This doesn’t work, but Morgause is set up as another big bad for the team to deal with. Morgause goes so far as to create an illusion of Arthur’s mother, Igraine, in a bid to convince Arthur to kill Uther and thus destroy Camelot from the inside. Mordred swears revenge for the death of his village, and another piece of the story is set into motion.Ĭamelot is repeatedly threatened yet again, but the new terrors include an overzealous witchfinder, a woman who turns into a beast at midnight and Morgana’s half-sister Morgause. Needless to say, this doesn’t go over very well. She tries to go live with the druids and learn more about her powers, but poor misguided Arthur ends up killing all the druids because he believed they kidnapped Morgana. Morgana meanwhile is increasingly troubled by her dreams through this season. Arthur of course admits his feelings for Gwen (to Merlin, not to her) and when Lancelot realizes this he skidoos out of there and leaves Gwen hurt by his sudden departure.
Arthur and Merlin come to rescue Gwen, but in the course of this series of events we witness Lancelot and Gwen growing closer romantically. This particular episode showcases the Arthur-Guinevere-Lancelot love triangle, as Gwen is held captive because she’s mistaken for Morgana. As a result of this change in standing, Gwen is at one point left at the mercy of an outlaw because Uther refuses to mount a rescue or pay a ransom for a “mere servant.” Oh yeah, Gwen’s a servant in this version of the story. Specifically, Arthur and Gwen become closer as a couple despite their disparity in social station. Camelot is saved in the short term as a result of this deal, but this is a devil’s bargain that will come due soon enough.Īlso through the course of this season, we get to see relationships deepen between the major characters. In order to save the kingdom, Merlin makes a deal with the Great Dragon that he’ll one day release the beast. The second season opens with a thief stealing a gem that contains the soul of a wicked sorcerer. Again, all in a day’s work, huh? ‘Merlin’ Season Two Review: In the season finale, Merlin saves his mother, Gaius, and Arthur while also vanquishing the sorceress Nimueh and making an enemy of the Great Dragon chained beneath Camelot. Merlin also begins to come to terms with his powers in the first season, while up against challenges from the Old Religion and the other powers that want to destroy both he and Arthur. And lastly Lancelot, who is typically Arthur’s closest friend on the Knights of the Round Table, is a commoner himself in this series. For the non-Arthuriana fans, Mordred was traditionally the son of Arthur and his sister Morgana. Lastly, Mordred is introduced as the apprentice of a druid. Morgana begins the series as a good character troubled by terrible dreams, and in fact warns Arthur a few times because of these. Guinevere is a servant girl in Camelot for one, and her attraction to Arthur is kind of a no-no because of their differences in class. Some differences are stark from the legends and this show well, besides seeing Merlin as a young man and Arthur not being a stable boy needing to pull a sword from a stone.
The character relationships make for some fascinating interplay, despite the fact I can’t watch Anthony Stewart Head (who plays King Uther Pendragon) without picturing him as Rupert Giles from ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’. This season concerns itself primarily with the themes of life and death, as well as taking the time to introduce new versions of characters from Arthurian legend.
However various other foes flit in and out of Camelot, including Knight Valiant with his magical shield, the raider Kanan, and a Questing Beast born of a long-dead king’s nightmares. The primary antagonist through this season is an exiled sorceress known as Nimueh. Within his first few days in Camelot, he saves a manservant from heir-to-the-throne Prince Arthur Pendragon, meets the Great Dragon and is informed of a great destiny facing him. Upon arrival he witnesses a man getting executed for using sorcery, which forces our young wizard to tread carefully. Merlin is sent to Camelot by his mother, who wants her talented son to learn how best to control his powers. television this Friday (10 pm Eastern on Syfy), we thought it worthwhile to take a look back at seasons one through three for the viewer who either doesn’t recall what happened to our favorite wizard and his friends, or one who’s just joining the series already in progress. With the premiere of ‘Merlin’ season 4 on U.S.