The episode was interesting but not too engrossing, as we know that Arthur is not going to die until Camlann and thus it is obvious that this will be yet another failed attempt at his life orchestrated by Gwen. She seems to shine as a plotter and looks as if she was in her element and really enjoying this all. She is believed to be enchanted, but what if Morgana really managed to turn her and now Gwen genuinely wants to kill Arthur? She is really convicing in her plotting, which resembles "Game of thrones" on a small scale. Though as it turns out, Gwen is also still naive as she believes that she will be queen after Arthur is dead, whereas her "ally" Sarrum (a name resembling the treacherous wizard Saruman from "The Lord of the Rings" - I wonder if this association was deliberate?) plans to double-cross her and take the power himself. I do not believe that Morgana would give Gwen the throne of Camelot had Arthur really been killed. Gwen seems to really care for Morgana as she is visibly moved and shocked when she hears Sarrum's story of torturing Morgana. The girls' plan seems clever as they intend to use Sarrum in order to assassinate Arthur, and as Sarrum is Morgana's enemy, the murder will never be tracked to her. And Morgana arranges for Merlin first to be away from Camelot, and then badly hurt. The fact that she does not kill Merlin in some more sure way but gives him poison which apparently can be healed by the use of some common herbs may suggest that she does not really want him dead, only incapacitated for the time the assassination is going to take place. Anyway, this is a bit of a tangent but I think Morgana does not really want to kill Arthur either, she only wants to play cat and mouse with him as always when she has him in her power she hesitates in killing him straightaway, giving Merlin or whoever is trying to save Arthur (which usually means Merlin) ample time to reach Arthur and do just that.
Merlin has a good and sensitive heart and always wants to help people in need but his willingness to go with a stranger on a quest to save his sick sister seems too naive for him. He does not know him and the whole situation may well be a trap, which it turns out to be. The only thing that saves Merlin is that the boy who betrayed him has a change of heart, regrets his deeds and tries to amend it. Daegal has a redemption arc in which he saves both Merlin's and then Arthur's life. The scene when he died with the dagger is his belly was really sad and moving. But coming back to Merlin, if this quest was not really a trap and if there really had been an ailing sister of Daegal, I think it was completely out of character for Merlin to leave Camelot for an entire day, knowing full well that the enchanted Gwen was at large, constantly trying yet another attempt at Arthur's life? I guess the whole premise of the story was pointless because simply by leaving Camelot (even on a genuine quest), Merlin was putting Arthur's life at risk. Maybe Merlin himself was a little enchanted because the real Merlin would not have left Arthur with the queen turned traitor.
Review by ladysherlockianBlockedParentSpoilers2020-09-18T17:37:37Z
The episode was interesting but not too engrossing, as we know that Arthur is not going to die until Camlann and thus it is obvious that this will be yet another failed attempt at his life orchestrated by Gwen. She seems to shine as a plotter and looks as if she was in her element and really enjoying this all. She is believed to be enchanted, but what if Morgana really managed to turn her and now Gwen genuinely wants to kill Arthur? She is really convicing in her plotting, which resembles "Game of thrones" on a small scale. Though as it turns out, Gwen is also still naive as she believes that she will be queen after Arthur is dead, whereas her "ally" Sarrum (a name resembling the treacherous wizard Saruman from "The Lord of the Rings" - I wonder if this association was deliberate?) plans to double-cross her and take the power himself. I do not believe that Morgana would give Gwen the throne of Camelot had Arthur really been killed. Gwen seems to really care for Morgana as she is visibly moved and shocked when she hears Sarrum's story of torturing Morgana. The girls' plan seems clever as they intend to use Sarrum in order to assassinate Arthur, and as Sarrum is Morgana's enemy, the murder will never be tracked to her. And Morgana arranges for Merlin first to be away from Camelot, and then badly hurt. The fact that she does not kill Merlin in some more sure way but gives him poison which apparently can be healed by the use of some common herbs may suggest that she does not really want him dead, only incapacitated for the time the assassination is going to take place. Anyway, this is a bit of a tangent but I think Morgana does not really want to kill Arthur either, she only wants to play cat and mouse with him as always when she has him in her power she hesitates in killing him straightaway, giving Merlin or whoever is trying to save Arthur (which usually means Merlin) ample time to reach Arthur and do just that.
Merlin has a good and sensitive heart and always wants to help people in need but his willingness to go with a stranger on a quest to save his sick sister seems too naive for him. He does not know him and the whole situation may well be a trap, which it turns out to be. The only thing that saves Merlin is that the boy who betrayed him has a change of heart, regrets his deeds and tries to amend it. Daegal has a redemption arc in which he saves both Merlin's and then Arthur's life. The scene when he died with the dagger is his belly was really sad and moving. But coming back to Merlin, if this quest was not really a trap and if there really had been an ailing sister of Daegal, I think it was completely out of character for Merlin to leave Camelot for an entire day, knowing full well that the enchanted Gwen was at large, constantly trying yet another attempt at Arthur's life? I guess the whole premise of the story was pointless because simply by leaving Camelot (even on a genuine quest), Merlin was putting Arthur's life at risk. Maybe Merlin himself was a little enchanted because the real Merlin would not have left Arthur with the queen turned traitor.