We have seen the tension brewing through the most recent of stories, with Arthur initially disagreeing with some of Uther’s decisions and going as far as to downright refuse to do what he is told. This is not a child being impudent, but rather a growing king questioning a leader who, it seems, is losing the grip on his control of his kingdom. With this week’s show, then, we finally see what has been hinted upon over the past few weeks as finally Arthur confronts, and soundly beats, Uther as the father/son relationship climaxes in a duel to the death. And while there are outside factors once again controlling events, really all it takes this week is an emotional nudge to get the tension racked up to boiling point as a beautiful seer, Morgause, plays her hand in an attempt to take out the rulers of Camelot. It seems that everyone is in the duelling mood this week, as the climax of the episode is triggered by an appearance of a helmeted knight and, taking a nod at the strong female characters in Lord Of The Rings, most notably Miranda Otto’s portrayal of Eowyn. We see that this skilled knight is the seer Morgause whom we saw in the introduction. In a bit of a nod to classical Arthurian lore, this episode also lets us get to know Geoffrey of Monmouth, who, for the most part, plays as a scribe and chief administrator to the laws and events unfolding in Camelot. Stating that there are no regulations to say a female knight cannot challenge a male to a duel, Arthur accepts the challenge laid before him. However, for once it is Uther who is cautious, warning his son there might be a lot more going on. Attending the duel with his renowned cockiness, Arthur actually loses and by sword point is given a reprieve by Morgause, who states that, to live, Arthur must accept any challenge she puts in his way. Gaius then reveals (like he has just remembered) that many years ago he smuggled Morgause out of Camelot as a baby and gave her to the High Priestess of the ‘Old Religion’ for being potentially a magic user. While this back story is, actually, quite compelling, the way all this info is provided is just daft. ‘Oh sorry, I forgot this really important bit of my life story and only remember it now when it’s needed’ is just lazy writing and very trite. Giving us this info in a clichéd soliloquy is just insulting and undoes all the good aspects, plots and ideas the writers have given us over the past few weeks, which is very disappointing. Following on from this bit of bad scripting, Arthur conveniently let slip that he has never seen and knows nothing about his mother. Again, this is just plain lazy. Why talk to an unknown character you have just met about your deepest darkest secrets? Please, Merlin writers, come up with something a little better. Still, this out of character bit of soul baring helps the plot out no end, as Morgause tests Arthur’s word and honour, rewarding him with a visitation from his mother, who, thinly disguised, is I guess supposed to be the ‘lady of the lake’. Shadowed by Merlin, Arthur finds out that his mother Ygraine was a magic user and that he himself was born of magic. Imbued with this knowledge, Arthur returns to Camelot to confront Uther, leading to the inevitable showdown mentioned before. It is only with the calming influence of Merlin and Gaius that Arthur regains his composure, but more importantly, Merlin lies to his friend, stating that Morgause is a liar, and that the vision of Ygraine was an illusion. A lie backed up by Uther, whose hypocrisy and downright deception is plain to see. Read our review of episode 7 here.
