‘Merlin’ Recap – The Law & Order Edition

Just when everything seems like it’s going well in Camelot – well, except for that pesky Morgana and her issues – a trio of three witches decide to pass judgment on the King and his rule, and the sentence is… Well, why ruin the surprise?

This week’s episode kicks off like MacBeth, three witches stirring up some trouble. They are the Disir, high priestesses of the Old Religion who speak for the Triple Goddess. They dole out justice by her hand and now the less than blind eyes of justice are tuned towards Arthur. But first, combat practice! And young Sir Mordred is coming along nicely with his training. Even Arthur thinks so. Merlin is still dubious about Mordred, and although Gaius tries to convince him that all this worrying is much ado about nothing (another Shakespeare reference – did you catch it!), Merlin remains steadfast in his doubt even though he, himself, has to admit that Mordred doesn’t seem like a bad guy.

Wait, here comes Sir Leon with news. The sorcerer and raconteur Osgar escaped some Camelot knights at a nearby outpost, and in the process Sir Ranulf was killed. The late knight was an old buddy of Arthur’s, so naturally some measure of retaliation is called for. So the Knights of the Round Table saddle up. Mordred comes along on his first official mission, one that includes some gentle hazing from the other knights. The company catches up to Osgar eventually, and though he’s mortally wounded, he manages to live long enough to give Arthur the verdict of the Disir, inscribed on a gold coin.

Merlin, of course, is concerned about the condemnation, but Arthur is merely vexed. Sure, he could understand the Disir condemning his father, but hasn’t he, Arthur, tried to be a just and moral king. Merlin points out that only those worthy can be judged, since it’s pointless to judge a man who won’t listen or examine his own beliefs to consider he might be wrong. Gwen points out that maybe Osgar was just a whack job, but Arthur saw the sincerity and knowing that Osgar was a sorcerer, and a cunning one at that, he could have easily taken out both the king and his knights. But he didn’t. Could the message of judgment have more weight than Arthur would like to admit?

Naturally it does and the Camelot knights ride out to the sacred place where the Disir dwell. When they get there, the knights are rather – um- single-minded. They enter the cave, in force, with weapons drawn, despite Merlin’s warnings that this is a sacred place that they should show some reverence to. Oh that Merlin, such a nimby. But yeah, the Disir aren’t impressed either. Arthur mouths off and disrespect is paid, which results in the Disir throwing some spears with their magic, one of which impales Mordred. The knights retreat, and return to Camelot where Gaius pronounces that it’s only a matter of time before Mordred dies.

Unless… No Merlin refuses to help. Following the advise of the Great Dragon, Merlin decides the risk to the future is too great with Mordred alive and declines to use his magic to heal Mordred. Arthur, however, is not as intractable. He takes Merlin and returns to the Disir to ask for forgiveness and to spare Mordred’s life. The Disir tell Arthur again that he has to convert to the Old Religion or else, and that he has until sun-up to decide. Arthur actually carefully considers it, after all: magic doesn’t kill people, people kill people. Not so fast, says Merlin swallowing hard every dream he has to live open and free as a wizard, magic causes a lot of bad stuff, and isn’t it possible that there’s a toxic effect to magic run unchecked? Wasn’t that the whole root of the purge, and Uther’s madness, and other anti-magic motions across the Five Kingdoms? Arthur sees the wisdom and his mind’s made up. He tells the Disir thanks but no thanks to the Old Religion and heads home.

The Disir’s punishment: Mordred lives. Arthur and Merlin return to Camelot to find Mordred alive and well. Arthur is pleased, but to Merlin, it just solidifies one thing: Mordred is the fateful end to Arthur he’s been looking for. To be continued…

EPISODE NOTES

-Can anyone say “filler episode?” This was easily the weakest entry of the season so far, and basically just reinforced the outlining story arc of the season: Arthur brings Mordred into the fold, Mordred is destined to betray Arthur, et cetera, and so forth. I suppose though it must be done. Scenes of Mordred and Arthur paling around, and other knights giving Mordred a gentle good ribbing help to effectively set-up the drama coming down the pipe.

-Bravo to Colin Morgan, the stand out performer from last night’s episode! No longer the country lad caught up in the palace theatrics, Merlin remained steadfast in his doubt of Mordred, and was even more cynical than Gaius about whether or not the Druid boy could turn out all right in the end. Merlin, once defiant when confronted with Mordred’s destiny, is now all too willing to proceed as the Great Dragon advises: let the kid die. On the flip side, Merlin had to swallow any hope for a bright day of magical openness in order to convince Arthur that embracing the Old Religion is wrong in order to save Mordred. Powerful stuff and ripe with inner-turmoil, which was rather underplayed nicely by Morgan who couldn’t really act out all that frustration and doubt, but had to look like he was burying it deep down. Hope this episode makes the Emmy clip reel.

-Was the MacBeth comparison with The Disir apt, or was it just me? It would have been funny if the connection was made a little more explicit, like in the old Disney Gargoyle cartoons, which included characters from both MacBeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream… You know if Hollywood wants to remake something, a live-action Gargoyles is something I could really get behind. Just saying. And what’s the deal with those Blair Witch stick figure ornaments outside The Disir’s cave? Is that a witch thing now?

-Was there a political implication in Merlin’s advice about the Disir’s judgment? Judgment will only be given to those who will listen. I read it as kind of statement about the absolutism of extremism in all forms. So many people never test their beliefs and live in their own little echo chamber that reinforces the things they already know, so how does one learn and grow without accept the judgment of others that you might be wrong? Some wise words to think about indeed. This Merlin has come along way.

-Osgar’s line: “For even as Camelot flowers, the seeds of her destruction are being sown,” some damn fine alliteration, or subliminal Hellboy reference? Dealer’s choice.

Next week: Morgana’s back with a new plot involving Queen Gwen. An evil plot? I guess you’ll just have to tune in and see.

‘Merlin’ Recap – The Beginning of the End

It’s somewhat bittersweet that we kick off this new season of Merlin, because we know it will be the series’ last. But as they say, the show must go on, as will these re-caps. For this season, I will forgo the usual blow-by-blow account, not because I didn’t enjoy doing them, but because they’re rather time consuming, and I just don’t have that kind of time anymore. So let’s get right down to the season premiere of Merlin, the once and future series about medieval times’ greatest bromance.

As previously reported, this season picks up three years after the end of series four. It’s been a time of peace and prosperity for Camelot, and one that’s seen a few changes, for instance, did you notice that circular piece of furniture that Arthur’s holding meetings around now? The order of the day is Ismere, a fortress in the northern plains. Sirs Gwaine and Percival were scouting the area when they went missing with 60 of Camelot’s finest, so can somebody say rescue mission?

You don’t exactly have to be a Druid seer to know that it’s Morgana who’s up to no good in Ismere. Now controlling the Saxons, she’s got a small slave labor force digging underneath the castle in search of a priceless artifact. It seemed to me that Morgana was an after-thought in series four even though she was the Big Bad at the center of it all, sometimes being squeezed into an episode just to remind us that Arthur’s uncle Agravaine is her man in Camelot. But if last season, Morgana was playing things cool and taking advantage when a situation came up, this season, she’s all proactive. So what is she looking for under Ismere? Arthur’s Bane.

Not that Bane.

According to Morgana’s new henchman, Ruadan, they will learn what Arthur’s Bane is through the Diamair, the key to all knowledge. They just need a few more guys to help dig it up.

Arthur’s rescue of his men takes a detour through a decimated village where Merlin detects a disturbance in the Force. He finds the Druid seer Lochru dying in a nearby cave, a moment that Lochru has long dreaded. He tells Merlin of Arthur’s Bane, who nobody cared about till he put on the mask– Sorry. Again, wrong Bane! What Lochru does show Merlin is a vision of the future: the Battle of Camlann, and the ultimate showdown between Arthur and Mordred. (Obviously, we don’t want to spoil how it turns out.) We don’t get to see much of the re-cast Mordred this week, but I will say that actor Alexander Vlahos makes a believable grown-up Asa Butterfield.

The Great Dragon later confirms Lochru’s gifts and advises Merlin to be weary, not that the kid needs the advice, or, for that matter, not that he needs any new concerns to get himself distracted. As Arthur and the others push on for Ismere, it seems that Camelot’s got mole issues again. Queen Guinevere’s new maid Sefa, as it turns out, is the daughter of Ruadan, who tells her father that Arthur and the Camelot knights are taking the sneaky, less direct route to Ismere from the west. The news allows Morgana and the Saxons to get the drop on Arthur, who’s injured in the ensuing battle, but saved by Merlin. They get separated from the others, but push on for Ismere on their own.

Sirs Elyan and Leon manage to return to Camelot knowing their plan has been compromised. Gwen clues in immediately that it’s Sefa who spilled the beans, and brings her before the court to find out what she told to whom. Meanwhile, Gwaine notices a funky light in a cave under Ismere as he’s breaking rocks and follows it, and after getting knocked out in a fight with the Saxons, he encounters what looks like a mix of the aliens from Signs and that thing Geordi Laforge turned into in the “Identity Crisis” episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

As they continue to Ismere themselves, Merlin and Arthur get caught in an Endor Wookie trap and are later freed by some mercenaries who decide to kill them on sight. And just when it looks like our heroes have met their end a young man appears and says that it should be left to the Lady Morgana to decide their fate. “Hello Arthur,” says the grown-up Mordred. Uh oh…

Next time, we’ll learn what Arthur’s Bane really is. Hint: he’s not Camelot’s reckoning.

EPISODE NOTES

• The winter shots look awesome. Full marks to the cinematographer as the series really stepped up its game shooting those scenes.
• Nice shout to the White Witch from The Chronicles of Narnia with Morgana’s wolf-drawn sleigh. Actually, the whole episode was very good for both Morgana, and her portrayer Katie McGrath, and I love how the writers picked up on that weird torture flirting thing that Morgana did with Gwaine in The Sword and the Stone, Part 2.
• This was also a very strong episode for Gwen, who seems to have really taken to the role of Queen by adding key strategic insight and shrewd judgement. Angel Coulby was very commanding in the scene where Gwen sentences Sefa to death, even Elyan had a look on his face that said, “Damn, that’s cold.”
• Speaking of Sefa, did anyone hope that there might be a less sinister outcome for her? Especially since she was making cute with Merlin in some of those early scenes.
• Lindsay Duncan reappears as Queen Annis in the first of what’s supposed to be many familiar faces returning this season on Merlin.
• Did anyone else wonder if Colin Morgan‘s juggling ability was natural talent of CG-enhanced?It look pretty real if it was the latter.
• Although the humor was still there, one definitely sensed a maturation of Arthur and Merlin’s friendship. Merlin as well seems more bound by doubt than ever before after the encounter with Lochru, and tries to talk Arthur out of going on by sharing (some of) what Lochru told him. But a knight of Camelot never leaves a man behind, and the secret wizard who works undercover as the King’s servant doesn’t leave his sovereign behind.
• One more thing: although it looks awesome, I kind of wish they’d stop doing the Zack Snyder 300 stuff during Arthur’s fight scenes. We get it, Arthur can kick a lot of ass. Maybe we can see some fights in normal film speed once in a while.

See you next week.