Oh, Merlin, how you make my Saturdays complete, now that you have returned...okay, it's not that bad, but my excitement about seeing the continuation from last week's episode was rather hard to contain!
Here's a quick overview of Series 3, Episode 2:
**Spoilers Below**
Last week we were left wondering if Merlin (Colin Morgan) would make it back to Camelot to warn them of Morgana's (Katie McGrath) evil doings, after being left for dead by Morgause (Emilia Fox) and Morgana, only to be saved by his old friend the dragon. Uther (Anthony Head) is losing his mind, courtesy of the M sisters, who are planning a siege of the kingdom with the help of Cenred's army. While Arthur is dealing with the possibility of taking over in his father's absence.
This week was a quick moving episode...
We open on Merlin, awaking to see that the dragon answered his call (which the dragon so kindly reminded him that he couldn't ignore it if he wanted to, since Merlin is a dragon lord). From the dragon he learns that Morgana is the dark to his light, and basically, she cannot be saved. He also learned that his need to see the good in people will be his downfall. He then gets to ride the dragon back to Camelot, in a very "I'm king of the world" Titanic reminiscent scene (which I am not saying is bad, it actually got me excited with Merlin...just reminded me of that moment--and hey, NOT ONE person notices the dragon flying overhead and then landing in the same field that the dragon supposedly died in, in the last series?? I'm just sayin...).
Upon his return, Merlin immediately tells Giaus (Richard Wilson) what has happened, and wants to tell Uther, yet once again, he is told no one will believe you, Uther believes everything Morgana says (which is lame, I mean come on, as soon as she returns, after a year, the king goes crazy and there is a war?! And they KNOW there is a traitor in Camelot. No one else sees the connection there?!). Merlin saves Uther, by destroying the mandrake root that Morgana was using to enchant him, so the king is now on the mend. An army, of at least 20,000 of Cenred's men, is about to attack Camelot and they say the ratio of men is 2 to 1, so they will not be able to hold the line...ummm...are there 10,000 soldiers in Camelot???? It doesn't look like that big of a place!
Anyway, as the battle is about to begin, we begin to see a softer side of Arthur (Bradley James)--which I rather liked seeing--along with his strong take charge side--which I liked seeing as well. He has a touching moment with Gwen (Angel Coulby), where he tells her she need not call him Sire (to which she replies, she must)...and she tells him that he should follow is heart and she has faith in him...kind of a glimmer into the future relationship between the two? After Merlin reveals a bit of the destiny we have all been hearing about the past few seasons to Arthur (about what a great king he will become, and this battle is only the beginning of a great history that will be remembered forever), Arthur actually tells him that he is wise...sometimes. Though, as soon as he realized what he said, he switched it around to calling him an idiot. Arthur takes control, though we can tell by the look in his eyes that he's just not wanting, nor is he ready to take the army into battle--though he never shows that to his knights.
The battle begins...
With all the loud noises happening, it awakens Uther from his healing rest, and he comes flying out of the castle in his fighting gear ready to take on the enemy. Arthur pulls him back, promising that there will be a kingdom for him to rule when it's all over. Gaius is in charge of watching Morgana, since he and Merlin know she's up to something, and loses her in the castle. Merlin goes looking for her, and runs into Arthur, who is mad at Merlin, because he disappeared. Not quite sure why, since Merlin is not a fighter...but all Merlin can do in response is to point behind Arthur. He turns to see a skeleton with a sword coming at him. This doesn't really seem to phase any of the knights, it's like they see it every day...though when they run the skeletons through, it seems to surprise them that the sword does nothing...hmmm...seemingly a bit backwards, really.
Merlin knows Morgana must be behind this, so he finds her, in the vaults/caverns under the castle, where she has in fact used magic to raise the dead. A typical Merlin moment occurs, where he tries desperately to convince her that she can be good, and maybe she could be the one to show Uther that not all magic is bad. She keeps saying to him, "You don't understand what it's like..." All the while, you can tell Merlin wants to just blurt out, "OH I KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE!!!! I HAVE MAGIC TOO!!!" But alas, he did not. Merlin tries to get to the staff that is causing the enchantment, and a sword fight ensues. I'll give it to her, Katie McGrath has some great moves...it's all stopped by Merlin using magic under his breath and the ceiling caving in on Morgana...he has again, saved the day!
The army of the dead falls apart, and the knights are able to focus on Cenred's army, who get pushed back, and then Cenred retreats (which really pisses off Morgause). Camelot is saved--for now! Per the norm, the recognition for saving Camelot goes to someone other than Merlin...yet, in a twist, it's given to Morgana?! Oh my!! This sets us up for quite a season!!! Merlin and Gaius know the truth, Morgana knows that Merlin knows, Uther is even more oblivious to Morgana's evilness, and Arthur is beginning to open himself up a bit more to Gwen.
Oh Camelot...the traumas you endure...I can't wait until next week!
Torchline.com: Facebook Recap: Merlin 3.02 Tears of Uther Pendragon Pt. 2
Here's a preview for next week's episode...it looks like a funny one! :)
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