The Poisoned Chalice or the episode that launched 10,000 slash fics
I meant to post this days ago but was distracted by all the shiny and beautiful promo and behind the scenes Merlin publicity photos posted by gealach_ros from Merlin's Keep site (which might work for me again one day). Trying to choose a new wallpaper and then remembering that if I made a slideshow I could have more than one took a lot of time and consideration *g*.
Anyway here we go with too much rambling and some added pics (and if the green line down the side shows up I shall scream).
The Poisoned Chalice by Ben Vanstone
This is the first episode where I really noticed how gorgeous the cinematography was on this show. The scene with Uther and Bayard meeting in the Great Hall of Camelot is just stunning with the size of the hall, the lighting and the contrasting red of Camelot and blue of Mercia.
I couldn’t resist
It was only when I started to play with the graphic that I noticed Merlin and Nimueh facing each other as servants on opposing sides.
Nimueh’s plot seems somewhat byzantine and over-complicated at first glance if she only wanted to take out Merlin, but in actual fact it works rather well whatever happens. If Bayard drinks from the cup as he originally suggests and dies it will cause a war; if Arthur drinks from the cup and dies it will cause a war; if Merlin drinks from the cup and dies, she’s got rid of Merlin and still caused a war. The fact that, as it transpires, she nearly leads Arthur to his death as well would have been a win for Nimueh all round. Unlike Morgause, and later Morgana, Nimueh really doesn’t seem interested in conquering Camelot, she’s much more concerned with revenge on Uther. Again unlike the other two she’s identified Merlin as the enemy straight away as she is not blinded by snobbery and can look beyond his position. She also isn’t afraid of entering Camelot disguised as a servant herself. Morgause marches in as a knight delivering a challenge, Morgana always behaves like a princess but Nimueh has no problem dressing and acting as a servant.
Speaking of servants Merlin is still finding it difficult to adjust to that position. Gaius has to remind him that being a servant is his job and he initially thinks that he will be invited to the banquet himself and not just there to pour Arthur’s drink. Although he’s obviously only been Arthur’s servant a short time the bantering relationship is beginning to develop between them nicely and Merlin in the hat will never not be funny.
My personal head canon is that Arthur’s crown is the result of Merlin finally getting the chance to get his own back about the hat - "Are you sure this looks good on me?” "Oh yes, very crowny!"
Merlin’s whole interaction with Nimueh as Kara does show up his weakness for dark-haired magical girls. He certainly has a type and it nearly leads him to his death as he completely falls for Nimueh’s act.
Gaius's face during this scene is a picture *g*. I thought at first he ought possibly to have recognised Nimueh but she had her back to him all the time.
The whole poisoning scene really illustrates how impetuous and unused to courts Merlin still is and how he is failing to understand the powerlessness of his position as a servant or the diplomatic consequences of accusing the ruler of another kingdom of using poison. By Season 4 I like to think he would be sneakier in stopping Arthur drinking from a poisoned goblet, most likely by crashing into him and pouring the drink over him!
This episode is also important because Arthur actually saves Merlin. This doesn’t happen very often and is always good to see. (I think he saved him in “The Mark of Nimueh” too when he prevented Merlin from admitting to using magic but Merlin just didn’t realise it.) We're also in Arthur's sole point of view here, which again doesn't happen very often. Despite the slashy vibes caused by Merlin’s groaning Arthur’s name I think at this stage it’s more Arthur’s strong sense of responsibility that makes him risk his life for Merlin here. Arthur’s argument with Uther over going to find the Mortaeus flower does highlight one of Arthur’s more attractive qualities, that he doesn’t value his own life above that of others, though Uther does. It also hints at Arthur’s sense that Uther’s disappointment in him - “I won’t fail, no matter what you think.”
Morgana’s counter-argument to Uther’s prohibition of Arthur’s quest “sometimes you have to do what you think is right and damn the consequences” probably sums up what she thinks she has been doing for the entire series, though it applies to Merlin too in many ways. He’s learnt some hard lessons about consequences but Morgana continues to damn them.
The lesson Uther is trying to teach Arthur is to consider the consequences for Camelot if the sole heir dies on a quest to save his servant. His view is that “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one” but, as usual, with Uther there’s little humanity in his view. Arthur has to learn to steer a course between Uther’s pragmatic, detached point of view and Morgana's intensely personal and emotional one and balance the consequences with his own sense of honour, obligation and the right course to take. It's a theme that continues for him throughout the series.
I love the way Arthur’s quest for the Mortaeus flower echoes the feel of the Arthurian legends with a knight on a quest through a dark forest meeting a mysterious damsel in distress. The fight with the cockatrice is very nicely done with the slo-mo role and I adore the sword twirl.
Indulging myself with one of my favourite shots of Arthur
When Nimueh said that Arthur wasn’t destined to die at her hand I originally wondered if she might be his mother and though that isn’t quite true I presume that as she used magic to bring about his birth she can't be directly responsible for his death.
Although Arthur doesn’t know that Merlin sent the light that guided him to safety he must know it is magic and it is one of the few pieces of evidence he has that magic isn’t entirely evil.
I think one of Uther’s worst moments in the whole show is when he throws Arthur in jail and crushes the Mortaeus flower just to teach Arthur a lesson in obedience. To Uther servants are completely expendable despite Arthur’s pleas that Merlin saved his life. I love the fact that Arthur still hasn’t given up though and tries to reach the flower (and obviously succeeds).
Ahem, I'm sure this illustrates some very important point, mostly that Arthur looks really hot brooding behind bars.
Gwen (still thinking of Merlin as a romantic interest at this point rather than just a friend) proves her courage, her resourcefulness and her ability to pick up Arthur’s cues and work well with him when she manages to retrieve the Mortaeus flower.
When Gaius gets the Mortaeus flower he sends Gwen away so she won’t see him using magic. I don’t think we see him use magic again until Series 3 and it was another occasion where he needed to do it to save Merlin’s life.
I’m not sure whether Merlin’s temporary apparent death was just for dramatic effect or a tiny clue that he is, in fact, immortal. We’ll probably never know.
By the end of the episode both Arthur and Gaius have managed to work out that Bayard was not responsible for the poisoning and Uther lets him go, though you have to wonder how he apologised. Uther has been at his most intolerant and unlikeable here but he does have the grace to apologise to Arthur and tell him he’s proud of him. Uther is a harsh parent, but not an uncaring one and it’s these little moments of humanity that make him such an interesting character. Despite Gaius’s advice he still only gives Arthur the minimum of information about Nimueh.
It’s probably coincidence but the positioning of the Pendragons on the battlements mimics what happens to them on the show. Arthur and Morgana are close together talking with Uther separated from them. Morgana leaves them and Arthur and Uther draw closer together.
The scene between Arthur and Merlin where Merlin thanks Arthur for saving his life shows how far they’ve come since the first episode where Arthur seemed to be treating a servant so badly. At first Arthur says he’s only come to see that Merlin will be back at work tomorrow, but they are more honest when Merlin thanks Arthur. Merlin now knows that Arthur is a person worth serving and Arthur knows that Merlin is willing to die for him.
Nimueh’s plan has failed but she’ll try again.
It’s a good episode and one that I really enjoyed rewatching.
Ben Vanstone, the author of the episode, also wrote the updating of "The Borrowers" that the BBC showed at Christmas starring Christopher Ecclestone. I was never very fond of the books but I enjoyed this adaptation and did wonder if they'd left it open to becoming a series but I'm not sure the viewing figures were good enough to risk it.
Anyway here we go with too much rambling and some added pics (and if the green line down the side shows up I shall scream).
The Poisoned Chalice by Ben Vanstone
This is the first episode where I really noticed how gorgeous the cinematography was on this show. The scene with Uther and Bayard meeting in the Great Hall of Camelot is just stunning with the size of the hall, the lighting and the contrasting red of Camelot and blue of Mercia.
I couldn’t resist
It was only when I started to play with the graphic that I noticed Merlin and Nimueh facing each other as servants on opposing sides.
Nimueh’s plot seems somewhat byzantine and over-complicated at first glance if she only wanted to take out Merlin, but in actual fact it works rather well whatever happens. If Bayard drinks from the cup as he originally suggests and dies it will cause a war; if Arthur drinks from the cup and dies it will cause a war; if Merlin drinks from the cup and dies, she’s got rid of Merlin and still caused a war. The fact that, as it transpires, she nearly leads Arthur to his death as well would have been a win for Nimueh all round. Unlike Morgause, and later Morgana, Nimueh really doesn’t seem interested in conquering Camelot, she’s much more concerned with revenge on Uther. Again unlike the other two she’s identified Merlin as the enemy straight away as she is not blinded by snobbery and can look beyond his position. She also isn’t afraid of entering Camelot disguised as a servant herself. Morgause marches in as a knight delivering a challenge, Morgana always behaves like a princess but Nimueh has no problem dressing and acting as a servant.
Speaking of servants Merlin is still finding it difficult to adjust to that position. Gaius has to remind him that being a servant is his job and he initially thinks that he will be invited to the banquet himself and not just there to pour Arthur’s drink. Although he’s obviously only been Arthur’s servant a short time the bantering relationship is beginning to develop between them nicely and Merlin in the hat will never not be funny.
My personal head canon is that Arthur’s crown is the result of Merlin finally getting the chance to get his own back about the hat - "Are you sure this looks good on me?” "Oh yes, very crowny!"
Merlin’s whole interaction with Nimueh as Kara does show up his weakness for dark-haired magical girls. He certainly has a type and it nearly leads him to his death as he completely falls for Nimueh’s act.
Gaius's face during this scene is a picture *g*. I thought at first he ought possibly to have recognised Nimueh but she had her back to him all the time.
The whole poisoning scene really illustrates how impetuous and unused to courts Merlin still is and how he is failing to understand the powerlessness of his position as a servant or the diplomatic consequences of accusing the ruler of another kingdom of using poison. By Season 4 I like to think he would be sneakier in stopping Arthur drinking from a poisoned goblet, most likely by crashing into him and pouring the drink over him!
This episode is also important because Arthur actually saves Merlin. This doesn’t happen very often and is always good to see. (I think he saved him in “The Mark of Nimueh” too when he prevented Merlin from admitting to using magic but Merlin just didn’t realise it.) We're also in Arthur's sole point of view here, which again doesn't happen very often. Despite the slashy vibes caused by Merlin’s groaning Arthur’s name I think at this stage it’s more Arthur’s strong sense of responsibility that makes him risk his life for Merlin here. Arthur’s argument with Uther over going to find the Mortaeus flower does highlight one of Arthur’s more attractive qualities, that he doesn’t value his own life above that of others, though Uther does. It also hints at Arthur’s sense that Uther’s disappointment in him - “I won’t fail, no matter what you think.”
Morgana’s counter-argument to Uther’s prohibition of Arthur’s quest “sometimes you have to do what you think is right and damn the consequences” probably sums up what she thinks she has been doing for the entire series, though it applies to Merlin too in many ways. He’s learnt some hard lessons about consequences but Morgana continues to damn them.
The lesson Uther is trying to teach Arthur is to consider the consequences for Camelot if the sole heir dies on a quest to save his servant. His view is that “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one” but, as usual, with Uther there’s little humanity in his view. Arthur has to learn to steer a course between Uther’s pragmatic, detached point of view and Morgana's intensely personal and emotional one and balance the consequences with his own sense of honour, obligation and the right course to take. It's a theme that continues for him throughout the series.
I love the way Arthur’s quest for the Mortaeus flower echoes the feel of the Arthurian legends with a knight on a quest through a dark forest meeting a mysterious damsel in distress. The fight with the cockatrice is very nicely done with the slo-mo role and I adore the sword twirl.
Indulging myself with one of my favourite shots of Arthur
When Nimueh said that Arthur wasn’t destined to die at her hand I originally wondered if she might be his mother and though that isn’t quite true I presume that as she used magic to bring about his birth she can't be directly responsible for his death.
Although Arthur doesn’t know that Merlin sent the light that guided him to safety he must know it is magic and it is one of the few pieces of evidence he has that magic isn’t entirely evil.
I think one of Uther’s worst moments in the whole show is when he throws Arthur in jail and crushes the Mortaeus flower just to teach Arthur a lesson in obedience. To Uther servants are completely expendable despite Arthur’s pleas that Merlin saved his life. I love the fact that Arthur still hasn’t given up though and tries to reach the flower (and obviously succeeds).
Ahem, I'm sure this illustrates some very important point, mostly that Arthur looks really hot brooding behind bars.
Gwen (still thinking of Merlin as a romantic interest at this point rather than just a friend) proves her courage, her resourcefulness and her ability to pick up Arthur’s cues and work well with him when she manages to retrieve the Mortaeus flower.
When Gaius gets the Mortaeus flower he sends Gwen away so she won’t see him using magic. I don’t think we see him use magic again until Series 3 and it was another occasion where he needed to do it to save Merlin’s life.
I’m not sure whether Merlin’s temporary apparent death was just for dramatic effect or a tiny clue that he is, in fact, immortal. We’ll probably never know.
By the end of the episode both Arthur and Gaius have managed to work out that Bayard was not responsible for the poisoning and Uther lets him go, though you have to wonder how he apologised. Uther has been at his most intolerant and unlikeable here but he does have the grace to apologise to Arthur and tell him he’s proud of him. Uther is a harsh parent, but not an uncaring one and it’s these little moments of humanity that make him such an interesting character. Despite Gaius’s advice he still only gives Arthur the minimum of information about Nimueh.
It’s probably coincidence but the positioning of the Pendragons on the battlements mimics what happens to them on the show. Arthur and Morgana are close together talking with Uther separated from them. Morgana leaves them and Arthur and Uther draw closer together.
The scene between Arthur and Merlin where Merlin thanks Arthur for saving his life shows how far they’ve come since the first episode where Arthur seemed to be treating a servant so badly. At first Arthur says he’s only come to see that Merlin will be back at work tomorrow, but they are more honest when Merlin thanks Arthur. Merlin now knows that Arthur is a person worth serving and Arthur knows that Merlin is willing to die for him.
Nimueh’s plan has failed but she’ll try again.
It’s a good episode and one that I really enjoyed rewatching.
Ben Vanstone, the author of the episode, also wrote the updating of "The Borrowers" that the BBC showed at Christmas starring Christopher Ecclestone. I was never very fond of the books but I enjoyed this adaptation and did wonder if they'd left it open to becoming a series but I'm not sure the viewing figures were good enough to risk it.