Who can you trust when you can’t trust yourself?
Merlin became his own worst enemy in this episode. Wounded and captured, Morgana quickly sought to use him as a weapon to strike against Arthur. After implanting one of the Fomorroh into Merlin, Merlin’s only thought is to kill Arthur Pendragon. Fortunately, Gaius and Gwen noticed Merlin’s odd behavior in time to repeatedly rescue Arthur from Merlin’s clumsy assassination attempts. It was both humorous and yet terrifying as Merlin is perhaps the most trusted person in Arthur’s life and has so many opportunities to strike at him. Morgana unknowingly chose her weapon well. It is just incredibly lucky that Merlin did not think to use his magic to try to kill Arthur. In his zombie-state, he did not think beyond mere mortal means of killing. Had Morgana known that Merlin had magic, she would have undoubtedly modified her kill-command to be more precise and fail-safe.
While Merlin’s attempts to kill Arthur were laughable, it was decidedly much more interesting when Merlin faced-off against Morgana while he appeared as the old sorcerer Emrys. That battle was awesome and much more deadly. With both equally strong in the magic at this point, they could only propel energy at each other. It was a like a tug-of-war of magic. He would push and she would pull and each ended up breathless and uncertain who would be the victor as they fought testing each other’s magics. Fortunately, Merlin was a bit more determined to save Arthur, despite Morgana’s fear for her life. It is but a foreshadowing of a much bigger battle between Morgana and Merlin and this teaser was fascinating to watch. To see them no-holds-barred unleashing their magics was just as awesome as we imagined. ‘Til next time. . .
What Worked
The scenes between Arthur and Merlin remain a constant highlight whether they are dramatic or hilarious. Arthur’s face once he saw Merlin lying on the ground during the mercenary attack showed just how much he never expected to ever see such a thing. It just never occurred to him that his servant and friend would be so vulnerable. After hundreds of battles together, where Merlin had the sense to stay out of harms’ way, Arthur could not believe that this time Merlin could be harmed. It was great to see that Arthur abandoned all else and quickly moved to assist Merlin and even carried him away from the fighting. As Merlin tried to catch his breath, clearly in great pain, he asked Arthur, “If I do die, will you call me a hero?” Absentmindedly Arthur replied, “Probably.” To which Merlin retorted, “But while I’m still alive, I’m a coward?” and Arthur exasperatedly said, “That’s the way these things work I’m afraid. You get the glory when you’re not around to appreciate it.” Not sure if Merlin was going to make it, Arthur offered Merlin some consolation by telling him, “You’re right — a servant who is extremely brave and incredibly loyal, to be honest — not at all cowardly.” Knowing that this was a rare moment of open honest, Merlin told Arthur, “Thank you for saving my life,” and Arthur merely replied, “You’d do the same for me.”
Merlin and Arthur’s relationship is founded in the most unusual of friendships, one born out of necessity as the master and servant just could never figure out that their roles demanded that they could not be friends. Due to their unusual stations in life, there just wasn’t anyone else and, unconsciously, Arthur knows that Merlin has saved his life more than he can count. It is unusual and unexpected and he cannot quite fathom it. Merlin, likewise, cannot have other friends because of his magic and his need to protect Arthur virtually every second of his life. But over the years, their lives have become so intertwined by circumstance that they have developed an astounding and surprising friendship. It is tested and true and remains the secret ingredient to this magnificent story. Without their strong friendship, it would be a dusty old tale of a sorcerer shadowing a great prince to ensure his destiny. Arthur and Merlin’s friendship is anything but “dusty.” It is vibrant, curious and very funny most of the time. That they can find humor in the most dire of situations is a testament to the strength of their friendship.
Another relationship that is developing very curiously is Morgana and Merlin’s — but their relationship is not one of friendship, but one of destined adversaries. As they continue to dance around each other uncertain what role the other has yet to play in their lives, it is enthralling. Hanging from a chain in Morgana’s lair, Merlin still had the upper-hand. Morgana spitefully told him, “We have a lot of catching up to do. After all I haven’t seen you since you condemned my sister to a slow and painful death, thwarted my plans to take over Camelot, and forced me to live in a hovel.” To which Merlin to Morgana, “Can you do me a favor? Could you let Arthur know? He still thinks of me as an underachiever, but I’m quite proud of those accomplishments. I can die happy.” Yet even at this point Morgana still does not suspect that Merlin is a bigger threat than she can imagine. It was very foolish of her to infect Merlin and make him a her “puppet” in another attempt to kill Arthur. Just as astoundingly Merlin keeps wanting to give Morgana the benefit of the doubt and when he has the chance to kill her, he hesitates. His desire to see redemption in her will only lead to more and more problems. Their dance of prophesied fates, weaving in and out of each others’ lives and testing each other only sharpens their skills. We continue to watch their “dance” curiously, wondering where it will lead.
Finally, as one nice shout-out, it was great to see Gwen smack Merlin upside the head with a pot each time he attempted to kill Arthur. Gwen did not shirk from doing whatever it took to protect Arthur, even if it meant nearly beheading Merlin with a nearby pot. Plus, Gwen’s unabashed staring at Arthur as he stood naked by the bath tub was funny to watch as well!
What Didn’t Work
Merlin’s hesitancy to use his magic when he needs to feels a bit absurd. Merlin has had ample time to hone and fine-tune his magical abilities and for him to be so easily struck down and captured, let alone used as a weapon feels highly unrealistic. Merlin saw the mercenary advancing upon him and would have had time to react and throw the man away before his sword struck Merlin. Later when Merlin created the falling rock-slide to save Arthur, he could have just as easily whipped up a spell to hide or get away from the mercenaries. And by no means would Merlin have let Morgana use magic against him to implant the Fomorroh. It may make for interesting or funny storytelling, but it is not believable. Merlin is just too powerful in his magic at this point to be caught so off-guard and used without his consent.
Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due
‘A Servant of Two Masters’ was written by Lucy Watkins and directed by Alex Pillai. “Merlin” stars Colin Morgan, Bradley James, Katie McGrath, Angel Coulby, Richard Wilson. “Merlin” airs Fridays at 10 pm on Syfy.
