By: Julian Jones
**Spoilers**
If you have not yet watched this episode, please go and do so before proceeding.
- Oh just lovely, that: an execution and lengthy speech by King Uther Pendragon himself. What a fine, friendly introduction to the great city of Camelot! The King is standing on a balcony, overlooking what I’m assuming is the castle courtyard, and waxing poetic about the crimes of some poor bugger named Thomas James Collins.
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- "...been judged guilty of conspiring to use enchantments and magic.” Hate to tell you, your Royal Pompousness, but those are the same thing. Hasn’t he ever heard of the Oxford Dictionary?
- Also, does he seriously give a long-winded speech like that for every execution? Or did Merlin just catch him on a gabby day?
- On a bright note, I feel that the whole sequence of execution (from the editing to the music) nicely builds and builds and gets the point across while still keeping to its PG rating. Of course Uther proves what a jerk he is by joyously announcing a festival, not thirty seconds after poor Thomas was decapitated. Sheesh, I know he’s supposed to be a heartless tyrant, but could he at least show some respect for the dead?
- “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a son for a son!” That sounds vaguely Biblical there, Mary Collins.
- While her speech is great, I’m not completely convinced by the prosthetics she has to wear. Usually such things hold up well enough in half-light, but the brightness of the courtyard means that we can see the rubbery quality of the fake skin.
- I have to say, I find the whole 'eyes flash gold' thingy rather interesting. It is an interesting choice to show when someone is casting a spell (since they don't have wands to swish and flick), though I am glad that in later episodes the strange camera zoom-in will be abolished for the more classy 'momentary-widening-of-the-eyes'. I should also like to know if Merlin actually stopped time there or just levitated Gaius a bit Oh, and Merlin is also an idiot. He had just come from an execution, so why did he use magic again? True, if he hadn’t we would have lost Gaius (And then who would provide the exposition or mispronounce ‘sorcery’?) but it just goes to show how inexperienced and unthinking our young hero is.
- No wonder Gaius was in a grumpy mood. From the look of that bed Merlin chose for him, falling on it would be barely softer than the floor. That’s probably why he missed the fact that it was indeed Wednesday...his brains were rattled by the jolt.
- After finally figuring out who the heck Merlin is, Gaius sends the young boy up to his spare room where it magically becomes late evening, with candles lit and everything and sits down to read the letter from Merlin’s mother while the young man in question gazes out in wonder at the cityscape of Camelot.
- Take note of the full moon. You will see it many more times hanging over Camelot as the series progresses. Thank goodness there was never a werewolf story, seeing as how I don’t really think the Albion moon ever waxes or wanes.
- While his new ward
is basking in the moonlight, Gaius has finally found his spectacles and sits
himself down to read the letter from Merlin’s mother. I just love Hunith.
There is something very warm and friendly about her, despite the fact that she gets not one word of dialogue, having to make do with a voice-over.
- When I first watched this episode I pegged right away who Morgana was. I've seen enough adaptations and read enough lore to be able to figure that out. Still...her introduction, courtesy of Uther, was actually quite subtle and established her character right off the bat. It was an excellent example of 'show, don't tell'.
Then the episode cuts to the Forbidden Forest and the flimsy gauze tent belonging to Camelot’s finest singer: Lady Helen of Mora. (I’m assuming that Mora is a city in Camelot, though it’s never really specified if ‘Camelot’ stands for the city, the country, or both).
- The lady in question is sitting inside her bower, dreamily braiding her hair and humming a rather hypnotic little ditty. But her reverie is broken when – Oh horrors! – a stick cracks somewhere out the woods. Cue Camelot’s guards demonstrating the fact that they are bigger idiots than Merlin could ever dream of being! Don’t they know that no one who truly means ill will ever answer to one of those ‘who’s there?’ demands?
- Sure enough, while they were gallivanting around in the trees, the evil witch from earlier enters the brightly lit tent and viciously murders Lady Helen through the use of a voodoo doll and Parseltongue. What did Mary Collins do with the body? I mean, she now looks like Lady Helen (though a rather cheap looking age-reversal sequence) so what did she do with the real Lady Helen’s cold, still corpse?
- All is hunky-dory the next morning in Camelot as Gaius serves Merlin what appears to be an attempt at oatmeal for breakfast, sidling up to the table to devise a test for Merlin’s mysterious powers. C’mon! Could you be any more obvious, Gaius? It’s a good thing that Merlin was so wrapped up in his breakfast or else he would have seen through your little scheme with the water barrel quite quickly.
- That moment where the water froze in midair was pretty cool, though. I wish all of the magic on the show looked that good. But the moment was just that: a moment, as Merlin loses focus and the bucket spills its contents all over Gaius’ floor. To his credit, Merlin does run and fetch the mop for the old man.
- Quick question: how did Merlin
know where to take those medicines Gaius fobbed off on him? It’s not like the
old man gave out directions or anything. He just handed the sorcerer a sandwich
and warned him again about the dangers of using magic (a speech that
will become his MO).
- Ah yes, the Once and Future King, unite-er of Albion and torturer of menservants. What a charming figure he cuts with the tousled blond hair and overblown swagger. We are also given more evidence that Merlin’s a complete idiot. How did he not notice the rather interesting armor strapped over Arthur’s expensive shirt? This scene did provide us with the beginning of the infamous Merlin-Arthur banter, though (a.k.a the single best thing about this show!)
- On a side-note, Arthur's manservant is a dead ringer for Edmund Pevensie from Narnia...
- Apparently all of the guards in Camelot are deaf and mute as Gaius seems to have no scruples about scolding his ward in front of them. True he wasn’t as obvious as he will become later on, but it was still pretty conspicuous.
- Merlin ends up in the stocks. Get used to this folks, it happens a lot this particular series and is always played for laughs. Trust him to make that particular punishment into more a game, though.
- Guinevere! I
remember how excited I was to see this iconic character appear, and how
delighted I was with the way she was portrayed. Unlike the flawless paragon of virtue
she will become later on, Gwen actually had credible personality this series.
She is awkward and sweet and quick to second-guess herself. She is not a
highborn lady of sophistication, but a maid to the Lady Morgana who clearly has
the beginnings of a crush on Merlin (kudos to the writers for turning the
expectations of the viewers completely on their heads…more so even than with the
whole Arthur affair). Her relationship
with Merlin is so cute as they banter and flirt. There is definitely a
connection there and it is actually heart-warming to see.
.png)
- Whatever happened
to Merlin’s magic being so powerful and instinctual? Back here in the good-old
days he could scarcely control his outbursts that just happened whenever he was
having a bad day. The boy was practically bursting with magic and promise. All
of that all went out the window in Series 2, though, and I really miss it. It
would not have been bad writing to have him be ‘all powerful’, simply because
he has other character flaws such as clumsiness or occasional idiocy that make
up for it by hampering him in his endeavors. I miss the ‘freezing time’ and ‘moving
objects via mind’ acts he used to pull. Even though they frustrate Gaius enough
that he sends the hapless Merlin to deliver a potion to the recently arrived
Lady Helen.
- Merlin, Merlin, Merlin...you should know better than to snoop into a lady’s belongings! And why did Mary Collins just leave her voodoo doll lying around like that? She was clearly intelligent…what possessed her to make such a colossal blunder in the midst of magic-hating, superstition-suspicious, big-mouthed Camelotians. (Is that even the proper term?)
- Merlin goes on a walk to clear his head after his encounter with Collins and comes across his least person in the world just right then: Arthur Pendragon. The two of them exchange some extremely funny verbal barbs (with Merlin getting the best line): “Look, I’ve already told you that you were an ass, I just didn’t realize you were a royal one.”
- The mace fight (backed with Pirates of the Caribbean-channeling music), is one of the highlights of the episode. Sure it’s corny and a bit awkwardly shot at times, but it is amusing to see Arthur (and Merlin) make utter fools of themselves just for the sake of a little testosterone-fuelled conflict. Klutzy Merlin actually manages to get the upper hand for a while, thanks to a bit of sneakily used magic, but allows himself to be distracted by Gaius’ eyebrow and then beaten by Arthur’s broom.
- The chemistry between Morgan and Wilson is very good during the scene where Gaius patches Merlin up as Merlin half-jokingly asks if he is a monster and Gaius quickly moves to disabuse him of that notion. In fact, the chemistry between all of the lead characters in this show is just about perfect. The casting is wonderful and the relationships written quite well.
- All of the double-talk between Helen and Uther during the dinner scene is actually quite fun to watch. It is so cleverly written (and delivered by Myles) that if we didn’t know about Mary Collins and if there wasn’t ominous music playing, we’d never know that it was a villainous conversation. Usually Merlin villains tend to be of the boo-hiss, how-can-you-possibly-not-deduce-that-they-are-EVIL?!??! variety; so it is nice to see that here, in the pilot of all things, we have a nicely understated bad girl.
- Myles is clearly having a wonderful time with the role and it is a shame she wasn’t given more screen time. But, of course, they had to deal with the disembodied voice Merlin has been hearing ever since he arrived in Camelot.
- I love the way Merlin takes the time to pull the blanket up over Gaius before going to investigate that voice. And call me petty, but I burst into giggles at the realization that Gaius’ blanket is about two feet shorter than he is.
- But my laughter stopped once Merlin reached the dungeons/catacombs/stock castle basement set. Camelot’s guards are absolute idiots! Honestly, they go to investigate a pair of Leap Frog-playing dice with all of the dignity befitting a five-month-old duck. How is Camelot still standing again? I mean – the knights are all redcloaks and the guards are idiots. Explain to me why this city hasn’t yet fallen?
- The painful incompetence is played for comedy later in the series (once the writers realised just what they had done) but here it just makes one want to yank out one’s hair and scream in frustration. Just something you should know right now: the guards are plot devices, not people. Let’s call them Red Jerkins, considering how many of them dies or disappears every week. But here they do neither; following the dancing dice so that Merlin can conveniently slip around them and nick a torch before descending into the bowels of the castle.
- When I first heard the dragon calling (and yes, I did deduce that it was a dragon. Come on – the episode is even titled as such!) I thought that the plot was going to go a completely different way and include the White Dragon vs. Red Dragon battle. It was a bit of a disappointment that he was just there to speak in cryptic riddles and nag Merlin about destinies. This line lifted my spirits considerably, though:
- And while the dragon might be an obvious green-screen CGI effect, it doesn’t look all that bad. Part of this is because of Colin Morgan’s performance and part of it is because of the surprisingly subtle animation that makes use of facial expressions rather than over-the-top gestures. John Hurt’s voice doesn’t hurt anything either.
- The next morning we are treated to the sight of Merlin’s abysmal grasp at housekeeping when Gaius comes to wake him up. That crowing rooster sounded awfully close. Does Gaius keep one in his room or something? Is that what the rabbit mask on his desk is for? And does Merlin seriously believe that the whole dragon affair was really just a bad dream, or is that just another witty quip?
- Ah, the good old
days where Morgana was still good. Back when she still had character beyond ‘Bellatrix’s
slightly saner clone’. I miss her, I really do. I liked her introduction
because it was nicely understated. As soon as I saw the dark-haired girl sadly
watching the execution of poor Thomas from the palace, I had placed my money on
her being Morgana Le Fay.
- “The more brutal you are the more enemies you will create.” Was that a nice bit of foreshadowing there, perhaps? Certainly it was a nice little tidbit for fans of the traditional legends. Morgana doesn’t get much more to do this episode, sadly, but that’s okay because the emphasis is where it should be: Merlin and Arthur’s meeting and the villainous Mary Collins/Lady Helen.
- That unnamed serving girl’s death is effective only because of the comment about her fiancé. If not for our knowledge about the unnamed man who will mourn her she would have just been another one of the red shirt deaths that the series accumulates over the years. It certainly gives Lady Helen more credibility as a villain (with two deaths now to her name and this second one rather coldly pointless, even though the serving girl finally spotted the treacherous reflection). But even as it does wonders for her reputation, it also puts a strike against her. Lady Helen, you really should have disposed of the body better.
- “Who’d want to marry Arthur?” Ha! That’s either a clever pun or an incredibly stupid stab at referencing the legends. For now, I’m going with the former simply because my shallow mind enjoyed the humour of Guinevere making such an ironic statement.
- And then we get one of my favorite villain songs, courtesy of Lady Helen. It’s beautiful, haunting, and Eve Myles’ performance manages to carry the concept even through some of the more over-dramatic moments (cobwebs, really? Getting a bit carried away, are we, Mary?) Looks like Merlin’s large ears are actually good for something...my money is on them acting as a bit of a filter against the enchantment, but maybe I’m just reading into it too much. At any rate, he managed to avoid slipping off to dreamland long enough to notice the problem and cover said appendages. He even dropped a chandelier on the witch.
- The boys share a moment of mutual horror and disgust at the ‘reward’ Uther grants Merlin: a job as Arthur’s
personal manservant.
For the sake of these reviews (and my own personal sanity) I am going to endeavour to ignore the gaping historical inaccuracies that run rampant throughout the series and simply focus my scorn or praise on the stories in and of themselves. Part of Merlin’s bizarre and inexplicable charm lies in those anachronisms, along with the often-cheesy dialogue and slavish devotion to status quo. Fans such as myself bemoan the lack of pay-off, ruthlessly pick apart the plot holes and campy-ness, but then turn around and watch the series all over again. There’s probably a long and complicated medical term for such a pitiable condition, but I’ve yet to come across it.
So our episode opens with the sound of seagulls, whimsical music, and a cryptic and slightly mythical sounding monologue delivered by John Hurt. Even though the laws of logic manage to get a bit skewed within the first few lines of the script, it is still a fine beginning that will get you into the fantasy mood. Hurt goes on and on about destinies and legends while our resident attractive, dweeby hero strolls his way down the path to Camelot. Or, as the script puts it: "...a young man who will, in time, father a legend. His name? Merlin." Remember those last three words, as they're highly important and you're not likely to hear them again...
Favorite Moments & Random Thoughts:
- Oh just lovely, that: an execution and lengthy speech by King Uther Pendragon himself. What a fine, friendly introduction to the great city of Camelot! The King is standing on a balcony, overlooking what I’m assuming is the castle courtyard, and waxing poetic about the crimes of some poor bugger named Thomas James Collins.
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- "...been judged guilty of conspiring to use enchantments and magic.” Hate to tell you, your Royal Pompousness, but those are the same thing. Hasn’t he ever heard of the Oxford Dictionary?- Also, does he seriously give a long-winded speech like that for every execution? Or did Merlin just catch him on a gabby day?
- On a bright note, I feel that the whole sequence of execution (from the editing to the music) nicely builds and builds and gets the point across while still keeping to its PG rating. Of course Uther proves what a jerk he is by joyously announcing a festival, not thirty seconds after poor Thomas was decapitated. Sheesh, I know he’s supposed to be a heartless tyrant, but could he at least show some respect for the dead?
- “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a son for a son!” That sounds vaguely Biblical there, Mary Collins.
- While her speech is great, I’m not completely convinced by the prosthetics she has to wear. Usually such things hold up well enough in half-light, but the brightness of the courtyard means that we can see the rubbery quality of the fake skin.
- I have to say, I find the whole 'eyes flash gold' thingy rather interesting. It is an interesting choice to show when someone is casting a spell (since they don't have wands to swish and flick), though I am glad that in later episodes the strange camera zoom-in will be abolished for the more classy 'momentary-widening-of-the-eyes'. I should also like to know if Merlin actually stopped time there or just levitated Gaius a bit Oh, and Merlin is also an idiot. He had just come from an execution, so why did he use magic again? True, if he hadn’t we would have lost Gaius (And then who would provide the exposition or mispronounce ‘sorcery’?) but it just goes to show how inexperienced and unthinking our young hero is.
- No wonder Gaius was in a grumpy mood. From the look of that bed Merlin chose for him, falling on it would be barely softer than the floor. That’s probably why he missed the fact that it was indeed Wednesday...his brains were rattled by the jolt.
- After finally figuring out who the heck Merlin is, Gaius sends the young boy up to his spare room where it magically becomes late evening, with candles lit and everything and sits down to read the letter from Merlin’s mother while the young man in question gazes out in wonder at the cityscape of Camelot.
- Take note of the full moon. You will see it many more times hanging over Camelot as the series progresses. Thank goodness there was never a werewolf story, seeing as how I don’t really think the Albion moon ever waxes or wanes.
- While his new ward
is basking in the moonlight, Gaius has finally found his spectacles and sits
himself down to read the letter from Merlin’s mother. I just love Hunith.
There is something very warm and friendly about her, despite the fact that she gets not one word of dialogue, having to make do with a voice-over. - When I first watched this episode I pegged right away who Morgana was. I've seen enough adaptations and read enough lore to be able to figure that out. Still...her introduction, courtesy of Uther, was actually quite subtle and established her character right off the bat. It was an excellent example of 'show, don't tell'.
Then the episode cuts to the Forbidden Forest and the flimsy gauze tent belonging to Camelot’s finest singer: Lady Helen of Mora. (I’m assuming that Mora is a city in Camelot, though it’s never really specified if ‘Camelot’ stands for the city, the country, or both).
- The lady in question is sitting inside her bower, dreamily braiding her hair and humming a rather hypnotic little ditty. But her reverie is broken when – Oh horrors! – a stick cracks somewhere out the woods. Cue Camelot’s guards demonstrating the fact that they are bigger idiots than Merlin could ever dream of being! Don’t they know that no one who truly means ill will ever answer to one of those ‘who’s there?’ demands?
- Sure enough, while they were gallivanting around in the trees, the evil witch from earlier enters the brightly lit tent and viciously murders Lady Helen through the use of a voodoo doll and Parseltongue. What did Mary Collins do with the body? I mean, she now looks like Lady Helen (though a rather cheap looking age-reversal sequence) so what did she do with the real Lady Helen’s cold, still corpse?
- All is hunky-dory the next morning in Camelot as Gaius serves Merlin what appears to be an attempt at oatmeal for breakfast, sidling up to the table to devise a test for Merlin’s mysterious powers. C’mon! Could you be any more obvious, Gaius? It’s a good thing that Merlin was so wrapped up in his breakfast or else he would have seen through your little scheme with the water barrel quite quickly.
- That moment where the water froze in midair was pretty cool, though. I wish all of the magic on the show looked that good. But the moment was just that: a moment, as Merlin loses focus and the bucket spills its contents all over Gaius’ floor. To his credit, Merlin does run and fetch the mop for the old man.
- Quick question: how did Merlin
know where to take those medicines Gaius fobbed off on him? It’s not like the
old man gave out directions or anything. He just handed the sorcerer a sandwich
and warned him again about the dangers of using magic (a speech that
will become his MO).- Ah yes, the Once and Future King, unite-er of Albion and torturer of menservants. What a charming figure he cuts with the tousled blond hair and overblown swagger. We are also given more evidence that Merlin’s a complete idiot. How did he not notice the rather interesting armor strapped over Arthur’s expensive shirt? This scene did provide us with the beginning of the infamous Merlin-Arthur banter, though (a.k.a the single best thing about this show!)
- On a side-note, Arthur's manservant is a dead ringer for Edmund Pevensie from Narnia...
- Apparently all of the guards in Camelot are deaf and mute as Gaius seems to have no scruples about scolding his ward in front of them. True he wasn’t as obvious as he will become later on, but it was still pretty conspicuous.
- Merlin ends up in the stocks. Get used to this folks, it happens a lot this particular series and is always played for laughs. Trust him to make that particular punishment into more a game, though.
- Guinevere! I
remember how excited I was to see this iconic character appear, and how
delighted I was with the way she was portrayed. Unlike the flawless paragon of virtue
she will become later on, Gwen actually had credible personality this series.
She is awkward and sweet and quick to second-guess herself. She is not a
highborn lady of sophistication, but a maid to the Lady Morgana who clearly has
the beginnings of a crush on Merlin (kudos to the writers for turning the
expectations of the viewers completely on their heads…more so even than with the
whole Arthur affair). Her relationship
with Merlin is so cute as they banter and flirt. There is definitely a
connection there and it is actually heart-warming to see..png)
- Whatever happened
to Merlin’s magic being so powerful and instinctual? Back here in the good-old
days he could scarcely control his outbursts that just happened whenever he was
having a bad day. The boy was practically bursting with magic and promise. All
of that all went out the window in Series 2, though, and I really miss it. It
would not have been bad writing to have him be ‘all powerful’, simply because
he has other character flaws such as clumsiness or occasional idiocy that make
up for it by hampering him in his endeavors. I miss the ‘freezing time’ and ‘moving
objects via mind’ acts he used to pull. Even though they frustrate Gaius enough
that he sends the hapless Merlin to deliver a potion to the recently arrived
Lady Helen.- Merlin, Merlin, Merlin...you should know better than to snoop into a lady’s belongings! And why did Mary Collins just leave her voodoo doll lying around like that? She was clearly intelligent…what possessed her to make such a colossal blunder in the midst of magic-hating, superstition-suspicious, big-mouthed Camelotians. (Is that even the proper term?)
- Merlin goes on a walk to clear his head after his encounter with Collins and comes across his least person in the world just right then: Arthur Pendragon. The two of them exchange some extremely funny verbal barbs (with Merlin getting the best line): “Look, I’ve already told you that you were an ass, I just didn’t realize you were a royal one.”
- The mace fight (backed with Pirates of the Caribbean-channeling music), is one of the highlights of the episode. Sure it’s corny and a bit awkwardly shot at times, but it is amusing to see Arthur (and Merlin) make utter fools of themselves just for the sake of a little testosterone-fuelled conflict. Klutzy Merlin actually manages to get the upper hand for a while, thanks to a bit of sneakily used magic, but allows himself to be distracted by Gaius’ eyebrow and then beaten by Arthur’s broom.
- The chemistry between Morgan and Wilson is very good during the scene where Gaius patches Merlin up as Merlin half-jokingly asks if he is a monster and Gaius quickly moves to disabuse him of that notion. In fact, the chemistry between all of the lead characters in this show is just about perfect. The casting is wonderful and the relationships written quite well.
- All of the double-talk between Helen and Uther during the dinner scene is actually quite fun to watch. It is so cleverly written (and delivered by Myles) that if we didn’t know about Mary Collins and if there wasn’t ominous music playing, we’d never know that it was a villainous conversation. Usually Merlin villains tend to be of the boo-hiss, how-can-you-possibly-not-deduce-that-they-are-EVIL?!??! variety; so it is nice to see that here, in the pilot of all things, we have a nicely understated bad girl.
- Myles is clearly having a wonderful time with the role and it is a shame she wasn’t given more screen time. But, of course, they had to deal with the disembodied voice Merlin has been hearing ever since he arrived in Camelot.
- I love the way Merlin takes the time to pull the blanket up over Gaius before going to investigate that voice. And call me petty, but I burst into giggles at the realization that Gaius’ blanket is about two feet shorter than he is.
- But my laughter stopped once Merlin reached the dungeons/catacombs/stock castle basement set. Camelot’s guards are absolute idiots! Honestly, they go to investigate a pair of Leap Frog-playing dice with all of the dignity befitting a five-month-old duck. How is Camelot still standing again? I mean – the knights are all redcloaks and the guards are idiots. Explain to me why this city hasn’t yet fallen?
- The painful incompetence is played for comedy later in the series (once the writers realised just what they had done) but here it just makes one want to yank out one’s hair and scream in frustration. Just something you should know right now: the guards are plot devices, not people. Let’s call them Red Jerkins, considering how many of them dies or disappears every week. But here they do neither; following the dancing dice so that Merlin can conveniently slip around them and nick a torch before descending into the bowels of the castle.
- When I first heard the dragon calling (and yes, I did deduce that it was a dragon. Come on – the episode is even titled as such!) I thought that the plot was going to go a completely different way and include the White Dragon vs. Red Dragon battle. It was a bit of a disappointment that he was just there to speak in cryptic riddles and nag Merlin about destinies. This line lifted my spirits considerably, though:
- And while the dragon might be an obvious green-screen CGI effect, it doesn’t look all that bad. Part of this is because of Colin Morgan’s performance and part of it is because of the surprisingly subtle animation that makes use of facial expressions rather than over-the-top gestures. John Hurt’s voice doesn’t hurt anything either.
- The next morning we are treated to the sight of Merlin’s abysmal grasp at housekeeping when Gaius comes to wake him up. That crowing rooster sounded awfully close. Does Gaius keep one in his room or something? Is that what the rabbit mask on his desk is for? And does Merlin seriously believe that the whole dragon affair was really just a bad dream, or is that just another witty quip?
- Ah, the good old
days where Morgana was still good. Back when she still had character beyond ‘Bellatrix’s
slightly saner clone’. I miss her, I really do. I liked her introduction
because it was nicely understated. As soon as I saw the dark-haired girl sadly
watching the execution of poor Thomas from the palace, I had placed my money on
her being Morgana Le Fay. - “The more brutal you are the more enemies you will create.” Was that a nice bit of foreshadowing there, perhaps? Certainly it was a nice little tidbit for fans of the traditional legends. Morgana doesn’t get much more to do this episode, sadly, but that’s okay because the emphasis is where it should be: Merlin and Arthur’s meeting and the villainous Mary Collins/Lady Helen.
- That unnamed serving girl’s death is effective only because of the comment about her fiancé. If not for our knowledge about the unnamed man who will mourn her she would have just been another one of the red shirt deaths that the series accumulates over the years. It certainly gives Lady Helen more credibility as a villain (with two deaths now to her name and this second one rather coldly pointless, even though the serving girl finally spotted the treacherous reflection). But even as it does wonders for her reputation, it also puts a strike against her. Lady Helen, you really should have disposed of the body better.
- “Who’d want to marry Arthur?” Ha! That’s either a clever pun or an incredibly stupid stab at referencing the legends. For now, I’m going with the former simply because my shallow mind enjoyed the humour of Guinevere making such an ironic statement.
- And then we get one of my favorite villain songs, courtesy of Lady Helen. It’s beautiful, haunting, and Eve Myles’ performance manages to carry the concept even through some of the more over-dramatic moments (cobwebs, really? Getting a bit carried away, are we, Mary?) Looks like Merlin’s large ears are actually good for something...my money is on them acting as a bit of a filter against the enchantment, but maybe I’m just reading into it too much. At any rate, he managed to avoid slipping off to dreamland long enough to notice the problem and cover said appendages. He even dropped a chandelier on the witch.
- The boys share a moment of mutual horror and disgust at the ‘reward’ Uther grants Merlin: a job as Arthur’s
personal manservant.
How does The
Dragon’s Call work over all? Well, as a pilot it did its job admirably. It wasn’t quite in the realms of spectacular (A
Study in Pink still holds that slot in my mind) but neither did it quite
reach the levels of mind-numbing yawnfest that some pilots fall into The plot was solid enough and
set up future events nicely. The characters were great and the relationships
were stellar, even at this early stage. I rate this episode as a 4/5.
Great fun and definitely worth more than one watch!
What did you think? Do you agree with my rating? If not -
what would you say differently?
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