Merlin Review: Series 1 Episode 5 "Lancelot"

By: Jake Michie

**Spoilers**

If you have not yet watched this episode, please go and do so before proceeding.

             Lancelot is boring. Yeah, I said it, the noblest knight of the Round Table and King Arthur's personal friend is dull as a brick. He's just so noble and upright that there isn't much to be interested in when it comes to him. Except for that whole affair with Guinevere...but that doesn't count when it comes to this episode.

            Not that Santiago Cabera isn't a great actor and very nice to look at, but with this particular character he isn't given a whole lot to work with. Lancelot is just sort of bland. An honorable chap who is unrealistically (given his peasant status) good at fighting and who just wants to join the Knights of Camelot. Oh, and he manages to draw the eyes of Guinevere away from Merlin awfully fast. Is this relationship coming to an end that quickly? They just kissed last episode! Guess it's just going to be another dropped plot thread...

             One thing I don't particularly like about this episode (aside from Sir Bland-a-Lot himself) is that it takes the classic 'underdog' story to heart and stubbornly refuses to do anything new with it. What's wrong with the tale of the underprivileged individual who overcomes his (or her) personal shortcomings, demons, and social snobbery to triumph at life? Absolutely nothing aside from the fact that IT HAS BEEN DONE TO DEATH! By this point, most of the possible story-lines that can be used in literature, television, or film already have been used and the ones that haven't, well, there's a reason for that. (They're usually dumb as mud) But because of that fact we really only have a small story pool to draw from. I spoke before in a Merlin review about how every fantasy genre show has to get in its 'plague' episode along with the 'siege' episode and the 'obligatory forced romance' story. That's because there are only so many pseudo-plausible stories that can be told. The key is that they have to be told in an original, innovative, or self-aware fashion. Either completely blow us out of the water with new twists and turns, have a really incredible setting and characters, or engage in a bit of self-aimed jocularity and acknowledge your own clichés. This episodes does none of those things. It's just as boring as Sir Lancelot is himself.

Favorite Moments & Random Thoughts:

- The sound that the griffin makes puts me in stitches every time. It sounds like the noise a plastic bag makes whenever you're squeezing out the air...

- The graphics on this show has worse graphics than anything on Doctor Who! It literally just looks like Lancelot is swinging his sword at thin air...probably because he is. The creatures don't move naturally, they look like they're playing on a screen behind everyone, and it's painfully obvious that they are CGI. Guess everyone must have used up their budget on making Merlin's eyes flash gold...


- I crack up whenever Lancelot strategically passes out from a little wound on his side (No WAY that could have 'festered' that fast, Gaius!). What a drama queen!

- It should also be noted that this is one of the few episodes where we actually see King Uther outside of the castle.

- "Right, you jumped up dung beetle, this is it. The final test. Pass this and you're a knight of Camelot. Fail, and you're no one. You face the most feared of all foes, the ultimate killing machine. You face me. You're challenge to last one minute free combat. Grummond, Second son of Wessex." Wow. Arthur is SUCH an encouraging teacher...

- Merlin's attempts to lie to Geoffrey are hilariously bad.

- Also...Geoffrey of Monmouth? *SQUEE!* For those of you who don't know, this is an Arthurian Legends in-joke because Geoffrey of Monmouth is the medieval scholar credited with collecting the first legends of King Arthur of Camelot.

- How hasn't Merlin been arrested yet?!

- Also...could they make the scene with Gwen taking Lancelot's measurements any more awkward? Good lord! No subtly there...

- "Destiny and desserts are not the same thing. You played God, Merlin. You set him on a path of your choosing. Tonight you brought him triumph, but who knows what the future may hold." Good grief, Gaius! You're acting like he created life out of dust or something, not copied a phony seal for a friend. Overreacting, much?

- And of course Sir Lancelot is found out and taken away in disgrace, meaning that this episode has added the 'liar revealed' cliché to its already clichéd 'underdog rising' story. Avada me now, please?

- No sense of tension built by the griffin at all. It just moves too stiffly. We can tell that it's CGI and it seems more preoccupied with screeching like a rusty hinge than racking up a supposedly impressive body count. Are we really supposed to treat this thing like a threat?

- Merlin got to do all the cool magic this season. He actually conjures things like flames and water and animates a stone dog. In later seasons he'll be reduced to using The Force to fling people around. It is also nice that in this season he actually acts like a student of magic.

- To be quite fair, the flames on that lance do look pretty awesome, even if the somersault the impaled griffin performs (picture perfect...probably a 10/10 on an Olympic scoreboard) sort of ruins the moment for me.

             This episode ends with Lancelot nobly leaving Camelot to keep Arthur out of hot water and promising to keep Merlin's secret. It isn't a bad story overall in that there aren't any major plot holes and it wasn't entirely pointless...but it is definitely story-telling-by-the-book to the point that you can look at your watch and predict to the minute when each twist is going to show up. In short, it's boring and not very re-watchable. I give Lancelot a 2/5.



What did you think? Do you agree with my rating? If not - what would you say differently?