Reviews for Episode 4.09 - Lancelot Du Lac
Warning: Full reviews contain spoilers for those who have not yet seen the episode. Updates will be made as more reviews come in.
(* = newly added)
*Dork Adore "As I’ve mused in previous Merlin reviews, I liked Lancelot. I loved his honest nobility as much as some viewers enjoy his rough yet understanding good looks. (See above.) So when they killed him off in the early episodes of this series, I was a bit upset. Was it a cost cutting exercise? A way of avoiding the Arthur/Gwen/Lancelot love triangle? It’s hard to tell, especially now that he’s back. Did the episode itself make things any clearer?"
*Dan's Media Digest "Overall, there was much to enjoy about the character-led "Lancelot du Lac" and I'm glad the show gave us a better conclusion to the Gwen/Lancelot storyline than felt likely nine weeks ago. I still think the whole love-triangle could have been done much better, but I suppose this was a unique way handling this particular part of the legend. Unique but slightly underwhelming."
Simply TV "A brilliant episode, acted wonderfully by Morgan, Coulby, Cabrera and James in particular. With the legend being so widely known, it's not difficult to see what will happen at the end, but then that goes for any myth/legend that we have enjoyed for many years, so I can't see that affecting the next few episodes. I for one am looking forward to it."
Den Of Geek "The story lies in the hands of Angel Coulby as Gwen who has shown that she is an actress of substance with every passing week. Torn between the action man that is Lancelot (played, once more, by Santiago Cabrera) and the rather reserved yet equally macho Arthur, her emotions are laid bare, especially when confronted with her deception. It's a wonderfully emotional scene, with Bradley James being genuinely intimidating with his fury. The scene is made more effective by his calm, reserved disappointment."
Digital Spy "'Lancelot du Lac' is one of the strongest episodes Merlin has ever produced. It's especially pleasing to see an instalment of such quality now, given that last week's 'Lamia' was a little lacklustre."
SFX "Wow. This is an extraordinary episode, bold and dark and sad. It’s not perfect but a five star SFX review doesn’t mean “flawless”. It means that this is must-watch TV, and with a script by Lucy Watkins (who already wrote the best episode of the series so far, “A Servant Of Two Masters” from 5 November) this is definitely Merlin at its most gripping."
Geek Syndicate "Excalibur, the Crystal Cave, the Round Table - all are well-known parts of Arthurian legend. But there’s another infamous element that hasn’t been explored yet until now: Guinevere and Lancelot’s betrayal of Arthur’s trust. If you don’t focus too closely on certain aspects of the story, this is one of the most emotional performances given by Bradley James, Angel Coulby and Colin Morgan to date."
(* = newly added)
*Dork Adore "As I’ve mused in previous Merlin reviews, I liked Lancelot. I loved his honest nobility as much as some viewers enjoy his rough yet understanding good looks. (See above.) So when they killed him off in the early episodes of this series, I was a bit upset. Was it a cost cutting exercise? A way of avoiding the Arthur/Gwen/Lancelot love triangle? It’s hard to tell, especially now that he’s back. Did the episode itself make things any clearer?"
*Dan's Media Digest "Overall, there was much to enjoy about the character-led "Lancelot du Lac" and I'm glad the show gave us a better conclusion to the Gwen/Lancelot storyline than felt likely nine weeks ago. I still think the whole love-triangle could have been done much better, but I suppose this was a unique way handling this particular part of the legend. Unique but slightly underwhelming."
Simply TV "A brilliant episode, acted wonderfully by Morgan, Coulby, Cabrera and James in particular. With the legend being so widely known, it's not difficult to see what will happen at the end, but then that goes for any myth/legend that we have enjoyed for many years, so I can't see that affecting the next few episodes. I for one am looking forward to it."
Den Of Geek "The story lies in the hands of Angel Coulby as Gwen who has shown that she is an actress of substance with every passing week. Torn between the action man that is Lancelot (played, once more, by Santiago Cabrera) and the rather reserved yet equally macho Arthur, her emotions are laid bare, especially when confronted with her deception. It's a wonderfully emotional scene, with Bradley James being genuinely intimidating with his fury. The scene is made more effective by his calm, reserved disappointment."
Digital Spy "'Lancelot du Lac' is one of the strongest episodes Merlin has ever produced. It's especially pleasing to see an instalment of such quality now, given that last week's 'Lamia' was a little lacklustre."
SFX "Wow. This is an extraordinary episode, bold and dark and sad. It’s not perfect but a five star SFX review doesn’t mean “flawless”. It means that this is must-watch TV, and with a script by Lucy Watkins (who already wrote the best episode of the series so far, “A Servant Of Two Masters” from 5 November) this is definitely Merlin at its most gripping."
Geek Syndicate "Excalibur, the Crystal Cave, the Round Table - all are well-known parts of Arthurian legend. But there’s another infamous element that hasn’t been explored yet until now: Guinevere and Lancelot’s betrayal of Arthur’s trust. If you don’t focus too closely on certain aspects of the story, this is one of the most emotional performances given by Bradley James, Angel Coulby and Colin Morgan to date."