Some curses cannot be broken and Merlin’s heart was an unforeseen casualty of such a curse
Feeling isolated with no one to share his magic and to just be himself, Merlin (Colin Morgan) rejoiced to free the Druid girl and bond with someone like him. Yet even as Freya (Laura Donnelly) protested that she was a monster, Merlin refused to see that her situation was vastly different than his and that their star-crossed romance was doomed from the start. Instead of looking for others like himself with magical abilities, Merlin needs to learn to value the friendships he has with those around him. He will likely be safer and happier in the long run once he does. For Gaius (Richard Wilson), Gwen (Angel Coulby), Morgana (Katie McGrath) and even Arthur (Bradley James) all care for him as he is and would do much to protect him and keep him safe, whether they know about his abilities or not. The lesson to be learned is not to find people like yourself, but to appreciate the people who are already in your life that care for you as you are.
What Worked
It was an achingly painful, yet touchingly beautiful episode where we got to see exactly how lonely Merlin feels and the lengths he will go to so that he does not feel so alone. Watching Merlin’s transition from curiosity, to fascination, to connection, to attachment and then to acceptance was mesmerizing. He was initially curious and moved by Freya’s predicament. Then as he saw her ease with his magic and how it did not frighten her, it was intoxicating for him. He soon was opening up to her about who he was and vowing to take care of her because of their growing acceptance and appreciation of one another. Then, once he saw for himself the gravity of the curse placed upon her, Merlin did not reject Freya and accepted her horrible situation. But then, having to ultimately give her up because even magic does not always defeat death, Merlin’s grieving was heart-breaking to behold. Colin Morgan’s performance, mirrored so deftly by Laura Donnelly as Freya, was captivating. The greatest drama was not Freya being hunted by the bounty hunter or the battle sequence to capture her, but ultimately, it was watching Merlin and Freya’s tearful goodbye as they recognized the impossibility of their situation and how fragile their time together was. Cursed or not, Freya was not immortal and her wounds claimed her life. It was tragic, yet touching. So when she vowed that one day she would repay Merlin, we were crying along with them.
It was a brief, but moving love affair. When Freya initially asked Merlin, “Why did you help me?” Merlin thoughtfully replied, “I saw you — and it could be me in that cage.” Freya was living his greatest fear: to be captured, caged and sentenced to death just because he was born with magic. As Freya tried to warn Merlin that she was different and cursed, Merlin was quick to reassure her, “Magic doesn’t have to be a curse, it can be a gift.” He demonstrated some of the wondrous delights of magic by making the light flames dance before her and creating a red rose when she asked for strawberries. Merlin clearly loved feeling so free to exhibit his abilities and have it appreciated and not feared and reviled. So when Freya curiously asked him, “Why are you so good to me?” Merlin honestly replied, “I like you. With you, I can just be who I am. We don’t have to hide anything.” To be accepted as who he is the one thing that Merlin truly craves. The joy and wonderment that Freya displayed was intoxicating for him. He was not only falling in love, he was free for the first time ever. So when Freya continued to try to push him away and reject his desire to protect and provide for her, he simply told her, “You really do not realize how special you are, do you?” Fearful and not wanting to believe, she timidly responded, “You’re not scared of me?” He gently responded, “There’s nothing to be scared of.” Even after Merlin discovered the true nature of her awful curse, and Freya sadly said, “I tried to tell you. I’m a monster,” Merlin refused to reject her simply because of her affliction. In return for the gift she gave him, he repaid her by taking her to the lake as her final resting place. As Merlin mournfully cried, “There must be something I can do, something to save you,” Freya softly said, “You’ve already saved me. You made me feel loved. . . . One day, I will repay you, I promise.” The love and appreciation they felt for each other was in the end what they both needed. True love is perhaps fleeting, but Merlin is sure to feel the after-effects of it for the rest of his life.
In addition to Merlin and Freya’s strong bonding, this episode also showed the depth to which both Gaius and Arthur both cared for Merlin, each expressing it in the best way they knew how. Gaius, out of love and concern, tried to warn Merlin to stay away from Freya in order to keep Merlin safe from a situation he knew nothing about and which may put him on Uthur’s (Anthony Head) radar. Despite Gaius’ best intentions, Merlin could not stay away for Freya. Merlin tried to explain by telling Gaius, “You can never understand. Do you know how it feels to be a monster — to be afraid of who you are?” But Gaius knowing Freya was somehow cursed, said with wisdom beyond Merlin’s tender years, “Freya is very different from you. She’s dangerous.” Then, after Freya died and Merlin sat in shock and grief, Gaius did not lecture and simply offered his sympathy and sorrow over Merlin’s pain. He was wise enough to not berate Merlin for his foolhardy risk-taking as perhaps he knows that love like that cannot be dissuaded once unleashed.
Also, in a surprising display of insight and friendship, Arthur was there to assist Merlin and be a friend when Merlin needed him. Arthur not only turned a blind-eye to Merlin’s shenanigans with the hot bath water, stealing his food, and catching him with one of Morgana’s gowns, he also saved Merlin from a vicious beating and was ultimately the one who pried Merlin out of his cocoon of grief.
The entire episode was a tragic love story, so the moments of levity were all that much more fun, such as when Arthur spied his missing food on the dungeon floor and said with astounded disbelief to Merlin, “I’m not fat!” To which Merlin grinned and responded that it was for Arthur’s own good to keep him in shape, and jested, “You see, it’s working.” Arthur’s confounded look at this logic was hysterical. As payback, later when Arthur caught Merlin with one of Morgana’s gowns and Merlin tried to protest, “It’s not for me,” Arthur merely grinned and said, “What a man does in his spare time is completely up to him.” Even as Merlin continued to protest, “You’ve got this wrong,” Arthur just smirked and airily said, “The color suits you, Merlin.” These good-natured ribbings amongst them, again, hints at a friendship that continues to grow as they feel comfortable enough to tease each other.
But the most revealing moment of their friendship was when Arthur, seeing Merlin’s obvious pain, sat down on the floor next to him and nooggied him on the head until Merlin roared with laughter. It was an unusual display of concern over his upset servant that makes Arthur that more appealing. That he even noticed Merlin’s pain and took the time to cheer him up by sitting with him on the floor, putting himself at Merlin’s level, and talking to him as an equal was a huge step. The Arthur we have seen until this point would not have noticed let alone taken the effort to ease Merlin’s pain. It was funny and heart-warming. The friendship between them grows deeper and their trust and reliance on one another foreshadows their ultimate fates.
What Didn’t Work
Merlin humming after the kiss from Freya seemed a bit too obvious. Surely, he did not want to raise suspicions and would have tried to hide his obvious happiness. Plus, a lifetime of practice at hiding his feelings would have prevented him from such an obvious slip-up.
Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due
“Merlin” stars Colin Morgan, Bradley James, Katie McGrath, Angel Coulby, Richard Wilson and Anthony Head. “The Lady in the Lake” was written by Julian Jones and directed by Metin Huseyin. “Merlin” airs Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on Syfy.
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