Merlin: Pretty on the Outside, Evil on the Inside

It would seem Merlin’s not the only one possessing some form of magical abilities within the castle at Camelot.  The King’s ward, Morgana, wakes up in the middle of the night from a frightening dream in which a pretty young lady is drowning Arthur. At first, she brushes it off as nothing, but her fears are confirmed when Arthur introduces Sophia and her father, Aulfric, to Camelot, after rescuing them from bandits in the forest.  This young woman’s face is the same exact one from Morgana’s dream.

Sophia and Aulfric claim to be a noble family traveling onwards to another city, but need a place to rest. Of course, this whole set up is a ploy. Sophia and Aulfric are actually a breed of magicians who lost their immortality and are looking to regain it. In order to return as immortals to their city of Avalon, they must sacrifice Arthur. With Sophia’s beauty and the help of some powerful enchantments, it doesn’t take long for Arthur to become completely “besotted” by her.

Meanwhile, Merlin puts himself up for abuse in the stocks while Arthur runs amok with Sophia and skips his Princely duties. Allowing oneself to be pelted with tomatoes for someone else? That’s more than just being a servant – that’s the mark of a true friend! I guess Merlin’s tasks don’t always have to involve saving Arthur’s life.

Arthur foolishly falls into Sophia’s trap and, under her very powerful enchantment, announces to the Court they are going to marry. King Uther strongly opposes this and his reaction to Arthur’s marriage proposal was pretty spot on; I enjoyed seeing Uther actually being a father and not freaking out over magic. After this fiasco, Arthur, Sophia, and Aulfric leave the castle to “elope.” Morgana spots the trio leaving, panics knowing her dream is about to come true, and then alerts Gaius who in turn notifies Merlin because it is, after all, his destiny to keep Arthur from harm.

Morgana has confided in Gaius for several years now about her reoccurring dreams that seem more like prophecies. Gaius confides in Merlin that he believes Morgana to be a Seer, although he would rather keep this a secret from her. Morgana certainly has her suspicions, but it’s clear she does not know the extent of her capabilities. However as this week’s episode ends, viewers see Morgana waking from another nightmare. Surely it’s only a matter of time before she catches on to her powers. And is it possible Merlin will reveal his own magical abilities to Morgana and they will team up to fight whatever future evils threaten Camelot?

As you can guess, Merlin shows up right on time to destroy Sophia and Aulfric and save an unconscious and drowning Arthur. Even though the ending to each episode is always predictable, the magical creatures and camaraderie between the characters makes Merlin a fun watch.

For another take on this episode, check out Murder, Sidhe Wrote by J.B. Perlow.

Season 1, Episode 7: The Gates of Avalon (aired July 19, 2009)

For more on Merlin, click here.

Sundays at 8/7c on NBC

Photographs courtesy of NBC, The BBC, and Nick Briggs