Merlin S5 | Episode 05.06 reviews
Dan'sMediaDigest: MERLIN, 5.6 [★★✩✩]
[click to read]MERLIN, 5.6 - 'The Dark Tower'
★★✩✩
We're now halfway through series 5 and "The Dark Tower" lost points for leaning so heavily on a storyline the fantasy genre (but more importantly this show) has tackled many times before. It's true that variations on slaying beasts, rescuing damsels, and going on quests for magical antiquities can't really be avoided in shows of this nature, but I always hope for fresh twists on old ideas. Instead, you tend to find that Merlin embraces all the obvious clichés and hopes doing them well is enough for audiences to forgive the lack of core creativity.
Queen Gwen (Angel Coulby) is kidnapped by Morgana (Katie McGrath) in the teaser, finding herself shackled inside the notorious Dark Tower-a place Arthur (Bradley James) later informs everyone is something of a ghost story every young knight is told, although the knights he imparts this information to don't seem to have heard the tales. Regardless, Arthur and his knights are joined by Merlin (Colin Bradley) on a dangerous mission to rescue the Queen from Morgana's clutches, but find it particularly hard going when they encounter the Impenetrable Forest-which plays games with their sense of direction. Games of another kind are being played on Gwen meanwhile, who discovers the Dark Tower is so-called because it messes with your mind. Disembodied screams, things dripping an oily substance from the ceiling, luminous phantoms of her friends toying with her emotions... it all becomes so unbearable that Gwen starts losing her marbles, and is particularly confused when Morgana appears to be the only person sympathising with her plight.
"The Dark Tower" was a great execution of tired ideas. It wasn't breaking new ground in the slightest, but series 5's given Merlin such an almighty boost in terms of production values it was nevertheless very enjoyable to watch. The scares Gwen encountered were rather distressing for a "family show" (although it's getting difficult to label Merlin with that tag, because I wouldn't show this episode to a child under eight), and I particularly loved the music used throughout this hour.
What didn't work for me was the conclusion of this hour, which offered us two huge developments that didn't really work. The first was the death of Sir Elyan (Adetomiwa Edun) after rescuing his sister from an enchanted sword, only to suffer a lethal blow. A potentially stirring moment, but one that utterly flopped because Merlin's done a very poor job developing Elyan's character (I'd almost forgotten he was part of the show), and an even worse job reminding us that he's actually Gwen's brother (this episode was even forced to open with a blunt reminder of that fact with Gwen and Elyan at their father's grave). Consequently, the death of Sir Elyan slipped by without managing to push the desire emotional buttons. A shame, but the writers only have themselves to blame-because the only knight who's been given any worthwhile writing is Sir Gwaine (Eoin Macken).
The second misstep was the big twist of the episode, with the rescued Gwen revealed to have been successfully brainwashed by Morgana into now helping her destroy Arthur. The idea's sound in theory, but it was frankly ridiculous for this massive change in Gwen's character/principles to occur in the space of just one episode. I don't expect Homeland levels of complexity with a storyline of this type on a show like Merlin, but absolutely nothing about it rang true to me. I can believe Morgana caused a psychological crack in Gwen after days of prolonged exposure to a haunted chamber, but to suddenly despise Arthur so much that she's going to help Morgana ruin her husband? Sorry, but no. Why would Gwen suddenly hate her husband and Camelot? What argument is there to convince her that Morgana's the wronged party? Why would she want to assist Morgana after everything she's done over the years? She was responsible for the death of her own brother just hours ago!
Unfortunately, while I can see the dramatic merit of putting Gwen in league with Morgana, it just wasn't plausible in the slightest. Maybe if there were a few genuine reasons for Gwen to dislike Arthur and his ideals, which Morgana could have seized upon and exploited with a clever argument, this whole idea may have worked brilliantly, but there wasn't. I'm sure many people won't care and will happily go along with this change, but if Merlin wants to be treated with greater respect the writing needs to get a lot smarter.
DenOfGeek: Merlin series 5 episode 6 review
[click to read]Merlin series 5 episode 6 review: The Dark Tower
The Dark Tower was an episode with huge potential and great performances, despite feeling a little rushed. Here's Dave's review...
This review contains spoilers.
5.6 The Dark Tower
Remember how Sir Elyan and Gwen are brother and sister? I know, it's an easy fact to forget as it's so rarely mentioned. We're given a quick reminder here as the pair mourn their father, returning to his grave and sharing their thoughts.
Of course, this momentary break from Camelot gives Morgana the perfect opportunity to return and kidnap the Queen, whilst her magical snakes leave Percival and Leon poisoned by dark magic. Furious that Gwen has been kidnapped, Arthur sets out to rescue her, with Merlin and the knights at his side (including the recently recovered Percival and Leon who return to active duty with nary a thought for the dark magic-induced illness that Gaius has diagnosed).
Morgana, meanwhile, plans to use Gwen as bait in her trap... a trap that takes them all to The Dark Tower, an ominous-sounding place that haunts the dreams of men. It's renowned amongst the knights of old as a dangerous place the very name of which can bring doom upon an army. This isn't going to be a history lesson for Gwen however, as she finds herself trapped in a room encountering visions and strange noises that slowly erode her sanity. It's all part of Morgana's most nefarious plot yet, and she's being as sweet as apple pie to Gwen.
Their quest to the tower takes the knights through an overgrown forest, bringing its own challenges as they realise they've been travelling in a circle, robbing Arthur of his hope. Merlin, however, is confident that they will succeed and encounters Queen Mab, ruler of the forest. She provides Merlin with a way out and warns him of what is to come, giving the wizard renewed vigour as he guides the party from danger with his newly-discovered magical GPS.
As Arthur storms to the rescue and Gwen becomes more fragile, Morgana enacts her cruellest trick - extending the hand of friendship to the Queen and robbing Arthur of one of his closest friends.
The Dark Tower is the first episode of series five that feels a tad disappointing. It's not a bad instalment and has strong ideas that develop Morgana and Gwen's characters, but suffers from a rushed ending. Considering the loss of a knight and the kidnapping of Gwen, you'd think Arthur would want to confront Morgana, destroy the tower or commit some other act of masculinity - however, we get nothing of the sort; Gwen is found, a body is burned and we get a rather chilling ending. It feels like there's something missing from this narrative.
Allowing the cold-hearted Morgana and the helpless yet determined Gwen to share screen time gives Katie McGrath and Angel Coulby to shine. When Gwen reveals her torment, there's a tender moment between Coulby and McGrath with a shard of emotion from the former and coldness from the latter. McGrath really does paint Morgana as a spurned would-be Queen, robbed of her rightful position whilst Coulby performs well as the damsel-in-distress, particularly shining when she gets to deliver actual dialogue instead of look fearful.
Arthur's singleminded dedication plays a strong part in this story, as it has in all episodes of series five so far. His love of Gwen and faith in his knights drive Bradley James' mature performance, whilst he still maintains the petulant edge, allowing Colin Morgan's Merlin to step forward as the voice of reason, refocusing Arthur's mind and carrying the story forward once again.
The Dark Tower itself, with its winding staircase, traps, litter of skeletons and detritus of fallen knights, is like something from Hammer Horror, whilst the traps themselves will be familiar to anyone who has seen a dungeon in a film before. It's an interesting, if somewhat unoriginal premise, that feels underdeveloped, mainly as we get to see so little of it.
It's a story with huge potential and some wonderful performances, though there's not enough time to tell the tale effectively which robs it of some of its drama, especially in the final act. It does, however, change Gwen's trajectory as Morgana's dark magic takes hold, and - as has been the case with all the episodes of series five thus far - gives us a tantalising taste of what is to come.
DigitalSpy: 'Merlin': 05.06 review [★★★★★]
[click to read]'Merlin': 'The Dark Tower' review
The death of Gwen's father - not to mention her familial bond with Elyan - is rarely addressed on Merlin, so imagine our relief when 'The Dark Tower' opened by highlighting both, with Angel Coulby and Adetomiwa Edun actually engaging in a meaningful dialogue.
It's not a fleeting moment either - this episode is a fine showcase for both Coulby and Edun, with the latter arguably getting more to do than in any episode since his series three debut.
'The Dark Tower' begins with Morgana (Katie McGrath) ambushing Gwen, her brother and his fellow knights with some magic snakes - not her most daring plot, or the show's best effects work, it has to be said. Thankfully it's just a blip - elsewhere this week, the CGI is up to Merlin's usual high standards, especially the epic exterior of the Dark Tower.
Upon learning that his lady love has been snatched, Arthur (Bradley James) leaps into action, with Merlin (Colin Morgan) providing moral support - and how great was that moment early on with their handshake? A rare moment of the King treating his servant as a true equal.
Meanwhile, evil Morgana's busy sassing her way through her latest fiendish scheme - a trap for Arthur, with Gwen as the bait. This may all feel a little familiar, but there's a twist to the witch's latest dose of villainy - it involves the Dark Tower, a foreboding residence where Gwen is kept captive...
The tower is full of things that go bump in the night - you can imagine any younger viewers jumping out of their skin at certain points this week. We hear a lot about how much "darker" Merlin has become series by series, and this week it becomes clear that the show becoming more adult doesn't just apply to emotional maturity...
Clearly those behind the show are now willing to engage in some proper psychological scares and grotesquery too! Angel Coulby's terrific as Gwen suffers something of a nervous collapse, broken down by Morgana's cruel trickery...
Leon and Percival's dark dreams eventually lead Arthur and his men to the equally dark tower - which unfortunately lies beyond an impenetrable forest, called the Impenetrable Forest. No, really.
Merlin ultimately uses his magic to lead Arthur and company out of the woods - too often our hero's great abilities are reduced to 'the power to throw an enemy against a wall', so our his Thundercats-esque 'sight beyond sight' glimpsed here is a fun and novel invention.
The episode culminates in an Indiana Jones-style incursion into the Dark Tower and, in the final scenes, the surprise death of Elyan. He was always one of Arthur's less well-utilised knights, but writing the character out - even in such a noble fashion - is still a bold move. Credit to the Merlin writers and again to Adetomiwa Edun - it's his best performance in the role by a mile.
It's just a shame that Elyan's departure was signposted - the brief appearance of flirty imp Queen Mab was a rather random addition to the episode, and imagine how much more shocking his exit would have been if we hadn't been expecting one of Arthur's knights to depart this mortal coil.
But we'll forgive this episode any slip-ups for that genuinely surprising final twist - Morgana's scheme has worked and Gwen has turned to the dark side. It's a game-changer for sure, though whether or not she's really lost it, or is just the subject of dark magic, remains to be seen - we're betting the latter.
Darker than Merlin's ever dared to be before, 'The Dark Tower' provides something different than the usual derring-do - this show often comes under fire for continuing to exploit an already well-trodden formula, but this week Merlin heads out of its comfort zone a little, with terrific results.
★★★★★
DorkAdore: Merlin: 05.06 - Dork Review
[click to read]Merlin: The Dark Tower - Dork Review
This week, Merlin chills out with Stephen King’s Dark Tower novels for the entire length of the episode, whilst Arthur comically blunders about the place, wondering where his servant has gone. Hijinks ensue. Neither Morgana nor Mordred appear.
Obviously, that (mostly) isn’t true. But what does happen? Is it… heartbreaking? Well, watch the episode on iPlayer first, there will be spoilers.
If A Knight Falls This Badly, Does Anyone Care?
The bulk of The Dark Tower sees Gwen kidnapped by Morgana, after the Knights of the Round Table did a particularly crappy bodyguarding job. So off they plod to rescue her. Meanwhile, Gwen herself is undergoing the kind of psychological torture that certainly had me begging for it to stop.
The Knights are brave, Merlin is helpful, at one point a wood sprite tells him someone will die, and you know it must be Elyan, simply because he had one emotional scene earlier. Weirdly, even though it’s his final week, Elyan doesn’t get a final moment or heroic sacrifice. Gaius tries to tell us the enchanted sword would’ve got Arthur if Elyan hadn’t fought it, but I’m sure Merlin would’ve saved him.
This is one of those moments where a long-running but ultimately blank character dies and you struggle to care. At this point, even Leon and Percival had more exposure this series than Elyan, even though he had a much bigger introduction. Mordred… is off doing his hair somewhere?
Gwen Is The Weakest Link?
And then we get to the ending, where Gwen is revealed to be a traitor, her will apparently broken by the Tesco Value Mental Torture earlier. If they later announce Morgana is using mind control, or has replaced her with a Fake Gwen, this will retrospectively seem better.
Right now, though, we are being encouraged to think Gwen has genuinely “turned”, and after all the years building her up as good, strong and clever, it seems odd that she’d fold after a couple of days locked in a room with guffawing illusions. Not to mention: another smirking traitor in Camelot? Do they have no other ideas? And how much does Merlin want to be Homeland at the moment?
Regardless of the cause, there is fun potential in Evil Gwen for future weeks. But this particular episode didn’t really work for me at all, I’m afraid. Hollow death scene, nonsensical twist at the end, not even many fun character moments along the way to distract me. We’ll try again next week.
FilmThrasher: FTTV Reviews...Merlin 5.06
[click to read]FTTV Reviews...Merlin 5.06 "The Dark Tower"
After weeks of standing on the sidelines, Angel Coulby is finally let out of the castle and given meatier stories to tell. The episode that many were anxiously anticipating, while others were simply not, is finally here and there is so much to be said about it.
This week welcomes back the villainous Morgana and gives us the first time Katie McGrath and Angel Coulby share any real scenes together since the third season of this series. Remember, last season they only shared one moment in the finale and it was over quicker than it began. So, the girls of Camelot take center stage in this eerie Rapunzel-esque episode. "The Dark Tower" is definitely their darkest episode in the series.
After kidnapping the Queen while she and the knights are on the way back from her Pilgrimage to her father's unmarked grave with Elyan, Morgana takes her to the fabled Dark Tower. It is where legends say that men have gone to meet their doom.
When the knights return back to Camelot with an injured Leon and Percival but sans Guinevere, Arthur goes into full pout mode and sets out to save her. I really like how the series clearly shows that the most important person in Arthur's life is his wife. At first, he thinks she just fled when the horses were attacked by snakes, but it doesn't make him any less worried. Then, Gaius and Merlin realize there is sorcery involved and that puts Arthur on a mission. He knows its a trap but that doesn't mean he isn't going anyway.
The Mandrake root is back and Morgana uses it more cruelly than she did with Uther back in season 3. Locking Gwen in a dark room with mandrake hung all over the ceiling like evil mistletoe, she drives the Queen to madness. This is one of those episodes where you can tell the cast had a lot of fun acting out. Especially Angel. She really does deserve all the recognition for this episode. She shined brightest from everyone.
But don't count the boys out just yet. Bradley James, who has been the strongest actor all season, continues to shine as the legendary King Arthur. In this episode, the Warrior king is on a mission to save his beloved; so he's not exactly thinking clearly. He wants to ride through the night, even if it is too dark to see any trail. And when he realizes they've wasted a day, his anger gets the better of him. It's up to Merlin to hand-hold the knights and keep his king level headed. But this is a dark episode. And there is a warning by the Sidhe fairy Queen Mab (Kelly Wenham) of the legends that Merlin should have taken more seriously.
One of them will not make it out alive but the question is who? Arthur and the knights finally make it to the Dark Tower but this place is sinister...and full of booby traps. Elyan, who has blamed himself for Gwen's predicament the entire time, goes on without his fellow knights to save his sister. It's there that a battle involving an enchanted sword brings us to the biggest shock of the night.
The death of the Queen's brother is a sad affair. Adetomiwa Edun finally gets to shine as both the fallen hero and the brother that Gwen never had around in earlier seasons. Even while he was around, we rarely got to see him with his sister. The moment of his death is probably Angel Coulby's crowning moment as an actress. The subtly of the scene is brilliant. Bradley James only enhances it when Arthur can't bring himself to console his wife.
Of course, this leads to the cliffhanger that will take us into darker future episodes. Something happened to the Queen in that tower. Something came back with them that isn't entirely the Gwen we know. It looks like one of Morgana's schemes finally might work. She's hitting Camelot from the inside and for once her ally is someone no one would suspect. Or will they?
GeekSyndicate: TV REVIEW: Merlin Series 5, Episode 6 [4/5]
[click to read]TV REVIEW: Merlin Series 5, Episode 6 - The Dark Tower
After last week’s divisive episode “The Disir”, it’s back to the questing and saving damsels-in-distress! The episode goes back and forth between Arthur and his merry band to Morgana and Gwen “re-connecting” at the Tower. The focus is on the ladies and it’s about time! The pair have been either missing or barely present in the first five episodes of the series - both Katie McGrath and Angel Coulby are absolutely fantastic and I’m glad they’re finally getting a chance to shine.
Morgana’s up to her old tricks again - she kidnaps Gwen and takes her to the Dark Tower - a place which plays mind games with its “guests”. Merlin, Arthur and the Knights embark on a quest through an Alice in Wonderland-esque landscape riddled with hidden dangers, perilous obstacles and magical beings. I haven’t read a lot of Stephen King, but when I saw the title of this episode, I did a little research and this episode is paying homage to King’s knightly gunslinger and the quest to find The Dark Tower.
Gwen and Elyan leave the castle to lay flowers at their father’s grave. With the knights all accompanying the Queen back to the castle, there’s some great good-natured ribbing between Gwen and the rest of the knights. It was nice to see how she gets on with them without Arthur around in her new-to-us role. Everyone teases Elyan and Gwaine about people they might be in love with but never say anything outright. Maybe a hint to future story lines as it’s the first time any potential partners have been mentioned.
But they’re not alone - Morgana spies the perfect opportunity to hatch her latest sneaky plot and watches them from the trees like a snake in the grass then speaks a spell to create…snakes in the grass (see what they did there?) to scare the knight’s horses into bucking them off. Leon and Percival are bitten and in the mêlée Gwen gets separated, dragged off her horse by Morgana.
The knights carrying the unconscious, snakebitten knights and no one wants to tell Arthur that they lost his wife. Soon enough, it stumbles out bit by bit and Arthur immediately storms out with Merlin running after him (what else is new?) that they’ll ride at dawn. The snakebites should have killed Leon and Percival - Gaius points out the obvious in that they’re magical and it’s all Morgana’s fault. There’s a nice scene between Arthur and Merlin when the latter checks in to see how his friend is doing, reassuring him that they will bring Gwen home and the former letting his guard down enough to show he needs the support.
When Gwen rouses, she’s not happy to see her old mistress of course. There’s a lot of cackling and defiance as they make their way to the Tower with the knights hot on their trail - to a point. Everyone knows that everyone else knows it’s a trap for Arthur but exactly what kind remains to be seen.
In the Tower, Morgana begins her plan - telling Gwen to “sleep well” in the pitch dark room. Fat chance of that happening, especially when the screaming starts. Phase 1 of “Break Gwen” has begun! Black goo drips onto Gwen and we see silhouettes of roots - these are the same mandrake roots spelled to drive Uther insane in last series’ premiere. The use of screams and shadows ia pretty intense ensuring Gwen is throughly tortured throughly.
Throughout her time there, she sees creepy visions of Elyan, Arthur and Merlin maniacally laughing at her and jumping out from behind pillars to scare her. We start to see what Morgana’s really trying to do; it’s classic Stockholm Syndrome. She wants Gwen to mistake a lack of abuse from the witch for an act of kindness so eventually, she’ll trust only Morgana and do her bidding.
As night goes on Leon & Percy wake up shouting from the same nightmare - talking about the Tower’s darkness and these are really visions planted by Morgana to lead them straight to her. However, Arthur is at a loss when figures out that he’s been leading them in circles in the forest. At nightfall, Merlin sees and hears something in the brush. He happens upon Queen Mab, the Spirit of Despair in men’s hearts. She reminds me of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland - speaking in riddles & rhymes but does state that one of their group will not come back alive.
When Merlin states that he can get them to the Tower, they all look on with skepticism however when he tells them the right direction they go with it. What I really enjoyed about this episode is not only Arthur acknowledging and listening to Merlin, but the knights as well. He is finally being respected for his thoughts and this is the Merlin I want to see more of. Finally getting inside the Tower, Merlin says something’s wrong - that it’s too easy. Arthur might normally agree but he’s too frustrated that they’re not getting to Gwen fast enough.
With more classic scare tactics (screams & skeletons), they make it to a booby-trapped room with pressurized flagstones causing arrows to release from the walls - very Indiana Jones. One gets Percy in the leg and they devise a way to make it through using objects to find a safe path. However, Elyan is ahead of the pack and due to feeling guilty, runs ahead despite Arthur yelling objections.
Opening the door in the tower a magical sword is hovering in the air that will defend Gwen to the death. We know who it’ll be that doesn’t return at this point. It stabs him in the chest but he continues to fight and tricks it into going out the window. Falling into Gwen’s arms, he dies just as the others arrive too late. Arthur falls to his knees by Elyan’s body and the others look on in horror.
In the same tradition as Freya and Lancelot, Elyan is given a ship burial set on fire. In the back, Merlin tells Gaius about Queen Mab’s prophecy and they think the sword was meant for Arthur. But with Gwen looking on blankly, I think Elyan was exactly who the target was. His death was the final piece to Morgana’s brainwashing. This is confirmed when the Queen sneaks out of the castle leaving a sleeping Arthur in bed. She hugs Morgana and repeating the words “You’re the only one I can trust.”
Even though the story was fairly simple and easy to figure out, this has thrown an interesting curve in the show’s plot thus far. I’m looking forward to how Gwen’s second betrayal plays out in later episodes. What did you think?
Rating: 4/5
InsideMediaTrack: ‘Merlin’ 5.6: ‘The Dark Tower’
[click to read]‘Merlin’ 5.6: ‘The Dark Tower’ review
The game-changing episode
Spoilers are included in this review, don’t read ahead if you haven’t seen episode 6 or would prefer not to know.
Finally Angel Coulby’s Gwen gets let out of Camelot this week and in doing so not only does she get herself captured, but she becomes a force Arthur nor Merlin (or the audience) had anticipated.
During a trip to her father’s grave with Elyan (remember he’s her brother?) with the Knights in tow, Morgana senses her chance to capture the Queen by magically creating snakes in the grass (see what she did there?) to spook the Knights horses. Eylan tells Gwen to go and save herself which puts her right where Morgana wants her for capture, who she then proceeds to drag to the titular Dark Tower.
Whilst captive, Gwen is subjected to visions of those she loves and trusts as frightening mocking versions of themselves; as the mandrake roots that hang above her play on her fears and terrify her in the dark. Morgana has learnt she must play the long game and fluctuates between the devious captor - to the kindly once-friend whose trying to save Gwen from the horrors and loneliness; Or as she reveals the darkness of her own capture, which I’m sure will be revisited again in some way in future episodes.
As soon as Arthur learns of what’s happened he rides to rescue his Queen with the Knights and Merlin, but Arthur struggles to lead his Knights while fraught with worry about Gwen and the thought of losing her again, leaving Merlin to guide the way with a little help from Queen Mab; a creature in the forest who warns Merlin one of the Knights will not return. (OK be honest: who started to think which Knight they’d be happy to see the back of? And who they DEFINITELY better not kill off; I’ll admit I chose Elylan to die and Percival to definitely stay - well he is the eye candy!)
Although tonight’s episode was Gwen and Elyan’s episode it was a good ensemble episode that gave each a chance to shine: Colin Morgan‘s Merlin got to not only be trusted to lead the group but to show how grown-up he has become; whereas Bradley James was heartfelt in his portrayal of the emotionally off balanced King, plus his brotherly conversation with Elyan was well played. It’s a shame Arthur hasn’t been given much chance to interact on a personal level with the other characters other than Merlin.
And then of course we have the other surprise: Elyan’s death at the hands of Morgana’s enchanted sword. A fitting end, although I can’t say the characters death resonated too much mainly due to Elyan’s lack of dialogue through the series. But the main plaudit has to go to Angel Coulby who finally got to stretch her acting wings to shine in both the fear and despair of her capture, and the shock plot twist as Morgana’s inside woman who intends to bring the Kingdom down from within. I literally screamed NOOOO! when she met with Morgana in the woods.
However I’m convinced Gwen is not herself and all will be righted! Right? Otherwise why would Gwen help not only her captor, but the cause of her brother’s death? Methinks magic is involved. Otherwise I shall be shouting LOUDLY!
SciFiPulse: In Review: Merlin - 05.06 [5/5]
[click to read]In Review: Merlin - The Dark Tower
Synopsis: Arthur has to rescue Gwen after she is snatched from Camelot without warning.
Review: This latest episode of Merlin is show piece for the acting talents of Angel Coulby, who plays terrified and scared throughout most of her moments in the episode.
In short when Morgana abducts Gwen and locks her in the Dark Tower Merlin and Arthur and the Knights set out on a perilous mission to rescue their Queen.
There are some really nice moments as the Knights search for the Dark Tower and we also get introduced to Mab, who pretty much tells Merlin that one of them is going to die. A prophecy, which does come true by the close of the episode.
But the real star turn here are the scenes that Angel Coulby shares with Katie McGrath as Gwen and Morgana. It’s a case of Morgana has shut Gwen in the Dark Tower to break her down and make her more agreeable and malleable for her to be used as a tool to help with her revenge on Arthur. And the scenes between these two brilliant actresses really make for some truly compelling television, but my money is still on Morgana because I always like a bad girl.
By the close of this episode we are left with much anticipation for how things will play out next week. It’s not a self contained story this week, but it hasn’t really been marketed as a two part episode either. If I were to say that the stakes have gotten a lot higher due to this episode it would it would be a massive understatement.
Score 5/5
SFX: Merlin 5.06 REVIEW [★★★★✩ (4½/5)]
[click to read]Merlin 5.06 “The Dark Tower” REVIEW
Merlin 5.06 “The Dark Tower” TV REVIEW [lots of spoilers right from the start!]
★★★★✩ (4½/5)
5.06 “The Dark Tower”
Writer: Julian Jones
Director: Ashley Way
THE ONE WHERE Morgana kidnaps and psychologically tortures Guinevere and then - gasp - kills Elyan when the knights come to save her.
VERDICT Of all the Merlin episodes we’ve seen, this has the most fairytale-like ambience. The damsel in the tower, the impenetrable forest of thorns, the fairy guide, the enchanted sword… and at the centre of it all, Morgana, doing her pantomime witch act. Of course, like all good childhood yarns it’s properly dark in places, and Sir Elyan is on the receiving end of the series’ first big character death.
There’s a sort of fairytale justice in how he gives his life to save the sister he failed to protect, but I’m sorry to see Sir Elyan go. Actor Adetomiwa Edun felt occasionally underused but when he did lead an episode - last season’s “A Herald Of The New Age” for instance - he excelled. Sir Elyan gets arguably the best sword fight of the series so far and makes the ultimate sacrifice in order to save the Queen, a noble death and a sign - along with Gwen’s brainwashing - that this episode marks a welcome shake-up at court. Still, I’m a little disappointed that the showrunners fell into the horror story cliché of killing their only black knight.
It’s a shame that Gwen is turned to the dark side just as she was getting a meatier role to play at Camelot. She’s had an understated but important role at court this series so far, clearly growing into a position of leadership and basically running the kingdom when Arthur is absent. Her advice to Arthur over the previous few episodes has been insightful, but despite spending this episode bravely trying to resist Morgana she’s essentially become simply a pawn in the anti-Camelot game. And it’s another example of Gwen being tricked and hounded by magic into betraying her husband - remember the whole Lancelot debacle last year? Let’s hope that this new role as indoctrinated turncoat gives Angel Coulby some fun things to do. She acts fantastically well in this episode; I’m thinking of the moving scene of Elyan’s death particularly.
Although there’s no sign of Aithusa the baby dragon, Mordred, the glowing blue Gollum creature, the druids or any of the other characters we’ve come to associate with the main Morgana arc, this is an episode about her and her schemes. We learn a little more about what Morgana went through in that briefly-glimpsed pit - “at least you’re not shackled, there’s daylight, you can move” she says of Gwen’s condition, claiming that she spent two years chained to a wall. That’s enough to turn anybody bonkers. Well, that and the dragon poo that must have been up to her knees. She is resorting to increasingly elaborate, Bond villain-style attempts to try and steal Arthur’s throne, though. Why not just kidnap the king himself?
As for the relationship between Merlin and Arthur, we see it getting more and more equal all the time, with Merlin growing into the role of friend and advisor. They grip arms, shaking hands like warriors, as Merlin promises, “We’re not going to lose her, we’ll bring her home I swear.” The knights realise how much Arthur relies on Merlin’s help; there’s no argument when Merlin tells them “I’ll talk to him!” when the king needs persuading to take a break. And it’s Merlin who, on a couple of occasions, decides that the pursuit has to stop for the night. Since when did servants get to order knights to make camp? Merlin is clearly no longer just the boy who fetches their dinner.
It’s been stated often that Merlin has got darker as the characters have grown up, but I had a genuine feeling watching “The Dark Tower” that it’s the kind of episode that would have terrified me as a child. Gwen’s ghostly visions of her absent friends; the sudden, piercing screams in the tower room; the snake bites on two of the knights and their subsequent bad dreams; Morgana’s memories of being confined and tortured; a valley of corpses in the desert; the confusing, misleading forest and its malevolent, riddle-spouting fairy; a major character’s death at the hands of an invisible swordfighter - all things that make for an unsettling 43 minutes. Older viewers expecting Saturday evening fun in the Doctor Who slot should probably watch through first before deciding whether to share it with their kids.
INFLUENCES Of course the classic fairy stories play into this and anybody who’s seen Sleeping Beauty recognises the dark forest. But is there also a whiff of Indiana Jones here? The skeleton caught in a wall trap, then a room with pressure pads launching arrows from the walls?
NEW MAGIC Hoorah! We see a different spell this week: Merlin’s sorcerer’s eyes let him see ahead and help him navigate the forest.
LMAO Gwaine’s quite the joker this week. Twice he broke the tension with his throwaway banter. I’m loving his sleeping fantasies: “I was having a dream about eating a cheese that tasted of apple pie. Anybody else have that dream? You’re all missing out.” But then this summed up their approach to the Tower:
Gwaine: “How do we get there?”
Arthur: “Through the impenetrable forest!”
Gwaine: “But… it’s impenetrable.”
QUEEN MAB The feisty fairy is first mentioned in Shakespeare’s Romeo And Juliet (Mercutio talks about her in Act I, Scene IV):
“O, then, I see Queen Mab hath been with you.
She is the fairies’ midwife, and she comes
In shape no bigger than an agate-stone…”
After Shakespeare, she was picked up by loads of authors - Jane Austen names Willoughby’s horse after her in Sense And Sensibility, the first chapter of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick is named after her. Modern fantasy authors Mike Carey and Jim Butcher have both used the character of Queen Mab and, of course, there’s a Queen Mab in season four of True Blood (played by Rebecca Wisocky). Queen Mab has a previous Arthurian connection too - in the TV mini-series Merlin (in which Sam Neill played the wizard), Mab was the main villain, the evil twin sister of the Lady of the Lake.
IT’S WOSSERNAME The fairy Queen Mab is played by young actress Kelly Wenham. She spent three years in ITV’s Where The Heart Is and you’ve seen her briefly in Life On Mars and Dead Set.
SLASH BAIT No Mordred at all, and the relationship between Arthur and Merlin felt cool but respectful - slash writers of the world can try and do something with the pair gripping arms in friendship but it felt noble and a symbol of Merlin’s growing authority rather than anything else. Instead, how about Arthur leading Elyan to the campfire with his arm around his shoulders?
CHEKHOV’S GUN What was the point of Percival showing us his blister in the desert? The action paused for him to do it so you assume it’s going to have some relevance later but, nope, it was just a spurious detail. Anton Chekhov’s rule for writers: “If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don’t put it there.”
THE LEGEND People today tend to know the title “The Dark Tower” from Stephen King’s fantasy series, but he was inspired by a poem by Robert Browning which in turn was inspired by a line from the end of Shakespeare’s King Lear, “Child Rowland to the dark tower came.” And ol’ Shakey was inspired by a traditional fairytale which comes, ultimately, from an Arthurian romance, so it’s a nice big loop back to Merlin. Stephen King actually has a character called Maerlyn in his series. In the original fairytale, princess Burd Ellen is playing ball near a church when she finds herself transported to the Dark Tower ruled by the king of Elfland. Merlin tells her brother Rowland how to fetch her back and warns him about the dangers to be faced on the way.
BEST LINE
Gwen: “I don’t want anything from you!”
Morgana: “There’s my crown…”
TVEquals: Merlin Series 5 Episode 6 Review
[click to read]Merlin Series 5 Review “The Dark Tower” - An Impenetrable Forest and a Burning Boat
It’s hard to review Merlin without referring back to the magic reveal that just will not happen. Week after week we tune in waiting for Merlin to reveal all, allowing himself to use his powers whenever he deems necessary. ‘The Dark Tower’ was one of those episodes where Merlin’s abilities could have changed everything, if he would just use them.
This week saw Morgana kidnap Gwen and imprison her in a tower. She lets Arthur know where Gwen is by means of visions given to an injured Leon and Percival. I’m actually amazed that Merlin bothered to tell Arthur that he and Gaius suspected Morgana - in the past they’ve usually hidden that information with dire results. Character growth? Perhaps.
Then it was onto the actual rescuing. The boys spent a day walking before Leon and Percival had their visions. The second day was spent wandering aimlessly around the Impenetrable Forest. You would imagine that after a few hours, Merlin would say ‘oh, this is ridiculous’ and use one of his numerous abilities to try and guide them and/or cut a path through the forest.
Not so. In fact Merlin waited until he’d spoken to Queen Mab, a fairy (and possibly the most random and pointless guest character to date), before breaking out a shiny new ability to try. When did Merlin discover he had it? Why didn’t he use it the day before? I suggest we ask Gwaine, because he seemed to be the only one with a lick of sense in this episode.
Meanwhile, back at a dark tower - named, rather aptly, The Dark Tower - Morgana locked Gwen in a room full of mandrake root for a couple days. The horrific screaming and visions of her loved ones taunting her sent Gwen a bit mad. (Sidenote: Colin Morgan can roar at me any day, baby.)
Now, I’ve never been locked in a room with mandrake root by my crazy ex-friend, but it seemed to work a little too well, too quickly. I choose to imagine Morgana slipped Gwen a magical mickey to enhance its effects at some point between the final mandrake room scene and the sword room scene. Either that, or one too many slow motion head injuries finally took their toll.
Morgana’s plan is actually pretty ingenious and leads us into the next episode. Morgana’s Stockholm syndrome-d Gwen into believing she’s the only trustworthy person around and that everyone else should be despised. Presumably this is the show’s take on a False Guinevere situation, and it could work really well depending on how it’s resolved. I won’t hold my breath, though. As much as I love parts of series 5, I’m finding it equally as frustrating.
The most frustrating thing for me in this episode, besides Merlin’s lack of a magic reveal, was Elyan’s death. Now I know it was foreshadowed, and probably so obvious that most people were headdesking from the outset of the episode, but I didn’t see it coming until he broke away from the group in the tower. I think it’s because I was more concerned about Gwaine - he had so many awesome lines that I was sure they were building him up for an early exit. The thought of his swooshy hair swooshing no more was almost too much for my little heart, so I’m glad he didn’t die, but I still don’t understand why Elyan did.
Isn’t Elyan’s death counterintuitive? Shouldn’t Gwen blame Morgana for his death instead of Arthur and the boys? I’m no psychologist; I don’t quite get it. From a fan/reviewer point of view, I really don’t see the logic in losing one of the show’s strongest actors. They should have been using Elyan more in this series, not killing him off!
Another thing I was wondering for the entirety of the episode: where was Mordred? He was the beloved up-and-coming knight last week and yet he was nowhere to be seen this week. I wanted to see Mordred reassuring Arthur, being glared at by jealous-and-suspicious Merlin, worrying about his next encounter with angry Morgana. For crying out loud, use your characters, Merlin!
At this point I would really love one utterly irreverent episode. Just 45 minutes of the knights hanging out in a tavern, sans Arthur and Merlin, so we can get their view on everything that’s happened. Because, dear reader, I need to know what the other characters make of events and whether everything that happens makes sense to them, even if doesn’t to us. And perhaps most importantly, I need to hear lines like ‘I dreamt about eating a cheese that tasted of apple pie. Anyone else have that dream? You’re all missing out.’ get the chuckles they deserve.
[click to read]MERLIN, 5.6 - 'The Dark Tower'
★★✩✩
We're now halfway through series 5 and "The Dark Tower" lost points for leaning so heavily on a storyline the fantasy genre (but more importantly this show) has tackled many times before. It's true that variations on slaying beasts, rescuing damsels, and going on quests for magical antiquities can't really be avoided in shows of this nature, but I always hope for fresh twists on old ideas. Instead, you tend to find that Merlin embraces all the obvious clichés and hopes doing them well is enough for audiences to forgive the lack of core creativity.
Queen Gwen (Angel Coulby) is kidnapped by Morgana (Katie McGrath) in the teaser, finding herself shackled inside the notorious Dark Tower-a place Arthur (Bradley James) later informs everyone is something of a ghost story every young knight is told, although the knights he imparts this information to don't seem to have heard the tales. Regardless, Arthur and his knights are joined by Merlin (Colin Bradley) on a dangerous mission to rescue the Queen from Morgana's clutches, but find it particularly hard going when they encounter the Impenetrable Forest-which plays games with their sense of direction. Games of another kind are being played on Gwen meanwhile, who discovers the Dark Tower is so-called because it messes with your mind. Disembodied screams, things dripping an oily substance from the ceiling, luminous phantoms of her friends toying with her emotions... it all becomes so unbearable that Gwen starts losing her marbles, and is particularly confused when Morgana appears to be the only person sympathising with her plight.
"The Dark Tower" was a great execution of tired ideas. It wasn't breaking new ground in the slightest, but series 5's given Merlin such an almighty boost in terms of production values it was nevertheless very enjoyable to watch. The scares Gwen encountered were rather distressing for a "family show" (although it's getting difficult to label Merlin with that tag, because I wouldn't show this episode to a child under eight), and I particularly loved the music used throughout this hour.
What didn't work for me was the conclusion of this hour, which offered us two huge developments that didn't really work. The first was the death of Sir Elyan (Adetomiwa Edun) after rescuing his sister from an enchanted sword, only to suffer a lethal blow. A potentially stirring moment, but one that utterly flopped because Merlin's done a very poor job developing Elyan's character (I'd almost forgotten he was part of the show), and an even worse job reminding us that he's actually Gwen's brother (this episode was even forced to open with a blunt reminder of that fact with Gwen and Elyan at their father's grave). Consequently, the death of Sir Elyan slipped by without managing to push the desire emotional buttons. A shame, but the writers only have themselves to blame-because the only knight who's been given any worthwhile writing is Sir Gwaine (Eoin Macken).
The second misstep was the big twist of the episode, with the rescued Gwen revealed to have been successfully brainwashed by Morgana into now helping her destroy Arthur. The idea's sound in theory, but it was frankly ridiculous for this massive change in Gwen's character/principles to occur in the space of just one episode. I don't expect Homeland levels of complexity with a storyline of this type on a show like Merlin, but absolutely nothing about it rang true to me. I can believe Morgana caused a psychological crack in Gwen after days of prolonged exposure to a haunted chamber, but to suddenly despise Arthur so much that she's going to help Morgana ruin her husband? Sorry, but no. Why would Gwen suddenly hate her husband and Camelot? What argument is there to convince her that Morgana's the wronged party? Why would she want to assist Morgana after everything she's done over the years? She was responsible for the death of her own brother just hours ago!
Unfortunately, while I can see the dramatic merit of putting Gwen in league with Morgana, it just wasn't plausible in the slightest. Maybe if there were a few genuine reasons for Gwen to dislike Arthur and his ideals, which Morgana could have seized upon and exploited with a clever argument, this whole idea may have worked brilliantly, but there wasn't. I'm sure many people won't care and will happily go along with this change, but if Merlin wants to be treated with greater respect the writing needs to get a lot smarter.
DenOfGeek: Merlin series 5 episode 6 review
[click to read]Merlin series 5 episode 6 review: The Dark Tower
The Dark Tower was an episode with huge potential and great performances, despite feeling a little rushed. Here's Dave's review...
This review contains spoilers.
5.6 The Dark Tower
Remember how Sir Elyan and Gwen are brother and sister? I know, it's an easy fact to forget as it's so rarely mentioned. We're given a quick reminder here as the pair mourn their father, returning to his grave and sharing their thoughts.
Of course, this momentary break from Camelot gives Morgana the perfect opportunity to return and kidnap the Queen, whilst her magical snakes leave Percival and Leon poisoned by dark magic. Furious that Gwen has been kidnapped, Arthur sets out to rescue her, with Merlin and the knights at his side (including the recently recovered Percival and Leon who return to active duty with nary a thought for the dark magic-induced illness that Gaius has diagnosed).
Morgana, meanwhile, plans to use Gwen as bait in her trap... a trap that takes them all to The Dark Tower, an ominous-sounding place that haunts the dreams of men. It's renowned amongst the knights of old as a dangerous place the very name of which can bring doom upon an army. This isn't going to be a history lesson for Gwen however, as she finds herself trapped in a room encountering visions and strange noises that slowly erode her sanity. It's all part of Morgana's most nefarious plot yet, and she's being as sweet as apple pie to Gwen.
Their quest to the tower takes the knights through an overgrown forest, bringing its own challenges as they realise they've been travelling in a circle, robbing Arthur of his hope. Merlin, however, is confident that they will succeed and encounters Queen Mab, ruler of the forest. She provides Merlin with a way out and warns him of what is to come, giving the wizard renewed vigour as he guides the party from danger with his newly-discovered magical GPS.
As Arthur storms to the rescue and Gwen becomes more fragile, Morgana enacts her cruellest trick - extending the hand of friendship to the Queen and robbing Arthur of one of his closest friends.
The Dark Tower is the first episode of series five that feels a tad disappointing. It's not a bad instalment and has strong ideas that develop Morgana and Gwen's characters, but suffers from a rushed ending. Considering the loss of a knight and the kidnapping of Gwen, you'd think Arthur would want to confront Morgana, destroy the tower or commit some other act of masculinity - however, we get nothing of the sort; Gwen is found, a body is burned and we get a rather chilling ending. It feels like there's something missing from this narrative.
Allowing the cold-hearted Morgana and the helpless yet determined Gwen to share screen time gives Katie McGrath and Angel Coulby to shine. When Gwen reveals her torment, there's a tender moment between Coulby and McGrath with a shard of emotion from the former and coldness from the latter. McGrath really does paint Morgana as a spurned would-be Queen, robbed of her rightful position whilst Coulby performs well as the damsel-in-distress, particularly shining when she gets to deliver actual dialogue instead of look fearful.
Arthur's singleminded dedication plays a strong part in this story, as it has in all episodes of series five so far. His love of Gwen and faith in his knights drive Bradley James' mature performance, whilst he still maintains the petulant edge, allowing Colin Morgan's Merlin to step forward as the voice of reason, refocusing Arthur's mind and carrying the story forward once again.
The Dark Tower itself, with its winding staircase, traps, litter of skeletons and detritus of fallen knights, is like something from Hammer Horror, whilst the traps themselves will be familiar to anyone who has seen a dungeon in a film before. It's an interesting, if somewhat unoriginal premise, that feels underdeveloped, mainly as we get to see so little of it.
It's a story with huge potential and some wonderful performances, though there's not enough time to tell the tale effectively which robs it of some of its drama, especially in the final act. It does, however, change Gwen's trajectory as Morgana's dark magic takes hold, and - as has been the case with all the episodes of series five thus far - gives us a tantalising taste of what is to come.
DigitalSpy: 'Merlin': 05.06 review [★★★★★]
[click to read]'Merlin': 'The Dark Tower' review
The death of Gwen's father - not to mention her familial bond with Elyan - is rarely addressed on Merlin, so imagine our relief when 'The Dark Tower' opened by highlighting both, with Angel Coulby and Adetomiwa Edun actually engaging in a meaningful dialogue.
It's not a fleeting moment either - this episode is a fine showcase for both Coulby and Edun, with the latter arguably getting more to do than in any episode since his series three debut.
'The Dark Tower' begins with Morgana (Katie McGrath) ambushing Gwen, her brother and his fellow knights with some magic snakes - not her most daring plot, or the show's best effects work, it has to be said. Thankfully it's just a blip - elsewhere this week, the CGI is up to Merlin's usual high standards, especially the epic exterior of the Dark Tower.
Upon learning that his lady love has been snatched, Arthur (Bradley James) leaps into action, with Merlin (Colin Morgan) providing moral support - and how great was that moment early on with their handshake? A rare moment of the King treating his servant as a true equal.
Meanwhile, evil Morgana's busy sassing her way through her latest fiendish scheme - a trap for Arthur, with Gwen as the bait. This may all feel a little familiar, but there's a twist to the witch's latest dose of villainy - it involves the Dark Tower, a foreboding residence where Gwen is kept captive...
The tower is full of things that go bump in the night - you can imagine any younger viewers jumping out of their skin at certain points this week. We hear a lot about how much "darker" Merlin has become series by series, and this week it becomes clear that the show becoming more adult doesn't just apply to emotional maturity...
Clearly those behind the show are now willing to engage in some proper psychological scares and grotesquery too! Angel Coulby's terrific as Gwen suffers something of a nervous collapse, broken down by Morgana's cruel trickery...
Leon and Percival's dark dreams eventually lead Arthur and his men to the equally dark tower - which unfortunately lies beyond an impenetrable forest, called the Impenetrable Forest. No, really.
Merlin ultimately uses his magic to lead Arthur and company out of the woods - too often our hero's great abilities are reduced to 'the power to throw an enemy against a wall', so our his Thundercats-esque 'sight beyond sight' glimpsed here is a fun and novel invention.
The episode culminates in an Indiana Jones-style incursion into the Dark Tower and, in the final scenes, the surprise death of Elyan. He was always one of Arthur's less well-utilised knights, but writing the character out - even in such a noble fashion - is still a bold move. Credit to the Merlin writers and again to Adetomiwa Edun - it's his best performance in the role by a mile.
It's just a shame that Elyan's departure was signposted - the brief appearance of flirty imp Queen Mab was a rather random addition to the episode, and imagine how much more shocking his exit would have been if we hadn't been expecting one of Arthur's knights to depart this mortal coil.
But we'll forgive this episode any slip-ups for that genuinely surprising final twist - Morgana's scheme has worked and Gwen has turned to the dark side. It's a game-changer for sure, though whether or not she's really lost it, or is just the subject of dark magic, remains to be seen - we're betting the latter.
Darker than Merlin's ever dared to be before, 'The Dark Tower' provides something different than the usual derring-do - this show often comes under fire for continuing to exploit an already well-trodden formula, but this week Merlin heads out of its comfort zone a little, with terrific results.
★★★★★
DorkAdore: Merlin: 05.06 - Dork Review
[click to read]Merlin: The Dark Tower - Dork Review
This week, Merlin chills out with Stephen King’s Dark Tower novels for the entire length of the episode, whilst Arthur comically blunders about the place, wondering where his servant has gone. Hijinks ensue. Neither Morgana nor Mordred appear.
Obviously, that (mostly) isn’t true. But what does happen? Is it… heartbreaking? Well, watch the episode on iPlayer first, there will be spoilers.
If A Knight Falls This Badly, Does Anyone Care?
The bulk of The Dark Tower sees Gwen kidnapped by Morgana, after the Knights of the Round Table did a particularly crappy bodyguarding job. So off they plod to rescue her. Meanwhile, Gwen herself is undergoing the kind of psychological torture that certainly had me begging for it to stop.
The Knights are brave, Merlin is helpful, at one point a wood sprite tells him someone will die, and you know it must be Elyan, simply because he had one emotional scene earlier. Weirdly, even though it’s his final week, Elyan doesn’t get a final moment or heroic sacrifice. Gaius tries to tell us the enchanted sword would’ve got Arthur if Elyan hadn’t fought it, but I’m sure Merlin would’ve saved him.
This is one of those moments where a long-running but ultimately blank character dies and you struggle to care. At this point, even Leon and Percival had more exposure this series than Elyan, even though he had a much bigger introduction. Mordred… is off doing his hair somewhere?
Gwen Is The Weakest Link?
And then we get to the ending, where Gwen is revealed to be a traitor, her will apparently broken by the Tesco Value Mental Torture earlier. If they later announce Morgana is using mind control, or has replaced her with a Fake Gwen, this will retrospectively seem better.
Right now, though, we are being encouraged to think Gwen has genuinely “turned”, and after all the years building her up as good, strong and clever, it seems odd that she’d fold after a couple of days locked in a room with guffawing illusions. Not to mention: another smirking traitor in Camelot? Do they have no other ideas? And how much does Merlin want to be Homeland at the moment?
Regardless of the cause, there is fun potential in Evil Gwen for future weeks. But this particular episode didn’t really work for me at all, I’m afraid. Hollow death scene, nonsensical twist at the end, not even many fun character moments along the way to distract me. We’ll try again next week.
FilmThrasher: FTTV Reviews...Merlin 5.06
[click to read]FTTV Reviews...Merlin 5.06 "The Dark Tower"
After weeks of standing on the sidelines, Angel Coulby is finally let out of the castle and given meatier stories to tell. The episode that many were anxiously anticipating, while others were simply not, is finally here and there is so much to be said about it.
This week welcomes back the villainous Morgana and gives us the first time Katie McGrath and Angel Coulby share any real scenes together since the third season of this series. Remember, last season they only shared one moment in the finale and it was over quicker than it began. So, the girls of Camelot take center stage in this eerie Rapunzel-esque episode. "The Dark Tower" is definitely their darkest episode in the series.
After kidnapping the Queen while she and the knights are on the way back from her Pilgrimage to her father's unmarked grave with Elyan, Morgana takes her to the fabled Dark Tower. It is where legends say that men have gone to meet their doom.
When the knights return back to Camelot with an injured Leon and Percival but sans Guinevere, Arthur goes into full pout mode and sets out to save her. I really like how the series clearly shows that the most important person in Arthur's life is his wife. At first, he thinks she just fled when the horses were attacked by snakes, but it doesn't make him any less worried. Then, Gaius and Merlin realize there is sorcery involved and that puts Arthur on a mission. He knows its a trap but that doesn't mean he isn't going anyway.
The Mandrake root is back and Morgana uses it more cruelly than she did with Uther back in season 3. Locking Gwen in a dark room with mandrake hung all over the ceiling like evil mistletoe, she drives the Queen to madness. This is one of those episodes where you can tell the cast had a lot of fun acting out. Especially Angel. She really does deserve all the recognition for this episode. She shined brightest from everyone.
But don't count the boys out just yet. Bradley James, who has been the strongest actor all season, continues to shine as the legendary King Arthur. In this episode, the Warrior king is on a mission to save his beloved; so he's not exactly thinking clearly. He wants to ride through the night, even if it is too dark to see any trail. And when he realizes they've wasted a day, his anger gets the better of him. It's up to Merlin to hand-hold the knights and keep his king level headed. But this is a dark episode. And there is a warning by the Sidhe fairy Queen Mab (Kelly Wenham) of the legends that Merlin should have taken more seriously.
One of them will not make it out alive but the question is who? Arthur and the knights finally make it to the Dark Tower but this place is sinister...and full of booby traps. Elyan, who has blamed himself for Gwen's predicament the entire time, goes on without his fellow knights to save his sister. It's there that a battle involving an enchanted sword brings us to the biggest shock of the night.
The death of the Queen's brother is a sad affair. Adetomiwa Edun finally gets to shine as both the fallen hero and the brother that Gwen never had around in earlier seasons. Even while he was around, we rarely got to see him with his sister. The moment of his death is probably Angel Coulby's crowning moment as an actress. The subtly of the scene is brilliant. Bradley James only enhances it when Arthur can't bring himself to console his wife.
Of course, this leads to the cliffhanger that will take us into darker future episodes. Something happened to the Queen in that tower. Something came back with them that isn't entirely the Gwen we know. It looks like one of Morgana's schemes finally might work. She's hitting Camelot from the inside and for once her ally is someone no one would suspect. Or will they?
GeekSyndicate: TV REVIEW: Merlin Series 5, Episode 6 [4/5]
[click to read]TV REVIEW: Merlin Series 5, Episode 6 - The Dark Tower
After last week’s divisive episode “The Disir”, it’s back to the questing and saving damsels-in-distress! The episode goes back and forth between Arthur and his merry band to Morgana and Gwen “re-connecting” at the Tower. The focus is on the ladies and it’s about time! The pair have been either missing or barely present in the first five episodes of the series - both Katie McGrath and Angel Coulby are absolutely fantastic and I’m glad they’re finally getting a chance to shine.
Morgana’s up to her old tricks again - she kidnaps Gwen and takes her to the Dark Tower - a place which plays mind games with its “guests”. Merlin, Arthur and the Knights embark on a quest through an Alice in Wonderland-esque landscape riddled with hidden dangers, perilous obstacles and magical beings. I haven’t read a lot of Stephen King, but when I saw the title of this episode, I did a little research and this episode is paying homage to King’s knightly gunslinger and the quest to find The Dark Tower.
Gwen and Elyan leave the castle to lay flowers at their father’s grave. With the knights all accompanying the Queen back to the castle, there’s some great good-natured ribbing between Gwen and the rest of the knights. It was nice to see how she gets on with them without Arthur around in her new-to-us role. Everyone teases Elyan and Gwaine about people they might be in love with but never say anything outright. Maybe a hint to future story lines as it’s the first time any potential partners have been mentioned.
But they’re not alone - Morgana spies the perfect opportunity to hatch her latest sneaky plot and watches them from the trees like a snake in the grass then speaks a spell to create…snakes in the grass (see what they did there?) to scare the knight’s horses into bucking them off. Leon and Percival are bitten and in the mêlée Gwen gets separated, dragged off her horse by Morgana.
The knights carrying the unconscious, snakebitten knights and no one wants to tell Arthur that they lost his wife. Soon enough, it stumbles out bit by bit and Arthur immediately storms out with Merlin running after him (what else is new?) that they’ll ride at dawn. The snakebites should have killed Leon and Percival - Gaius points out the obvious in that they’re magical and it’s all Morgana’s fault. There’s a nice scene between Arthur and Merlin when the latter checks in to see how his friend is doing, reassuring him that they will bring Gwen home and the former letting his guard down enough to show he needs the support.
When Gwen rouses, she’s not happy to see her old mistress of course. There’s a lot of cackling and defiance as they make their way to the Tower with the knights hot on their trail - to a point. Everyone knows that everyone else knows it’s a trap for Arthur but exactly what kind remains to be seen.
In the Tower, Morgana begins her plan - telling Gwen to “sleep well” in the pitch dark room. Fat chance of that happening, especially when the screaming starts. Phase 1 of “Break Gwen” has begun! Black goo drips onto Gwen and we see silhouettes of roots - these are the same mandrake roots spelled to drive Uther insane in last series’ premiere. The use of screams and shadows ia pretty intense ensuring Gwen is throughly tortured throughly.
Throughout her time there, she sees creepy visions of Elyan, Arthur and Merlin maniacally laughing at her and jumping out from behind pillars to scare her. We start to see what Morgana’s really trying to do; it’s classic Stockholm Syndrome. She wants Gwen to mistake a lack of abuse from the witch for an act of kindness so eventually, she’ll trust only Morgana and do her bidding.
As night goes on Leon & Percy wake up shouting from the same nightmare - talking about the Tower’s darkness and these are really visions planted by Morgana to lead them straight to her. However, Arthur is at a loss when figures out that he’s been leading them in circles in the forest. At nightfall, Merlin sees and hears something in the brush. He happens upon Queen Mab, the Spirit of Despair in men’s hearts. She reminds me of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland - speaking in riddles & rhymes but does state that one of their group will not come back alive.
When Merlin states that he can get them to the Tower, they all look on with skepticism however when he tells them the right direction they go with it. What I really enjoyed about this episode is not only Arthur acknowledging and listening to Merlin, but the knights as well. He is finally being respected for his thoughts and this is the Merlin I want to see more of. Finally getting inside the Tower, Merlin says something’s wrong - that it’s too easy. Arthur might normally agree but he’s too frustrated that they’re not getting to Gwen fast enough.
With more classic scare tactics (screams & skeletons), they make it to a booby-trapped room with pressurized flagstones causing arrows to release from the walls - very Indiana Jones. One gets Percy in the leg and they devise a way to make it through using objects to find a safe path. However, Elyan is ahead of the pack and due to feeling guilty, runs ahead despite Arthur yelling objections.
Opening the door in the tower a magical sword is hovering in the air that will defend Gwen to the death. We know who it’ll be that doesn’t return at this point. It stabs him in the chest but he continues to fight and tricks it into going out the window. Falling into Gwen’s arms, he dies just as the others arrive too late. Arthur falls to his knees by Elyan’s body and the others look on in horror.
In the same tradition as Freya and Lancelot, Elyan is given a ship burial set on fire. In the back, Merlin tells Gaius about Queen Mab’s prophecy and they think the sword was meant for Arthur. But with Gwen looking on blankly, I think Elyan was exactly who the target was. His death was the final piece to Morgana’s brainwashing. This is confirmed when the Queen sneaks out of the castle leaving a sleeping Arthur in bed. She hugs Morgana and repeating the words “You’re the only one I can trust.”
Even though the story was fairly simple and easy to figure out, this has thrown an interesting curve in the show’s plot thus far. I’m looking forward to how Gwen’s second betrayal plays out in later episodes. What did you think?
Rating: 4/5
InsideMediaTrack: ‘Merlin’ 5.6: ‘The Dark Tower’
[click to read]‘Merlin’ 5.6: ‘The Dark Tower’ review
The game-changing episode
Spoilers are included in this review, don’t read ahead if you haven’t seen episode 6 or would prefer not to know.
Finally Angel Coulby’s Gwen gets let out of Camelot this week and in doing so not only does she get herself captured, but she becomes a force Arthur nor Merlin (or the audience) had anticipated.
During a trip to her father’s grave with Elyan (remember he’s her brother?) with the Knights in tow, Morgana senses her chance to capture the Queen by magically creating snakes in the grass (see what she did there?) to spook the Knights horses. Eylan tells Gwen to go and save herself which puts her right where Morgana wants her for capture, who she then proceeds to drag to the titular Dark Tower.
Whilst captive, Gwen is subjected to visions of those she loves and trusts as frightening mocking versions of themselves; as the mandrake roots that hang above her play on her fears and terrify her in the dark. Morgana has learnt she must play the long game and fluctuates between the devious captor - to the kindly once-friend whose trying to save Gwen from the horrors and loneliness; Or as she reveals the darkness of her own capture, which I’m sure will be revisited again in some way in future episodes.
As soon as Arthur learns of what’s happened he rides to rescue his Queen with the Knights and Merlin, but Arthur struggles to lead his Knights while fraught with worry about Gwen and the thought of losing her again, leaving Merlin to guide the way with a little help from Queen Mab; a creature in the forest who warns Merlin one of the Knights will not return. (OK be honest: who started to think which Knight they’d be happy to see the back of? And who they DEFINITELY better not kill off; I’ll admit I chose Elylan to die and Percival to definitely stay - well he is the eye candy!)
Although tonight’s episode was Gwen and Elyan’s episode it was a good ensemble episode that gave each a chance to shine: Colin Morgan‘s Merlin got to not only be trusted to lead the group but to show how grown-up he has become; whereas Bradley James was heartfelt in his portrayal of the emotionally off balanced King, plus his brotherly conversation with Elyan was well played. It’s a shame Arthur hasn’t been given much chance to interact on a personal level with the other characters other than Merlin.
And then of course we have the other surprise: Elyan’s death at the hands of Morgana’s enchanted sword. A fitting end, although I can’t say the characters death resonated too much mainly due to Elyan’s lack of dialogue through the series. But the main plaudit has to go to Angel Coulby who finally got to stretch her acting wings to shine in both the fear and despair of her capture, and the shock plot twist as Morgana’s inside woman who intends to bring the Kingdom down from within. I literally screamed NOOOO! when she met with Morgana in the woods.
However I’m convinced Gwen is not herself and all will be righted! Right? Otherwise why would Gwen help not only her captor, but the cause of her brother’s death? Methinks magic is involved. Otherwise I shall be shouting LOUDLY!
SciFiPulse: In Review: Merlin - 05.06 [5/5]
[click to read]In Review: Merlin - The Dark Tower
Synopsis: Arthur has to rescue Gwen after she is snatched from Camelot without warning.
Review: This latest episode of Merlin is show piece for the acting talents of Angel Coulby, who plays terrified and scared throughout most of her moments in the episode.
In short when Morgana abducts Gwen and locks her in the Dark Tower Merlin and Arthur and the Knights set out on a perilous mission to rescue their Queen.
There are some really nice moments as the Knights search for the Dark Tower and we also get introduced to Mab, who pretty much tells Merlin that one of them is going to die. A prophecy, which does come true by the close of the episode.
But the real star turn here are the scenes that Angel Coulby shares with Katie McGrath as Gwen and Morgana. It’s a case of Morgana has shut Gwen in the Dark Tower to break her down and make her more agreeable and malleable for her to be used as a tool to help with her revenge on Arthur. And the scenes between these two brilliant actresses really make for some truly compelling television, but my money is still on Morgana because I always like a bad girl.
By the close of this episode we are left with much anticipation for how things will play out next week. It’s not a self contained story this week, but it hasn’t really been marketed as a two part episode either. If I were to say that the stakes have gotten a lot higher due to this episode it would it would be a massive understatement.
Score 5/5
SFX: Merlin 5.06 REVIEW [★★★★✩ (4½/5)]
[click to read]Merlin 5.06 “The Dark Tower” REVIEW
Merlin 5.06 “The Dark Tower” TV REVIEW [lots of spoilers right from the start!]
★★★★✩ (4½/5)
5.06 “The Dark Tower”
Writer: Julian Jones
Director: Ashley Way
THE ONE WHERE Morgana kidnaps and psychologically tortures Guinevere and then - gasp - kills Elyan when the knights come to save her.
VERDICT Of all the Merlin episodes we’ve seen, this has the most fairytale-like ambience. The damsel in the tower, the impenetrable forest of thorns, the fairy guide, the enchanted sword… and at the centre of it all, Morgana, doing her pantomime witch act. Of course, like all good childhood yarns it’s properly dark in places, and Sir Elyan is on the receiving end of the series’ first big character death.
There’s a sort of fairytale justice in how he gives his life to save the sister he failed to protect, but I’m sorry to see Sir Elyan go. Actor Adetomiwa Edun felt occasionally underused but when he did lead an episode - last season’s “A Herald Of The New Age” for instance - he excelled. Sir Elyan gets arguably the best sword fight of the series so far and makes the ultimate sacrifice in order to save the Queen, a noble death and a sign - along with Gwen’s brainwashing - that this episode marks a welcome shake-up at court. Still, I’m a little disappointed that the showrunners fell into the horror story cliché of killing their only black knight.
It’s a shame that Gwen is turned to the dark side just as she was getting a meatier role to play at Camelot. She’s had an understated but important role at court this series so far, clearly growing into a position of leadership and basically running the kingdom when Arthur is absent. Her advice to Arthur over the previous few episodes has been insightful, but despite spending this episode bravely trying to resist Morgana she’s essentially become simply a pawn in the anti-Camelot game. And it’s another example of Gwen being tricked and hounded by magic into betraying her husband - remember the whole Lancelot debacle last year? Let’s hope that this new role as indoctrinated turncoat gives Angel Coulby some fun things to do. She acts fantastically well in this episode; I’m thinking of the moving scene of Elyan’s death particularly.
Although there’s no sign of Aithusa the baby dragon, Mordred, the glowing blue Gollum creature, the druids or any of the other characters we’ve come to associate with the main Morgana arc, this is an episode about her and her schemes. We learn a little more about what Morgana went through in that briefly-glimpsed pit - “at least you’re not shackled, there’s daylight, you can move” she says of Gwen’s condition, claiming that she spent two years chained to a wall. That’s enough to turn anybody bonkers. Well, that and the dragon poo that must have been up to her knees. She is resorting to increasingly elaborate, Bond villain-style attempts to try and steal Arthur’s throne, though. Why not just kidnap the king himself?
As for the relationship between Merlin and Arthur, we see it getting more and more equal all the time, with Merlin growing into the role of friend and advisor. They grip arms, shaking hands like warriors, as Merlin promises, “We’re not going to lose her, we’ll bring her home I swear.” The knights realise how much Arthur relies on Merlin’s help; there’s no argument when Merlin tells them “I’ll talk to him!” when the king needs persuading to take a break. And it’s Merlin who, on a couple of occasions, decides that the pursuit has to stop for the night. Since when did servants get to order knights to make camp? Merlin is clearly no longer just the boy who fetches their dinner.
It’s been stated often that Merlin has got darker as the characters have grown up, but I had a genuine feeling watching “The Dark Tower” that it’s the kind of episode that would have terrified me as a child. Gwen’s ghostly visions of her absent friends; the sudden, piercing screams in the tower room; the snake bites on two of the knights and their subsequent bad dreams; Morgana’s memories of being confined and tortured; a valley of corpses in the desert; the confusing, misleading forest and its malevolent, riddle-spouting fairy; a major character’s death at the hands of an invisible swordfighter - all things that make for an unsettling 43 minutes. Older viewers expecting Saturday evening fun in the Doctor Who slot should probably watch through first before deciding whether to share it with their kids.
INFLUENCES Of course the classic fairy stories play into this and anybody who’s seen Sleeping Beauty recognises the dark forest. But is there also a whiff of Indiana Jones here? The skeleton caught in a wall trap, then a room with pressure pads launching arrows from the walls?
NEW MAGIC Hoorah! We see a different spell this week: Merlin’s sorcerer’s eyes let him see ahead and help him navigate the forest.
LMAO Gwaine’s quite the joker this week. Twice he broke the tension with his throwaway banter. I’m loving his sleeping fantasies: “I was having a dream about eating a cheese that tasted of apple pie. Anybody else have that dream? You’re all missing out.” But then this summed up their approach to the Tower:
Gwaine: “How do we get there?”
Arthur: “Through the impenetrable forest!”
Gwaine: “But… it’s impenetrable.”
QUEEN MAB The feisty fairy is first mentioned in Shakespeare’s Romeo And Juliet (Mercutio talks about her in Act I, Scene IV):
“O, then, I see Queen Mab hath been with you.
She is the fairies’ midwife, and she comes
In shape no bigger than an agate-stone…”
After Shakespeare, she was picked up by loads of authors - Jane Austen names Willoughby’s horse after her in Sense And Sensibility, the first chapter of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick is named after her. Modern fantasy authors Mike Carey and Jim Butcher have both used the character of Queen Mab and, of course, there’s a Queen Mab in season four of True Blood (played by Rebecca Wisocky). Queen Mab has a previous Arthurian connection too - in the TV mini-series Merlin (in which Sam Neill played the wizard), Mab was the main villain, the evil twin sister of the Lady of the Lake.
IT’S WOSSERNAME The fairy Queen Mab is played by young actress Kelly Wenham. She spent three years in ITV’s Where The Heart Is and you’ve seen her briefly in Life On Mars and Dead Set.
SLASH BAIT No Mordred at all, and the relationship between Arthur and Merlin felt cool but respectful - slash writers of the world can try and do something with the pair gripping arms in friendship but it felt noble and a symbol of Merlin’s growing authority rather than anything else. Instead, how about Arthur leading Elyan to the campfire with his arm around his shoulders?
CHEKHOV’S GUN What was the point of Percival showing us his blister in the desert? The action paused for him to do it so you assume it’s going to have some relevance later but, nope, it was just a spurious detail. Anton Chekhov’s rule for writers: “If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don’t put it there.”
THE LEGEND People today tend to know the title “The Dark Tower” from Stephen King’s fantasy series, but he was inspired by a poem by Robert Browning which in turn was inspired by a line from the end of Shakespeare’s King Lear, “Child Rowland to the dark tower came.” And ol’ Shakey was inspired by a traditional fairytale which comes, ultimately, from an Arthurian romance, so it’s a nice big loop back to Merlin. Stephen King actually has a character called Maerlyn in his series. In the original fairytale, princess Burd Ellen is playing ball near a church when she finds herself transported to the Dark Tower ruled by the king of Elfland. Merlin tells her brother Rowland how to fetch her back and warns him about the dangers to be faced on the way.
BEST LINE
Gwen: “I don’t want anything from you!”
Morgana: “There’s my crown…”
TVEquals: Merlin Series 5 Episode 6 Review
[click to read]Merlin Series 5 Review “The Dark Tower” - An Impenetrable Forest and a Burning Boat
It’s hard to review Merlin without referring back to the magic reveal that just will not happen. Week after week we tune in waiting for Merlin to reveal all, allowing himself to use his powers whenever he deems necessary. ‘The Dark Tower’ was one of those episodes where Merlin’s abilities could have changed everything, if he would just use them.
This week saw Morgana kidnap Gwen and imprison her in a tower. She lets Arthur know where Gwen is by means of visions given to an injured Leon and Percival. I’m actually amazed that Merlin bothered to tell Arthur that he and Gaius suspected Morgana - in the past they’ve usually hidden that information with dire results. Character growth? Perhaps.
Then it was onto the actual rescuing. The boys spent a day walking before Leon and Percival had their visions. The second day was spent wandering aimlessly around the Impenetrable Forest. You would imagine that after a few hours, Merlin would say ‘oh, this is ridiculous’ and use one of his numerous abilities to try and guide them and/or cut a path through the forest.
Not so. In fact Merlin waited until he’d spoken to Queen Mab, a fairy (and possibly the most random and pointless guest character to date), before breaking out a shiny new ability to try. When did Merlin discover he had it? Why didn’t he use it the day before? I suggest we ask Gwaine, because he seemed to be the only one with a lick of sense in this episode.
Meanwhile, back at a dark tower - named, rather aptly, The Dark Tower - Morgana locked Gwen in a room full of mandrake root for a couple days. The horrific screaming and visions of her loved ones taunting her sent Gwen a bit mad. (Sidenote: Colin Morgan can roar at me any day, baby.)
Now, I’ve never been locked in a room with mandrake root by my crazy ex-friend, but it seemed to work a little too well, too quickly. I choose to imagine Morgana slipped Gwen a magical mickey to enhance its effects at some point between the final mandrake room scene and the sword room scene. Either that, or one too many slow motion head injuries finally took their toll.
Morgana’s plan is actually pretty ingenious and leads us into the next episode. Morgana’s Stockholm syndrome-d Gwen into believing she’s the only trustworthy person around and that everyone else should be despised. Presumably this is the show’s take on a False Guinevere situation, and it could work really well depending on how it’s resolved. I won’t hold my breath, though. As much as I love parts of series 5, I’m finding it equally as frustrating.
The most frustrating thing for me in this episode, besides Merlin’s lack of a magic reveal, was Elyan’s death. Now I know it was foreshadowed, and probably so obvious that most people were headdesking from the outset of the episode, but I didn’t see it coming until he broke away from the group in the tower. I think it’s because I was more concerned about Gwaine - he had so many awesome lines that I was sure they were building him up for an early exit. The thought of his swooshy hair swooshing no more was almost too much for my little heart, so I’m glad he didn’t die, but I still don’t understand why Elyan did.
Isn’t Elyan’s death counterintuitive? Shouldn’t Gwen blame Morgana for his death instead of Arthur and the boys? I’m no psychologist; I don’t quite get it. From a fan/reviewer point of view, I really don’t see the logic in losing one of the show’s strongest actors. They should have been using Elyan more in this series, not killing him off!
Another thing I was wondering for the entirety of the episode: where was Mordred? He was the beloved up-and-coming knight last week and yet he was nowhere to be seen this week. I wanted to see Mordred reassuring Arthur, being glared at by jealous-and-suspicious Merlin, worrying about his next encounter with angry Morgana. For crying out loud, use your characters, Merlin!
At this point I would really love one utterly irreverent episode. Just 45 minutes of the knights hanging out in a tavern, sans Arthur and Merlin, so we can get their view on everything that’s happened. Because, dear reader, I need to know what the other characters make of events and whether everything that happens makes sense to them, even if doesn’t to us. And perhaps most importantly, I need to hear lines like ‘I dreamt about eating a cheese that tasted of apple pie. Anyone else have that dream? You’re all missing out.’ get the chuckles they deserve.