Director: Ed Fraiman
A very strong episode heralds the halfway mark for Merlin, with series co-creator Julian Jones crafting an intriguing and satisfying episode, with a notable guest-starring role for Green Wing's Julian Rhind-Tutt as facially-scarred physician Edwin. Unfortunately, hope for an emphasis on the shamefully underused Morgana (Katie McGrath) proved unfounded again, but Anthony Head continues to impress as King Uther, and Richard Wilson turned in a tender performance as Gaius..."A Remedy To Cure All Ills" finds creepy physician Edwin arriving in Camelot to surreptitiously cause a life-threatening illness in Lady Morgana; a sickness that trusted court physician Gaius is at a loss to cure. Merlin (Colin Morgan) is quick to suggest the use of magic, but apparently magic can't be used to cure natural illnesses. As Morgana's health declines, King Uther and Prince Arthur (Bradley James) grow desperate, allowing Edwin to slither onto the scene with the claim he has a "remedy to cure all ills". After restoring Morgana to full health by reversing his dastardly work, Edwin slowly begins to turn Uther against his trusted friend Gaius, by making him question the old man's medical knowledge and outdated practices...
This was the first episode with a story that held my interest and gradually flowered to reveal some intriguing information, relating to the mass slaughter of sorcerers Uther presided over 20 years ago. Edwin's history and tragic past were excellent reasons for him to frame Gaius for negligence, and a clever way to assuming King Uther's trust so he could avenge the death of his sorcerer parents.
I particularly like the idea of Uther as a kind of medieval Hitler figure because of his genocide of witches and warlocks – but does Gaius' inaction make him complicit in a "magical holocaust"? I know this is a kid's show at heart, but I enjoyed the dark undercurrent this episode tapped into. Hopefully these moral grey areas won't snap into simple black-and-white too easily – although the concession that Edwin's parents practised "dark arts" conceded their deaths were for the greater good. A minor cop-out.
Interesting, this was the second episode to feature a main character's ill health (after Merlin was poisoned in "The Poisoned Chalice"), and the second episode to actually find some structure in its storytelling. Let's hope the life-or-death illness of characters isn't the only mechanism the writers can think up to inspire their plotting. But it worked very well here, although it was unfortunate that Morgana was again used in such a token way. The actress deserves more, particularly as her character has the potential to be most interesting (as the original legend featured her as a powerful, evil sorceress). But there's been no indication Morgana is anything more than a beautiful, insipid presence.
More than anything, I appreciated how the episode gave Richard Wilson a chance to shine, as Wilson is a very engaging screen presence and capable of more than we've been shown so far. They even perked my interest in Gaius himself, by having him exhibit half-forgotten magical powers in the climactic scene. I seriously hope he'll start to function as a proper magical mentor to Merlin, as we need some development in that area.
It was also nice to see Gaius in consultation with The Great Dragon (John Hurt), mainly because the dragon stopped being so hazy and told him straight: King Uther must die in order for Arthur and Merlin to unite Albion in peace and prosperity. That knowledge even helped colour my thoughts towards the end, as Gaius could have allowed Edwin to kill King Uther before exposing him as a charlatan, just to end Uther's intolerant reign and usher in these glory days.
Overall, this was a rich and rewarding episode that balanced a rather simple storyline with some juicy subtext. Guest star Julian Rhind-Tutt was excellent as Edwin, effortlessly mixing creepiness with sympathy to create a three-dimensional villain you could believe in. A scene where he nearly talks Merlin into joining "the dark side" was very Star Wars in its tone (Edwin/The Emperor, Merlin/Anakin, Gaius/Obi Wan), and the series clearly works well on a mythical, fairy tale setting.
The only things that tainted the experience for me was the continuing underuse of Morgana, the worrying fact that the two best episodes both kept Merlin on a tight leash, and some frustrating editing choices in a Merlin vs. Edwin "magical duel" with an axe (which, in an effort to keep the show palatable for youngsters, lost all sense and denied the over-10 audience a satisfying on-screen death for the villain). But, other than that, this was the best episode of Merlin so far, and hopefully something it will build on as we start the latter half of the season.
25 October 2008
BBC1, 5.55pm
Cast: Colin Morgan (Merlin), Bradley James (Prince Arthur), Richard Wilson (Gaius), Anthony Head (King Uther), Angel Coulby (Gwen), Katie McGrath (Morgana), John Hurt (The Great Dragon, voice), Michael Cronin (Geoffrey of Monmouth) & Julian Rhind-Tutt (Edwin)
