Review: Merlin 4.6: A Servant of Two Masters

GO AWAY!

Overall, this week tended to be better than both Series Three and Four's previous offerings, but it collapsed in its main execution of what was a fundamentally tired and cliched scenario. While it did manage to hit the majority of Merlin's main tropes, it was in some parts incredibly entertaining. The only problems arrived in the rest of the episode.
      This week's plot followed the well known sitcom formula of one of the characters not being in their right minds (see Angels and Demons in Red Dwarf, for example, or even GOBLIN'S DAMN GOLD). This episode it was Merlin's turn to become a mindless slave, having been injected with the forever-rejuvinating head of a magical serpent inserted into his neck, controlling his thoughts so that his one motive was to kill Arthur. Instead of using this to create a tense, menacing atmopshere in which Arthur can trust noone and death is barely minutes away, the episode decided to do what Merlin always does and played it for comedy in a way which illicited no response from me except a tired, anguished groan of disbelief.
       The reason that this most usual Merlin plotline really got on my nerves was that episode began as absolutely smashing - following a path through the woods, the Knights and Merlin are ambushed by an army that could only have been sent by a traitor within Camelot. Arthur admits to Merlin that, after 45 episodes, he really does care about him and think that he's one of the bravest men that he's ever met, before they're sperated and Arthur leads a long and tiresome search to find his long lost friend. The first 20 minutes of the episode contained this wonderful character development the likes of which the last two series have so far not seen, and that was immediately spoiled the moment that the horrifically cheery music started playing in the background.

I was a policeman once. That was fun. More fun than this.

       And yes, we got to see some more Old Man Merlin. This may have been interesting the first two times, but now it feels like a go-to-excuse and it must play hell with the filming schedule. Yes, "Emrys"' dual with a frightened Morgana was downright awesome, but it felt like so much fluffery that it didn't make a difference. Instead of the plot being resolved in any meaningful or compelling way, the character was used as a basic deus ex machina; an excuse for Merlin to be able to use his full powers in the open that feels like a laziness on the writers' part and certainly doesn't provide Colin Morgan with his best material. Oh, and more tavern jokes. Cos I love 'em.
     Was this week's episode of Merlin challengingly different and exciting? For 20 minutes. The rest... that way madness lies. A Servant of Two Masters was typical Merlin in nearly all respects; cliched plot structure, irritating characterisations that defy reality and a solution from thin air. It's struggling, it's trying to fight it, but so far this series has not yet escaped the biggest of its faults.

Thanks.

PS. Have a safe Bonfire Night.