Merlin Review: Series 3 Episode 6 "The Changeling"

By: Lucy Watkins

**Spoilers**

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

        

          Well HELLO there, Professor Sprout, fancy seeing you here! This episode is definitely one of the ones geared towards the more childish and comedic side of Merlin and it pits Merlin against the king of the Sidhe. Not to mention a pixie who tries to seduce Gaius...but the less said about that the better.

         Princess Elena is a precious treasure and I will hear no words against her. The actress (Bradley James' girlfriend at the time, I believe) is clearly very comfortable with all kinds of comedy and just plays this awkward, lovable princess with a good deal of gusto. Far from being irritating or evil, Elena is someone who - in the end - you're almost rooting for her and Arthur to get together. I think that, at the least, they might have become good friends and it's really a shame that she never returned to the show. 

        There was a minimal amount of Morgana McSmirk-ing this episode (thank God) as the relationship between Arthur and Gwen really was given a big boost forward. Gwen's speech to Arthur about how she would support him, even if he had to marry Elena, was just beautiful and the acting of James and Coulby was spot on.

Favorite Moments & Random Thoughts:

- Love the scene where the Sidhe King is is imprinting the fairy into baby Elena. Very creepy.

- - Uther is hugging someone? Wow...we HAVE dropped down the rabbit hole! Arthur's reaction when his father drops the bombshell on him that he is to court and marry Elena is just priceless. He's so flummoxed he actually goes to Merlin in front of everyone and splutters in his ear.


- We need more princesses like Elena. She's kind and sweet but also unpolished and klutzy.

- Merlin's attempts to cheer Arthur up about the impending match to Elena couldn't be funnier. "Perhaps you've more in common than you think. Bad breath for example..." "Excuse me?" "...appalling table manners..." "Now hang on a minute!" 

- The effects in the scenes with Grunhilda treating Elena with pixiedust and revealing the fae inside of her are actually quite interesting.

- I also find it highly disturbing that Grunhilda has a thing for Gaius and actively seeks to seduce him. Ugh.

- Merlin finds it hilarious, though, and...okay...it is kind of funny to see Gaius desperately trying to avoid her advances. Not to mention the scene where Gaius has to 'reciprocate' them, in order to trap the pixie in Camelot's crypt. (He tells Merlin never to mention it again.)

- I love Merlin's fight with the King of the Sidhe. Poor Gaius...his chambers will never be the same again!

- "Nobody likes a clever clogs, Merlin."

- Of course any of Arthur's interactions with either of his two love interests (either Elena or Gwen) are the highlight of the episode. Bradley James really had a lot of heavy lifting to do with this story. He had to be a comic foil while working with Georgia King and also had to carry quite a bit of drama and emotion while doing the scenes with Angel Coulby. And, of course, he comes through wonderfully. The scene where Arthur and Guinevere talk about how Arthur is going to have to marry Elena stands out above pretty much everything else in this episode, of course, but all of the scenes Arthur is in are just perfect. Thank you, Bradley James!

- I love that Arthur and Elena do actually bond a bit. Like I said, I think they could have become very good friends.

- "I've been riding since I was a child. I don't get to do it as much as I'd like, princesses don't, but apparently my mother was an excellent horsewoman. I never met her." "I never met mine either. I...often wonder if I'm like her.."

- Destinies, destinies, destinies...of course Merlin knows nothing about how it feel to be under one. Right?

       In case you haven't noticed, I really enjoyed this episode. It was a little bit goofy, but also managed to hit the feels in places too. There were also a lot of great characters. We didn't see as much of Elena's father as we did of her, but I really like him. He didn't feel as flat as some of the other kings we have met in the past and certainly he's not as sleazy as Cenred. This was just a lot of fun and it is an episode that I will watch over and over. The Changeling is a 5/5.

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