Merlin Series 3-Episode 3: Goblin's Gold

**Originally posted 9/25/10, after this episode aired in the UK.**

I found myself really looking forward to this week's episode!!  The silly and funny ones tend to be really well done! This one did not disappoint!

Here is an overview of the new episode:

**Spoilers Below**

I do have to say that in the very first scene I thought that Merlin (Colin Morgan) could use some Harry Potter spells, with Accio book...and then, really??  Would you open a box that is growling and murmuring??  I'm just saying!  Well, our friend Merlin does...and out pops a goblin, "Boo!"

 

What's surprising to me about Merlin's actions with the goblin is that he tries to reason with it!  If a creepy little thing popped out of a box, and I had Merlin's abilities, I would use them to put it back into said box!  Instead, the goblin is left to run a muck in the castle.  Since goblins are obsessed with gold, Merlin and Gaius (Richard Wilson) set a trap to capture it.  Alas, it gets the better of the two and takes over Gaius' body.  As Gaius, the goblin is able to start charging the townspeople for his remedies, and really cause trouble.  He makes King Uther's (Anthony Head) hair fall out and has Gwen (Angel Coulby) and Morgana (Katie McGrath) passing gas loudly in court.  He gets Merlin accused of witchcraft and theft, and of course no one believes Merlin when he tries to explain that Gaius has been possessed.  Morgana shows that evil smile as Merlin is dragged to jail.  

Arthur (Bradley James) chats with Gaius about how Merlin will be hung, and since the real Gaius would never think that would be a good thing, Arthur sees that Merlin was telling the truth, when the goblin Gaius is excited about the hanging.  When confronted the goblin knocks Arthur out.  Merlin has now escaped from jail and gone to seek the help of Gwen.  She is sent to try to convince Arthur that Gaius is a goblin.  In the funniest scene of the show, she finds him curled up behind his bed, with donkey ears, and only able to make donkey noises!  This was a fantastic moment!!  The look on Arthur's face, the sounds...just hilarious!!

Now Merlin and Gwen are on their own to capture the goblin, and find the only way to get him out of Gaius is to basically kill him--and then bring him back to life once the goblin has left the body.  They are able to poison him, but in the act of leaving Gaius, the goblin runs into Gwen, who has the antidote, and it flies into a load of bottles that all look similar.  While Merlin is running through the room trying to catch the thing, Gwen is trying desperately to find the cure, while Gaius is dying on the floor.  Once Merlin traps the goblin in his box, he finds the cure and saves Gaius.  Gaius (really Merlin) reverses all the enchantments the goblin did, and clears Merlin's name.  We see another Gwen/Arthur moment, when they pass in the corridors, both embarrassed by the past few days (Gwen passing gas in front of him and Arthur taking on the donkey characteristics in front of her).  It just shows the love they have for each other, as they do not want to look unseemly in front of the other.  Oh, when will they finally just admit their love to each other!?

The last scene is rather funny, as Merlin left a little something for Arthur to remember the goblin by!

Torchline.com: Facebook Recap of Merlin 3.03

Here's a sneak peek at next weeks episode--looks like a great sword fighting one!  The knight Gwaine shows up.

Merlin Series 3-Episode 2: The Tears of Uther Pendragon Part 2

Originally posted 9/18/10, when it first aired in the UK...Hooray that it's airing in the States now!!! (BTW-it was airing on Saturdays in the UK) 

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! :)

Merlin Series 3-Episode 1: The Tears of Uther Pendragon Part 1

**Originally posted 9/12/10, hence the comments about the BBC airing it--since it was aired in the fall of 2010 in the UK.  In the states, it has just begun...

As stated in my previous post, Merlin is back!!  It's playing on BBC One on Saturdays, in the UK.  Since I am here in the States, that poses a bit of a problem, since all show videos on BBC.com are blocked for my area.  Yet, there are lovely people out there that post the episodes, which allow people like me, huge Merlin fans, to watch the shows online.

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:

Merlin is Back in the States!!

Tonight, Friday, January 7th, Season 3 of Merlin begins airing here in the states!!  I have seen the season and it starts off with a bang and though some of the episodes this season are silly and really not needed, it all leads to an amazing season finale that leaves you wanting so much more!!  Throughout the season we meet more fellows that we know later will be Knights of the Round Table, we also see an older Merlin (the one we are used to), as well as so much more!!!  I highly suggest watching this season!  If you need a catch up,  they are playing season 2 all day today--it is also available on DVD on January 18th.

I think that I will repost my Merlin posts as the season airs here...maybe.

Merlin is shown in the States on SyFy, Fridays at 10p (though I think it should be on earlier to get the younger crowd and families that the show is meant for).