Merlin Series 3-Episode 8: The Eye of the Phoenix

Originally posted when this episode aired in the UK, October 30, 2010.

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Just knowing that Warwick Davis is in this episode, I am all excited!!

**Spoilers Below**

Well this episode is off to a nice start in the first moment...Bradley James without his shirt.  It's happening in pretty much every episode now, and trust me, I am not complaining! 

Apparently, in order to become king, Arthur (Bradley James) must get a vision of a quest that he must complete alone and unaided--Merlin (Colin Morgan) looks a little concerned by this, since he is usually the one that gets Arthur out of trouble.  This storyline reminds me of something else...but I just can't put my finger on it.  Arthur comes out of his trance, and states that he will go to the realm of the Fisher King and retrieve the golden trident.

We learn from Gaius (Richard Wilson) that the Fisher King was a sorcerer that lived hundreds of years ago, and he was supposedly killed in a battle.  Yet his magic ran so deep, when he was killed, his lands died as well.  They then became known as the Perilous Lands.  Some still believe that the Fisher King is still alive.

Cut to the market down in the town.  Gwen (Angel Coulby) and Morgana (Katie McGrath) are shopping.  Here's my thought here, if Morgana is always seemingly sot after, wouldn't there be guards with her as she wanders the town?  While shopping for fabrics, Morgana is stopped by an elderly woman...which is actually her evil sister, Morgause (Emilia Fox) under a spell.  She gives Morgana a bracelet, and tells her to give it to Arthur as a token, for his quest.  As she is walking away, Gwen sees the old woman's reflection in a mirror and instead of seeing the old woman, she sees her true form...Morgause.  She is, understandably, concerned, as she had just seen Morgana wander off with her for a moment.  When asked if she was okay, Morgana said that the woman needed money to feed her family.  To me it seems that maybe, just maybe, Gwen is beginning to see that Morgana is EVIL!  Man, I wish she would...this round and round about it is getting rather old, at times.

Gwen then goes to Arthur before he leaves, and asks him to be careful, for her.  He agrees and then kisses her.  Not too touching of a moment...but I love that they are beginning to really show how they feel for each other.

As he is leaving Camelot, Merlin notices the bracelet on Arthur's wrist.  Arthur tells him it's from Morgana...he gets his angry/worried face and then goes straight to the books with Gaius, looking for clues as to what it is.  They finally find it...it's the eye of the Phoenix--which consumes the life force of anything it comes in contact with.  Well...that's not daunting at all!  Arthur is off on his own, wearing something that will suck his life force!  We know Merlin can't have that, and Gaius tells him that he can't do it alone, that he will need help.  Who to call....Who to call?  Merlin is off...

That night, while Arthur sleeps...Morgana is creating a voodoo doll of him, and setting it on fire within a box.  The eye of the Phoenix on Arthur's wrist begins to glow, and Arthur looks like he is having a restless sleep.  While Morgana is doing this, Gwen steps in her room...Morgana closes the box quicker than a fellow caught looking at the wrong things on his laptop, and screams for Gwen to get out--strike 2 against Morgana!

The next morning, Arthur is awaken by 2 guys trying to kill him.  The usual sword fight ensues, and Arthur is noticeably weaker and more floppy than normal.  Though he's clearly struggling, because his life force is being drained (we are shown the bracelet glowing in the midst of the fight) he is still able to take out both of his attackers.

We then see that Merlin isn't too far behind Arthur (as he is looking out at the same mountain range that Arthur did the day before.  Yet, clearly, he has a detour in mind, to get that help that he needs.  Who is it that he finds in a bar brawl??  Why, Gwaine (Eoin Macken) of course!  Who seems very happy to see Merlin, but sucks Merlin into the brawl and the next thing we see is the both of them running from the tavern with some tough looking fellows after them.  Oh Gwaine, you haven't changed a bit!  While running, Merlin fills him in--Arthur needs his help.  Gwaine agrees to help out.

Arthur, who is not looking too hot, gets to a bridge where the keeper of the bridge, Grettir (Warwick Davis) is waiting.  Grettir tells him he will need 3 things on his journey: courage (which Grettir called him), strength, and magic.  Arthur responds with something his father Uther (Anthony Head) would be proud of, "I do not condone the use of magic."  Grettir tells him he would be wise not to dismiss magic so easily.  As Arthur is walking passed him, Grettir grabs his wrist and looks at the bracelet.  When he hears that someone dear to Arthur gave it to him for luck, he smiles, and says, "did she now..." He clearly knows what the bracelet really is.  Arthur turns away, and when he looks back Grettir is gone.  He crosses the bridge to the Perilous Lands.

Back in Camelot, Morgana apologizes to Gwen for shouting at her the night before, and opts to make it up to her by giving her the night off.  Instead of spending the evening at home, Gwen hides out in Morgana's room to see what she's up to.  Good on you, Gwen!!  Though if she's caught, she's as good as dead!  Gwen watches as Morgana lights the voodoo doll on fire again, with magic.  At the same moment, we see that this drains Arthur even more of his energy, as he makes his way through the Perilous Lands.  He finds himself stuck in a bog, and he doesn't have the strength to pull himself out.  Then he passes out.

We then see that Merlin and Gwaine may soon find Arthur (hopefully very soon), as they have now reached Grettir's bridge.  Gwaine goes to check out the other side, while Merlin approaches the bridge, and Grettir appears.  He says, "Ahh...magic has arrived!"  And tells Merlin that he must cross the bridge if Arthur is to complete his quest.  He also states that they must succeed to restore the Fisher King's land to prosperity, which is something that he wants.  When Gwaine comes running up, Grettir says, "Ahh...finally, strength has arrived the trio is complete."  Clearly, the 3 of them are meant to go on this quest together.  As they cross the bridge, Grettir reminds them that in the Perilous lands, nothing is as it seems.

Then Arthur gets a burst of energy and crawls out of the bog, on to the shore, and then passes out again, through the night.  Poor guy, can barely move.  Why doesn't he notice the glowing thing on his wrist??

Oh thank the Mighty Dragon!!!  Gwen has figured out Morgana's secret, and she has run and told Gaius, who does not deny that Morgana means harm to those in Camelot!!! 

The next morning, Arthur stumbles as he makes his way through the Perilous Lands.  He finally gets close to the castle he's looking for, and sees that it's guarded by two large flying creatures--kind of dragon like (we find out that they are distant cousins of the dragon--could Merlin's dragonlord abilities work on these magical creatures too?!), which immediately go after him.  Just a bit behind him, Merlin and Gwaine see that Arthur is being hunted by these creatures and run to try to get there in time to help.  Arthur gets inside the castle walls and runs to find safety--though the creatures are right behind him, and the other 2 are not far behind.  Once they reach the castle walls, Gwaine and Merlin split up to look for Arthur.

When Merlin finds him, Arthur is passed out, again, and the creatures are about to attack.  He jumps in between them, and speaks in his dragonlord tongue...it worked!!!  The creatures bow to him, and back off!  Merlin removes the bracelet, and almost immediately, Arthur comes to, and then gets pissy with Merlin for being there--it was supposed to be his quest.  He gets even more pissy when Gwaine saves them when one of the creatures sneaks up on them and almost kills them.

And now the quest for the trident continues...interestingly enough, Arthur seems back to 100%.  Who would have thought it would have been that quick to restore your life force!

I'm thinking that this time,  I shall leave the ending for you to watch yourselves...it's REALLY good, and we get a little glimpse of what may come...Lake of Avalon...the Once and Future King...and we see that everything that happened in that quest (the good and the bad) had a purpose.  Just watch...it's bloody great!

I rather liked this episode.  I like the character of Gwaine.  He is friendly, loyal, and daring.  He makes the episode fun and more interesting.  You know he'll show up later, with Elyan and Lancelot, since they are known Knights of the Round Table.  I am SOOOO happy that Gwen is now in the know about Morgana!!  Now hopefully, Arthur will be as well...though that may be wishful thinking...

Torchline.com: Facebook Recap: Merlin 3.08 The Eye of the Phoenix

Here's a sneak peek at next week's episode--looking interesting, Gaius with a love interest??...though the last scene reminds me of the demons on Supernatural!

Merlin Series 3-Episode 7: The Castle of Fyrien

Originally posted when this episode aired in the UK, October 23, 2010.
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After just seeing the preview of this episode, I was excited.  I'm not sure if it's because of the drama caused by Morgana continuing her evil ways or if it's the Arthur/Gwen growing love that gets me.  From last week, we know that Morgana is aware of the feelings that Arthur and Gwen share for each other...and now she's using that to her advantage.  Now that she knows she is actually Uther's daughter (not just his ward), she is after the throne herself.  Let's see what happens next, shall we? (as I do write these as I am watching the show).

**SPOILERS BELOW**

Poor Gwen!  After a long day at work, Gwen (Angel Coulby) returns home to find that there are dirty, scary looking men in her house.  Though she tried to fend them off, they caught her and ride off into the night with her, all while her so called best friend, Morgana (Katie McGrath) watches from her bedroom window, with her now trademark, evil smile.

The next morning, Morgana joins Uther (Anthony Head) and Arthur (Bradley James) for breakfast late, and she seems upset.  She puts on a good act of Gwen never showed up for work this morning, and I'm worried...which Uther responds coldly to, by saying they could easily get her a new servant, while Arthur calls upon Merlin (Colin Morgan) to go to Gwen's house and make sure that she's okay.  And here, again, we see Morgana's evil smile.  I've said it before, but seriously, Katie McGrath has that evil smile/look down--though the fact that no one in Camelot has seen her do it, surprises me...then again, things are always being overlooked in the land of Camelot.

Merlin heads to Gwen's place, and investigates.  In looking around he concludes that strange things are afoot at the house of Gwen.

Then we see Morgause (Emilia Fox) and Cenred (Tom Ellis) looking into a cell, at a fellow.  Morgause seems thrilled that Cenred has found this guy, and apparently, Morgana told them where to find him.  A scared Gwen is then brought into Cenred, and when she asks why have you brought me here, he says he has a guest that he thought she would want to see.  They bring in the fellow from the cell, and we then find out, that he is in fact, Gwen's long lost brother, Elyan (Adetomiwa Edun).  At first, Gwen seems happy to see her brother, but once alone, we see that she clearly does not trust him, and thinks that he has caused the kidnapping to take place.  Morgause and Cenred clearly have a plan, as they watch the interactions between the brother and sister, we just don't quite know what it is, yet.

Well, it wasn't but a moment later that Cenred has told Gwen what he's wanting.  He wants her to bring him Arthur within a week, otherwise, she will have to watch as he de-hearts her brother.  Oh, the drama and anguish!  What will Gwen do??!

Meanwhile, back in Camelot, Arthur is telling Uther and Morgana of Gwen's kidnapping.  Morgana puts on quite the show of despair, while Uther, in true Uther fashion, could clearly careless, "She's just a serving girl."  But Arthur convinces him to allow for a search party--but alas, Uther will only allow it until nightfall--but we know that won't stop Arthur from finding Gwen, and Morgana knows it too...as we see her evil smile again!

Interestingly enough, the next morning, Gwen has returned and is acting as though nothing has happened (though she seems scared and uncomfortable--but wouldn't you be?).  She tells Morgana (who knows otherwise) that she was gone because she was not feeling well, and when she runs into Merlin (literally), he tells her that Arthur has been worried sick and searching the whole town.  She tries to play it off, that she was sick, but he sees the bruises on her wrists, and she breaks down.  She tells Merlin what has happened and what she's expected to do.  He convinces her to tell Arthur, so that he can help.

Arthur gets all amped up to help Gwen's brother, and says that the 3 of them will go and save him.  Gwen points out that it would be a trap, as they want Arthur dead.  Arthur's response, "Not necessarily."  All the while, we see that Morgana was listening outside the door.

Oh, this time she's wearing a purple cape, instead of the bright red one, maybe she'll blend in more...not that it matters in Camelot...no one EVER sees people lurking around...no matter how much noise they make or how bright their clothing.  Morgana is off to tell Morgause of the newest happenings.  It's so amazing to me the hatred that runs through Morgana...she grew up with Arthur as a brother, and now she's ready to kill him, for no other reason than that she may take the throne...power hungry *#$&@!

In order to leave on his quest of saving Gwen's brother, Arthur fibs to his father, saying ironically, that he lost a bet to Morgana and needs to leave Camelot to purchase some silk so that she can make some dresses.  Uther laughs and says he better hurry along then.

As Merlin is getting the horses ready, Morgana (with her evil face) walks up and says she's going along too!  Oh no!!!  Merlin knows that Morgana is in on this plot, who else would have told Cenred

While camping along the way, Merlin is asked to go check on Morgana who is getting firewood, so that Arthur can be alone with Gwen.  When Merlin finds Morgana, he confronts her (which I love that he did) and talks about the loyalty and caring that Arthur and Gwen have for Morgana, because they are her friends.  She plays it off, like she couldn't possibly understand why he would be telling her this.  Merlin tells her that they are his friends too, and he would stop at nothing to protect them.  I'm liking this tougher side to Merlin.

Back at camp there is a touching scene between Arthur and Gwen.  Gwen shares a bit about her brother, as it seems trouble follows him where ever he goes.  But no matter what, she would be there for him, because that's what you do when you love someone.  As they are about to kiss, Morgana and Merlin return to camp--Morgana seeing what was happening, and giving her evil smirk.  In all honesty, like I said, she's good at it, but it might become a bit of an over kill if she keeps doing it.  Over dinner Arthur talks of the plan to catch Cenred off guard, by using the secret tunnels under the castle that he's hiding out in.  Morgana is especially interested in how this will all work (I wonder why--this of course is absolute sarcasm), while Merlin struggles to try to get Arthur to stop talking about the plan, by offering more beans.

Of course, that night, while the others sleep, Morgana slips away and meets Morgause, telling her of the plan.  In order for Cenred's army to find these hidden tunnels, Morgause gives Morgana a magical ring that will guide them in, when she throws it to the ground.  As she returns to camp, we see that Merlin was aware of her absence, and in turn is aware that she probably let them in on the plan.  He tries first to get Morgana out of the quest by using a spell to have a snake spook her horse, getting her bucked off, alas, she only hurt her ankle, and insisted that she continue on.  Once there, Merlin tries his hardest to get Arthur to see that Cenred, may know about the tunnels...but per usual, Arthur doesn't listen to Merlin.

As they are going into the tunnels, at the back of the castle, I can't help but notice that Morgana is walking just fine.  Though in the previous scene she could barely stand because of her ankle...she must be a quick healer.  Before she goes into the tunnel, Morgana lays the magical ring on a stone, so that their path is now clear to Cenred and Morgause.

While venturing through the tunnel, they realize that they are being followed.  Arthur asks the question, "How did they know we were here?"  I just wanted to scream, and I'm sure Merlin did too, it was Morgana, you fool!  Now...let the sword fighting commence.  Oops, nope, as soon as one of the bad guys puts a sword to Gwen's throat, Arthur drops his sword, and surrenders.  Here's my thought here, why did they bring her along??  She's not a fighter (at least Morgana is good with a sword) and she's Arthur's weakness...this was not well thought out, now was it?

Gwen is put in a cell with her brother, and we learn a bit about their relationship, and Elyan learns a bit about the relationship between his sister and the prince.  Arthur and Merlin concoct a plan to get free from their cell--which is somewhat amusing.  Once free they fight their way to free the others.  Yet, no one knows where Morgana is.  Surprise, surprise, Arthur won't leave without her, and tells Gwen to leave and not look back.  Morgause knows Arthur won't leave without the girl he thinks is family, which calms Morgana, who seemed hell bent on killing Arthur right away.  Cenred then tells Morgana she must play her part well.

Once Arthur finds the hall, he sees that Cenred has a sword to Morgana's throat.  Morgana is pleading for him not to hurt her.  Cenred insists that Arthur lay down his sword...he hesitates...Morgause then makes her appearance, which actually makes Arthur put back up his defenses.  Right at this point, we see that Merlin has followed Arthur (though he was supposed to go with Gwen and Elyan) and is now watching what is happening.  Morgause creates a fiery tornado and sends it toward Arthur.  Merlin then uses his own powers and the tornado blows them all backward and sends some of the ceiling down on them.  Here's hoping Morgana was taken out in that blow...though deep down, we know that won't happen.

Arthur gets up, and goes straight to Morgana...Merlin then appears and the three of them start back through the tunnels.  Merlin is leading the way, pulling Morgana (who is fighting him the whole way).  I seriously LOVE how forceful Merlin gets with Morgana...finally!!!  "What, are you worried about your friends?"  But alas, Arthur catches up to them, and she then falls to the ground claiming her ankle is really bothersome...REALLY??  It hasn't bothered you this entire time??  So Arthur flings her over his shoulder and carries her out, while she is kicking and screaming.  When they make their way out, Gwen and Elyan are waiting...and so are some bad guys.  Here we see that Elyan has some great fighting skills...a bit of a foreshadowing?? I love that the future knights of the round table pop up through the story!  I can't wait to see Arthur become king and bring them all together.

Torchline.com: Facebook Recap: Merlin 3.07 The Castle of Fyrien

Here's a sneak peek at next week's episode...looks like we are continuing the Morgana story arch...and an old friend returns to help out.

Merlin Series 3-Episode 5: The Crystal Cave

**Originally posted October 9, 2010 after it aired on the BBC in the UK.

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I am finding that my life must be pretty boring, if the highlight to my Saturdays is realizing that it's late enough in the day that the new episode of Merlin will have been posted online.  But I embrace it, as I love this show!

This week, we return to the dark storyline that follows Morgana (Katie McGrath) down her path to the evil mistress that we know from the legends...we had to get back to it at some point, she knows that Merlin and Gaius know about her.

** Spoilers Below**

We open immediately with some action.  Merlin (Colin Morgan) and Arthur (Bradley James) are running from an angry mob through the forest.  They think they lose them by going into the Valley of the Fallen Kings.  Merlin doesn't seem to feel too good about going in there, but Arthur keeps walking along.  The entrance to the place reminds me of the 2 large statues that are in The Never Ending Story (I can't remember what they were called, as it's been forever since I've seen that film).  At this point, maybe Arthur should be listening to Merlin, but then again, when does he ever listen to Merlin, and who is usually right about things...Merlin.

Alas, the mob follows them into the Valley of the Fallen Kings, even though Arthur swore to Merlin that they would never follow them in there...I don't think Merlin will be trusting Arthur's judgment again anytime soon.  And then Arthur is hit with an arrow, and falls!  All this before the opening credits!

Merlin hides with a passed out Arthur, as the angry mobs goes by.  He is then left to try to help poor Arthur.  He tries his magic, but it's just not enough.  As he is cleaning the blood from his hands, he realizes that this may be the end of Arthur's life, and tears fill his eyes.  All of the sudden a man is standing over him, asking him why he is so sad.  Merlin says, "My friend is dying and I can't help him."  The man states that he should not waste his tears, as it is not Arthur's time to die.  Then he proceeds to walk over and heal him--who is now sleeping, and we are told he will be for a few hours.  Merlin is rather confused, as the fellow, who's name is Tallesin (Karl Johnson), knows Merlin's name as well as his magical name, Emmerus, and talks of knowing he was going to meet him. 

He tells Merlin that he wants to show him something and takes him to a cave.  I'm not sure if I would follow a stranger away from my friend and into an unknown cave.  Kinda creepy. The cave is filled with crystals (The Crystal Cave), where Tallesin tells him that this is where magic began.  Merlin looks into a crystal and sees images he's clearly not comfortable with--like those he saw in the crystal in series 2.  Tallesin tells him that not many are able to see into the crystals, and then he needs to look into them and use what he sees for good.  Merlin reluctantly looks and sees Morgana killing King Uther (Anthony Head).  Then Tallesin is gone, and Merlin gets back to Arthur, looking very angry and determined.

Once Arthur awakes, there is a funny little banter between the two--mostly because Merlin knows what is going to happen and Arthur is acting his normal silly self.  They start their walk back to Camelot, and Arthur is trying to figure out what happened and why Merlin is acting the way that he is.

When they are back in the King's Court, Arthur is telling Uther of the bandits that were chasing them, and then actually gives some credit to Merlin for helping him!  This is a first...though most of the time no one knows that it was Merlin that helped them.  That night Merlin is plagued with the images he saw in the crystals and talks to Gaius (Richard Wilson) about them.  He tells Merlin that Tallesin died 300 years prior and that he used to be a seer to the great kings of the past.  That the fact that Merlin saw the Crystal Cave is a huge thing, but not to take what he saw to be imminent.

The next day is Morgana's birthday.  Everyone seems so excited to celebrate...I still find it odd that no one (except Merlin and Gaius) have figured out that she has changed and is EVIL!!  We learn right off that Arthur is planning on getting Morgana a dagger for her birthday...which is what Morgana killed Uther with in his vision.  He then sees a scene from his vision in the courtyard.  He is then convinced that the visions are coming true very soon.  Gaius tries to set his mind at ease, but he is still troubled...until he sees the dagger that Arthur is giving Morgana, and sees that it is not the same one from the vision--and makes sure to give Arthur a hard time about getting a girl a dagger, instead of something pretty.

That night at the feast, Morgana is opening her presents, and when she opens the one from Arthur, Merlin is surprised that it is not the dagger that he was shown earlier, but it is, in fact, the one from his vision.  Arthur must have switched it, as the first was not bedazzled, and this one was (since Merlin said girls want pretty things).  And he sees another part of his vision come true...and now Merlin is stressed again!

Merlin and Gaius begin to stake out Morgana, to ensure that she will not use the dagger to kill Uther.  Merlin takes the first shift.

Morgause (Emilia Fox) to meet her in the forest that night.  Merlin sees Morgana seek out of her chambers and head down the corridor, just like he saw in his vision.  He follows...it always amazes me that no one ever hears or sees her walking down the halls--she's wearing a bright red cape and her shoes tap and echo loudly.  Merlin gets a bit antsy and magically shuts the doors in front of Morgana, causing her to fall down the stairs, oops!  And even though he knows what Morgana is planning and all, he still feels bad.

All of the sudden Arthur is carrying Morgana into Gauis' chambers and Gwen (Angel Coulby) is following.  Not sure how they came into the picture.  Gauis says he can't help the bleeding that is happening in her brain.  We see the guilt and pain that this puts on to Merlin...not sure why, he has stopped the evil that wants to take down Camelot that hides in the court itself, but it's Merlin, and we know he cares--but he knows he had to do something.

As Morgana lays in her bed, in a coma, Merlin sees that this has brought Arthur and Gwen together, in their grief, and I think he feels worse about causing the others to go through this pain.  As we see Uther dealing with the possible loss of Morgana, he begs Gaius to save her life, using any means possible.  And to the surprise and horror of Gaius and Merlin (who is eavesdropping) he tells Gauis to use sorcery (the one thing that Uther is absolutely against) to save her.  Gaius tries to convince him that he's not thinking clearly, and Uther lets out a HUGE secret...Morgana is HIS daughter--not his ward, not his friend's daughter, but HIS!!  Well this explains why he's so obsessed with keeping her safe and going to such huge means to find her when she was missing.  Morgana begins twitching a bit while Uther is sharing...Uther tells Gaius that no one shall know, for Arthur's sake...but did Morgana hear all that?

Interestingly enough, when Merlin takes Uther a calming potion, Uther opens up to Merlin about his feelings for Morgana, and how he would do anything to ease her suffering...all the while, not realizing that the only reason Morgana came back to Camelot was to kill him.  Merlin watches those around him grieving and suffering and you can tell he feels so horrible about what he's done, but he also knows he had to do it.

Gaius tells Gwen that she will probably be gone by the morning.  Then we see a determined Merlin, and I'm thinking NO!!!  Don't do something to help her!  But what does Merlin do...he goes off and summons The Dragon to get help to save Morgana's life.  The Dragon thinks Merlin is nuts, as he has stopped Morgana, and she will not be a threat again...but clearly, Merlin has learned nothing from the past.  The Dragon refuses to help save her, and Merlin throws down his dragonlord card.  This pisses off The Dragon, but he has to obey.  But before he does he give the warning that the evil that will follow will be Merlin's doing and his alone.  Why doesn't Merlin listen and learn here?!  He's not listened to The Dragon before, and more bad things happen.  Morgana should go, as with Mordred in series 1, but Merlin never listens when it comes to seeing the dark side of people.

Merlin heads back and uses his magic (which was amped up by The Dragon) to heal Morgana.  The next day, we see Uther cradling an awake Morgana in his arms.  He thanks Gaius and doesn't want to know the details.  Merlin confesses to Gaius what he has done, because he couldn't watch everyone's grief, and Gaius understands why but warns him that he doesn't know what he's playing with.

Uther visits Morgana who tells him how she loves him as a father, and wishes that the people knew that...which brings up the question, did she hear the conversation with Gaius??  Well we find that out soon enough, when Morgause comes to see why Morgana never met her that night.  She tells Morgause what she heard Uther say, and Morgause is thrilled, as it gives Morgana a legitimate claim to the throne, yet, Morgana is really ticked, since Uther has been lying to her all these years, and so he must pay.

And then uh oh...Merlin is faced with the next image he saw in the crystal...turns out his vision is still on track!  He didn't stop anything...in reality, he may have caused the whole thing to happen!  Merlin rushes to Morgana's chambers right as she's putting the dagger on her belt.  He tries to stop her, but she uses magic to throw him against the wall, knocking him out and she walks out the door and we see another scene from the vision.  Again she's wearing the bright red cape...and as she moves through the castle it must be some sort of invisibility cloak, since no one at all notices her.

And now we see even more of the scenes from Merlin's vision coming to pass.  Merlin awakes, as Morgana stands by Uther's bed, while he sleeps.  Merlin gets there right as Morgana is lowering the dagger, and he uses his magic to blow out the windows in the room.  Morgana is thrown back, the dagger dropped on the ground, and Uther awoken.  To explain what happened to Uther, Morgana plays the poor me act, again, and says she was scared because there was a fire, and he's the only person she feels safe with.

Merlin then comes to terms with the fact that he's caused the future to occur while talking to Gaius.  Gaius then reveals that he thinks that Morgana knows the truth about Uther being her father, and that Arthur must be looked after, as once Uther is gone the only thing that stands between the Morgana and ruling the kingdom is Arthur...and we are left with a foreshadowing perhaps of what is to come.

Great episode!  Mystery, secrets revealed, action, suspense...LOVED IT!  But I love them all...this was just a better one of the bunch!

Torchline.com: Facebook Recap: Merlin 3.05 The Crystal Cave

Here's a sneak peek at next week's episode...tugging at the heart strings again, it seems.  Arthur is being forced to marry, and Gwen has to stand by and watch:

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).

Merlin Series 3 Episode 13: The Coming of Arthur Pt. 2--The Series Finale

After last week's episode of Merlin, I have been chomping at the bit to see the happenings of this week.  Just the preview got me pumped--Arthur's Knights of the Round Table coming together (including the return of Lancelot), Excalibur, The Lady of the Lake, the actual Round Table...WOW!!!  Oh and maybe the end of Morgana's evil smirks...since everyone knows she's a baddie now!

When we last saw Camelot, Morgause and Morgana used Cenred to create an invincible army--too bad he wasn't invincible.  Camelot had no chance.  Arthur, Merlin, and Gwaine (future knight of the Round Table, and friend of Merlin's) were left for dead, in the forest, by said army.  When they return to Camelot, they find that the town is over run.  They find Elyan (future knight of the Round Table, and Gwen's brother) in Gwen's house; she btw, has stated her loyalty to Morgana, but by the look on her face, it was just to survive.  They also find Gaius, hiding out in the closet of his chambers.  When they find King Uther, Arthur watches as Morgana is crowned queen, and announces her father is no other than Uther!  Good thing Arthur and Morgana never hooked up!

Here are my thoughts about part 2 (OMG, I'm so excited!):

- The suspense of the first moments is high!  I love Sir Leon (future knight of the Round Table)..."Long live the King!" so ready to stand for what he believes--and man has he been loyal through all 3 series.  Here Morgana truly shows she cares not for her people, but only the power that being Queen holds! 

- You can almost see Uther's heart breaking as Morgana tells him how much she hates him.

-Arthur looks lost and beaten down...poor guy, he's lost everything and on top of that, finding out that his dad has lied to him his whole life, again, and that he has a sister, who is also turned against the family.

-What does Gwen have up her sleeve??  Love that she is telling Morgana how she hates Uther because he killed her father, in order to meet with Sir Leon to convince him to support her...Go Gwen!

-Uh, no...maybe not...And again we see that Morgana has no heart at all, and she could careless about anyone else--even those that once stood by her side!  This is a flaw, I feel, I understand her coldness to Uther, but to all the other people that she grew up with and had been around her entire life??  There is nothing of the Morgana that was once there.  As much as I love the storyline here, I feel like this is rather unbelieveable.

-At this point, why isn't Merlin showing Arthur and Gwaine that he has magic?!  Wouldn't it help in this fight?!  It's not like Uther will have him killed now!

-Remember, Gwen's dad was a blacksmith.

-Freya!!!!  Or should I say the Lady of the Lake, perhaps??

-Man I love when the Great Dragon is on this show!

-Colin Morgan is amazing with showing emotion...I felt all that on the lake with him.

-Purple is a lovely color on Sir Leon! Hehehe!

-Great...we're not done with the Morgana evil smirks :(

-WHOA!!  Merlin with Excalibur can kick some ass!

-LANCELOT!!!!!!  Oh and he's brought a friend, Percival (future Knight of the Round Table) along with him!!

-The Round Table...man, seriously...the legend elements showing up like this is just exciting!  I do like the explanation that Arthur gives of the table...though we all know why it was round (so all are equal, and no man is in charge of the other), it's good to see Arthur becoming the King Arthur of the legends.

-Wow, to the scene where they all stand up to support Arthur, touching, really.  You can see the Knights of the Round Table coming together to become the grandness that we all know they will be.

-Tearing up to the knighting scene...rather powerful!

-Love that Lancelot knows Merlin's secret, and all he's done for Camelot.

-Aww...poor Lancelot.

-Loving the plan, the fighting, all of it!  Well, except that Merlin is the only one that can kill these immortal soldiers...so why can't he tell the others?  Why do they split up and not stay together, and put Merlin and Excalibur in the forefront of the fighting, so that they can win?

-Uther is a broken man.

-Why is Morgause SO much more powerful than Merlin?  Time?  Practice?

-"For the love of Camelot"  Go Arthur!

-Love seeing the Knights (most once commoners) riding into the courtyard with their flowing cloaks!

-Powerful to see Merlin put the sword in the stone!

WOW!!!  One of the best episodes!  I cannot wait to see what happens next season...so much has been set up to align with the legends!  Plus, with Merlin and Gaius chatting about how they couldn't find any trace of Morgana or Morgause in the rubble, we know that they will more than likely return to cause more trouble for Camelot--hopefully no more evil Morgana smirks.  Maybe Mordred will make another appearance--though that little boy probably isn't so little anymore!

Torchline.com: Facebook Recaps: The Coming of Arthur Pt. 2

Merlin Series 3 will begin airing in the States on SyFy on Jan. 7th, 2011 at 10p--why it's on so late, I do not know.  Odd really, since it is more of a family show, you'd think they'd get more viewers if it was on at 8p or 9p.  I'm excited because I get to watch this series on a large television screen, as opposed to my laptop screen!  I am guessing that Series 4 will begin airing on BBC sometime in the fall of 2011...there have also been talks of specials and a series 5!  So happy, as I LOVE this show! :)

Merlin Series 3 Episode 12: The Coming of Arthur Pt 1

With the hype about the final two episodes of this series of Merlin, I am feeling that nothing should be given away...so with that said, I'm going give my thoughts about it after I watch it, but no synopsis, while I watch...you need to watch the final two episodes to find out :)

Ummm...just watched the first moment...and yeah, this is definitely one you have to watch!!  BIG happening right at the start...shocking, really...I don't like it--wait no, it's all good.

Thoughts about part 1:
-Yeah!!  Gwaine is back!!!
-Holy smokes Cenred has a freakin HUGE army! Where did all those people come from??  And they are ALL immortal???  WOW!!
-Morgana giving Gwen a choice, shows she does still care about people, but really, the evil smirks need to stop!
-Yeah!!!  Elyan is back!!!
-OMG!!!  The ending is AWESOME, and I can't wait until next week's conclusion!!!

Torchline.com: Facebook Recap: Merlin 3.12 The Coming of Arthur Part 1

Here is a sneak peek at next week...Lancelot, the Great Dragon, the Round Table, Excalibur, and possibly the Lady of the Lake???  This looks EPIC!!!  This is the stuff I love, finally they are back to it!!!!

Merlin Series 3 Season Finale Trailer

Merlin's Series 3 has had its up and downs, but this finale looks amazing!! It's a 2 part ending to a long drawn out story arch of Morgana's slip into evil--at least I hope that it wraps it up, as it's getting somewhat old (but I still love it)! The first of the two parts airs on Saturday the 27th and the second part on December 4th on BBC One in the UK!

Merlin Series 3 Episode 10: Queen of Hearts

With having a 4 day weekend, and also fighting a lovely head cold, I almost forgot that Merlin had a new episode this weekend, almost!  When I remembered this afternoon, I found myself rather excited at the thought of seeing this episode!!  Though I will be honest and say that I hope it clears up somethings, and that Morgana is found out.  I am getting rather tired of her sneers behind Arthur and Uther's backs and her getting away with all she has.  Hopefully, now that Gwen knows she's evil, things will start to play out!  In fact, just to see, I'm going to tally the number of evil smirks and sneers that we see from Morgana in this episode.  Let's see what this week has in store, shall we?

**SPOILERS BELOW**

It's pretty clear from the start that the first scene has to be some sort of lovely dream sequence.  Gwen (Angel Coulby) is being crowned queen by Arthur (Bradley James), who is wearing the Kings crown, with Merlin (Colin Morgan) and Gaius (Richard Wilson) smiling happily.  Gwen and Arthur definitely have their own soundtrack, every time they are together in a moment of their love.  It's fairly similar to the music in the love moments in Braveheart--I've checked, not the same composer.

Oops, not a lovely dream, but Morgana's nightmare!  I'm not sure why, but I kind of find this funny--maybe it's because I just typed that! LOL!  Anyway, getting off topic here.  When Gwen comes to check on her, she says all is well, and then we see sneer number one, from Morgana (Katie McGrath).

Morgana is lured to a deep part of the castle by her sister Morgause (Emilia Fox) so that they can have a chat.  I'm thinking that when all is said and done, even though Morgana and Morgause are sisters, this won't matter to Morgause when she can have what she's wanting, Camelot--but we shall see, shall we.  Anyway, Morgana tells big sis about her dream of Gwen becoming queen...while doing this she looks like she's in so much pain, like the thought of Gwen having the throne would kill her.  Remember back to our first introduction to Morgause, she gave Morgana a bracelet to help her to sleep, well, it was to stop the premonitions from coming to her in her sleep.  Apparently some are too strong to be stopped by a silly little bracelet, and this is one of them (which we all know is true).  Morgana can't believe that a serving girl would ever become queen, but Morgause cautions her, and then tells her that she must destroy the relationship between Arthur and "this Gwen."  Wait, she acts like she knows nothing of this relationship, yet earlier in the series, she had Gwen's brother kidnapped in order to get Arthur to come to the rescue.  Hmm...a bit of an oversight, I would say.  Oh, goody, there's smirk number 2!

Morgana then goes and confronts Gwen about her feelings for Arthur, trying to play nice, and sympathize with her about having to hide her feelings.  Gwen doesn't seem to fall for it, she also doesn't admit her feelings either.  She quickly removes herself from the room.  Good for you Gwen!

So it didn't work to talk to Gwen, so then she goes to chat with Arthur, who falls right into her plot.  He admits to liking Gwen, as soon as Morgana says that Gwen speaks of him all the time--silly Arthur, acting like a high school boy.  And smirk number 3!  She encourages him to spend some time with Gwen, and that no one needs to know, because he is the future king and can set his own rules.

When told by Merlin that Arthur wants to spend the day with her, Gwen is apprehensive (again, good job, Gwen), but agrees to go anyway.  She then fibs to Morgana about feeling ill so that she could have the next day off.  Morgana agrees, but she clearly knows what's really happening, because we see smirk number 4!

The next day, Merlin takes Gwen out to meet Arthur in the forest.  As Merlin takes his leave, we see that Morgana has followed them...ah, and we see sneer number 5!  As she leaves back to Camelot, and urges Uther (Anthony Head) to go for a ride with her...clearly to take him to see Arthur and his unworthy love having a nice afternoon picnic, so sad, really!

When we do see the lovely picnic that Arthur and Gwen are having, we see the connection they hold, as Arthur shares that he sometimes thinks about leaving Camelot, and how things would be different.  We see a different side to Arthur when he's with Gwen.  The softer, warmer side, the side that would make him the king that he is destined to become.  Aww...right when they are having a lovely romantic moment, and kiss, Uther and Morgana come riding up, and ruin it--well the cat's out of the bag, isn't it?!

Uther's response is not what I expected.  Back at the castle, he walks in, and starts laughing, saying that he was young once too, and has experienced the temptation of serving girls.  Arthur seems relieved, for a moment, but then Uther tells him that he cannot allow it to continue.  With this, Arthur finally stands up to his father, and states he will no longer deny his feelings and that he loves Gwen!  WOW!!!  This is big for Arthur.  Well, Uther can't have that, now can he?!  So he...banishes Gwen from Camelot.  Little harsh, don't you think?!  When Arthur pleads with his father, Uther

Arthur and Merlin talk about what has happened, and Morgana appears, looking so sad, but as Merlin is leaving the room, we see sneer number 6!  Morgana is acting all sympathetic to Arthur, since she heard what has happened.  She asks him what he will do, and he says, he will leave with her.  Aww...so sweet.  I just love him...but I digress.  She acts all concerned, because he would be giving up his right to the throne.  His response..."One day we will return to Camelot together and Guinevere will take her place on the throne beside me."  GO ARTHUR!  Morgana seems taken back by this, unable to respond, tears come to her eyes, and she tries her hardest to smile.

Merlin is really sweet, and honestly cares for people, which we have seen be his downfall in the past.  This time though the love (friendship love, people) he shows Gwen, when she is digesting the fact that she will be leaving everything she's ever known is touching.  This is definitely a fellow that I would want on my side.

Then Morgana puts something, probably magical, under Arthur's pillow...as she drops the pillow back down, we see smirk number 7!  Then she goes to visit Uther, who is very happy to see her.  I know that he's her real dad, but he seems far to excited to see her or spend time with her, what about his son...he doesn't seem to care too much about him, other than him becoming the next king.  Morgana talks Uther into thinking that Arthur has been enchanted--because Arthur tells her everything (yeah, right) and she had never been told about his love for Gwen.  So Uther has Arthur's room searched, and what do they find?  The satchel that Morgana put under his pillow.

Well, Uther has played completely into Morgana's hand, and now thinks that Gwen put an enchantment on Arthur--because a prince could never fall in love with a serving girl!  To that, Uther sentences Gwen to death, because he must break the enchantment on Arthur.  It has to be said, Bradley James does great in this scene.  The torment on his face, as he says he will leave with her and relinquish his rights to the throne.  That seems to make Uther more convinced that he's enchanted, because his son would never say that...clearly he doesn't know his son well.  As both are restrained and Gwen is taken away, there is a moment where Arthur reaches her, kisses her and tells her that he will always love her.  Tears came to my eyes, such a heart wrenching scene.  Then in the background, we see that Morgana is giving sneer number 8, and Gwen saw it too!

Merlin goes to talk to Gwen, and says they need to find the person that really put that under Arthur's bed.  Gwen shares what she saw in the throne room, Morgana smiling as she was drug out.  She thinks that Merlin won't believe her, but we know he does!  Gwen figured it all out though, that it was no coincidence that they were found in the woods and that Morgana is not to be trusted!  YEAH!!  Finally!!  Merlin goes to Gaius, and talks Merlin into not telling Uther is was Morgana, as he won't believe him...true, we've seen Uther's blind eye when it comes to Morgana.  Merlin then gets the idea, that if they can't reveal the real sorcerer, they will have to invent one.

The plan: disguise Merlin as another, have him get caught putting an identical satchel under Arthur's pillow, then Gwen would have to be free, and Merlin could us magic to escape.  And we see Merlin use magic to become the old man, with the long white beard  that is usually thought of when referring to the Merlin legends.  Interesting way to bring that image into this version of the story.  I rather like it.

All begins to go as planned, Old Merlin is found by Arthur putting the satchel under his pillow, and an amusing scene commences.  Upon Old Merlin making a run for it, he tries a few times to turn back to his young self, to no avail.  He gets caught and when he's taken to Uther, Morgana seems a bit taken back, no sneer, just shock.  Old Merlin says the reason he did it was to cause Arthur to fall in love with a serving girl to bring shame to the throne.  When Uther asks if he has wronged him in some way, Old Merlin goes off, clearly his real thoughts about Uther and Arthur.  Old Merlin met his goal, Gwen is released, and he then is sentenced to death.  Let's hope he can break the spell that he put on himself in time!

Gaius tells Old Merlin that he can make an antidote, but it will take longer than he has, so he tells Merlin to stall...how?  Nothing seems to work...and right as Gaius finishes the potion, Old Merlin is being taken to be burned at the stake...will he get away?  Will the potion work?  How does this all go about?  How does Morgana handle all this, knowing that the Old Merlin, was covering for her?  What will happen to Arthur and Gwen?  You must watch to find out how all this occurs, but there's a great scene of slight action and suspense!  Though it would have been so much more cool if Merlin had commanded the Great Dragon to come and save him!

I am saddened by the fact that now Arthur and Gwen's love is still under wraps and now they know for sure that they cannot show how they truly feel in public because Uther will have Gwen banished or even killed.  But we do know how the story ends, so we know it will happen one day.  Just such a sad love story.

Torchline.com: Facebook Recap: Merlin 3.10 Queen of Hearts

Looking at the next episode, we're back to the tournaments and sword fighting, away from the Morgana story arch, this could be good--but I would like it to just be done with.  Though I am intrigued to see Harry Melling (who plays Dudley Dursley in the Harry Potter series) get some magic of his own!  Though when I look at him I only see Dudley (who I can't wait to see in HP7--apparently the scene between him and Harry is rather touching and really good...4 more days!!!).

Merlin Series 3--DVD Extras: Deleted Scenes

Oh, to live in The United Kingdom, where DVD's of shows come out in stages, while the show is still running in that season.  Here in the States, we don't get the DVD's of shows until right before the next season is about to premiere.  Below are some of the deleted scenes from the UK's Merlin Series 3 Volume 1 DVD's.  Some of these scenes are great, and I think would have added a bit to the show...too bad they had to be cut.  A BIG thank you to those that post these from those of us that don't get the chance to see them!

Episode 1: The Tears of Uther Pendragon Part 1



Episode 2: The Tears of Uther Pendragon Part 2



Episode 3: Goblin's Gold



Episode 4: Gwaine

New Merlin Series 3 Trailer--With AMAZING Hints for What's in Store

I only have a moment, and really there's not much to say, once you watch this!!!  Holy smokes, look at what's coming in the last 5 episodes of Series 3 of Merlin!!!



Seriously, I can't wait!!! Lady of the Lake?? Excalibur?? Morgana as queen?? Lancelot returns?? It looks like it's going to get better and better!!! I'm all kinds of excited now!!

Merlin Series 3 Episode 8: The Eye of the Phoenix

Just knowing that Warwick Davis is in this episode, I am all excited!!

**Spoilers Below**

Well this episode is off to a nice start in the first moment...Bradley James without his shirt.  It's happening in pretty much every episode now, and trust me, I am not complaining! 

Apparently, in order to become king, Arthur (Bradley James) must get a vision of a quest that he must complete alone and unaided--Merlin (Colin Morgan) looks a little concerned by this, since he is usually the one that gets Arthur out of trouble.  This storyline reminds me of something else...but I just can't put my finger on it.  Arthur comes out of his trance, and states that he will go to the realm of the Fisher King and retrieve the golden trident.

We learn from Gaius (Richard Wilson) that the Fisher King was a sorcerer that lived hundreds of years ago, and he was supposedly killed in a battle.  Yet his magic ran so deep, when he was killed, his lands died as well.  They then became known as the Perilous Lands.  Some still believe that the Fisher King is still alive.

Cut to the market down in the town.  Gwen (Angel Coulby) and Morgana (Katie McGrath) are shopping.  Here's my thought here, if Morgana is always seemingly sot after, wouldn't there be guards with her as she wanders the town?  While shopping for fabrics, Morgana is stopped by an elderly woman...which is actually her evil sister, Morgause (Emilia Fox) under a spell.  She gives Morgana a bracelet, and tells her to give it to Arthur as a token, for his quest.  As she is walking away, Gwen sees the old woman's reflection in a mirror and instead of seeing the old woman, she sees her true form...Morgause.  She is, understandably, concerned, as she had just seen Morgana wander off with her for a moment.  When asked if she was okay, Morgana said that the woman needed money to feed her family.  To me it seems that maybe, just maybe, Gwen is beginning to see that Morgana is EVIL!  Man, I wish she would...this round and round about it is getting rather old, at times.

Gwen then goes to Arthur before he leaves, and asks him to be careful, for her.  He agrees and then kisses her.  Not too touching of a moment...but I love that they are beginning to really show how they feel for each other.

As he is leaving Camelot, Merlin notices the bracelet on Arthur's wrist.  Arthur tells him it's from Morgana...he gets his angry/worried face and then goes straight to the books with Gaius, looking for clues as to what it is.  They finally find it...it's the eye of the Phoenix--which consumes the life force of anything it comes in contact with.  Well...that's not daunting at all!  Arthur is off on his own, wearing something that will suck his life force!  We know Merlin can't have that, and Gaius tells him that he can't do it alone, that he will need help.  Who to call....Who to call?  Merlin is off...

That night, while Arthur sleeps...Morgana is creating a voodoo doll of him, and setting it on fire within a box.  The eye of the Phoenix on Arthur's wrist begins to glow, and Arthur looks like he is having a restless sleep.  While Morgana is doing this, Gwen steps in her room...Morgana closes the box quicker than a fellow caught looking at the wrong things on his laptop, and screams for Gwen to get out--strike 2 against Morgana!

The next morning, Arthur is awaken by 2 guys trying to kill him.  The usual sword fight ensues, and Arthur is noticeably weaker and more floppy than normal.  Though he's clearly struggling, because his life force is being drained (we are shown the bracelet glowing in the midst of the fight) he is still able to take out both of his attackers.

We then see that Merlin isn't too far behind Arthur (as he is looking out at the same mountain range that Arthur did the day before.  Yet, clearly, he has a detour in mind, to get that help that he needs.  Who is it that he finds in a bar brawl??  Why, Gwaine (Eoin Macken) of course!  Who seems very happy to see Merlin, but sucks Merlin into the brawl and the next thing we see is the both of them running from the tavern with some tough looking fellows after them.  Oh Gwaine, you haven't changed a bit!  While running, Merlin fills him in--Arthur needs his help.  Gwaine agrees to help out.

Arthur, who is not looking too hot, gets to a bridge where the keeper of the bridge, Grettir (Warwick Davis) is waiting.  Grettir tells him he will need 3 things on his journey: courage (which Grettir called him), strength, and magic.  Arthur responds with something his father Uther (Anthony Head) would be proud of, "I do not condone the use of magic."  Grettir tells him he would be wise not to dismiss magic so easily.  As Arthur is walking passed him, Grettir grabs his wrist and looks at the bracelet.  When he hears that someone dear to Arthur gave it to him for luck, he smiles, and says, "did she now..." He clearly knows what the bracelet really is.  Arthur turns away, and when he looks back Grettir is gone.  He crosses the bridge to the Perilous Lands.

Back in Camelot, Morgana apologizes to Gwen for shouting at her the night before, and opts to make it up to her by giving her the night off.  Instead of spending the evening at home, Gwen hides out in Morgana's room to see what she's up to.  Good on you, Gwen!!  Though if she's caught, she's as good as dead!  Gwen watches as Morgana lights the voodoo doll on fire again, with magic.  At the same moment, we see that this drains Arthur even more of his energy, as he makes his way through the Perilous Lands.  He finds himself stuck in a bog, and he doesn't have the strength to pull himself out.  Then he passes out.

We then see that Merlin and Gwaine may soon find Arthur (hopefully very soon), as they have now reached Grettir's bridge.  Gwaine goes to check out the other side, while Merlin approaches the bridge, and Grettir appears.  He says, "Ahh...magic has arrived!"  And tells Merlin that he must cross the bridge if Arthur is to complete his quest.  He also states that they must succeed to restore the Fisher King's land to prosperity, which is something that he wants.  When Gwaine comes running up, Grettir says, "Ahh...finally, strength has arrived the trio is complete."  Clearly, the 3 of them are meant to go on this quest together.  As they cross the bridge, Grettir reminds them that in the Perilous lands, nothing is as it seems.

Then Arthur gets a burst of energy and crawls out of the bog, on to the shore, and then passes out again, through the night.  Poor guy, can barely move.  Why doesn't he notice the glowing thing on his wrist??

Oh thank the Mighty Dragon!!!  Gwen has figured out Morgana's secret, and she has run and told Gaius, who does not deny that Morgana means harm to those in Camelot!!! 

The next morning, Arthur stumbles as he makes his way through the Perilous Lands.  He finally gets close to the castle he's looking for, and sees that it's guarded by two large flying creatures--kind of dragon like (we find out that they are distant cousins of the dragon--could Merlin's dragonlord abilities work on these magical creatures too?!), which immediately go after him.  Just a bit behind him, Merlin and Gwaine see that Arthur is being hunted by these creatures and run to try to get there in time to help.  Arthur gets inside the castle walls and runs to find safety--though the creatures are right behind him, and the other 2 are not far behind.  Once they reach the castle walls, Gwaine and Merlin split up to look for Arthur.

When Merlin finds him, Arthur is passed out, again, and the creatures are about to attack.  He jumps in between them, and speaks in his dragonlord tongue...it worked!!!  The creatures bow to him, and back off!  Merlin removes the bracelet, and almost immediately, Arthur comes to, and then gets pissy with Merlin for being there--it was supposed to be his quest.  He gets even more pissy when Gwaine saves them when one of the creatures sneaks up on them and almost kills them.

And now the quest for the trident continues...interestingly enough, Arthur seems back to 100%.  Who would have thought it would have been that quick to restore your life force!

I'm thinking that this time,  I shall leave the ending for you to watch yourselves...it's REALLY good, and we get a little glimpse of what may come...Lake of Avalon...the Once and Future King...and we see that everything that happened in that quest (the good and the bad) had a purpose.  Just watch...it's bloody great!

I rather liked this episode.  I like the character of Gwaine.  He is friendly, loyal, and daring.  He makes the episode fun and more interesting.  You know he'll show up later, with Elyan and Lancelot, since they are known Knights of the Round Table.  I am SOOOO happy that Gwen is now in the know about Morgana!!  Now hopefully, Arthur will be as well...though that may be wishful thinking...

Torchline.com: Facebook Recap: Merlin 3.08 The Eye of the Phoenix

Here's a sneak peek at next week's episode--looking interesting, Gaius with a love interest??...though the last scene reminds me of the demons on Supernatural!

Series 2 Merlin to DVD in The States

Just a quick note to let you know that Merlin Series 2 will finally be released to DVD on January 18th, 2011!!  I hate how it takes so long here to get it on DVD!  The UK has had it almost a year, and when I was visiting Australia this summer, it was already available there (and they see it on TV about the same time we do).  Hopefully the behind the scenes will include the Secrets and Magic Series that they showed in the UK!!  Then I can watch this on the big screeen!

Merlin Will Be Back!

It was announced yesterday, by BBC One, that Merlin has been tapped for a 4th season!  WAHOOO!!!  So even though the US is still waiting for the 3rd series, the 4th will start filming next spring!  It's been announced that there will be 10 episodes instead of the previous 13 per series, and that the Knights of the Round Table may come together!  I can't wait, and I haven't even seen the rest of Series 3!  Here's the press release:

Smash hit, family favourite, Merlin, produced by Shine TV, has been recommissioned for a fourth series of magical adventure for BBC One.

The announcement comes as the third series of the fantasy drama continues to enchant audiences on Saturday nights. The current series on air is pulling in an average of over six million viewers and a total of 24.3 per cent share of the audience.

Ben Stephenson, Controller Drama Commissioning, says: “Merlin continues to perform outstandingly well against X Factor and offers audiences an alternative treat on Saturday nights. I’m pleased to confirm that the magical world of Camelot will be returning next year for a fourth series of this fresh and modern retelling of a classic British legend.”
Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy, executive producers for Shine TV, said: “We are both delighted with the continuing success of Merlin, and relish the chance to take the series to the next level with the long-awaited arrival of the Knights of the Round Table.”

Merlin stars Colin Morgan as Merlin, Bradley James as Prince Arthur, Anthony Head as King Uther, Katie McGrath as Morgana, Angel Coulby as Gwen, Richard Wilson as Gaius and John Hurt as the voice of the Great Dragon.

Series three has seen a host of high-profile guest-stars including: Emilia Fox, Tom Ellis, Miriam Margoyles, Warwick Davies and Pauline Collins. Series three will continue on Saturday evenings on BBC One until the nail biting finale on the 4 December. Loyal friends and exciting newcomers arrive to rescue Camelot as Morgana’s careful plotting is about to reach a potentially devastating and dramatic climax.

Merlin is made for BBC Cymru Wales by award-winning executive producers Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy from Shine TV, with Bethan Jones as executive producer for the BBC.

The new 10×45 minute series will start filming in March 2011 and has been recommissioned by Ben Stephenson, Controller BBC Drama Commissioning.

Merlin has also enjoyed phenomenal international success, selling to 180 countries internationally, with series two providing a smash hit success for the Syfy channel in the US, which has already bought the third series currently in production.

 Something to look forward to next fall! :)

Merlin Series 3 Episode 7: The Castle of Fyrien

After just seeing the preview of this episode, I was excited.  I'm not sure if it's because of the drama caused by Morgana continuing her evil ways or if it's the Arthur/Gwen growing love that gets me.  From last week, we know that Morgana is aware of the feelings that Arthur and Gwen share for each other...and now she's using that to her advantage.  Now that she knows she is actually Uther's daughter (not just his ward), she is after the throne herself.  Let's see what happens next, shall we? (as I do write these as I am watching the show).

**SPOILERS BELOW**

Poor Gwen!  After a long day at work, Gwen (Angel Coulby) returns home to find that there are dirty, scary looking men in her house.  Though she tried to fend them off, they caught her and ride off into the night with her, all while her so called best friend, Morgana (Katie McGrath) watches from her bedroom window, with her now trademark, evil smile.

The next morning, Morgana joins Uther (Anthony Head) and Arthur (Bradley James) for breakfast late, and she seems upset.  She puts on a good act of Gwen never showed up for work this morning, and I'm worried...which Uther responds coldly to, by saying they could easily get her a new servant, while Arthur calls upon Merlin (Colin Morgan) to go to Gwen's house and make sure that she's okay.  And here, again, we see Morgana's evil smile.  I've said it before, but seriously, Katie McGrath has that evil smile/look down--though the fact that no one in Camelot has seen her do it, surprises me...then again, things are always being overlooked in the land of Camelot.

Merlin heads to Gwen's place, and investigates.  In looking around he concludes that strange things are afoot at the house of Gwen.

Then we see Morgause (Emilia Fox) and Cenred (Tom Ellis) looking into a cell, at a fellow.  Morgause seems thrilled that Cenred has found this guy, and apparently, Morgana told them where to find him.  A scared Gwen is then brought into Cenred, and when she asks why have you brought me here, he says he has a guest that he thought she would want to see.  They bring in the fellow from the cell, and we then find out, that he is in fact, Gwen's long lost brother, Elyan (Adetomiwa Edun).  At first, Gwen seems happy to see her brother, but once alone, we see that she clearly does not trust him, and thinks that he has caused the kidnapping to take place.  Morgause and Cenred clearly have a plan, as they watch the interactions between the brother and sister, we just don't quite know what it is, yet.

Well, it wasn't but a moment later that Cenred has told Gwen what he's wanting.  He wants her to bring him Arthur within a week, otherwise, she will have to watch as he de-hearts her brother.  Oh, the drama and anguish!  What will Gwen do??!

Meanwhile, back in Camelot, Arthur is telling Uther and Morgana of Gwen's kidnapping.  Morgana puts on quite the show of despair, while Uther, in true Uther fashion, could clearly careless, "She's just a serving girl."  But Arthur convinces him to allow for a search party--but alas, Uther will only allow it until nightfall--but we know that won't stop Arthur from finding Gwen, and Morgana knows it too...as we see her evil smile again!

Interestingly enough, the next morning, Gwen has returned and is acting as though nothing has happened (though she seems scared and uncomfortable--but wouldn't you be?).  She tells Morgana (who knows otherwise) that she was gone because she was not feeling well, and when she runs into Merlin (literally), he tells her that Arthur has been worried sick and searching the whole town.  She tries to play it off, that she was sick, but he sees the bruises on her wrists, and she breaks down.  She tells Merlin what has happened and what she's expected to do.  He convinces her to tell Arthur, so that he can help.

Arthur gets all amped up to help Gwen's brother, and says that the 3 of them will go and save him.  Gwen points out that it would be a trap, as they want Arthur dead.  Arthur's response, "Not necessarily."  All the while, we see that Morgana was listening outside the door.

Oh, this time she's wearing a purple cape, instead of the bright red one, maybe she'll blend in more...not that it matters in Camelot...no one EVER sees people lurking around...no matter how much noise they make or how bright their clothing.  Morgana is off to tell Morgause of the newest happenings.  It's so amazing to me the hatred that runs through Morgana...she grew up with Arthur as a brother, and now she's ready to kill him, for no other reason than that she may take the throne...power hungry *#$&@!

In order to leave on his quest of saving Gwen's brother, Arthur fibs to his father, saying ironically, that he lost a bet to Morgana and needs to leave Camelot to purchase some silk so that she can make some dresses.  Uther laughs and says he better hurry along then.

As Merlin is getting the horses ready, Morgana (with her evil face) walks up and says she's going along too!  Oh no!!!  Merlin knows that Morgana is in on this plot, who else would have told Cenred

While camping along the way, Merlin is asked to go check on Morgana who is getting firewood, so that Arthur can be alone with Gwen.  When Merlin finds Morgana, he confronts her (which I love that he did) and talks about the loyalty and caring that Arthur and Gwen have for Morgana, because they are her friends.  She plays it off, like she couldn't possibly understand why he would be telling her this.  Merlin tells her that they are his friends too, and he would stop at nothing to protect them.  I'm liking this tougher side to Merlin.

Back at camp there is a touching scene between Arthur and Gwen.  Gwen shares a bit about her brother, as it seems trouble follows him where ever he goes.  But no matter what, she would be there for him, because that's what you do when you love someone.  As they are about to kiss, Morgana and Merlin return to camp--Morgana seeing what was happening, and giving her evil smirk.  In all honesty, like I said, she's good at it, but it might become a bit of an over kill if she keeps doing it.  Over dinner Arthur talks of the plan to catch Cenred off guard, by using the secret tunnels under the castle that he's hiding out in.  Morgana is especially interested in how this will all work (I wonder why--this of course is absolute sarcasm), while Merlin struggles to try to get Arthur to stop talking about the plan, by offering more beans.

Of course, that night, while the others sleep, Morgana slips away and meets Morgause, telling her of the plan.  In order for Cenred's army to find these hidden tunnels, Morgause gives Morgana a magical ring that will guide them in, when she throws it to the ground.  As she returns to camp, we see that Merlin was aware of her absence, and in turn is aware that she probably let them in on the plan.  He tries first to get Morgana out of the quest by using a spell to have a snake spook her horse, getting her bucked off, alas, she only hurt her ankle, and insisted that she continue on.  Once there, Merlin tries his hardest to get Arthur to see that Cenred, may know about the tunnels...but per usual, Arthur doesn't listen to Merlin.

As they are going into the tunnels, at the back of the castle, I can't help but notice that Morgana is walking just fine.  Though in the previous scene she could barely stand because of her ankle...she must be a quick healer.  Before she goes into the tunnel, Morgana lays the magical ring on a stone, so that their path is now clear to Cenred and Morgause.

While venturing through the tunnel, they realize that they are being followed.  Arthur asks the question, "How did they know we were here?"  I just wanted to scream, and I'm sure Merlin did too, it was Morgana, you fool!  Now...let the sword fighting commence.  Oops, nope, as soon as one of the bad guys puts a sword to Gwen's throat, Arthur drops his sword, and surrenders.  Here's my thought here, why did they bring her along??  She's not a fighter (at least Morgana is good with a sword) and she's Arthur's weakness...this was not well thought out, now was it?

Gwen is put in a cell with her brother, and we learn a bit about their relationship, and Elyan learns a bit about the relationship between his sister and the prince.  Arthur and Merlin concoct a plan to get free from their cell--which is somewhat amusing.  Once free they fight their way to free the others.  Yet, no one knows where Morgana is.  Surprise, surprise, Arthur won't leave without her, and tells Gwen to leave and not look back.  Morgause knows Arthur won't leave without the girl he thinks is family, which calms Morgana, who seemed hell bent on killing Arthur right away.  Cenred then tells Morgana she must play her part well.

Once Arthur finds the hall, he sees that Cenred has a sword to Morgana's throat.  Morgana is pleading for him not to hurt her.  Cenred insists that Arthur lay down his sword...he hesitates...Morgause then makes her appearance, which actually makes Arthur put back up his defenses.  Right at this point, we see that Merlin has followed Arthur (though he was supposed to go with Gwen and Elyan) and is now watching what is happening.  Morgause creates a fiery tornado and sends it toward Arthur.  Merlin then uses his own powers and the tornado blows them all backward and sends some of the ceiling down on them.  Here's hoping Morgana was taken out in that blow...though deep down, we know that won't happen.

Arthur gets up, and goes straight to Morgana...Merlin then appears and the three of them start back through the tunnels.  Merlin is leading the way, pulling Morgana (who is fighting him the whole way).  I seriously LOVE how forceful Merlin gets with Morgana...finally!!!  "What, are you worried about your friends?"  But alas, Arthur catches up to them, and she then falls to the ground claiming her ankle is really bothersome...REALLY??  It hasn't bothered you this entire time??  So Arthur flings her over his shoulder and carries her out, while she is kicking and screaming.  When they make their way out, Gwen and Elyan are waiting...and so are some bad guys.  Here we see that Elyan has some great fighting skills...a bit of a foreshadowing?? I love that the future knights of the round table pop up through the story!  I can't wait to see Arthur become king and bring them all together.

Torchline.com: Facebook Recap: Merlin 3.07 The Castle of Fyrien

Here's a sneak peek at next week's episode...looks like we are continuing the Morgana story arch...and an old friend returns to help out.