By: Howard Overman
**Spoilers**
If you have not yet watched this episode, please go and do so before proceeding.
There are only two kinds of visitors to Camelot: charismatic, diabolical villains intent on staging some sort of coup or decent, simple folk being somehow influenced by the first. Once you have this figured out then suddenly the bizarre, plot hole-riddled universe of Merlin somehow begins to have structure. Unfortunately the structure is more like 'formula' than 'order'...and that is where today's episode falls.
Favorite Moments & Random Thoughts:
- The opening with Sir Valiant purchasing the shield is yawn-worthy. I knew right away what was going to happen to hapless Mundungus...ahem...the merchant and I wasn't mistaken. I hate it when three minutes into the episode I can already predict how things are going to go!
- Arthur is using Merlin to train for the tournament. Hmmm. Somehow I think that that explanation is absolutely nonsense. No way could 'training' with someone like Merlin prepare you to fight the best knights of the realm! I think it was just Arthur being his usual passive-aggressive, pratty self.
- Merlin's snark more than makes up for the abuse, though. He gives as good as he gets.
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- What would Gaius have done if Merlin was caught at this point?
- The tournament makes me giggle. It is SO melodramatic and abuses the slow-motion trick to the max!
- Uther Pendragon is officially an out-of-touch jerk. "I trust that you will make me proud." Wow. Way to give your son an inferiority/hero complex, Lord King!
- I don't understand why Valiant felt the need to have his shield bite that knight. He was already down and staying down. Is it just something in the villain's code? Besides, didn't Valiant take into account the fact that the Court Physician would be able to diagnose a snakebite?
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- Merlin and Arthur finally have some bonding time over how much of a 'creep' Valiant is. I concur.
- Lady Morgana and Prince Arthur really can't spend time in each other's company without fighting, can they?
- Okay, so why is Prince Arthur already trusting Merlin? This is only episode two of the first series and Arthur has only known Merlin for a couple of days. It is HIGHLY unlikely that he would go from beating Merlin over the head with whatever comes to hand to risking his dignity and sense of honor due to a wild accusation from said 'idiot' manservant. I get that maybe they were trying to tone down the 'bullying prat' aspect of Arthur's personality, but this happened much too fast to be believable...even by Merlin standards.
- Why are they teasing an 'Arthur is going to die' this early in the series? We all know that there are eleven more episodes to get through (complete with Arthur's name in the descriptions/summaries) so that just kills the tension completely. Dull.
- I miss the good old days when Merlin's magical skills and struggles actually made some sense!
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- I refuse to think that Valiant is such a fool that he would really kill the Prince of Camelot and think that, even under the Knight's Code, it would go over well. Then again, he did defeat a knight via the use of slithering reptiles and an obvious evidence trail...
- Those snakes look barely more menacing than the tennis balls that are used during the pre-CGI filming process. Might I advise a switch to Stop-Motion?
- Jumping back a bit, I do like the scene where Morgana helps Arthur on with his armor and basically demonstrates that for all of their bickering, they really are like brother and sister.
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- Didn't Merlin know that telling Gaius not to go into his room would mean that the older gentlemen would immediately go and look?
- I would really like to see the story of how Merlin got that dog statue back to the courtyard (and how he managed to nick it in the first place). That certainly sounds more interesting than the Valiant-Arthur conflict that was so predictable.
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- Please explain to me how it is that no-one in that crowd spotted Merlin slinking about and waving his arm suspiciously just before the snakes popped out? I mean - I know that Camelotians are some of the most conveniently-oblivious people in the world...but 'cmon! There was a guard standing less than five feet away and Merlin was SHOUTING!
In short this episode is tedious, predictable, clunky, and boring. It is not even saved by the comedic banter that Merlin thrives on. 1/5
Favorite Moments & Random Thoughts:
- The opening with Sir Valiant purchasing the shield is yawn-worthy. I knew right away what was going to happen to hapless Mundungus...ahem...the merchant and I wasn't mistaken. I hate it when three minutes into the episode I can already predict how things are going to go!
- Arthur is using Merlin to train for the tournament. Hmmm. Somehow I think that that explanation is absolutely nonsense. No way could 'training' with someone like Merlin prepare you to fight the best knights of the realm! I think it was just Arthur being his usual passive-aggressive, pratty self.
- Merlin's snark more than makes up for the abuse, though. He gives as good as he gets.
.png)
- What would Gaius have done if Merlin was caught at this point?
- The tournament makes me giggle. It is SO melodramatic and abuses the slow-motion trick to the max!
- Uther Pendragon is officially an out-of-touch jerk. "I trust that you will make me proud." Wow. Way to give your son an inferiority/hero complex, Lord King!
- I don't understand why Valiant felt the need to have his shield bite that knight. He was already down and staying down. Is it just something in the villain's code? Besides, didn't Valiant take into account the fact that the Court Physician would be able to diagnose a snakebite?
.jpg)
- Merlin and Arthur finally have some bonding time over how much of a 'creep' Valiant is. I concur.- Lady Morgana and Prince Arthur really can't spend time in each other's company without fighting, can they?
- Okay, so why is Prince Arthur already trusting Merlin? This is only episode two of the first series and Arthur has only known Merlin for a couple of days. It is HIGHLY unlikely that he would go from beating Merlin over the head with whatever comes to hand to risking his dignity and sense of honor due to a wild accusation from said 'idiot' manservant. I get that maybe they were trying to tone down the 'bullying prat' aspect of Arthur's personality, but this happened much too fast to be believable...even by Merlin standards.
- Why are they teasing an 'Arthur is going to die' this early in the series? We all know that there are eleven more episodes to get through (complete with Arthur's name in the descriptions/summaries) so that just kills the tension completely. Dull.
- I miss the good old days when Merlin's magical skills and struggles actually made some sense!
.gif)
- I refuse to think that Valiant is such a fool that he would really kill the Prince of Camelot and think that, even under the Knight's Code, it would go over well. Then again, he did defeat a knight via the use of slithering reptiles and an obvious evidence trail...
- Those snakes look barely more menacing than the tennis balls that are used during the pre-CGI filming process. Might I advise a switch to Stop-Motion?
- Jumping back a bit, I do like the scene where Morgana helps Arthur on with his armor and basically demonstrates that for all of their bickering, they really are like brother and sister.
.jpg)
- Didn't Merlin know that telling Gaius not to go into his room would mean that the older gentlemen would immediately go and look?
- I would really like to see the story of how Merlin got that dog statue back to the courtyard (and how he managed to nick it in the first place). That certainly sounds more interesting than the Valiant-Arthur conflict that was so predictable.
.png)
- Please explain to me how it is that no-one in that crowd spotted Merlin slinking about and waving his arm suspiciously just before the snakes popped out? I mean - I know that Camelotians are some of the most conveniently-oblivious people in the world...but 'cmon! There was a guard standing less than five feet away and Merlin was SHOUTING!In short this episode is tedious, predictable, clunky, and boring. It is not even saved by the comedic banter that Merlin thrives on. 1/5
What did you think? Do you agree with my
rating? If not - what would you say differently?
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