Grade: A
As yet another attempt on Arthur's life unfolds, this episode gives us considerable character development for Morgana and quite a bit of Arthur/Merlin interaction, as well as introducing our protagonists to a recurring foe. Definitely a significant installment near the halfway-point of this season's story-arc, as well as being well-constructed and entertaining in its own right.
We open with fuzzy, indistinct shots of a human form apparently floating underwater; we see a hand, a mail-clad arm, and eventually it is revealed to be Arthur. From under the water, we get a warped view of a young woman standing over him with an outstretched hand; he sinks deeper, and is apparently lost. Morgana awakes with a start, eyes wide with horror.
Cut to Merlin and Arthur hunting in the woods around Camelot; Merlin bungles one of Arthur's crossbow shots, and they're on the verge of one of their trademark spats when the sounds of a scuffle are heard, and, a moment later, screams. Making their way to the spot, they witness a pack of four or five bandits attacking a nobleman and his daughter. Arthur fights off the majority of the men with Merlin quietly using magic to aid him; eventually, only one man is left standing, and he quickly flees the spot. The young woman introduces herself as Sophia and her father as Aulfric; Arthur appears immediately attracted to her, and brings the two as guests back to Camelot. There, they explain to Uther that they are the remnants of a noble family sacked by raiders, and are on their way to family in another part of the kingdom. The king extends an offer of hospitality at Camelot, which is quickly accepted; later Merlin confirms his suspicion that Arthur is enamored of the Lady Sophia. Happy for his friend, he helps Sophia settle into her new quarters, only for Morgana to catch sight of him conversing with the girl and recognize the figure from her dream. Going to Gaius, she tells him of the nightmare she suffered and of Sophia's subsequent arrival in Camelot; the physician attempts to calm her fears and gives her another medication to aid her sleep. However, before she leaves, he asks her not to mention the incident to Uther. Out in the woods that night, the one remaining bandit from the attack of earlier sits by a fire, and is approached by Aulfric, who offers him a prearranged sum of money. Blaming Aulfric for the death of his friends in the faked ambush, the man demands more payment; Aulfric conjures a bolt of light from his staff and kills him on the spot. Morgana suffers another nightmare of Arthur's death.
The next morning, Arthur tells Merlin that he has plans to take Sophia out riding that day, and cajoles him into lying to the king on Arthur's behalf; Merlin goes to Uther and takes the blame for Arthur's failure to show up for his scheduled patrol with the guards. Put into the stocks for negligence, Merlin later explains the situation to Gaius, who, in light of Morgana's dream, is disturbed to hear that Arthur has fallen for Sophia so quickly. Morgana confides the details of her nightmares to Gwen, but resists the idea of mentioning them to Uther, knowing that he would look on the involuntary gift of prophecy in the same light as the practice of sorcery. Out in the woods, Sophia begins whispering an enchantment over Arthur, only to be interrupted when a patrol of guards from Camelot nearly shoots them by accident. To Sophia's chagrin, Arthur insists on returning to the city at once. In Camelot, Gaius stealthily enters Aulfric's chambers and begins examining his staff, only to be caught by the nobleman. In a flash of anger, Aulfric's eyes suddenly turn red, disturbing Gaius.
As Sophia returns to the city, Morgana confronts her privately, only for the girl to manipulate Morgana into appearing jealous of Arthur's attentions to Sophia. Undeterred, Morgana threatens to kill Sophia if anything happens to Arthur. Realizing that both Gaius and Morgana have caught on to them, Aulfric and his daughter plan to move quickly, and we learn that they intend to shed their mortal bodies and regain another form apparently lost to them in the past. Morgana attempts to obliquely warn Arthur of Sophia's intentions, but he also assumes her to be jealous of Sophia, and disregards her opinion. The next morning, Arthur once again asks Merlin to cover for him while he goes out with Sophia, resulting in Merlin ending up in the stocks a second time. In the woods, Sophia completes her incantation over Arthur, and his eyes briefly flash red in response to hers. At Gaius's workshop, the physician finally tells Merlin that he believes Morgana to be a seer, and that her recent dreams have shown Sophia killing Arthur. That night, Sophia uses her enchantment to brainwash Arthur into agreeing to ask for her hand in marriage, afterward reporting to her father that Arthur will now do anything they need him to. Catching sight of Aulfric leaving the castle, Merlin follows him to a lake in the middle of the woods, where the man summons a group he refers to as the elders of the Sidhe; the creatures who appear at his call are tiny, fairylike beings, almost imperceptible until Merlin briefly slows down time in order to catch sight of them. Eavesdropping from the woods, he learns that Aulfric was found guilty of killing another Sidhe, and that he and his daughter were punished with mortal bodies and mortal lives. Aulfric insists that his daughter was innocent, and begs them to allow her back into Avalon. The leader of the Sidhe retorts that Aulfric knows well enough that his daughter is required to remain a mortal unless the soul of a mortal prince is offered in her behalf, thus explaining the plot against Arthur's life. Horrified, Merlin returns to Camelot and tells Gaius what he knows; Gaius, based on his deductions from the writing on Aulfric's staff, has already pinpointed the Sidhe, vicious magical creatures, as the source of Arthur's problems.
The next morning, a strongly enchanted Arthur goes before the king and asks permission to marry Sophia; amused by what he views as a schoolboy crush, Uther waves the request away. However, when Arthur becomes defiant, his father threatens to arrest and execute both Aulfric and Sophia if Arthur will not see reason. Morgana attempts to warn Uther of her suspicions, but unable to bring herself to tell him of her prophetic dreams, cannot convince him of Sophia's designs. Following an enraged Arthur back to his rooms, Merlin attempts to break through Sophia's cloud of enchantment and explain to Arthur the truth of his situation. At that moment, Aulfric and Sophia also make an appearance, Sophia attempting to convince Arthur to elope with her. Realizing that Merlin's pleas are making an effect and that Arthur is beginning to shake off the enchantment, Aulfric takes complete mental hold of Arthur, causing his eyes to turn blood-red and possessing his mind entirely. Using his staff to blast Merlin against a stone wall, Aulfric leaves the castle with Sophia and the enchanted prince. Watching from a window, Morgana witnesses the departure and rushes to inform Gaius. The physician convinces her to remain behind while he goes to find Merlin; entering Arthur's chambers, he finds Merlin barely recovered from the blast and tells him of Arthur's kidnapping. Still groggy from the blow, Merlin rushes after Arthur and the Sidhe.
Arriving at the lake of Avalon, Aulfric prepares the ceremony which will deliver Arthur's soul to the Sidhe and grant Sophia passage back to the land of immortality. Formerly unaware that her father intends to remain behind while returning her to Avalon, Sophia is heartbroken and declares her resolution not to leave him; however, Aulfric convinces her to go through with the ritual. As Sophia leads Arthur into the lake, Merlin runs desperately through the woods, and Aulfric begins an incantation. Sophia kisses Arthur and pushes him under just as Merlin arrives on the scene; using magic to summon Sophia's magical staff, abandoned on the shore, Merlin employs its powers to kill both Aulfric and his daughter. Merlin then plunges into the lake after Arthur; initially unable to find him, Merlin dives, eventually bring the prince to the surface.
Later, in Camelot, Arthur awakens with a headache and only vague memories of his time with Sophia; Gaius and Merlin tell him a toned-down version of the story in which Merlin had to follow Arthur and knock him out in order to keep him from eloping with a pretty girl. Humiliated, Arthur orders them never to speak of the affair to anyone. Later, after an attempt to explain the situation to Uther, Merlin takes yet a third stint in the stocks on Arthur's behalf.
Some days later, Morgana comes to see Gaius in regard to her nightmares; he gives her a stronger medicine and, after she leaves, tells Merlin that she must never find out the truth about her seer abilities, as Uther would persecute her for witchcraft. Merlin is glad to learn that there is another person who has involuntary magical powers like himself, but Gaius tells him to hope for Morgana's sake that she does not. However, that night she awakens in terror, apparently from another prophetic dream.
One remarkable aspect of this episode is its success pulling off the centric "love potion" storyline while entirely averting the romantic comedy/series-of-wacky-misunderstandings atmosphere which typically pervades portrayals of such devices. While Sophia and her father choose a faux-romantic angle as their best chance of getting to Arthur, the entire storyline remains both sinister and wholly unromanticized. Arthur's brainwashed, demonic appearance while enchanted by Sophia is a far cry from the stereotypically goofy, exaggeratedly affectionate demeanor generally employed in similar fictional situations.
This episode also shows us Morgana, understandably terrified, facing for the first time the implications of possessing magical abilities, however involuntarily. As soon as the thought "I am performing magic" formulated itself in her brain, however vague, however repressed it was, her life would have been irreversibly altered. From that moment forward she would have to live with the certain knowledge that her guardian, the man entrusted with her livelihood and protection, would kill her without hesitation if he became aware of who she truly was. Of all burdens to live under, that must be one of the worst; and from that moment, perhaps, her ultimate fate was sealed.
Complaints:
- The continuity/editing towards the end of the episode is very slipshod. Aulfric knocks Merlin out in Arthur's chambers in the middle of the day; Aulfric, Sophia, and Arthur appear to leave Camelot and journey through the woods in the early evening. Merlin is revived and saves Arthur at the lake in broad daylight, presumably that of the next morning. A very odd timeline for a journey which appeared to take no time at all when Merlin followed Aulfric to the lake earlier in the story.
Thoughts:
- Merlin's dedication to Arthur really shines through in the episode, in everything from small day-to-day happenings to large, life-changing events. And, once again, Arthur doesn't come close to understanding exactly how much Merlin risked for him.
- Very subtle, classy slow-motion effects in the shots where Merlin slows down time in order to view the Sedhe.
- The scene in which Sophia leads Arthur into the lake: gorgeous and very obviously inspired by centuries of Arthurian art, particularly in the style of Edmund Leighton. For the sake of comparison:
Notice, in particular, the similarities in color and costuming:
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