After last week’s conclusion of the Evil-Gwen trilogy, it is back to the action with a brief and pounding pre-credits sequence that really sets the tone, and a story with Merlin right at its heart.
Morgana, doubtless furious at Emrys and his continued meddling in her plans, has chosen to track down someone who she knows can reveal the identity of her nemesis. Her quarry is Alator of the Cathar, the bald headed warrior priest and former torturer who first appeared in Series 4’s ‘The Secret Sharer’. His betrayal of Morgana and life saving support of Emrys sees him now cast as a magical fugitive.
For Merlin, first a piece of jewellery and then what appears to be a chance encounter with Finna (Sorcha Cusack) outside the castle walls, lead to a dangerous choice. We see him acting alone again, dismissing Gaius’ advice and leaving the castle behind for the most part.
With Merlin taking centre stage, Arthur remains firmly in the background, though he and the Knights do feature in a subplot and have a part to play in pushing the drama on. Gaius, the redoubtable Richard Wilson, is superb as the voice of reason against Merlin’s rasher instincts.
Using all her crafts, Morgana makes for a formidable hunter; she triggers magical explosions at will and uses her powers to impressive effect. Katie McGrath gets to do what she does best and obviously relishes these moments, while not ever letting them descent into pantomime villainy.
Gary Lewis reprises his role as Alator, making good on the promises made to Merlin at the end of his last appearance. With an intense performance as a true believer he delivers some killer lines that have a propensity to get right under Morgana’s skin.
The casting of Sorcha Cusack continues the fine tradition of placing strong character actors in these guest roles. She embraces the part with gusto and there is much fun to be had with her deferential treatment of Merlin and his uneasiness at it.
Writer Richard McBrien has made some interesting contributions to this series, from the compelling moral dilemma ‘The Disir’ to the more emotional and comedic ‘With All My Heart’. This episode leans far more towards the medium of an action thriller, with Merlin dodging both friend and foe, unsure of who to trust. We found ourselves thoroughly gripped as the stakes rose to a thrilling conclusion.
Director Declan O’Dwyer is new to Merlin but brings a wealth of experience with genre credits such as Robin Hood and the pilot episode of Being Human, as well as CBBC’s recent Wolfblood.
We were thrilled to see an adventure tale that is both about the central character and driven by his actions and choices. It gives Colin Morgan the lion’s share of the screen time and the script plays cleverly with expectations, delivering a real ratcheting up of the tension. You can really hear that clock ticking towards the series conclusion now.
Airs at 7.55pm on Saturday 8 December 2012 on BBC One.
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