TV REVIEW: Merlin - The Diamond of the Day Parts One & Two

War is declared as Morgana's forces march on Camlann and Arthur and his knights ride out to meet them in order to defend Camelot. Meanwhile, the sorceress has found a way of ridding Merlin of his magic, thus leaving Arthur more vulnerable to attack. And here's your customary spoiler warning.

With Morgana (Katie McGrath) and Mordred (Alexander Vlahos) now allied and the identity of Emrys known as Merlin (Colin Morgan), things are looking dark for Camelot as the Saxons march towards Camelot. Arthur (Bradley James) decides to march for Camlann with his faithful knights at his side, but without Merlin, who has had his magic taken away and must head for the Crystal Cave, the birthplace of magic, in order to get it back. Meanwhile, Gwaine (Eoin Macken) may have given away some of Camelot's secrets and placed Merlin in jeopardy. A face-off with Morgana leaves Merlin trapped as he fights to save Arthur and meet his destiny.

This series of Merlin has been a slightly uneven affair, stalling in a few places but soaring to some really terrific heights in others. If ever there was a finale to reflect the preceding series, then The Diamond of the Day was it. The two episodes promised much; the conclusion of this particular version of the Arthurian legend, the big battle between the forces of good and evil and the moment in which we finally witnessed Arthur finding out the truth about Merlin. All of these things happened, thankfully, but were not necessarily as good as they could have been.

The Battle of Camlann was impressively realised for such a small show, offering up action and violence aplenty for family viewing on a Saturday night. The darker atmosphere of the show has really aided its development and allowed such a grimy battle to take place for the final two episodes. We also got a chance to see what could have been if the knights had been included a little more in the storylines. Eoin Macken's Gwaine has always been the roguish charmer so it came as little surprise that he was won over by Morgana's spy. Macken gave a subtle performance throughout, culminating in his death scene with Tom Hopper's Percival, with whom he had a great, double-act chemistry. It was a shame that we hadn't seen more of the pair since the opening two-parter episodes as they would have rounded out the excellent class well.

Elsewhere, Katie McGrath's Morgana went full evil and proved why she made a much better all-out evil person than a person secretly being evil whilst pretending to be good. If you didn't follow that, basically, I'm really glad that she didn't 'evil smirk' her way through this series. It was also good to see Gwen developing into a queen, though as a small scene reminds us, she has not forgotten how to muck in and get on with work if it needs to be done. Richard Wilson's Gaius also played an integral role in the proceedings, more so than he has been allowed to for the majority of series five. His scene with James' Arthur as he tries to convince the king of Merlin's intentions was quietly played, yet very effective.

Then, there's the conclusion of the legend. One of the most interesting aspects of the series was the way in which it incorporated the existing myths into new and interesting stories. Whilst it took the writers awhile to settle into this, it cannot be denied that we've been presented with some very interesting interpretations. The death of Arthur then, offered even more of this; any Arthurian fan worth their salt knows that the Battle of Camlann is where Arthur bites it at the hand of Mordred. This aspect of the narrative was handled extremely well, particularly Arthur's show of defiance in slaying Mordred almost immediately after being dealt a mortal blow himself. Arthur's attempt to remain standing after being wounded was a great moment for the character, summing up his strength and vulnerability simultaneously.

I was pleased to see that the writers stuck to their guns and actually featured the death of Arthur and his final journey to Avalon as the ending to their series as it had started to look like he might survive. However, this was also one of the worst parts of the show because it left a rather large part of the show's internal logic. Since the first series, both Merlin and the audience have been told that it is Merlin's destiny to save Arthur who will then bring magic back to Camelot. Neither of which happened. Whilst the death of Arthur offered a greater narrative closure in terms of the immediate storyline, in the wider plot, it felt that we, the audience, had been cheated. Although it was hinted that Gwen (Angel Coulby) as Arthur's successor, now knew Merlin's secret and might therefore be more sympathetic to magic in the kingdom, but this was by no means the 'magic returning to Camelot' that we had been promised.

Thankfully, there were two scenes that flew high above the rest of the episodes and highlighted just why I got so involved with this show in the first place. The first, when Merlin revealed that he was a sorcerer to Arthur as the king lay dying, felt like a huge moment of closure for both the main characters and the audience. It was, after all, the moment we had been waiting for since the series began. Morgan and James have consistently been the best actors in the show and once again stole it with two highly emotional performances, with Merlin's relief and Arthur's disappointment both palpable. The second scene was the moment in which Arthur thanked his friend for his continued, and unacknowledged, support, adding even more weight to the parting of the two friends. The relationship between Merlin and Arthur has always been the aspect that the show has got right throughout and it was good to see it get the ending it deserved.

I really, desperately wanted to love this finale, but it felt a little like the writers rushed it all a bit at the end, and forgot a lot of the promises that we had been given as an audience along the way. Despite the fantastic performances from Morgan and James (again), the story did not meet a satisfying and logical conclusion. And they killed Gwaine. They had a lot to do to get me back after that, but sadly, it wasn't quite all I had hoped.

- Becky

Read Becky's review of Merlin - The Drawing of the Dark here.

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TV REVIEW: Merlin - The Drawing of The Dark

Gwen ceases to be a puppet, Merlin must protect his identity and Mordred is finally given something to do as he must choose between his love for a Druid girl and his loyalty to Arthur; the path he takes will be instrumental in deciding Camelot's fate.

As I have missed my reviews for With All My Heart and The Kindness of Strangers, I shall give you my thoughts on them here, before moving on to The Drawing of the Dark which was possibly one of the best episodes of this series. With All My Heart saw the culmination of Gwen's plot, freeing her from Morgana's grasp and returning her to her one true love. It was, in comparison, a relatively light episode, embracing the comedic as Arthur and Merlin embark on a quest to save Gwen, the funniest moment of which was Merlin appearing in drag to play a rather camp, batty sorceress. And, shock horror, Mordred revealed he could do magic in a fierce confrontation with Morgana that further obfuscates the Druid's motives when it comes to Arthur. 

While the climax of the episode was over-egged and a little sappy, the performances of Angel Coulby and Bradley James sold it. I've never been completely convinced by their relationship as the chemistry between the pair has been virtually non-existant. Nevertheless, it was good to see them back together and with an interesting warning from Old Woman Merlin about the positives that magic can bring. The Kindness of Strangers was another great episode as Morgana edged slowly towards discovering the identity and location of the mysterious Emrys. This episode was predominantly Merlin based and all the better for it. We often see Arthur having to deal with the responsibility of a position in power, but it is easy to forget that Merlin is also placed in that space, a fact highlighted brilliantly here by Finna, the Druid seeking to save her master. Colin Morgan's conflict throughout the episode, particularly at the moment of Finna's self-sacrifice was extremely well done and the scene where he was on his own on the roof highlighted his personal torment.

The Drawing of the Dark, then, had a tough act to follow and was in danger of slowing down the pace that Kindness of Strangers had set in motion. Rather than continue with Morgana's pursuit of Emrys, the writers decided to change tack and focus on Mordred instead. After a confrontation in the woods, a young Druid girl is injured, someone who Mordred (Alexander Vhalos) has known for most of his life. Merlin (Colin Morgan) is still ever-suspicious and accuses Mordred of helping her, threatening to go to Arthur (Bradley James) and report the knight's activities. However, Arthur's tracking skills help him to track down Kara and he captures her, sentencing her to death. Mordred finds himself divided between his two loyalties and after Arthur refuses to change the sentence, goes against his King in order to save Kara. Unfortunately, not everything goes to plan and an angry and grieving Mordred heads for Morgana's fortress with news of the identity of Emrys.

There are now only two episodes left of this final series of Merlin and the tension has been ramped up most effectively. We've been warned for the entire episode run that Mordred is BAD and is key to Arthur's downfall but unfortunately, he's not really done a huge amount. Thankfully, this episode goes some way to repair that damage and has a great central performance from Alexander Vhalos as the raging Druid. Vhalos must be commended for his acting throughout the series actually, playing Mordred completely ambiguously so that even though those of us who knew the mythology could never be quite sure what he was up to. 

One thing that has also been completely consistent throughout Merlin in its entirety is just how stupid Arthur is. And I'm not talking conceivably missing things because he's being a king, but downright, blind-as-a-bat stupid. A case in point was obvious in this episode when Mordred appears to 'apologise', looking as if he could quite happily beat Arthur to death with a wooden spoon and Arthur simply sits back and goes 'oh I knew he'd come around'. Obviously, Arthur being completely unaware of Merlin's magic is a key part to their relationship dynamic but I do think it would have been an interesting plot-line to observe over multiple episodes, rather than perhaps just in the finale. Then again, it may be that Arthur never actually finds out, though I'm fairly certain that I wouldn't be alone in hoping that that doesn't happen.

We've only got two episodes left now and with Morgana knowing who Emrys really is, the stage is set for a truly explosive and no doubt, heartbreaking finale.

- Becky

You can read Becky's review of The Hollow Queen here.

Follow Becky on Twitter @beckygracelea
Or on her blog beckygracelea.wordpress.com

TV REVIEW: Merlin - The Hollow Queen

This week sees Merlin off on his own to help a Druid boy and his sick sister whilst the fearsome Sarram of Amata visits Camelot. Arthur seeks to forge an alliance with the unpredictable ruler but Gwen and Morgana have other, more fatal plans.

Merlin (Colin Morgan) is approached by a young Druid boy, Daegal (Alfie Stewart), for help with his sick sister. Unable to refuse, Merlin embarks on a dangerous journey to help the boy, leaving Gaius (Richard Wilson) to cover for him and his duties for Arthur (Bradley James). Meanwhile, Camelot is about to play host to a visit from the Sarrum of Amata (John Shrapnel), a ruler known for his violent tendencies and casual assassinations. The Sarrum forms a key part of Morgana's (Katie McGrath) new plan to kill Arthur and Gwen (Angel Coulby) is only too happy to help. With Morgana ensuring that Merlin can no longer meddle and save Arthur's life, will the once and future king finally meet his end? Well, not just yet.

In case you missed it, it was announced on Sunday night that this series of Merlin was indeed to be the last, confirming rumours that have been going around for a while now. Whilst this is obviously sad news, particularly as Merlin has really hit its stride over the last couple of series, the showrunners were always open about the fact that they saw this as a five-series arc and I think it's very wise of them to stick to their original plan. This does mean of course that we now go into the final few episodes with the knowledge that they are building towards what is hopefully going to be a spectacular finale and a fitting end to the story of this boy wizard.

Returning to this episode, the over-arching narrative of Gwen's evil transformation continue with another impressive performance from Coulby that conveys the character's malevolent intentions with resorting to pantomime menace. I really enjoyed the frankness with which she approached the assassination plans, declaring outright that she just wants her husband dead. It allowed a nice element of black humour to creep into the show and further builds her role into something more interesting than doting servant. The scene in which Merlin and Gwen size each other up, each continuing the lie behind his absence was also fantastic, with both Morgan and Coulby having a battle of wills through only their eyes. 

The story itself wasn't particularly groundbreaking beyond Gwen's obvious contributions but it does serve to highlight that Arthur really is a bit of a plank. After last week's poisoning (which could only have been committed by Gwen!) and this episode's failed assassination attempt, he's got to realise at some point that there is someone in the castle trying desperately to kill him. I mean, how many near-death experiences can one man take before he starts a stringent vetting system? However, the writers did build a huge amount of tension into it, particularly during the assassination itself which certainly made you question whether Arthur was going to get out of this one wound-free. 

One aspect of the episode that was particularly good this week was the score. I've talked about the music before in Merlin though it is something that I do largely overlook (unless, as was the case before, the entire orchestra were doing their level best to tell me that Mordred was EVIL and SINISTER. Though still largely absent). This week, it worked well to build the tension, particularly towards the final scene and was an interesting mix of nursery rhyme style melodies and the usual string-led crescendos. 

For the most part, this was a solid episode, progressing the story further without resorting to quick, unsatisfying resolutions. The Evil Gwen plot continues to intrigue and, with the news of the close of Merlin's story, everything is starting to build towards a big finale. I just hope the writers can pull off something truly amazing that gives these great characters, and the actors who play them, a really good send off.

- Becky

You can Becky's review of The Dark Tower and A Lesson in Vengeance here.

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TV REVIEW: Merlin - The Dark Tower & A Lesson In Vengeance

First of all, I must apologise for my lack of review last week, but unfortunately iPlayer ceased to work at all on my computer (and I missed it when it was on as I was watching Skyfall). However, I am now fully caught up and ready to comment, discuss and generally marvel at some of the worst and best we've seen of Merlin so far.

Yes, The Dark Tower held so much promise and looked like it was going to be an excellent episode that harked by to the really quite wonderful Death Song of Uther Pendragon. After an encounter with snakes conjured up by returning Morgana (Katie McGrath), Sir Leon (Rupert Young) and Sir Percival (Tom Hopper) are left poisoned by some weird magical affliction. But never fear! After a few minutes and some conveniently allotted exposition time, both knights are up, about and on yet another quest for this time, it is Gwen (Angel Coulby) who has been captured. Despite Merlin (Colin Morgan) warning him that this is an obvious trap, Arthur (Bradley James) is hellbent on rescuing his lady love, joining forces with her brother, Sir Elyan (Adetomiwa Edun - who quite honestly, I had forgotten both that he existed and that he was Gwen's brother). 

There are many things wrong with this episode which is quite possibly the most infuriating so far of the current run. First and foremost, the sudden focus on Sir Elyan means that his demise at the end of the episode might as well have been flashed up in a gigantic neon sign. I've commented before that the knights are given little to do but ride gallantly and occasionally fight in slow motion and I was wondering whether it would be long before one of them found themselves stuck with the pointy end of a weapon. Sir Elyan has probably suffered most for this as a character, thus giving his death scene absolutely no emotional impact. Bye Elyan, we barely knew ye.

That's just one of many silly things in this episode though that I won't go into individually because I'd be here all day, but the main one had to be the twist ending with Gwen seemingly allying herself with Morgana. Really? REALLY? Had we had a brief scene in which it became apparent that Morgana had enchanted Gwen, then fine, that would make sense. A scene in which Morgana somehow manages to persuade Gwen completely that Arthur is a bad guy? A bit implausible given the characters' history but still would have made the twist work. Having it come out of the blue was just stupid, like the writers just ran out of ideas and decided to throw an M. Night Shyamalan. The optimist in me wants to assume that this is how they'll eventually cover Gwen's betrayal of Arthur, leading to his downfall. In the myths, that's caused by an affair with Lancelot whilst Arthur's away questing, but since they sort of killed off the character, this could be a way for the writers to re-appropriate that particular plot. We shall see.

As ever, the episode was redeemed by the performances, particularly Coulby as the terrified and helpless Gwen and her scenes with Katie McGrath were highlights. Likewise, Colin Morgan and Bradley James continue to excel in their respective roles, adding weight to an otherwise messy and slightly silly episode.

Thankfully, A Lesson in Vengeance was somewhat of an improvement, thankfully not involving a quest but a plot to kill the king. After a nasty tumble of his horse, Arthur discovers that his saddle has been tampered with ad suspicion falls on poor stable hand Tyr (John Bradley of Games of Thrones fame). Arthur is forced to sentence the boy to death as the evidence appears conclusive but Merlin has his own thoughts on the matter and suspects Gwen, Morgana's brand new puppet, to be involved. 

While the performances of all concerned are usually excellent, this week's were absolutely outstanding. Colin Morgan doesn't often get singled out for praise as he is often so good as the strong centre of the episode that you tend to forget just how good he is. This week, he completely stole the show with a welcome return from Old Merlin, who gets some of the best lines as he takes on the cook, and a heartfelt attempt to save Arthur's life. We have been shown often of the bond between Merlin and Arthur but rarely do we see what would happen should one of them cease to be. When he believed Arthur to be dead, Merlin's grief was completely overwhelming, both for the character and the audience. It was the first time he seemed at all powerless and Morgan played the moment well.

Elsewhere, we get another good performance from Angel Coulby, channeling Evil Gwen to produce something quite sinister and thankfully lacking in Morgana-style evil smirks. Because Gwen has always been so benevolent, the scene in which she murders Tyr to cover her own back was shocking and disturbing, showing how far Gwen had fallen. The plot did let her down somewhat though as it was something we have seen many times before. Someone we're supposed to trust tries to kill the King, Merlin figures it all out but gets the blame and then saves the day anyway. Granted, having Gwen as the perpetrator definitely skewed things a little but the formula has been used many times before.

I am glad that they didn't solve the Gwen mystery just yet though as it gives us something to look out for and watch progress over the next episode at least. If they do tie it into the original myth, I'll be very interesting to see how it is done as Guinevere's betrayal is a fundamental aspect to the Arthur legend and it would be disappointing if they didn't cover it in some way.

Overrall, A Lesson in Vengeance was a decent episode, not as good as The Death Song of Uther Pendragon (which remains my favourite episode of Merlin this series, possibly ever) but it moved the narrative along nicely and showcased the talents of this ever-improving cast. 

But seriously, where is Mordred?

- Becky

You can read Becky's review of The Disir here.

Follow Becky on Twitter @beckygracelea
Or follow her blog beckygracelea.wordpress.com

TV REVIEW: Merlin - The Disir

Arthur has angered an ancient goddess and must quest (again) to avenge the death of a knight and face his accusers. Naturally things go wrong and Merlin has a tough decision to make about how to advise his king.

With reports of the death of one of Arthur's (Bradley James) oldest friends and a sorcerer, Osgar (Andrew Tiernan - who never plays a nice guy. Ever.), on the loose, the knights of Camelot venture out to wreak vengeance. In a confrontation with Osgar, Sir Elian (Adetomiwa Elun) and Sir Gwaine (Eoin Macken) get thrown about a bit and Arthur learns that an ancient trio of soothsayers, the Disir (Frances Tomelty, Sian Thomas, Helen Schlesinger) have cast a judgement upon him that will affect his destiny. In defending Arthur, Mordred (Alexander Vhalos) is injured and with Arthur seeking to save his new knight, Merlin (Colin Morgan) is forced to confront his own feelings regarding Mordred.

Well, after complaining that the knights weren't given anything to do in the last episode bar look pretty, the entire opening of the episode was devoted to banterous conversations from the residents of the Round Table. Hurrah! It was a good moment of levity, particularly in Mordred's hazing for his first quest, and allowed us to see a bit more of the wider cast. It didn't last too long though as the episode once again became predominantly a two-hander between the ever-excellent Bradley James and Colin Morgan.

Morgan's performance is always solid and was on display again here in his manipulation of Arthur with the biggest shocker of recent times; Merlin states openly that 'magic has no place in Camelot.' And he was doing so well! It's been apparent that we're moving towards the big revelation for Arthur that Merlin is one of the old religion's most powerful affiliates but we took another massive step back here. It was clear that Merlin considered this a worthy sacrifice for getting Mordred out of the way but in terms of development, it didn't necessarily feel like the right direction.

Speaking of Mordred, he's finally back in the picture after being largely absent for the last two episodes and without any real evidence, the music keeps telling us to hate him. The show's score has never been too invasive but this week, it felt like they needed to let us know that Mordred was SINISTER and DANGEROUS by increasing the volume every time he appeared on screen. In the big reveal scene when a very-alive Mordred is seen on the steps of the castle, the music was so loud and stereotypical that it distracted from any drama that the reveal had. It felt a bit like that moment in Kill Bill Vol.1 when The Bride sets eyes on Vernita Green for the first time and the Ironside theme music plays in a comical 'oh look she's angry' kind of way. Not the best association for a fantasy drama to have in one of its most dramatic moments.

Despite that distracting bit, it was, for the most part a solid episode, but it felt like it mostly made retrograde steps rather than developing the characters further. Whilst we get that Arthur now relies on Merlin's wisdom (we've had a scene in each episode so far, just to make sure we get it), the 'magic has no place' moment took the relationship back to earlier series. Likewise, Gwen seems to have gone from kick-ass warrior queen back to supportive, loyal servent Gwen, constantly telling Arthur how great a king he is. It's frustrating, because everything was going so well on both counts. Now I can't help but feel that is has some ground to make up.

Gwen looks to be getting a more central role next week (though admittedly this is through kidnapping so still not great) and is all set for a showdown with Morgana who seems to have an every-other-episode contract now. With some spooky happenings and Morgana's stare-of-death, let's hope it's a little more progressive than The Disir.

- Becky

You can read Becky's review of Another's Sorrow here.

You can follow Becky on Twitter @beckygracelea
Or follow her blog beckygracelea@wordpress.com

TV REVIEW: Merlin - Another's Sorrow

This week, Morgana is back in the game as she carries out a fiendish deception that fools the entirety of Camelot, including Merlin, in order to trap Arthur and kill him once and for all. 

After Odin (Fintar McKeown), an old enemy of Camelot, takes the country of Princess Mithian (Janet Montgomery) and captures her father (James Fox), it becomes apparent that it's another plan from Morgana (Katie McGrath). With Mithian as captive, Morgana heads to Camelot and deceives Arthur (Bradley James) and Merlin (Colin Morgan) with her old woman guise. The knights set out to rescue the King but Morgana's trap lays in wait.

For more casual fans of the series, it may not have been obvious that this episode saw the return of several old faces. As was oft-repeated, Odin has been Arthur's sworn enemy for a while now, after Arthur killed his son way back in the second series and then retaliated by killing Uther. Princess Mithian also returns, having escaped an engagement to Arthur in the last series; their relationship isn't really commented on by any party but the gallant king naturally rushes to her aid when she asks for it.

Which leads us on to the next discussion point; old Morgana. We've already seen ageing spells with Merlin (who makes a very convincing and funny old man) and now it is Katie McGrath's turn. Rather than the comical and mischievous performance that Colin Morgan gives, McGrath goes full sinister, creeping and skulking about whilst controlling the entire situation. It's an impressive display and one that further demonstrates McGrath's development. It does help that her character is finally written for a bit more successfully (likewise with Gwen) which gives both actresses more to work with. There was also a lovely, rare moment between Arthur and Gwen (Angel Coulby) which shows how their relationship has progress in marital bliss.

However, for the most part, this episode has been the most lacklustre of the series, devoid of the tension that had made the first three episodes so compelling and generally not as involving as many previous episodes. The plot was as transparent as one of the castle's anachronistic windows and held little in the way of actual excitement. The Odin-Arthur feud was more than a little strained, although I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. And when are people going to start listening to Merlin when he has a bad feeling. He's a wizard and he's ALWAYS right. 

What is also beginning to look a little odd is the lack of interaction with Arthur's knights. I mean, these are some of the most famous Sirs in history, Gwaine and Percival in particular, and yet they barely have a line; they just skulk awkwardly in the back of scenes. Eoin Macken has always been a highlight as the rakish Gwaine and is afforded a couple of lines and an admittedly welcome cheeky grin, but it's a far cry from the time he has been given in earlier episodes. Also, much was made about Mordred's threat to Arthur but he's barely been seen since, not even appearing in this episode. Some of my favourite moments in past episodes have been the interaction between the excellent ensemble cast but they've been reduced to set-dressing.

The next episode will hopefully correct some of these niggles and also apparently features the magical version of the Black Spot. Arthur could be in trouble... will Merlin be there to save him? Well, yes.

- Becky

You can read Becky's review of The Death Song of Uther Pendragon here.

You can follow Becky on Twitter @beckygracelea
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TV REVIEW: Merlin - The Death Song of Uther Pendragon

There's something rotten in the state of Camelot as an old cast member returns looking a little worse for wear, Arthur and Merlin are forced to face a mutual foe and it's Percival who gets his shirt off this time. 

After stepping in to save a woman accused of magic, Arthur (Bradley James) is given a gift, the Horn of Cathbad and despite both Merlin (Colin Morgan) and Gaius (Richard Wilson) warning against it, uses it to contact his dead father, Uther (Anthony Stewart Head). The meeting doesn't exactly go as planned and after breaking the key rule of not looking back (nice bit of Greek mythology mashing up there), Arthur accidentally invites the unrestful spirit back to Camelot. Uther isn't exactly best pleased at how Arthur is running things and goes on a bit of rampage, sending furniture and Gwen (Angel Coulby) flying around the castle.

With the excellent two-parter that kicked off the series, Merlin could have gone rapidly downhill, just through sheer comparison to Arthur's Bane and in previous years, it probably would have done. We would have had a guest star doing an uncanny troll impression who everyone apart from Merlin believes to be a good guy. There'd be lots of sneaking about, exasperated explanations and probably an ill-conceived fart joke to top it all off. Not with this episode though thankfully as the writers decided to pitch Merlin into a good old-fashioned ghost story. Rather than the expansive storyline of the opening two-parter,

It was handled well and the budget clearly went on a lot of the special effects for the episode which benefitted greatly. Technically, the episode has been one of the strongest I've seen for the entire series and really helped to sell the ghost story aspect. There's always the risk that a floating axe can look a bit comical but the construction of those scenes was such that the tension was so great, you didn't really notice the axe flying but were trying to guess on whom it was going to land. It was also genuinely quite creepy, something that the new later time on a Saturday has allowed to happen with jump scares used for both comic and horror effects. The use of sound was particularly noteworthy in Gwen's chase scene; there was a complete absence of music allowing the visuals to create that tense atmosphere. And Uther looks damn scary in blue.

The return of Anthony Head is most welcome; his Uther was always an intriguing study of suppressed rage and paranoia, here brought to the fore in the scene with Bradley James. The theme of the episode was very much about escaping your parents' shadow and carving your own way, encapsulated in the first meeting between father and son. The balance of the scene was perfectly pitched with the seething anger of Uther matched with the reserved calm of Arthur, standing up to his father with his own beliefs. With Uther's almost-revelation just before he disappeared, does this mean we're getting closer to Arthur finding out? After all, the episode repeatedly referred to Arthur's tolerance and his compassion with the old woman at the beginning of the episode demonstrated that he might be ready to hear the truth about his closest friend.

The big confrontation though, was between Uther and Merlin in the big showdown and what a satisfying battle it was. Uther's complete and utter rejection of magic and any persecution of anyone who practised it was the reason behind Merlin's dual life so when it came to the two facing off, you just knew that magic was going to appear. Colin Morgan's performances don't tend to be of the showy variety, often acting as the foil to the other actors, but here he completely stole the scene away from Anthony Head in just a one line rebuttal to Uther's 'You are nothing but a serving boy' - 'I am much more than that'. I'm not going to lie, I cheered a bit.

It was an important development for the character, having his revenge on his would-be oppressor and Morgan did a fantastic job of conveying both the relief and vindictive joy of sharing his secret. With Uther's almost-revelation just before he disappeared, does this mean we're getting closer to Arthur finding out? After all, the episode repeatedly referred to Arthur's tolerance and his compassion with the old woman at the beginning of the episode demonstrated that he might be ready to hear the truth about his closest friend.

Both Morgan and James gave truly commendable performances this week, both excelling in the comic scenes (did I spy a Prince of Thieves reference with the spoon threat?) and the more emotional moments towards the end. Their two confrontation scenes with Uther were sublime, allowing their respective character arcs to become more apparent than before. Merlin finally gets his revenge on the King who forced him to transform his identity while Arthur realises just how cruel and vindictive Uther could be and how different from his father he actually was. 

All in all, it was a pretty stonking episode of Merlin, focusing on the central pair and their respective abilities to move out of the shadows of those that oppressed them. We only got a brief look at new knight of the Round Table, Mordred this time and Percival (Tom Hopper) was the only Sir to get any major screen time after a particularly odd encounter with an axe. Next week sees the return of Morgana, who's probably still very angry.

- Becky

You can read Becky's review of Merlin - Arthur's Bane Part Two here.

Follow Becky on Twitter @beckygracelea

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TV REVIEW: Merlin - Arthur's Bane Part Two

After last week's doom-laden opener, Merlin and Arthur find themselves captured, Gwen is becoming a calculating warrior queen, Morgana is angry and evil and Gwaine has still not found his shirt.

Arthur (Bradley James) and Merlin (Colin Morgan) find themselves trapped and on their way to Ismer as captives, held by an old acquaintance, Mordred (Alexander Vlahos) who may or may not be Arthur's bane. Morgana (Katie McGrath) meanwhile has been having all sorts of nasty nightmares and as we know from previous series, that doesn't tend to end well for the people around her. Speaking of which, her new right-hand man Ruadan (Liam Cunningham) has found out that his daughter and secret agent Sefa (Sophie Rundall) is being held as a traitor and sentenced to death by Gwen (Angel Coulby). Gaius (Richard Wilson) still seems to have a dying wig on his head but is also acting once again as the conscience of the Queen while Gwaine (Eoin Macken) is being helped a mysterious glowing alien thing.

The darker turn that Merlin has taken this series is really working in its favour, upping the ante not only for the characters but also for the audience. I'm still quite impressed that a programme I had originally only watched for a bit of light entertainment when there was nothing else on has becoming something so interesting and involving. This is probably due to the improving quality on the show all round but in particular, the writing has become a lot more focused. Before, the action would have been punctuated with unnecessary comical scenes to lighten the mood which also succeeded in slowing the pace, but across this two-parter, each scene is tightly constructed within the wider episode. The trademark humour is still there of course, but it is grim and less frequent and the show is all the better for it.

Another way in which the show has completely won me over, particularly in just these two episodes, is how well they are writing for Gwen now. Finally, after four series of being saddled with lame romantic subplots, either with Arthur or Lancelot, Angel Coulby has been granted some excellent scenes and is really flying with them. She's still the gentle Gwen of old but with a new steely, royal exterior and is proving herself to be a fine tactician with her intentions to lure Ruadan to Camelot by threatening his daughter Sefa with execution. Likewise, Katie McGrath's Morgana has had a few years to stew in her anger and is all the more fun for it. The confrontation between Arthur and his wayward sister was such a fantastic scene and McGrath's performance has really grown from the evil-grinning of old into truly capturing the hatred that Morgana feels towards her family.

The alien thing turned out to be the Euchdag, the very thing that Morgana was searching for. I must admit, the scenes with this creature were the weakest of both episodes for me because, primarily, it looks like a cast off from Farscape and not the medieval magical creature I would have personally imagined. It's a small niggle but it distracted from what was going on elsewhere. I'm also not entirely sure why it picked Gwaine to help, other than for the writers to conveniently demonstrate that it was benevolent. Maybe it will come back later on in the series, leading to more of a focus on Gwaine if that relationship was to continue. It does some rather odd to set it up and then abandon it. The other actors playing the knights don't always tend to get much of a look-in bar battling alongside Arthur and it would be interesting to see a couple of episodes, not necessarily entirely focused on them (the show is called Merlin after all), but with a little more time given to the knights of the Round Table.

Another small niggle (and I am really nitpicking now but it did bother me) was the use of all the slow-motion in the fight sequences all of a sudden. Whilst it does, at odd moments, look cool, for example Arthur taking out one of the slavers in an impressive slashing move, it can also look a bit silly. During Ruadan's one-man raid of Camelot, the slow-motion at first did fall on the cool side, but then it carried on a bit too long. As he walked away, it stopped looking bad-ass and started looking like Liam Cunningham was attempting a bad Reservoir Dogs impersonation. On with the positives though, it does emphasise that the actors are the ones doing the fight sequences and they are therefore all the more impressive. However, can we not over-use it please? A couple of times, it looks awesome. After that, I want to hit fast-forward.

As I said, they're both small niggles and overall the quality has been so good that it's hard to see if the rest of the episodes are going to be able to match this fantastic opener. We've got plenty of plot-lines to pursue, particularly now that Mordred has become a Knight of Camelot (it's not going to end well, is it?) and Morgana is wounded and possibly even more rageful (that's definitely not going to end well). Also, now that Merlin knows what Arthur's bane is, what is he going to do about it? And will Arthur ever find out that his best friend has been saving his life all these years with magic? I really hope so.

Next week appears to feature a guest appearance from the Horn of Gondor with some shiny new resurrection powers which could mean that evil Giles - I mean Uther - is back in the picture for an episode. Family reunions eh? What a joy.

- Becky

You can read Becky's review of Arthur's Bane Part One here.

Follow Becky on Twitter @beckygracelea
Or follow her blog beckygracelea.wordpress.com

TV REVIEW: Merlin - Arthur's Bane Part One

The new series of the BBC's surprisingly successful magical fantasy Merlin gets off to a dark and moody start as knights are captured, dragons appear, and the titular wizard has a vision that could change everything.

The first two series of Merlin were, let's be honest, pretty terrible; it was lightweight, cheesy, throwaway entertainment to wile away the Saturdays until Doctor Who came back. But then something odd happened. It started building in more Arthurian mythology than it had before, weaving it into storylines in neat and clever ways, the performances developed from two-dimensional stereotypes into people you actually wanted to see onscreen, the writing became tidier, the comedy sharper and perhaps most importantly, it got a little darker, which always makes things interesting. I'd always followed Merlin as a bit of a curiosity (and for a small crush on Bradley James) and it has been rewarding to watch it grow into the compelling programme that returned on Saturday.

Last series ended with the long-awaited wedding between Arthur (Bradley James) and Guinevere (Angel Coulby) and the promise of prosperity for Camelot while Merlin's (Colin Morgan) magic remained a secret and Morgana (Katie McGrath) escapes to plot and smile evilly for another day. It's been three years since then; Camelot's entered a golden age, enjoying untold peace and harmony, Arthur and Guinevere are still happily married and her dresses are considerably more *ahem* enhancing than they were before. But all is not entirely well as Gwaine (Eoin Macken) and Percival (Tom Hooper) have gone missing heading north towards Ismir, Morgana's stronghold. Arthur sets out to find his loyal knights, despite the obvious risk while a traitor in Camelot alerts the sorceress to his plan, allowing her to set a trap. Merlin meanwhile has a vision that shows him Arthur's death at the hands of an old acquaintance. And Gwaine got his shirt off. Again. So that was nice.

The first episode was a tightly structured first parter, building us up steadily for the second episode whilst having enough of a narrative to stand as a good instalment in its own right (though because I'm an idiot, I missed the whole 'Part One' bit of the title and yelled angrily at the cliffhanger - it was a long day). It also seems to be very much a post-Game of Thrones depiction of fantasy, with more care given to effects and new locations than we've seen before, particularly the snowy expanses of Ismir. The darkening of the subject matter, for example, with the loss of the knights and unflinching decisions when it comes to dealing with traitors, suits this slightly grittier version of the Merlin we know and love.

While I'm starting to get annoyed with Arthur's wilful ignorance of Merlin's magic (how stupid are we meant to think he is?), this episode did remind me of why I enjoy the show in the first place. The chemistry between Morgan and James as the two leads has always been a highlight with banter and deep and meaningful moments in equal measure. Both actors bring a great sense of fun to their relationship and thankfully the writing has improved so much that the comedy between the pair no longer feels as forced as it used to. It does tend to mean that the other knights get sidelined a little with the central pair, but the focus on Gwaine and Percival's plight as new members of Morgana's topless sweaty army suggests we may see a little more development for the other members of the Round Table.

Another major character development is that Guinevere is FINALLY given something more to do than pine after Arthur and tell him how great a king he's going to be. Instead, we see that royal appointment is really starting to suit Gwen, offering tactical advice at the Round Table whilst also demonstrating some fierce judicial skills. Coulby looked more than capable of going all warrior queen when she deals with Camelot's traitor. Katie McGrath has also managed to increase her range in the gap between series as thankfully, she no longer finishes every scene with an evil smile, just to remind us of how evil Morgana is. That's really evil by the way.

What gives me hope for this series is the inclusion of Arthur's death from the very beginning, tying it in neatly with the Mordred aspect of the story from the original mythology. Yes, they've not done the whole Mordred was a product of an Arthur-Morgana incestuous tryst storyline but as it's Saturday night family viewing, I think we can forgive them that small rewrite. But most importantly, it seems they're prepared to end the Arthur-Merlin story properly - with the death of Arthur and the fall of Camelot. People seem to forget that though Arthur and Merlin manage to create this utopian idyll of chivalry and romance, it fails for a variety of reasons, but mostly because Arthur can't remain the paragon of virtue that he's set up to be. Mordred exploits that weakness. I just hope that the showrunners are brave enough to go the whole way and not necessarily give us a happy ending.

But there is one thing that's nagging me slightly... what on earth was that alien thing?

- Becky

You can follow Becky on Twitter @beckygracelea
Or follow her blog beckygracelea.wordpress.com