Merlin Q&A: A Chat With Star Colin Morgan

Merlin has come a long way since its first season. This lighthearted, fun, and fantastical BBC show about the legend of King Arthur and Merlin before they became legends has earned a loyal following over the years. As SyFy gets ready to air the fourth season, which promises to take the show in a whole new direction, I took part in a conference call with actor Colin Morgan (Merlin) to find out what’s in store for the young warlock and his friends.

At the end of season three, Morgana (Katie McGrath) and her half-sister Morgause (Emilia Fox) failed to take control of Camelot. Morgana continues to play a central role in the series, now as the head villain, and is intent on destroying the newly crowned King Arthur (Bradley James) with the help of the double-agent Agravaine (Nathanial Parker), Arthur’s uncle and closest adviser. It’s up to Merlin to continue protecting Arthur while still keeping his magical abilities a secret.

The relationship between Arthur and Merlin has always been the heart of the show. So it’s sad to hear that with Arthur as king, their relationship becomes strained in some ways.

“We see them grow apart a little bit, actually,” said Morgan. “There’s a new character called Agravaine, Arthur’s uncle who comes on the scene. He’s exactly where Merlin should be. It’s about Merlin trying to regain that position to try to get by Arthur’s side, to be there for him and to get him to make the right decisions.”

Merlin’s attempts, apparently, are not in vain. Morgan explains that his great power this season isn’t entirely magical. It’s in the power of words and Merlin’s growing wisdom, which Arthur does pay attention to.

“Arthur listen to him a lot more. You’re seeing Arthur in fact change the way he’s thinking sometimes because of what Merlin says,” said Morgan. “But they’re also growing a little bit further apart. So Merlin has to work awful hard to try and be heard.”

As king, will Arthur’s feelings toward magic be the same as his father’s? That remains to be seen for this season, but Morgan did slip an interesting tidbit about an episode in which Merlin makes a risky move.

“Merlin gets the biggest opportunity he’s ever going to get to change Arthur’s opinion about magic,” he said. “And he takes it and it’s a big risk, and he does. It’s one of the boldest decisions he’s made.”

Because season four of Merlin has already wrapped filming and aired in the U.K., it’s easier for Morgan to tell us interesting details about upcoming episodes. When a show first premieres or is in production, the actors are usually kept in the dark about future episodes and storylines. So for those who love spoilers or want a little insight into season four, Morgan shared some great information about what to expect:

“There’s an episode which takes Merlin and Gaius away from each other for a while,” said Morgan. “And it’s really interesting to see how Merlin reacts when Gaius isn’t around because maybe you don’t realize how much he needed him until he’s gone. And it’s a really interesting episode about their relationship and love that they have for each other.”

The opening episode of season four will also showcase “one of the most formidable creatures I think they’ve come across” whose presence drain Merlin of his powers. And Old Merlin does in fact make a return at various points throughout the season. Fun fact: the make-up for Old Merlin can take up to four and a half hours to apply!

Arthur’s trusted knights are also featured more prominently, and Morgan says there’s “a real camaraderie and band of brothers feel to a lot of the episodes.” Fast forwarding all the way to the season finale, which will be titled “The Sword in the Stone,” Morgan revealed there will be a lot of iconic moments and a cliffhanger that acts as “the most intriguing ending we’ve probably ever had for a season.”

Check out this exciting preview from the season premiere; always nice to see Lancelot again!

Merlin returns on Jan. 6, 2012 at 10 p.m. EST on SyFy.

Visit the official site here.

Images courtesy of the BBC and SyFy.