Director: Jeremy Webb
It's a little dispiriting to watch Merlin (Colin Morgan) play second fiddle to everyone else so often, but his role as a manservant inevitably makes him a subservient presence, while the banishment of magic means he can't easily take centre stage. Here again, he's the reticent and unsung hero of the day, helping Prince Arthur (Bradley James) avoid a watery grave..."The Gates Of Avalon" revolves around two strangers: the elderly Aulfric (Kenneth Cranham) and his beautiful daughter Sophia (Holliday Grainger), whom Arthur saves from bandits in the nearby woods -- with a little magical help from Merlin, of course. King Uther (Anthony Head) suggests the pair stay at Camelot to recuperate, unaware they're supernatural beings called Sidhe who have been trapped inside human form and exiled from the immortal realm of Avalon. Not only that, but they can only return home if they offer the life of a prince as sacrifice.
This episode finally provides some material for Lady Morgana (Katie McGrath) to tackle, as we discover she can dream the future, and recently had a nightmare where she saw Sophia drown Arthur. The trouble is, how can she warn Arthur or Uther of the impending danger when her magical abilities are punishable by death? Fortunately, Gaius (Richard Wilson) has long been aware of Morgana's power as a "seer" since she was a child, and entrusts Merlin to prevent her dream from becoming a reality.
Arthur is immediately smitten with the enchanting Sophia, who ensures his continued obedience using magic, so she can easily offer him as sacrifice to the fairy-like Sidhe elders at a local lake. It's ultimately a very familiar set-up for the series (a dishonest, magical villain gaining the trust of both Pendragons, Gaius solving the mystery by reading some dusty books, Merlin saving the day by using magic without anyone noticing), but it still works quite well. What it loses in originality, it gains with some engaging performances from its guest-stars Grainger and Cranham (who was especially sinister, with or without his eyes burning red when angered.)
In the big scheme of things, this story is treading water in the middle of the season, although it was great to see writer Ben Vanstone utilize Morgana and confirm she has a magical gift of her own. Merlin's adherence to the Arthurian legend is still open for debate, but hopefully the writers won't avoid the chance to slowly turn Morgana into the legendary evil sorceress. It would mean playing a long game (a la Lex Luthor in Smallville), but I think Merlin desperately needs a sense of overarching purpose, direction and goal.
McGrath is the only person who looks like she's been ripped from the pages of a fairy tale, so I'd love to see her embrace her power and start using it for evil. It would be a tragic waste of such potential, otherwise. This episode also makes a point of informing us Morgana fancies Arthur (and had her advances spurned once before), so perhaps when Gwen (Angel Coulby) one day wins Arthur's heart, Morgana's jealousy will fuel her turn to the dark side? I guess we'll have to wait and see...
The regular characters were all fine, having settled into their roles now, and it was good to see Colin Morgan back to his inquisitive, cheeky best. Wilson and McGrath were also good despite limited screentime, although I'm a bit disappointed King Uther has been so level-headed adn reasonable just lately. He was far more enjoyable earlier in the series, when his good intentions often crossed the line into dictatorial petulance.
Overall, the central storyline was rudimentary stuff, but still entertaining for its target audience of kids. The presence of Grainger and Cranham improved the material, and I appreciated the attempt to make Morgana a more interesting character. Just knowing she was once in Merlin's position as a child, and Gaius helped her escape Uther's zero-tolerance for sorcery was intriguing.
Superficially, I enjoyed the special-effects for the Sidhe, too (electric-blue versions of the tiny Torchwood fairies, with Orc-style make-up), and the fantastic, stirring music also deserves a belated mention. "The Gates Of Avalon" was ultimately a bit forgettable (not helped by a disappointing finale and awkward denouement), but hopefully the nuggets of Morgana-related information will be expanded upon in the future.
1 November 2008
BBC1, 7.30pm
Cast: Colin Morgan (Merlin), Bradley James (Prince Arthur), Richard Wilson (Gaius), Anthony Head (King Uther), Angel Coulby (Gwen), Katie McGrath (Morgana), Holliday Grainger (Sophia) & Kenneth Cranham (Aulfric)
