Merlin Review: Series 2 Episode 1 "The Curse of Cornelius Sigan"

By: Julian Jones

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

              Hey, look, it's that one pirate from Pirates of the Caribbean! The one I've always privately thought looked like he belonged with the weasels from The Wind in the Willows...

           Anyway, back on track! Merlin finished out its first series with the wonderful, melodramatic, and all-around fun Le Morte d'Arthur where we saw Merlin master the power to Mirror Life and Death (whatever that means) and overpower the sorceress Nimueh. Geeks of Arthurian Legend, such as myself, probably found a sense of poetic justice in that defeat because, in the original stories, she was the one who brought Merlin down and entrapped him forever.

          But after such an enjoyable first series, the première of Series 2 had a lot to live up to. Could it keep up the delicate balance of camp, humor, and charm that Series 1 had championed? Well let's see!

Favorite Moments & Random Thoughts:

- So, in the very beginning, was Merlin just hanging about in the antechamber? It's the middle of the night and he lives across the castle. No way could he hear Arthur's enraged bellow (loud though it may be) and get there so fast. So what was he doing? Polishing Arthur's armor again?

- One thing this episode is notable for is that it is the last time we see Merlin utilize his natural ability to control objects with his mind. Whenever the dart flies at Gaius and Merlin levitates a plate to stop it? Yeah. Last time he slows time and last time he doesn't need a spell to do something. Did they figure that they made him too powerful? Was being an idiot and a klutz not enough stacked against him or something?



- And is it just me, or does the jewel in Sigan's chest actually look like something that belongs in a Happy Meal prize?

- Either that or a Breath Mint commercial prop...


- "Were you born clumsy or do you work at it?" Yeah, Arthur, I've asked Merlin that very question myself a few times. I find myself in the uncomfortable place of agreeing with you.

- Morgana has a lot of dreams about ravens...that I guess are supposed to represent Sigan because that's his sigil...but what on earth? Always before her dreams have shown flashes of what's going to happen, not abstract omens. So is this supposed to be a sign of her powers manifesting?

- How doesn't Arthur notice that Cedric is a villain? I mean, aside from the little toady taking every opportunity to melodramatically lick his boots, they had just discovered a cache of treasure under the castle. I'd be suspicious in general if I was a prince and a greasy stranger tried to get access to my chambers, but this is just ridiculous!

- You've really got to feel sorry for Merlin in this episode, though. And I'm not just talking about the exhausted nap he takes in the stable...mess. No, I mean the absolutely heartbroken look he gets every time Arthur yells at him and pats Cedric on the back. Poor guy!

- Come to think of it, between all of the insults and hits and everything, Merlin gets abused a lot in this episode.

- I wonder if Arthur ever apologized whenever it turned out that Merlin was right? Probably not, seeing as how in a deleted scene Merlin did accidentally spill the chamber pot on him...

- We're also given a new insult for Prince Pratdragon:

- That's one of my favorites.

- *snort* Sorry, sorry...I just simply cannot take Sigan's jewel (haw haw!) seriously. It looks like something from a Disney Princess knock-off tiara!

- I will say this, though, the special effects for the scenes where the gargoyles come to life and start attacking Camelot are quite impressive. It helps that the lighting is so dark.

- I'm not sure if I buy the huge build-up about Sigan's power, though. Typical Merlin move...going too over the top too soon to disguise bad writing.

- We even get a bit of an advancement to the Arthur/Gwen storyline!

- I miss these early days of their ship whenever things felt more natural.

- Actually, all the special effects for this entire series are a lot better than what we saw before. Did they get a bigger budget or something? I mean...they're by no means good, but I watch Doctor Who, so I have a high tolerance. And, compared to last series, they look pretty impressive. Especially those gargoyles and the blue mist that is Sigan's (Ghost? Spirit? Essence?) soul.

- Even if the jewel does still look like a kiddie perfume bottle.

- I'd be interested in a translation of the spell Merlin uses to actually put Sigan back into his bottle (teeheehee). Why? Because it seems like he overpowered the evil sorcerer FAR too easily. I know he's Merlin...but still. They built up Sigan to be some big, powerful entity and then Merlin took him down easier than Nimueh! Does not compute. Sorry, that just doesn't seem logical!

- The shot where Merlin (potentially possessed) comes through the smoke and smog, face grim and expressionless, is actually really cool looking from a cinematography standpoint. Sure it may be an over-used trick, but it gets the atmosphere across.

- I was actually a bit bummed out whenever Sigan didn't possess Merlin. He was built up to be such a formidable foe (thanks to Exposition Gaius) that it would have made more sense (and been very interesting) to have him be the Big Bad for the series. What a miss opportunity!

- The hug Merlin and Gaius share is pretty heart-warming, though. Maybe I'll forgive them...

He looks like he's about to take flight.

         This episode was a bit of a mixed bag. It managed to both start out the second series with a bang and fall horribly flat. The mystery was interesting and the special effects have improved greatly. I liked Cedric...at least before he was possessed...and he was a fun character to hate. Arthur was a prat, Merlin was an idiot, Uther was a jerk, and the status quo remains un-disturbed. The Curse of Cornelius Sigan is a 3/5.



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