Writer: Julian Jones
Director: James HawesCast: Colin Morgan (Merlin), Richard Wilson (Gaius), Anthony Head (King Uther), Kate McGrath (Morgana), Bradley James (Prince Arthur), Angel Coulby (Guinevere), John Hurt (The Great Dragon, voice), Eve Myles (Mary Collins), Ed Coleman (Morris), Louis Dylan (Bronwen), Gary Oliver (Gregory) & Caroline Faber (Hunith)
Merlin is a project that makes a lot of sense for the BBC. There's definitely a hungry audience for Saturday night family drama (as Doctor Who will attest), Britain has a strong line in myths and legend worth exploiting (particularly anything Arthurian), everyone loves a sumptuous historical romp (just look at Robin Hood and the countless period dramas), and the vogue for British fictional sorcery has never been so strong (as evidenced by The Lord Of The Rings and Harry Potter). How can a big-budget TV series, that includes all those ingredients, possibly go wrong?Well, it remains to be seen if Merlin has the chops to become as successful as Doctor Who, although it's already been snapped up for broadcast in American by NBC (something of a coup for the BBC, as the US usually just buy the rights and make their own version – a la Life On Mars). But have NBC purchased a turkey, or was their unexpected faith in this project well founded?
"The Dragon's Call" finds us in the Dark Ages, long before Britain technically exists and the land of Albion is yet to be constructed. Merlin (Colin Morgan) is a somewhat gawky teenager who arrives in Camelot to stay with his mother's friend Gaius (Richard Wilson), the court physician. King Uther (Anthony Head) is on the throne, and rules his subjects with a zero-tolerance for magic. This is bad news for Merlin, who has an innate ability to move objects with his mind and, as we know, is destined to become the world's most famous wizard. Yes, let's see if Harry Potter is still a household name this time next millennium.
Essentially, Merlin does for the Arthurian legend what Smallville did for Superman comics, presenting familiar characters in their youth, with a few contemporary twists. Hence Prince Arthur (Bradley James) is a blonde pretty-boy who takes an instant disliking to Merlin for his impertinence; Guinevere (Angel Coulby) is a mixed race servant, who doesn't like her future-husband Arthur, and prefers to be called Gwen; while the "evil" Morgana (Katie McGrath) is beautiful and intolerant of her father's hatred of magic.
In terms of production, Merlin is similar in style to Robin Hood, although its magical theme gives it a welcome air of the fantastical that Hood can't ever approach. That should help keep things more entertaining (at least on a visual level), although "The Dragon's Call" sorely misses Hood's sense of character relationships and camaraderie...
In this premiere, there isn't much spark to the few relationships between the characters we're introduced to. Merlin and Gaius are the only people that have a chance to form a bond, and even their student/mentor pairing isn't very compelling. Meanwhile, Merlin and Arthur's antagonism didn't really work, as it just felt too constructed and awkwardly introduced – not helped by the fact Bradley James shows none of the charisma one would expect from his character.
There are a few good performances worth mentioning, though. Irishman Colin Morgan (Jethro in Doctor Who's "Midnight") is a very good find for the teenage Merlin, bringing a sense of mischief, likeability and awkwardness that fits the show's intentions like a glove. He should make a worthy hero children can relate to, and crucially won't irritate adults watching, too. His casting is key to Merlin's chances of sustained success, and Morgan definitely looks like a good choice.
Guest star Eve Myles (Torchwood) is excellent as Mary Collins, a decrepit sorceress who infiltrates Camelot by assuming a Lady's youthful identity, so she can assassinate King Uther for decapitating her son because he practised magic. Myles demonstrates an unexpected aptitude for quiet malice here, delivering quite a few creepy sequences – even from behind layers of grey, wrinkled skin. It's a shame hers isn't a recurring role, actually.
All of the other performances range from good but perfunctory (Wilson and Head), nice but forgettable (Coulby and McGrath) and worryingly poor (James). Of course, there wasn't really much material for the supporting actors to sink their teeth into, so there's a good chance everyone will improve quickly. The vocal performance of John Hurt as the Great Dragon (a beast imprisoned beneath Camelot by Uther) was good, if only because it demonstrates the project can attract a big-name star. The CGI was also pretty decent for the creature, courtesy of The Mill – who are now dab hands at creating small-screen spectacle, thanks to Doctor Who and Torchwood. It's just a shame lots of painfully obvious greenscreen shots let the side down.
Overall, this was a competent start that lacked thrills and imagination. The story was lukewarm, most of the characters didn't jump off the screen, the dialogue was generally weak, and the pace was too languid. However, you can't deny the premise has stacks of potential, Colin Morgan's performance helped gloss over a few shortcomings, and I'm interested to see how things develop now the exposition's been dealt with.
The problem with TV shows that are based on established myths is that audiences are already one-step ahead of the game. We know Arthur will become King of the Britons, we know he'll marry Guinevere, we know he'll pull Excalibur from a stone, we know Guinevere will elope with Sir Lancelot, we know he'll go on a quest to find the Holy Grail, we know he'll die and be buried in Avalon – and all those touchstones of Arthurian legend lie in this show's (hopefully) very distant future.
So, can Merlin provide an interesting and relevant foundation to these legendary moments? Or will it become a flaccid and pointless preamble to all the juicy stuff we really want to see? That will be a problem for the writers, and while this episode didn't leave me spellbound, I'll certainly be watching to see where they take it...
20 September 2008
BBC1, 7.30 pm
