Merlin S5 Ep 2
I still have to thank all of my British friends, who despite having seen this season in its entirety already have not spoiled it at all for me. Each episode is coming to me fresh, with no real idea of what's going to happen. That's an enjoyable feeling. And that's why I make sure I don't post spoilers places others can easily trip across them. Getting to my TV episode reviews should be almost as difficult as finding
Okay, so let's get this out of the way: The Diamar/Euchdag is going to freak me out every time it appears. There's just something nauseating about the way it looks and moves. Hopefully that's on purpose.
Now, on to the episode itself. I thought it was a fine wrap-up of the cliffhanger from the first episode. The Saxon lands certainly seem to go from green to snow in just a matter of a mile or so, don't they? Regardless, we find Merlin and Arthur at the mercy of a pitiless Saxon and Mordred. Merlin doesn't trust Mordred; he's seen in a vision that Mordred will kill Arthur. The cold, snowy climate doesn't match Merlin's vision, so we know there's no danger yet. And yet, the entire episode is one long set-up to get Mordred into Arthur's good graces and gain him a knighthood. Mordred rescues Arthur not once but twice -- once in the subtle way of just letting him escape (when he could use magic, overtly or subtly, to bring Arthur and Merlin down), and then in a far more dramatic when when he literally back-stabs Morgana and drags Arthur to join up with the rest of the knights ... notably leaving Merlin unconscious in a side-passage. Of course, that was necessary plot-wise so that Merlin could have his private moment with the Diamar and learn that "Arthur's Bane" is ... Arthur himself.
I noted last review that the obvious aging of Mordred beyond what we would have expected of Asa Butterfield was a bit startling. It still feels a little off (despite the dialogue mentions of the years that pass between each season, Colin Morgan and Bradley James have not aged the same number of years their characters have -- but it doesn't matter because the core cast has aged consistently with each other, whereas an older actor playing Mordred is obvious and jarring), but Alexander Vlahos grew on me this episode. Like Colin Morgan himself, I find Vlahos a bit captivating to watch. I am assuming that, now that he is officially a Knight of the Round Table, Sir Mordred will be around for most of the season as all plots move towards the end-game.
The Morgana-and-her-dragon thing feels a little too "Danaerys of House Targeryn" for me (and the dragon effects on Game of Thrones are better, IMHO). It feels like a needless tack-on, to make the increasingly batshit-crazy Morgana seem at least a bit sympathetic. ("Oh, look, she really cares for the injured, abused mythical creature. She must not be all bad.") I think, this being the last season, they need to just let Katie McGrath chew the scenery and Be Evil.
It's a shame Liam Cunningham's time on the show was cut short (again, literally), as Ruadan was growing on me as a supporting, and clearly conflicted, character. Still, he served his purpose: we got to see the politically manipulative side of Gwen, and his death sets Sefa up to come hunting for revenge .... presumably after she learns how to use the same sort of magic her father did.
Overall, not a bad episode.
It's a shame Series 5 is the final one for Merlin. On American network tv, the main actors would have been contracted for 7, and as long as ratings held, the show would have run that long. Or even if it only ran five seasons, we'd still have more episodes -- a 21 or 22 episode final season would give more room for development and build than a typical BBC series does.
Okay, so let's get this out of the way: The Diamar/Euchdag is going to freak me out every time it appears. There's just something nauseating about the way it looks and moves. Hopefully that's on purpose.
Now, on to the episode itself. I thought it was a fine wrap-up of the cliffhanger from the first episode. The Saxon lands certainly seem to go from green to snow in just a matter of a mile or so, don't they? Regardless, we find Merlin and Arthur at the mercy of a pitiless Saxon and Mordred. Merlin doesn't trust Mordred; he's seen in a vision that Mordred will kill Arthur. The cold, snowy climate doesn't match Merlin's vision, so we know there's no danger yet. And yet, the entire episode is one long set-up to get Mordred into Arthur's good graces and gain him a knighthood. Mordred rescues Arthur not once but twice -- once in the subtle way of just letting him escape (when he could use magic, overtly or subtly, to bring Arthur and Merlin down), and then in a far more dramatic when when he literally back-stabs Morgana and drags Arthur to join up with the rest of the knights ... notably leaving Merlin unconscious in a side-passage. Of course, that was necessary plot-wise so that Merlin could have his private moment with the Diamar and learn that "Arthur's Bane" is ... Arthur himself.
I noted last review that the obvious aging of Mordred beyond what we would have expected of Asa Butterfield was a bit startling. It still feels a little off (despite the dialogue mentions of the years that pass between each season, Colin Morgan and Bradley James have not aged the same number of years their characters have -- but it doesn't matter because the core cast has aged consistently with each other, whereas an older actor playing Mordred is obvious and jarring), but Alexander Vlahos grew on me this episode. Like Colin Morgan himself, I find Vlahos a bit captivating to watch. I am assuming that, now that he is officially a Knight of the Round Table, Sir Mordred will be around for most of the season as all plots move towards the end-game.
The Morgana-and-her-dragon thing feels a little too "Danaerys of House Targeryn" for me (and the dragon effects on Game of Thrones are better, IMHO). It feels like a needless tack-on, to make the increasingly batshit-crazy Morgana seem at least a bit sympathetic. ("Oh, look, she really cares for the injured, abused mythical creature. She must not be all bad.") I think, this being the last season, they need to just let Katie McGrath chew the scenery and Be Evil.
It's a shame Liam Cunningham's time on the show was cut short (again, literally), as Ruadan was growing on me as a supporting, and clearly conflicted, character. Still, he served his purpose: we got to see the politically manipulative side of Gwen, and his death sets Sefa up to come hunting for revenge .... presumably after she learns how to use the same sort of magic her father did.
Overall, not a bad episode.
It's a shame Series 5 is the final one for Merlin. On American network tv, the main actors would have been contracted for 7, and as long as ratings held, the show would have run that long. Or even if it only ran five seasons, we'd still have more episodes -- a 21 or 22 episode final season would give more room for development and build than a typical BBC series does.