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“You intrigue me, Merlin. Why does a lowly servant continue to risk everything for Arthur and for Camelot?”
It’s been a year since the events of the second series finale: Morgana’s still missing, Uther is refusing to give up hope, but Merlin knows she can’t be found – he poisoned her to save Camelot. While out searching for her, Arthur and his men battle an ambush. But when the fight ends, they hear noises in the forest that surrounds them. Out of the mist emerges Morgana, very much alive – but are things really as they seem?
Some things about Merlin remain resolutely the same after two series: Uther’s hatred of magic has only deepened; Morgana still gets to wear absolutely divine dresses; Merlin continues to save Arthur’s life with magic on a regular basis without the prince realising; and Arthur still takes off his shirt for longer periods than is strictly necessary. These things are all what we’ve come to expect with Merlin and they’re part of the reason the programme works so well as fun Saturday night entertainment.
But the programme has developed, too. This opening episode is by far the darkest Merlin has been this early in a series; in some ways, it felt closer in tone to a series finale. After two series of hints and increasing menace, Morgana has finally admitted her magic abilities – showing her transformation from Uther’s ward to Merlin’s counterpart on the side of evil has been something the programme has been building to, and it’s been managed pretty well so far. And, above all, there’s now a real undercurrent of trust and affection beneath Arthur and Merlin’s teasing. Last series, that was messed around with a little bit too much, so I hope it remains consistent here.
‘The Tears of Uther Pendragon – Part 1’ was very entertaining Saturday night viewing, although it did have a few problems. The plot dragged a bit in the middle, and the endless scenes of Morgana dropping her act and looking evil did get fairly tedious towards the end. Of course, Merlin has never been the most tightly plotted programme in the world, but there were some plot holes here even I balked at (and I made it through two and a half series of Robin Hood): I couldn’t help but wonder how no-one noticed Morgana going off in the night, for example.
But, for all that, there was much to enjoy here: the darker tone was a welcome progression without feeling like a completely different programme. There was some good continuity with previous series, particularly Merlin’s use of his abilities as a dragonlord. And, as always, the acting raises this programme considerably: Katie McGrath plays evil Morgana beautifully, while you can really see in Bradley James’s Arthur the potential to become the legendary king. At the centre of it is Colin Morgan as Merlin, who is likeable and charming as the underdog, but also plays the emotional scenes skilfully. His relationship with Arthur is rightly at the heart of the programme.
Ultimately, Merlin is never going to set the world alight, but it does fill the Doctor Who void nicely. Hopefully its winning mix of fun plots, great intrigue and brilliant acting will continue in this series – from the opening episode, I have no reason to doubt that it will.
Catch the conclusion of 'The Tears of Uther Pendragon' tonight at 7.30, while this series of Merlin continues every Saturday.
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