3.08: The Eye of the Phoenix

[FeedMeTV]

Arthur sets out to retrieve the trident of the Fisher King from the Perilous Lands to prove he is worthy of Camelot's throne. Quite what would have happened had he failed I'm not sure, maybe they would have let him have another go. Anyway, Morgana gives him a 'good luck' bracelet which actually sucks the life out of him slowly and it is up to Merlin and Gwaine to rush to his rescue. Turns out though, that it is actually Merlin's quest all along and with the help of 'Courage' (Arthur) and 'Strength' (Gwaine) he was meant to reach the Fisher King and be given some of the water of Avalon in return for helping the King end his long life.

I enjoyed this episode a lot, I do love a good quest. Nice to see Gwaine again and fun to see some more mythical creatures - particularly impressive when Merlin was able to command them.

It is MARVELLOUS that the Morgana plot has moved forwards. Three cheers for Gwen for realising she is up to no good, it pleased me greatly.

Warwick Davis was in it! I think they have managed to attract some very good actors for Merlin, the guest characters rarely dissapoint in terms of acting quality.

I was sad to see that next week's episode looks very run-of-the-mill and a lot similar to previous episodes but ah well, this week's was great and maybe next week's will surprise me.

 

[Mouse]

Yeah I really enjoyed this one too, loved seeing Gwaine again, hope he's in it more often if we're not getting Lancelot.

Love Warwick.

The only thing that frustrated me this time was after Merlin got shot of the wyverns and Arthur wakes up and calls him an idiot. I was hoping that maybe Gwaine would've saw what Merlin did.

I can't see why someone other than Gaius can't know about Merlin.

 

[HareBrain]

Warwick Davis was in it!

But he fluffed his lines -- he forgot to ask the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow.

 

[Dave]

But he fluffed his lines -- he forgot to ask the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow.

This was reasonably good, apart from the 'Bridge of Death', the fact that Gwain was too slow to catch Merlin mastering the Wyverns, and that next week appears to be back to ' evil Magician of the Week.'

There is some plot movement though still incredibly slow. How do you think Gwen knowing about Morgana will change things?

 

[Pyan]

But he fluffed his lines -- he forgot to ask the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow.

What do you mean? An African or European swallow?...

 

[Perpetual Man]

What do you mean? An African or European swallow?...

I don't know... aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

(And now for something completely different....)

I really enjoyed this episode as well, a decent story (Questing for something), incorporating an old legend (if somewhat updated, but worthwhile), and plot development (Not only is Gwen now in on the evil Morgana thing, but her romance with Arthur is forwarded a bit more); not to mention drawing on facts that seem to be forgotten in other episodes - in this instance the way Dragon Lord Merlin dominates the Wyverns.

In all it seems that Merlin is happy to forward itself every few episodes, but then drops back into it's familiar holding pattern. Hopefully the major development that was promised this season will come along soon and not be something less than stellar.

 

[Ursa major]

I quite enjoyed this episode. In particular, Merlin's meeting with the Fisher King was done quite well: the setting was atmospheric, and with the pace slowing down, a feeling of awe was allowed to develop.

But as Dave has suggested about next week's episode: Now for something completely indifferent.

 

[Pyan]

You'd almost think Russell T Davies was in charge...

 

[FeedMeTV]

There is some plot movement though still incredibly slow. How do you think Gwen knowing about Morgana will change things?

In all honesty I'm not sure that it will change things much. I'd imagine that we are slowly leading up to the season finale when Morgana's true nature will be revealed perhaps? Gwen and Merlin still won't be able to tell Arthur about Morgana I presume even though Gwen is in a better position than Merlin to tell him as she is romantically involved with him rather than just being a servant. She and Merlin will be in a better position to look out for Arthur and keep an eye on Morgana's antics though.