As I’ve mused in previous Merlin reviews, I liked Lancelot. I loved his honest nobility as much as some viewers enjoy his rough yet understanding good looks. (See above.) So when they killed him off in the early episodes of this series, I was a bit upset. Was it a cost cutting exercise? A way of avoiding the Arthur/Gwen/Lancelot love triangle?
It’s hard to tell, especially now that he’s back. Did the episode itself make things any clearer?
Lancelot: The Smouldering Dead
No, not really. On the one hand, they’ve nullified the future love triangle by having Lancelot return as a brainwashed zombie. On the other, they also use it to throw a major spanner into the works of the Arthur/Gwen relationship, just when it looked like everything was going to be smooth sailing.
All credit to them for not taking the easy way out in the end, though, which is what I expected as soon as magic bracelets started getting passed around. The bracelet may still get discovered in the future but for now, much like in the Uther-killing episode, Morgana is allowed to win.
This did make for a dreary final ten minutes, featuring Arthur getting scarily angry about the injustice of it all, as well as a resolution to the Lancelot loose end that was surprisingly mature for a family show. We’ve had a few suicides on Doctor Who, but I see that as skewing a shade older than Merlin.
A Fleeting Glimpse At The End
After the tragic ending, we got a baffling scene involving Lancelot… thanking Merlin for something? I tried to feel the emotions that the swelling music wanted, but mostly I sat there trying to work out what the hell had just happened.
Part of me feels that it would have been more interesting to have let Lancelot’s return be a mystery rather than introduce him as a soulless half-life, but that would’ve left less time for the end dramatics. The battle between Arthur and Lancelot was particularly enjoyable, it’s been a while since we had an intense physical fight scene on this show.
And that was the ninth of thirteen episodes, the end is now in sight, so perhaps this is the beginning of a run of drama and misery that’ll take us to the finale. Will that feature an Arthurian Royal Wedding? It’s still possible. Check the episode out on iPlayer and tell us where you think they’re going with this.
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Nick Bryan
Nick learned to read and write at an early age. This has developed into an unhealthy need to either write stories or consume them for later dissection. He reviews film and TV on Dork Adore and The Digital Fix, lives in London and enjoys a nice white beer.
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It was pretty clear that Merlin released Lancelot from Morgana’s spell, and that Lancelot was grateful to rest in peace now.
I thought that Bradley and Angel were phantastic in this episode. I always love Colin’s performance – he was amazing in the final scene.
A brilliant episode. I think Gwen will come back in episode 11 and try to save Arthur in some way.
It was pretty clear that Merlin released Lancelot from Morgana’s spell, and that Lancelot was grateful to rest in peace now.
I thought that Bradley and Angel were phantastic in this episode. I always love Colin’s performance – he was amazing in the final scene.
A brilliant episode. I think Gwen will come back in episode 11 and try to save Arthur in some way.
The acting was good, yes. Bradley James in particular had a very good run as Angry Arthur towards the end, managing the rage without losing our sympathy.
But less of the nakedness, which was disappointing.
I think if Arthur and Lancelot had their intense manly swordfight whilst naked, the show would cross the line into soft porn for the man-fancying viewers. Especially if you vary your definition of “swordfight”.
The thanking was for Merlin letting Lancelot’s soul/spirit go from the puppet Morgana had rescued, I believe, so now he could go back to being happily dead. S’all a bit Harry Potter, that.
I actually thought Merlin had gained the power to raise the dead for a moment there and got quite excited. But no.
I’m with you Amy – that’s what I thought it was. Merlin had reunited Lancelot’s soul with his body and so he was now a fully dead being as opposed to being just a handsome body. However, I think, if I had Lancelot willing to undertake my every demand, I’d probably cope with a soul-less body 😉