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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 2 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 Tears Of Uther Pendragon Part 1 - first transmitted 11th September 2010Morgana has been missing from Camelot for months when she is finally discovered by Arthur and Merlin. Uther is delighted to see his ward returned to him and she reveals to Merlin that she has seen the error of her ways. When Uther starts to be driven mad by visions of those that he has wronged, however, Merlin suspects that Morgana is less reformed than she claims. MERLIN returns for its third season picking up more of less from where it left off. Morgana is back in the fold but working against Uther in a cruel fashion and Katie McGrath is having a lot of fun playing the femme fatale, all twisted smiles and dark looks. Dark also seems to be the order of the day for the plot as Uther descends into madness, giving Anthony Head something new to play. This episode belongs to McGrath and Head and the rest of the cast don't really get much of a look in, although the banter between Arthur and Merlin has a couple of scenes. The plot makes no allowances for anyone coming to the party late, though it is easy enough to follow once you know who everyone is. It moves at a reasonable pace, but the sudden appearance of giant scorpions at the end (the UK not being particularly well known for its scorpion population, giant of otherwise, especially at a time before world travel could have introduced them into the habitat here) really ruins the whole thing. They may have been cool in CLASH OF THE TITANS (in which case they were the only things that were), but that is no excuse for just dropping them in here. Written by Julian JonesDirected by Jeremy Webb Top The Tears Of Uther PendragonPart 2 - first transmitted 18th September 2010Saved by the Great Dragon, Merlin returns to Camelot where he frees King Uthyr of Morgana's enchantment. As the King recovers, Arthur arranges the defence of the castle and seems to be doing well right up to the point where Morgana releases an army of skeletons. Giant scorpions from CLASH OF THE TITANS last week and animated skeletons from JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS this week. It's to be hoped that this isn't a sign of fading originality in the show. Some of the CGI around the skeletons and, most especially, the Dragon is fairly poor, perhaps the sign of reduced budgets at the BBC. Fortunately, everything else is present and correct. The show has started off in dark fashion and that continues with Uthyr's madness and Katy McGrath's continued evil behaviour as Morgana works against Uthyr's court from within, all knowing and sneering looks of hatred across rooms at Merlin, the only one who can oppose her. There is also plenty of action as two armies meet in full on combat that is pretty convincing and epic in scale. This provides a fitting conclusion to the opening story and promises some good things to follow. Written by Julian JonesDirected by Jeremy Webb Top Goblin's Gold- first transmitted 25th September 2010Merlin accidentally frees a Goblin who goes about causing mischief and then takes over Gaius in a desperate escape attempt. Merlin must now find a way to get the goblin out of Gaius without killing him, something that is made all the more difficult when he has been arrested for the Goblin's own magical crimes. After two dark opening episodes, MERLIN lightens up with this funny, silly episode that allows Richard Wilson the chance to play evil. It's not subtle with laughs coming from Uther going bald and Arthur half-turning into a donkey. If broad comedy is your thing then the farting in the conference chamber scene is hilarious. The special effects creating the goblin are very cartoonish and seem even more out of place with the northern accented voice. This, though, is MERLIN in full on entertainment mode and it entertains easily. Written by Howard OvermanDirected by Jeremy Webb Top Gwaine- first transmitted 2nd October 2010Arthur and Merlin make a new friend in Gwaine, a young man who helps them in a bar fight. Back in Camelot, the men beaten in the bar fight magically pretend to be knights and plan to use swords that appear blunt, but are actually sharp to kill Arthur in the tournament melee. We've had Lancelot and here comes Gwaine, a man who is every inch a knight other than the fact that he is not a noble and has a liking for ale. People pretending to be other people through magical means is starting to get a bit old and planning to kill Arthur during a tournament has also been done before. That said, the script is witty and the banter light and entertaining. It's just one of the more forgettable episodes. Written by Julian JonesDirected by David Moore Top The Crystal Cave- first transmitted 9th October 2010Whilst escaping from bandits, Merlin and Arthur take refuge in the Valley of the Fallen Kings. There, Merlin is taken into a cave of crystals by a stranger called Taliesin and is given a glimpse of the future in which he sees Morgana with a dagger over Uther's sleeping form. Trying to prevent this from coming to pass, Merlin accidentally leaves Morgana at the very edge of death. MERLIN's slow descent into darkness continues with this story that begins with a light and entertaining opening, steals the Argonath from LORD OF THE RINGS, and then gives Merlin his thorny dilemma. Knowing that Morgana is working for Uther's death and Camelot's fall, he still has to weigh that agains the pain and anguish of his dearest loved ones. Neatly plotted, the episode takes on the issues of free will against predestination and wraps it up and a moody character piece as all of the actors get to play their characters' grief and Uther reveals a truth that has been long coming, but is not unsurprising. Written by Julian JonesDirected by Alice Troughton Top The Changeling- first transmitted 16th October 2010Princess Elena is the daughter of a neighbouring king and good friend of Uther's. The two men have long had the hope that their two children would form an alliance that would cement the future of the two kingdoms. Elena, though, is a clumsy and inelegant girl who is unaware that she is inhabited by a faery that will take her over entirely once she is wed to Arthur, an eventuality that Merlin and Gaius must prevent. Merlin goes for a comedy episode again with this tale of betrothals and bad fairies welding together the Disney's SLEEPING BEAUTY (the two kings and the prince who doesn't want to wed for duty) and its own two part episode Beauty And The Beast in which Uther's intended was a disgusting troll in disguise. The troll in disguise duties are split between Georgia King's clumsy princes with a lack of finesse in her dining manners and general comportment and Miriam Margolyes who does all the disgusting stuff by having a frog's tongue and an an unpleasant hankering after Gaius. Setting aside the darkness for a while, this a bright, light story that has a fizzy script full of funny moments and yet still allows for the character moments as Arthur and Guinevere face the fact that they might be losing each other forever to the duty of the prince. The laugh count on this episode is pretty high, not least because of the peerless Miriam Margolyes as Grunhilda, the nurse to Elena and woman with an eye for Gaius and a forward manner about getting what she sets her eye on. This is the kind of light comedy that MERLIN does so well. Written by Lucy WatkinsDirected by Dave Moore Top The Castle Of Fyrien- first transmitted 23rd October 2010Morgana and Morgause continue to scheme, kidnapping Gwen's brother so that Arthur will help her, walking straight into a trap. Knowing that Morgana is the enemy, but unable to tell Arthur, Merlin has to find a way to save them all. This is a straight adventure tale as a small band of commandos infiltrate an enemy stronghold, but are betrayed and must make an escape. It is a medieval WHERE EAGLES DARE, but the familiarity of the plot is offset by the battle of wills between Merlin and Morgana, all of which is being carried out in plain sight of Arthur, but kept from him. Once inside the castle, however, it goes completely wrong. Having worked so hard to secure Arthur, they don't kill him immediately, but imprison him so that he can find a way to escape and save the day. It's a small quibble for such a fun show, but it does stand out all the same. Written by Jake MichieDirected by Dave Moore Top Eye Of The Phoenix- first transmitted 30th October 2010Arthur chooses the quest that will confirm his position as the man to follow Uther as king. He must reclaim the Fisher King's trident alone, but when Merlin learns that Morgana's gift of a bracelet will siphon off Arthur's life energy, he gathers some help and goes after him. MERLIN's ability to twist the legends and myths of Arthur to crowd-pleasing plots continues with this initially simple tale of Arthur's quest, but as soon as Merlin enters the throne room of the Fisher King the plot takes on a whole deeper and more textured life as portents of the future mix with character drama and Colin Morgan gives a nicely judged performance. OK, the Fisher King's tower is borrowed from THE LORD OF THE RINGS and wyverns are just cut price dragons (although amongst some of the better CGI this season), but the presence of Eoin Macken's Gwaine is welcome and the script has enough good lines and witty banter to ensure that the entertainment value remains high. Written by Julian JonesDirected by Alice Troughton Top Love In The Time Of Dragons- first transmitted 6th November 2010The arrival of a new healer in town puts Gaius in a difficult position since Alice is an old lover and a magic user. What he doesn't know is that she is also under the influence of a manticore and set on killing Uther. Richard Wilson's Gaius gets some more romantic interest this series, but this time of a more welcome kind. Pauline Collins plays Alice and the rekindled romance between them is a nice reminder that love has no age limits. Seeing these two venerable actors playing off each other is a delight, even if they aren't actually called upon to do very much. The plot is a bit of a retread of other MERLIN stories and the show does risk repeating itself a bit too much, but there is still enough in the script to make this a minor consideration. The manticore (human head, lion's body, scorpion's tail) is poorly realised by the show's effects budget and never once looks anything like convincing. Written by Jake MichieDirected by Alice Troughton Top Queen Of Hearts- first transmitted 13th November 2010After having a vision of Guinevere as queen, Morgana exposes the relationship between Arthur and the servant girl. Uther is initially amused, but when sorcery is shown to be responsible, he orders Guinevere's death. Merlin steps in to provide another cause of the sorcery, but once trapped in an aged body, he is unable to reverse the spell even as they lead him to be burned at the stake. A week after Gaius got into trouble for being in love, Guinevere gets the same treatment. This time around, though, there are no dodgy CGI beasties to get in the way and the episode is all the better for that fact. Colin Morgan gives an excellent performance under the mounds of latex that convincingly age him and the disguise allows his character to let rip with all the frustrations that have been locked within him. The threat of being burned, firstly for Guinevere and then Merlin, is well handled and make moments of the episode quite tense. More importantly, the love story between Arthur and Guinevere is a touching and believable one, giving a strong core to the show. Written by Howard OvermanDirected by Ashley Way Top The Sorceror's Shadow- first transmitted 20th November 2010There is to be an open tournament and both Arthur and his father have entered. Also entered is a young man named Gilli intent on using his magic ring to gain some respect, even if it costs Camelot its king. Merlin is faced with the awful dilemma of allowing Uther to die or betraying one of his own. The outcome is never in any doubt and even the conversations between Merlin and Gilli are somewhat predictable, making this one of the more minor episodes in the series. Written by Julian JonesDirected by Ashley Way Top The Coming Of ArthurPart 1 - first transmitted 27th November 2010A patrol is slaughtered with only one man saved, cured by drinking from a magic cup. That cup is the Cup Of Life and Arthur is sent by his father to secretly capture it. Slavers and the neighbouring king, however, not to mention Morgana, sabotage that effort and an army of unkillable soldiers marches on Camelot. It's the penultimate episode of the season and so this is mainly set up for the big finale. That doesn't mean that there isn't a lot going on though. The Cup of Life (yes, it's the Holy Grail to the rest of us) is capable of creating immortal soldiers and the effects of the army that is raised and sent to Camelot is certainly dramatic, leading to a final scene that does set up for what is likely to be a knockout last episode. The rest of the episode is, as often these set up episodes tend to be, a bit less impressive. The slave trader sequence doesn't really add anything and seems put in just to pad out the running time to get it to a double episode length. This, though, is about the fall of Camelot, the revelation of betrayal and the hoplessness of failure. The bigger story is excellently realised and we can only look forward to the big finale. Written by Jake MichieDirected by Jeremy Webb Top The Coming Of ArthurPart 2 - first transmitted 4th December 2010Camelot has fallen, Uther is imprisoned, Morgana is on the throne thanks to her immortal army. Arthur and a small band still remain at large and plan to rescue the King. Merlin believes that the only Excalibur can give him the advantage he needs to empty the Cup of Life and free the country. MERLIN has played with the Arthurian myths in a free and loose manner, but more and more of them are coming to fruition. This final episode of the series sees the formation of the Knights of the Round Table in a rousing moment where Arthur rallies his troops and shows himself as the king he will become. The sword is set in the stone, but before that it rises from the water in the hand of the Lady of the Lake. This latter moment, borrowed John Boorman's brilliant EXCALIBUR, doesn't have the resonance that it should, but the placing of the sword into the stone is a fitting final moment. With this third series MERLIN has made good on the promise of the tail end of the second. It is a show that has come of age as one of the great retelling of the Arthurian legends. Long may it continue. Written by Julian JonesDirected by Jeremy Webb Top |
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