In its final year, Merlin provided plenty to enjoy in terms of both story and visual spectacle. The show benefits from some sumptuous production, ambitious storytelling and a more adult tone befitting its later time slot. Notably more dramatic, there is no room for the all out comedy episodes of previous series, though time is still found for lighter moments along the way.
In story terms the injection of a further jump in time, in this instance a three-year gap, allowed for the presentation of a more mature King Arthur with his Queen Gwen and a settled band of brother Knights at the famous Round Table. Merlin, of course, remained in his lowly position as servant to the king and assistant to Gaius, the court physician.
The principal threat to Camelot, Morgana, is now more unhinged than ever as a consequence of trials endured off screen. The time jump allows for a further development too, in the return of a grown up Mordred. Now recast as Alexander Vlahos, the young druid’s presence is a troubling development for Merlin, who receives a vision of Arthur’s death at the boy’s hands.
In the two-part opener ‘Arthur’s Bane’, Morgana’s quest to uncover her brother’s weakness leads to the excavation of Ismere’s catacombs in search of a mysterious key. It is an ambitious opener with multiple plot strands, most of which pay off cleverly. With the enigmatic Mordred apparently choosing Arthur over Morgana, the scene is set for Merlin’s dilemma, which lasts all series long.
Arthur’s past literally comes back to haunt him in ‘The Death Song of Uther Pendragon’ with the ghostly return of former series regular Anthony Head. Strong and atmospheric, it serves as a reminder of how far Arthur has come with Camelot and, frankly, what a nasty piece of work Uther was.
‘Another’s Sorrow’ sees Morgana causing trouble between Camelot and its neighbours. Arthur’s former love interest Princess Mithan and vengeful rival Odin are employed as pawns in her game, which resolves with Merlin prompting some excellent nation building.
One of the strongest episodes of the series is ‘The Disir’, with Merlin forced to decide between freedom of magic in Camelot and the life of the as yet innocent Mordred. A thrilling dilemma, it leads to some superb scenes for Colin Morgan and a brilliant sting in the tail.
The middle section of the series is occupied with the Evil Gwen plotline, sparked by her abduction in ‘The Dark Tower’. The Queen’s removal from Camelot leads to a Knightly quest and the tragic loss of one of their number while she endures some effective psychological torture. Falling under the thrall of her old mistress and reinserted into Camelot, she becomes a spy with orders to orchestrate Arthur’s death. It is a role that she embraces with relish and to her credit, Angel Coulby’s steers the character clear of pantomime villainy. We were almost sad to it close as it put an end to her murderous and scheming antics and restored her to the role of faithful spouse.
However, the Evil Gwen plot carries on for three episodes, which is arguably too long, and resolves with little impact to the main plot smacking of a lack of bravery.
There are some excellent moments for Merlin as he attempts to deal with the situation though. In ‘The Hollow Queen’ he leaves the castle on a mission of mercy and in ‘With All My Heart’ he undergoes a show-stopping transformation into a camp sorceress, one of the show’s final moments of all-out comedy.
Tensions escalate admirably during the final four episodes. With Morgana closing in on Merlin and the capture of his ally Alator in ‘The Kindness of Strangers’ his survival is only assured at great cost. ‘The Drawing of the Dark’ sees Mordred’s defection to Morgana after Arthur executes his love. With more time, it would have been nice to see the girl introduced earlier, but the boy’s turn is believably played and our loyalties were truly divided in the moment.
Eventually, as was foretold, all paths lead to a climatic battle at Camlann. Epic in its staging, the mêlée gives way to a much simpler journey between the two leads as Merlin confesses his true identity to a fatally wounded Arthur.
The long awaited magical reveal in the two part finale ‘The Diamond of the Day’ caps a five year journey with an intimate and heartfelt ending as the young wizard tries to save his best friend.
Guest appearances for the series include a brief return for Lindsay Duncan (Queen Annis), with Janet Montgomery (Princess Mithian), Fintan McKeown (Odin), Gary Lewis (Alator) and John Lynch (Balinor) reprising their roles. Other notable guests include include Liam Cunningham and John Bradley from Game of Thrones, as well as Sophie Rundle, Edward Fox, John Shrapnel and Sorcha Cusack. Although there is some tough competition, Anthony Head’s reprise of the terrifically nasty Uther easily takes the crown for best guest performance.
Attractively packaged, this is a five disc-set, with the fifth disc containing extras. The discs open with the familiar animated menus, set within Gaius’ chambers.
Released on DVD and Blu-ray on Monday 21 January 2013 by Fremantle Home Entertainment.
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