Contributor: Gregg Wright
I found it a bit odd that the birth of the white Dragon at the end of the previous episode is completely ignored for this episode. It just goes to show how little forethought goes into the development of most of the individual episodes in any given season of “Merlin”. I’d hoped that this season would be different, but it seems that, so far, it’s not nearly as different from previous seasons as I’d hoped. It was certainly unusual to have a major character death occur mid-season, but the placing of that episode suggests that they still want to establish a status quo early on in a season, and then play around with more episodic stories until the finale. The season is slightly more serialized than past seasons, but not to any satisfying degree.
Still, this is an important character episode for Arthur. It’s doubtful that it will have any major effects on the status quo in the long run, but I appreciated its refreshingly straightforward take on Arthur’s development as King of Camelot. The humor, what little there is of it, is integrated quite well without detracting from the more serious aspects of the story. And I liked that the episode was willing to let Arthur actually go through with killing an unarmed captive, and then later realize his mistake and own up to the consequences. “Merlin” is at its best when it follows through on the consequences of characters’ actions.
Another strength of the episode was in how it emphasized the camaraderie and loyalty between Arthur and his men (Merlin included). Additionally, I’m glad to see Arthur treating Merlin as an actual friend. I can imagine how much worse things might have gotten if the only person Arthur had to rely on was Agravaine, who seems to have a powerful talent for manipulating Arthur. Thankfully, Arthur has Merlin and Guinevere on hand to appeal to his better nature. I was a bit annoyed at Arthur and Gwen’s breakup at first. I think it would have added little of worth to the season. Also, I rather liked how Arthur’s apology to Gwen was handled.
It appears that most episodes will feature some kind of episodic threat that secretly connects with Morgana and Agravaine’s plans to overthrow Arthur (which Merlin will find some way of secretly foiling). Their involvement has been a bit disappointing and cookie-cutter so far. And this isn’t much different then the approach previous seasons have taken. The “big bad” of the season will remain in the background, continually plotting, until the finale, where the truly important stuff happens. I really hope there will be more to it than that for this season. Nathaniel Parker still feels underused, and Morgana is still generically evil and lacking in any kind of complexity.
Lindsay Duncan was utilized rather well in her guest role as Queen Annis. It’s too bad these guest starts just come and go, because Annis has the potential to be a great recurring ally, who could come to Camelot’s aid at some later point in the season. I liked that Annis was so mature about the whole situation. Her critique of Morgana was spot-on. Just like Uther, Morgana has become so filled with hatred that she can’t even think straight anymore. Whatever legitimate grievances she had against Camelot hardly even factor into her decisions anymore.
In many respects, this is the episode that should have been placed directly after “The Wicked Day”. It does little to repair the damage done by Uther’s unceremonious and poorly-executed departure from the show. But it does, at least, offer a solid look at Arthur’s role as king in the fallout of Uther’s death, and the inherent burdens of that newfound responsibility.
Rating: 8/10
