Review: Merlin 4.12: The Sword In The Stone (Part One)

Merlin must save Arthur.

While it wasn't overly mindblowing, the first episode of this series' finale was far better than all of the episodes that preceeded it. While it followed a very well-worn pattern for Merlin finales (Camelot is invaded and Merlin/Arthur must escape and then lead a resistance movement), but it was full of decent character stuff and was all-round enjoyable.
     On the promise of last week, Agravaine allowed Helios and Morgana to invade Camelot. The ensuing battle victory over Arthur was swift, but using magic to control Arthur's will, Merlin managed to escape North towards the village of his birth. Because of his mind control, Arthur spent the first half of the episode acting like a dimwit under Merlin's control, until a sleep snaps him out of it. On the way they meet two other travellers who were smuggling frankincence, until the army arrives and chases them away. They stop in Merlin's village, where they also find Guin who Merlin's mother had been sheltering. The episode ends as Morgana's army once again tracks them down and they again flee North.
    The episode did cover a lot of ground, character-wise. I enjoyed Arthur's remorse and atonement for his actions; I enjoyed Agravaine's subtle hints towards dissent because of the sniggering Helios. Despite the fact that the subplot of Arthur's mind control was completely unnecessary, it felt a little tongue-in-cheek when one considers the number of Mind-Control-Plots that Merlin has used this series, and it actually seemed like it has affected Arthur's character and made him more amiable. On the flip side, I do feel that all of Helios' sly charm has completely disappeared from the previous episode, which was a bit of a shame.

Tristan and Isolde are smugglers.

     The only problem that I had with the episode on any of the counts was that it used a hell of a lot of slow motion. In a few scenes near the beginning, where Agravaine and co. invaded Camelot, it looked pretty badass, but as time wore on it became rather noticeable. It gave me the impression that the episode's choreographers couldn't come up with a decent fight scene and so rushed the slow-mo in.
     I'll probably have more to say next week, but Part One of The Sword In The Stone was a solid preparation piece that didn't do anything special but did explore a lot of the characters in interesting ways. Next week we see the return of the horrid Aged makeup, and I hope that we can finally destroy the fascade at this series' heart.

Thanks.