Again going with the cheap option (i.e. no special effects) this episode does actually succeed as a 45 minute action adventure show, digging a little deeper into the characters and, for maybe the first time, actually having some movement forward character and plot-wise. In all honesty, Merlin takes a back seat this week as Lancelot’s presence is felt on a greater scale and Arthur’s hot-headed nature and growing affection for Gwen take centre stage. Lancelot is being treated with a bit of respect, a slow build character whose fate from legend we all know, but it seems that instead of rushing headlong into the romance, tragedy and the fall of Camelot, the teen aspects of blossoming love, anger and jealousy takes their place. And, for a show such as this, the greatest literary betrayal, this tweaking fits surprisingly well. The episode features a standard mistaken identity story with outlaws Kendrick and Hengist kidnapping both Morgana and Gwen while they are on a pilgrimage to Morgana’s father’s grave, and mistakenly taking Gwen – who they think is worth more than Morgana – captive as a bargaining chip. After a frosty reunion, the team of Merlin, Arthur and Lancelot sneak into Hengist Castle for a daring rescue and while the budget and time constraints of the show can be seen, the actual rescue is played out pretty well with everyone getting their chance to shine. With the bad guys defeated, damsels rescued and honour restored, the team return to Camelot with emotions on the edge of spilling over and for the first time an actual bit of acting is required. And, to my surprise, the usually wooden Arthur pulls off a good performance of a king in waiting whose love for Gwen is maybe taking priority over his duties. That, and the formal veneer of prince is slipping slightly at the signs of the closeness of Gwen and Lancelot. While not in the same league as other adaptations of the Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere story (as, say, in the classic Excalibur) everyone takes a good stab at the material here and gives a performance that is balanced closely to what could actually be called ‘quite good’. For a show that week on week fails to live up to expectations. this is saying a lot. Read our review of episode 3 here.
