Reviews for Episode 5.04 ('Another's Sorrow')
Full reviews contain spoilers for those who have not seen the episode; click on the site's names to read them.
This post will be updated as new reviews are posted.
Cultbox: 4/5 stars "With some well-handled action, courtesy of returning Series 3 and Doctor Who/SJA director Ashley Way, ‘Another’s Sorrow’ provides both another solid step on the road to Albion and an enjoyable romp for the regulars, with a superb guest cast to boot."
Cultfix: 7.5/10 "It’s a solid episode then, but perhaps not quite up to the first three. The character developments are what really keeps the episode interesting and in particular seeing Merlin come more to the forefront after the last couple of episodes."
Dan's Media Digest: 2.5/4 stars "I'm a little bored by how often Merlin returns to the same well for ideas, and this episode was unfortunately guilty of that. [...] For the majority of this episode, it was enjoyable but fairly unremarkable stuff-albeit with a smattering of good moments. [...] All of those things were great to see and helped elevate an otherwise decent but otherwise forgettable episode."
Den of Geek: [no numerical rating] "This sense of danger is a good thing for the series and will hopefully keep viewers gripped to see what happens as Series 5 progresses. Once again, children may not appreciate what is on screen as the script is light on humour and heavy on a sense of foreboding. For everyone else, Another's Sorrow is Merlin at its most tense."
Digital Spy: 3/5 stars "'Another's Sorrow' offers up nothing so substantial [...]. That said, it's a filler episode buoyed by solid performances from guest stars Montgomery and Fox - the uncle of Merlin's Morgause, Emilia Fox - and the series regulars never fail to impress. Not the strongest episode of Merlin then, and the weakest instalment of series five thus far, but as a piece of Saturday night entertainment, 'Another's Sorrow' passes 43 minutes pleasantly enough."
Dork Adore: [no numerical rating] "In short, we have here a standard-seeming Merlin episode. Nothing awful, nothing exceptional."
Film Thrasher: [no numerical rating] The episode showed something that's sometimes a rarity with Merlin episodes. That's balance. Everyone had their moment to shine as both an actor and a character.
Geek Syndicate: 3/5 "Following three strong episodes, “Another’s Sorrow” takes on a more serious note as Princess Mithian returns to ask her former fiance to help find her father. At least that’s how it appears to Arthur but we all know when a crow caws, it’s bad news for all!"
Inside Media Track: [no numerical rating] "The only slight is I found the music to be too over-the-top dramatic but then I did listen with earphones which may have made it sound higher. Another great episode, keep up with the ensemble pieces please and the great guest stars."
NEWLSMedia: [no numerical rating] "An enjoyable episode with plenty of action to keep us going; Another’s Sorrow is perhaps not as good in terms of character interaction as last week’s, yet the sword fights more than make up for this."
Sci-Fi Bulletin: 7/10 "After a week’s absence, Katie McGrath continues to show why she is one of the strengths of the show, dealing with some artificially induced barriers that actors with decades of experience have faltered when encountering. Add in a bit more for Richard Wilson to do, and a couple of terrific moments for Bradley James, and you’ve got another strong episode."
SFX: 3/5 stars "So much of this episode begs the question “why?” [...] Fortunately its [sic] rescued from averageness by (a) having more magic in it than usual and (b) having a lot to say about Merlin’s more confident relationship with Arthur. After the pace and tension of previous plots this week could have been a little tiresome but it picks up towards the end with some smart characterisation and a couple of great fight scenes."
TV Equals: [no numerical rating] "‘Another’s Sorrow’ was an important episode of Merlin. While the first three episodes of the series were fantastic, some of the strongest in the show’s run so far, they only showed that Arthur had become a king the people of Camelot could believe in. This week, one of Arthur’s biggest enemies got to see just how great he has the potential to be."
WhatCulture!: 2/5 stars "Sadly, the fourth episode- Another’s Sorrow- did nothing to alleviate my fears of a fledging programme whose writers are running out of ideas, quite the contrary. With yet another obvious plot hatched by Morgana in an attempt to overthrow Camelot, and ever more pathetic dismissals of Merlin’s wise guidance from the majority of the cast, the show’s writers simply showed this week how far this programme still has to go to impress us anymore."