Since the show airs at 7:25p, I was thinking that I would have to wait until Sunday to start looking for it online, alas, I did not think about the fact that 7:25p in the UK is far earlier here in the States. I started looking around 1p. When I finally found a video, I was literally jumping for joy!
Quick overview of the happenings in episode 1:
**Spoiler Warning**
The show starts with Arthur (Bradley James) and Merlin (Colin Morgan) out in the country, on a quest to find Morgana (Katie McGrath), a year after we left them last season. We see Gaius (Richard Wilson) pleading with Uther (Anthony Head) to stop the search, because so many had died, and Uther stated he would not stop until Morgana is found. After a bit of Merlin and Arthur banter--M calls A a Dollophead; A: "Define Dollophead." M: "Two words?" A: "Yeah." M: "Prince Arthur."--and
a fight with some people, not quite sure who, Morgana emerges from the foggy forest, looking disheveled. The King's ward has returned to Camelot, all in the first few minutes of the show.
Merlin is concerned that she will remember and tell Uther that he tried to kill her, and his fear gets a boost when he is called to Morgana's chambers. Yet, when he arrives, she is crying and asking him for forgiveness, and tells him that she understands why he did what he did. Merlin doesn't look convinced, but smiles and says he's glad she's back (at this point, I'm not sure if Merlin believes her or not, but if he does, he doesn't for long).
We witness Morgana slipping away in the darkness of the night to meet up with her sister, Morgause (Emilia Fox). This is where the evil Morgana begins to appear (and really, Katie McGrath has a great evil look). We hear of their plan to make King Uther go mad, so that Camelot can be ripe for the taking. They use mandrake root to help in the process (I have to say, that immediately, I thought of Harry Potter and the mandrake roots making poor Neville passout with their cries. This didn't seem to effect the two sisters). The root is then attached underneath Uther's bed.
Soon we see that this magic is beginning to work. Uther is seeing things, well, people really, that seem to be haunting him. He has essentially gone mad. Morgana reports back to Morgause that all is going as planned, and Morgause then brings in a new player, Cenred, fellow with a huge army. Merlin begins to get suspicious and follows Morgana to the forest. She informs Morgause of the happenings in Camelot, Morgause, in turn, shares what she's been up to, and then Morgana calls Merlin out (interesting that she let him hear all that was happening, since she apparently knew he was there the entire time).
Back in Camelot, the King is getting worse, and Giaus pleads with Arthur that he must take the throne, as Camelot is now vulnerable and needs a king. In his grief, Arthur denies Giaus' request and says he stands behind his father.
Merlin is now caught, in small magical chains, that seem to get tighter as he tries to use his magic to get free, and left in the forest to die. The giant scorpions, from last season, emerge from the forest, trying to get to him. He uses his magic to fend them off, but it's just not enough, since he is completely surrounded by tons of creepy giant creatures, and he is stung. Then it's as though a light bulb goes off, Merlin's voice becomes the same as it was in the series finale (deeper and more powerful sounding), when he was commanding the dragon. My excitement got amped up immediately as I awaited the return of the dragon. He swooped in, killed the scorpions, picked up the now passed out Merlin, and flies off into the darkness...
The End...Well of part 1.
I cannot wait until the next installment! This season is already off to an amazing start. Much darker, much more storyline, and all together good! There is still the banter between Arthur and Merlin, which brings a lighthearted side to the show. I feel that is needed to offset the darkness that the rest of the show is taking on.
We only saw Gwen (Angel Coulby) for a few moments--where she was happy to see Morgana, and then upset when Morgana was snappy with her. Hopefully she will be in the episodes more, as the season progresses.
If this is just a taste of what is to come, this season is going to blow the other 2 out of the water. Hopefully we will see the return of Lancelot (bringing with it the love triangle) and the Lady of the Lake. There are spoilers out there that answer these questions, but I really want to see it on the show and not read it online. It makes watching it so much more fun!
Torchline's Facebook Recaps have returned too!
Here's this week's: Merlin Facebook Recap: 3.01 The Tears of Uther Pendragon Pt. 1
Here's a sneak peek at next week's episode:
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