on his father, there is no telling which way the episode will go next. Emilia Fox makes for an excellent warrior witch as Margause, but it is the performances of the regulars that headline, especially Bradley James and Anthony Head as son and father at odds with each other. Another very fine episode. Written by Howard OvermanDirected by Metin Huseyin Top The Lady of the Lake- first transmitted 21st November 2009A bounty hunter brings a young druid woman to Camelot in a cage. Merlin rescues her and hides her and then sort of falls for her. Freya, however, is under a curse and that curse is killing people. In a season that has contained enough about Arthur's and Guinevere's impending relationship issues it is a nice change for Merlin to have a little romance. It is a doomed romance of course, and a tragic one, but it gives Colin Morgan a chance to play something more than the likeable goofball whilst Laura Donnelly's Freya makes for a very likeable and appealing match. This also has significance for the MERLIN mythology as the title and conclusion to the story would suggest that Merlin has just created the Lady of the Lake of the legends. This is quite a feat for a magician who never once thinks to ask the girl why everyone thinks she is dangerous enough to hunt down like a wild animal. Written by Julian JonesDirected by Metin Huseyin Top Sweet Dreams- first transmitted 28th November 2009Uther has brought the kings of the five kingdoms together to sign a peace treaty. One of the kings, though, has other ideas and has the perfect weapon to destroy the treaty - Lady Vivian. Her father is madly jealous of his daughter's chastity and will kill any man who gets too close to her. Arthur has been enchanted into believing that Vivian is the love of his life, which complicates his relationship with Gwen somewhat as well as getting him involved in duel to the death. A week after Merlin was caught up in an enchanted dalliance, it's back to Arthur and Gwen's love. The problem this time isn't Lancelot, but the Lady Vivian, played as an air-headed bimbo by The Doctor's Daughter herself Georgia Moffett, but easily attractive enough to convince that the princes of the land would be besotted by her. Bradley James, who has arguably the hardest job on the show, making the sometimes arrogant, mostly humourless and interminably chivalrous Arthur, gets to let loose as well as Arthur is enchanted into a lovestruck buffoon. It is left to Angel Coulby as Gwen to ground the story with the very real pain this all has for her. And not a poor CGI monster in sight (bar the Great Dragon, of course) to mess it all up. Written by Lucy WatkinsDirected by Alice Troughton Top The Witch's Quickening- first transmitted 5th December 2009Young druid boy Mordred brings an ally known as Alvarr into Camelot to meet with Morgana. Their aim is a crystal stored in the vaults that, if mastered, could bring about Uther's death. It can, at the very least, show the future. Although conflicted, Morgana agrees and steals the crystal. Merlin has to find a way to stop Mordred and Alvarr without implicating Morgana. MERLIN has grown up as a show considerably during this second season and this is another good episode that is more about the characters and their conflicts rather than jousts and CGI beasties. The stories are getting darker also. This one sees Morgana betraying those she knows and thought she loved for those that are like her. It's Katie McGrath's show this week and she runs with it, giving it some heavy duty thesping. Her final explosion at Uther, telling him what she really thinks is somethign to see. And it's all tying in with the mythology of the show and the legends in general. Written by Jake MitchieDirected by Alice Troughton Top The Fires of Idirsholas- first transmitted 12th December 2009Morgause comes back into Morgana's life and asks for her help in killing Uther. Morgana agrees and is enchanted so that everyone close to her falls into a deep sleep. Morgause then brings a group of unkillable knights to Camelot. Only Arthur and Merlin, absent during the time when Morgana put everyone to sleep, are left to try and save the king, but how long can they resist the enchantment, an enchantment that can only be broken by the death of the Lady Morgana. Wow, MERLIN is getting really dark as we plunge towards the season finale. This is one of the darkest yet as Merlin is left with a terrible choice - to kill a woman with whom he has a kindred spirit or see Arthur's destiny destroyed utterly and Uther murdered. Compared to this, the unkillable knights are merely a sideshow and you quickly forget that the plotline is stolen for SLEEPING BEAUTY of all things. This story puts the spotlight firmly on Colin Morgan, who does a fine job of conveying the torment that rages inside him as matters go from bad to worse and he knows that the only solution is murder. He is matched by Katie McGrath as Morgana, who suspects that she is responsible for what is happening and is terrified by it. Bradley James' Arthur barely gets a look in. There are flashes of humour, as ever, but this is a great piece of fantasy drama and shows just how far the series has come since its inception, whilst at the same time setting up an apocalyptic-looking series finale. Written by Julian JonesDirected by Jeremy Webb Top The Last Dragonlord- first transmitted 19th December 2009The Great Dragon is free and is reigning terror onto Camelot from the skies on a nightly basis. The only hope comes in the shape of the last Dragonlord that Uther was unable to kill, man who also happens to be Merlin's father. It's the season finale and there's certainly more destruction going on than Camelot has ever faced before as the recently-released and royally peed off dragon sets about broiling the whole place. Unfortunately, this is just the backdrop for a quest story that doesn't exactly set the show alight, let alone Camelot. The human story, of course, is Merlin getting a chance to meet his father, but every second of that story is predictable and has no surprises at all. Colin Morgan makes the best of it with a good performance, but it's beyond his ability to save. And as for the big finale in which Merlin has to face down the Great Dragon alone and unarmed, well that turns out to be a bit of a damp squib as well. It's a disappointing end to what has been a surprisingly good second series to date. Written by Julian JonesDirected by Jeremy Webb Top |
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