Director: Ed Fraiman
Cast: Colin Morgan (Merlin), Bradley James (Prince Arthur), Richard Wilson (Gaius), Anthony Head (King Uther), Angel Coulby (Gwen), Katie McGrath (Morgana), Michelle Ryan (Nimueh), Clive Russell (King Bayard), Jamie Kenna (Dungeon Guard), Paul Kynman (Sir Cador) & Gary Oliver (Gregory)
Four is the magic number. "The Poisoned Chalice" finally delivers on the promise of this series, mixing reality and fantasy with greater skill; telling a story that may be formulaic and predictable, but was also great fun and confidently told. The performance are also improving steadily, particularly from Anthony Head (King Uther) and Bradley James (Prince Arthur).In a loose continuation of last week's episode, evil sorceress Nimueh (Michelle Ryan) is still on the scene; here going undercover as a beautiful handmaiden to win Merlin's (Colin Morgan) trust and poison Arthur's chalice. During a ceremony to unite Camelot with the kingdom of Mercia, Nimueh convinces Merlin that King Bayard (Clive Russell) is plotting to poison Prince Arthur. Merlin causes outrage by halting the political festivities and accusing Bayard of poisoning, but Uther commands Merlin to drink the poison himself as a test. Tragically, Merlin is proven right and becomes terminally ill after drinking from the chalice.
A King Bayard is arrested and war beckons with Mercia, Gaius (Richard Wilson) realizes that Merlin's only chance of survival rests with him creating an antidote using a rare mortaeus plant found in a nearby cave. Against his father's wishes, Arthur decides to save the life of his servant and rides to the Forest of Balor in search of the cure...
"The Poisoned Chalice" is good, old-fashioned fantasy fun. Writer Ben Vanstone's story is hardly original, but it's very efficient and finely paced. For an episode that doesn't rely on the charisma of its lead actor, it's even more surprising to see the supporting actors pick up the slack admirably. I'm growing to like Bradley James as his icy veneer slowly melts and the bonds of friendship with Merlin tighten. Head is excellent here, mainly because King Uther is almost incorrigibly cold-hearted, ruthless and blinded by a hatred of magic. The episode's coda softened him (at least in his role as a parent), but otherwise it's great to see a "villain" who doesn't crumble into congeniality.
The stunning Michelle Ryan had more to do in her second appearance, although I'm still disappointed that the level of magic in Merlin is so unadventurous. I can understand Merlin's own abilities being limited in scope given his inexperience, but considering the hushed tones Gaius and Uther use when talking about the dreaded evil sorceress Nimueh, we're yet to see Ryan's character astonish or frighten us. Still, Ryan is a beautiful screen presence and generally does a good job with the material. It was also a nice touch to see Gaius use an enchantment in secret, proving he's capable of magic and could be well-equipped to teach Merlin first-hand. As I mentioned last week, the absence of a magical mentor for the teenage Merlin is something that needs to change.
Merlin also expanded its horizons here, finally taking us beyond the castle and into the nearby countryside, forest and a dark cave. It was getting quite claustrophobic in the courtyard, so getting a sense of the outside world was very welcome and helped spark your imagination – particularly when an iguana-like beastie arrived for Prince Arthur to slay. It was just a shame the budget didn't stretch to creating a believable and exciting man-versus-beast fight; with poor camera angles and bland choreography squeezing a promising scenario dry. The CGI spiders inside the cave were much better, thankfully.
Morgana (Katie McGrath) is still sadly underused, so I can only hope the writers have a plan for her character in the long run -- as her role isn't clear and the Irish actress deserves better. In contrast, Gwen (Angel Coulby) is faring much better. Her role as a go-between for Morgana, Arthur and Merlin means she's more able to slot into any storyline, and Coulby is a pleasant performer – if not particularly queen-like (which is, of course, her big destiny).
Overall, this was a marked improvement and very enjoyable throughout. The actors all seem to be settling in now, the mythology is deepening, the universe is widening, and the groundwork is being laid for a Merlin/Nimueh face-off. The storylines still aren't terribly inventive and the magic is quite negligible, but this episode engages thanks to the growing Arthur/Merlin camaraderie, callous Uther's bad decisions, a tangible villain, the sense of a masterplan being set in motion, and a more successful merger of fantasy and reality all round.
11 October 2008
BBC1, 7pm
