Of course, it is a suitable emblem for the Pendragons. Cadiva (I'm thinking you'll know this), where did that name come from? Is it a coincidence that Pen is the Welsh for head? Was it once Penddraig?
Perhaps to show off and / or remind people that he had defeated them all.
I always assumed that it was because their name is Pendragon. But I would also buy Uther wanting it as a sign of his victory over magic (although that would imply that he changed his crest after the Purge).
I had to hold back a laugh when the Dragon says 'the fate of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy'. Holding back a laugh while saying well that kingdom's doomed
I am trying not to think of series 5 too much when watching this, but I have to confess I did laugh at the "Without you he will not succeed" line and say "or, actually, with you either"
You'l be pleased to know that I A did not drink and B didn't play bingo because I didn't watch it.
I had to hold back a laugh when the Dragon says 'the fate of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy'. Holding back a laugh while saying well that kingdom's doomed
I miss nice Morgana so much
Merlin is very cute isn't he and Gwen too. I LOVE series 1
My favourite part is the end. ''You will be rewarded. This merits something quite special. You will be Prince Arthur's man servant.'' Wow!! what a reward
Agreed!! Gwen's crush on Merlin is so cute.
Oh yes, and after Uther says that, Merlin and Arthur just look at each other and then turn away, annoyed I LOVE that moment.
Series 1 is amazing. I love the feasts and the general cheeriness of it all. I love the bit when Gwen and Merlin are at the feast and Gwen says something like "Morgana's looking great, isn't she?" and Merlin goes "Yeeeeah" in this really sexy voice
A perfect intro to Morgana too. The first time we see her she's watching the execution and is clearly upset. The first time we hear her talking she does what she does best - stands up for what she believes is right and shows great compassion.
And she has brushed hair
Nice to see the guards failing at guarding from the start - they let Merlin in and point him off to Gaius without even asking who he is, they fall for Merlin's dice trick like idiots...
Told you we'd be hammered if we actually drunk to every point on the list.
Like most people I love the shot of Merlin looking out at Camelot and all the possibilities. It's so pretty.
Not as pretty as the same scene in 3x04 when Gwaine is looking out the same window
"There is no room for magic in this kingdom" - said by Uther to Morgana. Remind anyone of anything?
Yes. Some twit talking nonsense
Arthur was a proper arse, wasn't he? I do love that. And Bradley James looks so young! Obviously Arthur was used to bullying servants and treating them like crap from a young age. I loved this introduction because you could see how much growing Arthur had to do.
I do love series 1 Arthur, hes so spoilt. He had alot of growing up to do, your right.
I am trying not to think of series 5 too much when watching this, but I have to confess I did laugh at the "Without you he will not succeed" line and say "or, actually, with you either"
Hehe its so hard not to think of what a failure they made of the show Stop it Star, positive re-watching...
Awww look how cute Merlin was
Series 1 is amazing. I love the feasts and the general cheeriness of it all. I love the bit when Gwen and Merlin are at the feast and Gwen says something like "Morgana's looking great, isn't she?" and Merlin goes "Yeeeeah" in this really sexy voice
To be fair to Merlin he's probably never seen anything like Morgana in his tiny village lol
I like it when Gwen says some people are born to be queen. Maybe she should of been queen, she seemed to keep Arthur in check well enough.
Well watching that episode has reminded me why I used to love this show and how well it was written back then. The producers like to be down on series 1 but I love the tone of it - the mixture of adventure and drama - and they were doing some really good character stuff. It was exciting and fun to watch. By series 5 however it was just bloody miserable the ENTIRE time. Watching this, I definitely think the show got too serious and lost sight of the type of story it was. I don't want the fart jokes back but a bit of balance would be nice.
So, I'm going to have to just get out the way now...
*sigh* See how this started with great hope and a great premise? How we were going to go on a great adventure and there'd ups and downs and drama but we knew it would come right in the end (even if we knew it couldn't last)? *sigh* Why did they ruin it? It really does make me sad to think how they smashed through all of this great set up with horrible plotting and characterisation. But I'm going to resist wailing 'why?!' after every point I make, forget some of the poor decisions from later on exist and enjoy this for what it is. (Assume though that I'm ranting inside about how they mangled the four main characters so horribly by the end).
Anyway...
- I love the opening of Merlin walking to Camelot with Kilgharrah's voice over. It really built up the legendary figure that this gangly young man would be and fit perfectly with the 'before they were famous' principle. Also I forgot that we didn't know KIlgharrah's name back then when you see him as 'Great Dragon' in the credits.
- That first shot of Camelot does look great, Pierrefonds was PERFECT. It also juxtaposes greatly with Merlin going 'wow, this Camelot place is awesome!' and then immediately coming across an execution.
- We get the perfect intro to Uther - he's executing someone for having magic. We find out that the guy didn't hurt anyone, he didn't do anything bad, he just used magic. Uther really was a fabulous antagonist - he wasn't two dimensional as a villain but at the same time he was an all powerful genocide loving tyrant who was putting the life of our hero in danger because we knew he'd kill Merlin if he found out. We see Mary Collins telling Uther he's the evil of the land with his hatred and ignorance and that's pretty much how we're supposed to view him. That's the set up. The keeping the magic secret thing worked perfectly and made absolute sense whilst he remained in power.
- A perfect intro to Morgana too. The first time we see her she's watching the execution and is clearly upset. The first time we hear her talking she does what she does best - stands up for what she believes is right and shows great compassion. She openly argues with him and it seems she's the only person in Camelot who dares to actually speak out against Uther's ways. It's pretty clear that Uther wasn't meant to be her father in this series so the fact he puts up with her back chat is interesting. He clearly valued Gorlois highly and, I think, felt some guilt for his death, hence his care for Morgana. Also she's lived in Camelot for a good 10 years by this point so unsurprising he's grown fond of her.
- Morgana's grown up her whole life with magic as illegal so how she's come to the conclusion that Uther is wrong is interesting. It makes you wonder what Gorlois thought about magic. We do know that, like Morgana, he always told Uther exactly what he thought about his actions.
- We see Mary Collins using the teleporting magic that Morgause later uses. in fact there's a MUCH bigger variety of magic in this episode than we see later.
- Nice to see the guards failing at guarding from the start - they let Merlin in and point him off to Gaius without even asking who he is, they fall for Merlin's dice trick like idiots...
- Why the hell is there a giant bunny head mask on Gaius's desk?!
- Why on earth did Hunith send him there? Seriously. She knows he has magic and sends him to the heart of magic hating Camelot to learn about magic. Only he can't be caught doing magic or he'll be killed. Yeah, those reasons weren't ever very sound tbh.
- Merlin slows down time on several occasions in the episode. Again, it's a much bigger variety of magic from him than we're used to later on. There's also loads about the fact that Merlin is special because of his magic - he's elemental, he controls it without learning or spells. Gaius calls him 'the question that has never been asked'.
- We see that magic is everything to Merlin. In his eyes it's that makes him special. And that's important to the premise of the series which is about bringing magic back. It's interesting too that he wants to know that he's not a monster - it's something that Morgana later wonders as well. It must be hard growing up where you're told magic is evil and then you finding out you have it. That's going to make you doubt yourself.
- The idea of Merlin studying and learning more magic was obviously a big part of the early series.
- Like most people I love the shot of Merlin looking out at Camelot and all the possibilities. It's so pretty.
- "There is no room for magic in this kingdom" - said by Uther to Morgana. Remind anyone of anything?
- Arthur was a proper arse, wasn't he? I do love that. And Bradley James looks so young! Obviously Arthur was used to bullying servants and treating them like crap from a young age. I loved this introduction because you could see how much growing Arthur had to do.
- Omg Uther flirting with Lady Helen! He wasn't very subtle, was he?
- "You never cease to amaze me!" - er...? Gaius? You only met Merlin yesterday!
- Gwen's flirting with Merlin was THE most adorable thing of all. Seriously. Could they have not have done more with that? They were lovely together. Actually Gwen was just adorable full stop. She was just so charming.
- Gaius tells Merlin that Uther started the Purge because he decided magic was bringing chaos to the kingdom. We know this is an outright lie. That's what Uther told everyone. But Gaius knows why he really started the Purge.
- Uther imprisoning the dragon is just vindictive, isn't it? He chained him up as a living trophy.
- The start of Merlin and Arthur's friendship is delightful. All of their interactions in this episode are just great. There's a wonderful spark between them even with the antagonism.
- The dragon is mysterious, not very helpful and sinister. Shame they lost the sinister part later since that was probably the most interesting bit, figuring out whether Merlin really should trust this thing or not. And yes, the CGI is noticeably weaker.
- There are noticeably more extras. A lot more in fact. The random serving girl gets lines and a bit of character and there's far more people in Camelot overall.
- Ah the 'God have mercy' line. But no, they never had a thing did they producers? I wish they'd carried on with that relationship. Same as the Merlin and Gwen one. There was PLENTY of time to explore the Arthur x Gwen stuff later (bearing in mind how badly that relationship kept stalling they never needed to rush to it like they did).
- The effect of lady Helen putting everyone to sleep and the cobwebs growing is just beautiful. It's probably one of the most stunning and original pieces of magic the show ever did.
I shall be back later with what I think is the tally count...
This is such a good post.
I can't think of anything to add because you've said it all!
I love the variety of magic in this episode, Merlin slowing down time, Gwen was really sweet, and charming like you say, and Arthur looks so young as well! Particularly in his first scene. I think it's partly because his hair is long and flicked out at the neck
I LOVE the first scene of Merlin going down the path, with the voiceover of the Great Dragon and then that stunning view of Camelot. I get this exhilarating feeling of wonder and hope. I wish I lived in Camelot!
The whole singing scene is absolutely spine tingling and gives me goosebumps. The music and the whole look is incredible, so unreal so magical.
I always assumed that it was because their name is Pendragon. But I would also buy Uther wanting it as a sign of his victory over magic (although that would imply that he changed his crest after the Purge).
Yeah Pendragon means 'chief/head dragon' so obviously that's where the crest comes from. We know Uther took Camelot by force and this must have happened before the Purge so I'd say that's just his family's crest.
I am trying not to think of series 5 too much when watching this, but I have to confess I did laugh at the "Without you he will not succeed" line and say "or, actually, with you either"
I think you have to just laugh at how poor the final series went at this stage!
I always assumed that it was because their name is Pendragon. But I would also buy Uther wanting it as a sign of his victory over magic (although that would imply that he changed his crest after the Purge).
I am trying not to think of series 5 too much when watching this, but I have to confess I did laugh at the "Without you he will not succeed" line and say "or, actually, with you either"
This was what I thought as well. Also his victory over the dragon.
I am trying not to think of it either. Every time I do I don't know whether to snort or cry at all the things the Dragon says =|
Oh, I love early Merlin so much! That was great fun. Claire made some excellent points already. I did really like the variety of magic they had at this point (and it's interesting to see which things they kept, like mirrors revealing enchantments and the transporting tornado). I can see why they dropped Merlin's time freeze pretty much straight away though, kind of gives too much of an easy out doesn't it.
The interaction between Merlin and Arthur was brilliant right from the start, and I too love spoilt!Arthur. I almost wish they'd left Gaius as absent minded as he was at the beginning "But you're not supposed to be here until Wednesday!"...."It is Wednesday" Also Merlin pretending to be Gwen and just saying "Mm-mm" had me laughing. The guards get a special mention for being so terrible so fast. If you've got a name you can come in, no questions asked, and rolling dice definitely warrant both guards leaving their post.
I thought it was great as a set-up episode, you really get a feel for all the characters. I think they were clever for twisting the 4 young characters away from the 'typical' legends, I remember wanting to watch more episodes from just this one to see how they would grow and change.
Well for those interested, the tally count for this episode (behind the tags for length):
The Dragon lies to Merlin 0
Someone talks about the great kingdom Merlin and Arthur will build/says Arthur will create Albion 1
The guards fail at guarding 2
Merlin accidentally discovers someone using magic 1
Merlin asks the dragon for advice but then ignores him 0
Gaius tells Merlin not to do something but Merlin does it anyway 1
Gaius says "soss-ery" 0
Uther says "It is/must be sorcery/magic" 0
Uther says sorcerers can't be trusted/they all want to destroy the kingdom 2
Uther or Arthur have a different crown to the last one they wore 1
Uther openly persecutes magic users - executes, imprisons or tries to hunt them down 1
Arthur calls Merlin an idiot or incompetent/the worst servant 2
Merlin calls Arthur arrogant or conceited/insults Arthur 4
Arthur throws something at or hits Merlin 1
Arthur is knocked out or otherwise rendered unconscious so that Merlin can do magic 1
They make camp 0
There is shirtlessness 1
Every time Merlin uses magic to save Arthur 2
Every time Merlin uses magic but Arthur doesn't notice 1
Every time Gaius, mislead, tells a half-truth, or lies 1
Morgana tells Arthur to do something and he just does it with a bit of a fuss but little persuasion 0
Morgana gets to wear more than one dress an episode 1
Gwen or Morgana scoff at the idea of liking Arthur 2
Gwen is accused of sorcery 0
Morgana verbally bitch slaps Uther for his tyrannical ways 1
Morgana defies Uther 0
Arthur defies Uther 0
Gwen flirts with Merlin 3
Gaius gives someone a sleeping potion 1
Inappropriate flirting between Arthur and Morgana 1
Everything back to the same as it was at the start 0
Someone lying down/ill 0
A falling object crushes an enemy 1
A stranger arrives in Camelot 1
A ridiculous amount of food is served per person 0
Merlin saves Uther's life 0
Morgana has a vision 0
I've added a few extras for things I also remember as being common through the first few series.
Seems like a 'successful' first episode!
Anyone want to have a little bet on which will have the highest total by the end of the series?
- Merlin's arrival and the shot of Camelot.
- The hustle and bustle of Camelot and Merlin's wonder at it all.
- The cuteness of Gwen and Merlin, and their flirty bits
- Merlin and Arthur's first meeting. "I could take you apart with less than that" and Arthur's face! Love it.
- Morgana and her girlyness and niceness. "whether I wear this little tease or give them a night they'll really remember?"
- Merlin's slowing down time
- When Merlin looks out his window! How amazing and inspiring is that moment. It's just wonderful.
- When Merlin goes "If I can't use magic, I'm a nobody" Aww:(:(
- When Merlin wakes up and his hair's all messy and Gaius tells him off for something. Cute overload
- The whole singing scene is brilliant. So haunting and beautiful...
If it 's okay to join in I couldn't resist watching again as it was lovely to see Merlin so young and hopeful. Loved Gaius with his original hair and remembering why I started watching (mainly for Anthony Head) but also noticed there were old people in Camelot then! In later series it seemed like only Gaius had survived. Agree with what people have said but as well as all the varieties of magic seen it was a perfect demonstration to Uther and Arthur of magic being used to try and kill them so it set up from the start that both sides weren't about to compromise in any way.
Well for those interested, the tally count for this episode (behind the tags for length):
The Dragon lies to Merlin 0
Someone talks about the great kingdom Merlin and Arthur will build/says Arthur will create Albion 1
The guards fail at guarding 2
Merlin accidentally discovers someone using magic 1
Merlin asks the dragon for advice but then ignores him 0
Gaius tells Merlin not to do something but Merlin does it anyway 1
Gaius says "soss-ery" 0
Uther says "It is/must be sorcery/magic" 0
Uther says sorcerers can't be trusted/they all want to destroy the kingdom 2
Uther or Arthur have a different crown to the last one they wore 1
Uther openly persecutes magic users - executes, imprisons or tries to hunt them down 1
Arthur calls Merlin an idiot or incompetent/the worst servant 2
Merlin calls Arthur arrogant or conceited/insults Arthur 4
Arthur throws something at or hits Merlin 1
Arthur is knocked out or otherwise rendered unconscious so that Merlin can do magic 1
They make camp 0
There is shirtlessness 1
Every time Merlin uses magic to save Arthur 2
Every time Merlin uses magic but Arthur doesn't notice 1
Every time Gaius, mislead, tells a half-truth, or lies 1
Morgana tells Arthur to do something and he just does it with a bit of a fuss but little persuasion 0
Morgana gets to wear more than one dress an episode 1
Gwen or Morgana scoff at the idea of liking Arthur 2
Gwen is accused of sorcery 0
Morgana verbally bitch slaps Uther for his tyrannical ways 1
Morgana defies Uther 0
Arthur defies Uther 0
Gwen flirts with Merlin 3
Gaius gives someone a sleeping potion 1
Inappropriate flirting between Arthur and Morgana 1
Everything back to the same as it was at the start 0
Someone lying down/ill 0
A falling object crushes an enemy 1
A stranger arrives in Camelot 1
A ridiculous amount of food is served per person 0
Merlin saves Uther's life 0
Morgana has a vision 0
I've added a few extras for things I also remember as being common through the first few series.
Seems like a 'successful' first episode!
Anyone want to have a little bet on which will have the highest total by the end of the series?
Are we not counting the dragon going on about Merlin and Arthur's destiny as lies?
As for what will come out on top....they had Gwen flirt with Merlin an awful lot, I'd put that in the top 5, and those guards really are incompetent so I'd bet on that being up there too.
All the Lady Helen stuff was great - especially, as has been pointed out, the cobweb effects and, I noticed, the fact that she never took a breath during the song so it was obviously unnatural.
You know, to be fair to Uther (who, I'm sorry, I've really missed!), we saw an awful lot of magic being misused in this first episode. So I can kind of see where he's coming from when he labels (unfairly, I know) ALL magic users as evil.
Merlin and Arthur's first and second meetings brought a lump to my throat. I kept remembering the conversation they had about their fight in S5, ep13. Sigh. But really, Arthur was NOT trying to kill Merlin! He barely touched him, even when he had him pinned down by the end (so, actually, Merlin didn't beat him as he claimed in the final ep!). I thought the chemistry between these two was phenomenal from the word GO!
Gwen - sweet, round-faced and angelic.
Morgana - euch! I'm sorry but WHAT a high opinion she had of herself and her 'charms'.
As for the Dragon's prophesying in this ep - well, I guess Arthur DID unite the land of Albion, didn't he? I mean, there were united kingdoms by S5, so what else was it supposed to mean?
Overall, I was enchanted (pardon the pun) by this introductory episode and I can't wait for next Saturday! I played bingo and got 8/16. Ho hum. Played the drinking game with Absolut and Diet Coke - I'm not Absolut-ely hammered but definitely a bit tipsy (by far the most repeated point on the list was people talking about Destiny, I thought!).
That summary by Claire 2281 was exactly right - yes to everything posted,
This was just a wonderful episode such promise, this is what I loved about "Merlin"
Mary Collins freaks me out and stuns me and mesmerises me, the way she killed the servant girl it terrifying so uninvolved, nothing personal, the poor girl was "collateral damage" in her determination to be revenged on Uther.
Merlin & Arthur & Morgana & Gwen - loved them - just the way they were.
I want a big blue box with an old fashioned phone on the outside to take me back to the beginning to start it all over again and put it right
Are we not counting the dragon going on about Merlin and Arthur's destiny as lies?
I didn't only because they're not meant to be lies in show, it's just that the producers screwed up royally and forgot what they wrote in series 1 (and series 2, 3 and 4 for that matter!)
Re. the Dragon's 'lies', when he suggests that it could be Merlin's destiny to change Arthur, that's certainly true. Look how far he's come by the end of S5! And I'm still confused by what is meant by 'uniting the land of Albion'. If Arthur's talk of the 'united kingdoms' in S5 is correct, then wouldn't that count?
Merlin looks so cute and young in the Dragon's Call :o I've never really appreciated it before, but he's got really nice hair.
I have missed nice Morgana. She used to be so lovely.
Does anyone else find the tent scene really scary :eek: I normally have to close my eyes because it really creeps me out, but I kept them open this time
Yes! I still haven't watched that scene, and I've no intention of doing so.
Anyone else find it really cute when Arthur says "You can't address me like that" and then Merlin says "Sorry. how long have yo been training to be a prat, my lord?" and then gives Arthur this adorable smile? Gah, he's too cute!
I didn't only because they're not meant to be lies in show, it's just that the producers screwed up royally and forgot what they wrote in series 1 (and series 2, 3 and 4 for that matter!)
Ok fair enough, but I will still be thumping my fist and shouting "Lies! All lies!" every time he talks about it (at least internally)
And I'm still confused by what is meant by 'uniting the land of Albion'. If Arthur's talk of the 'united kingdoms' in S5 is correct, then wouldn't that count?
But the only treaty Arthur creates as king is the one with Odin (and I guess you could argue for Nemeth, although it seemed to me that they already had something in place and Arthur's marriage to Mithian was just supposed to cement it/deal with the boundary contention), all the rest were made during Uther's rule. So he didn't really unite anything. I had the idea (although I cannot now remember if it was because of something said in show) that Albion meant a properly united kingdom, where Arthur would be either the only king or, more likely, the 'High King' or something. Basically that he would have rule over all the land, not just Camelot.
I've just watched the episode but now have to get ready to go out.
Can I just make a quick point now. When Gaius rescues Merlin from the dungeon, having only known him a day, he says 'You never cease to amaze me'. It seems a bit early in the relationship for Gaius to be talking as though he has known Merlin for months or years. Was that evidence in the very first episode that we were not in the surest hands script-wise?
Did this get answered yet? If I remember rightly, Gaius was well aware of Merlin and his abilities via his mother Hunith. They seemed to switch between them just being old friends and them being somehow related.
I wondered that too. A symbol of his domination over all things magic, perhaps? Still doesn't really make sense. I wonder, might this be the first Plot Hole of the series...?
Of course, it is a suitable emblem for the Pendragons. Cadiva (I'm thinking you'll know this), where did that name come from? Is it a coincidence that Pen is the Welsh for head? Was it once Penddraig?
Yup, got it in one Lowri, from the Welsh pen meaning head or chief and draig meaning dragon. It wasn't just Uther who used the name Pendragon. Ambrosius Aurelius, who is one of the many historical sources for Merlin, was also known as The Pendragon.
Geoffrey of Monmouth, in his great Historia Regum Britanniae, only uses Pendragon to refer to Uther, not to Arthur. It's only later on in the mythology that he becomes a Pendragon too.
Comments
I always assumed that it was because their name is Pendragon. But I would also buy Uther wanting it as a sign of his victory over magic (although that would imply that he changed his crest after the Purge).
I am trying not to think of series 5 too much when watching this, but I have to confess I did laugh at the "Without you he will not succeed" line and say "or, actually, with you either"
Agreed!! Gwen's crush on Merlin is so cute.
Oh yes, and after Uther says that, Merlin and Arthur just look at each other and then turn away, annoyed I LOVE that moment.
Series 1 is amazing. I love the feasts and the general cheeriness of it all. I love the bit when Gwen and Merlin are at the feast and Gwen says something like "Morgana's looking great, isn't she?" and Merlin goes "Yeeeeah" in this really sexy voice
And she has brushed hair
Told you we'd be hammered if we actually drunk to every point on the list.
Not as pretty as the same scene in 3x04 when Gwaine is looking out the same window
Yes. Some twit talking nonsense
I do love series 1 Arthur, hes so spoilt. He had alot of growing up to do, your right.
Very nice post I must say Claire
HAAA! That's the first thing I thought when I saw her. Oh yeah, Morgana was girly and her hair wasn't a rats nest. Like her soo much better here.
Hehe its so hard not to think of what a failure they made of the show Stop it Star, positive re-watching...
Awww look how cute Merlin was
To be fair to Merlin he's probably never seen anything like Morgana in his tiny village lol
I like it when Gwen says some people are born to be queen. Maybe she should of been queen, she seemed to keep Arthur in check well enough.
This is such a good post.
I can't think of anything to add because you've said it all!
I love the variety of magic in this episode, Merlin slowing down time, Gwen was really sweet, and charming like you say, and Arthur looks so young as well! Particularly in his first scene. I think it's partly because his hair is long and flicked out at the neck
I LOVE the first scene of Merlin going down the path, with the voiceover of the Great Dragon and then that stunning view of Camelot. I get this exhilarating feeling of wonder and hope. I wish I lived in Camelot!
The whole singing scene is absolutely spine tingling and gives me goosebumps. The music and the whole look is incredible, so unreal so magical.
Yeah Pendragon means 'chief/head dragon' so obviously that's where the crest comes from. We know Uther took Camelot by force and this must have happened before the Purge so I'd say that's just his family's crest.
I think you have to just laugh at how poor the final series went at this stage!
Can't imagine why!
I might have internally screamed 'omg you became Uther! I never saw this coming!'
I love how we see him growing throughout the series.
Ta! I enjoyed watching the episode very much. I feel much better about the show knowing there's old ones I still enjoy!
This was what I thought as well. Also his victory over the dragon.
I am trying not to think of it either. Every time I do I don't know whether to snort or cry at all the things the Dragon says =|
The interaction between Merlin and Arthur was brilliant right from the start, and I too love spoilt!Arthur. I almost wish they'd left Gaius as absent minded as he was at the beginning "But you're not supposed to be here until Wednesday!"...."It is Wednesday" Also Merlin pretending to be Gwen and just saying "Mm-mm" had me laughing. The guards get a special mention for being so terrible so fast. If you've got a name you can come in, no questions asked, and rolling dice definitely warrant both guards leaving their post.
I thought it was great as a set-up episode, you really get a feel for all the characters. I think they were clever for twisting the 4 young characters away from the 'typical' legends, I remember wanting to watch more episodes from just this one to see how they would grow and change.
Someone talks about the great kingdom Merlin and Arthur will build/says Arthur will create Albion 1
The guards fail at guarding 2
Merlin accidentally discovers someone using magic 1
Merlin asks the dragon for advice but then ignores him 0
Gaius tells Merlin not to do something but Merlin does it anyway 1
Gaius says "soss-ery" 0
Uther says "It is/must be sorcery/magic" 0
Uther says sorcerers can't be trusted/they all want to destroy the kingdom 2
Uther or Arthur have a different crown to the last one they wore 1
Uther openly persecutes magic users - executes, imprisons or tries to hunt them down 1
Arthur calls Merlin an idiot or incompetent/the worst servant 2
Merlin calls Arthur arrogant or conceited/insults Arthur 4
Arthur throws something at or hits Merlin 1
Arthur is knocked out or otherwise rendered unconscious so that Merlin can do magic 1
They make camp 0
There is shirtlessness 1
Every time Merlin uses magic to save Arthur 2
Every time Merlin uses magic but Arthur doesn't notice 1
Every time Gaius, mislead, tells a half-truth, or lies 1
Morgana tells Arthur to do something and he just does it with a bit of a fuss but little persuasion 0
Morgana gets to wear more than one dress an episode 1
Gwen or Morgana scoff at the idea of liking Arthur 2
Gwen is accused of sorcery 0
Morgana verbally bitch slaps Uther for his tyrannical ways 1
Morgana defies Uther 0
Arthur defies Uther 0
Gwen flirts with Merlin 3
Gaius gives someone a sleeping potion 1
Inappropriate flirting between Arthur and Morgana 1
Everything back to the same as it was at the start 0
Someone lying down/ill 0
A falling object crushes an enemy 1
A stranger arrives in Camelot 1
A ridiculous amount of food is served per person 0
Merlin saves Uther's life 0
Morgana has a vision 0
I've added a few extras for things I also remember as being common through the first few series.
Seems like a 'successful' first episode!
Anyone want to have a little bet on which will have the highest total by the end of the series?
- Merlin's arrival and the shot of Camelot.
- The hustle and bustle of Camelot and Merlin's wonder at it all.
- The cuteness of Gwen and Merlin, and their flirty bits
- Merlin and Arthur's first meeting. "I could take you apart with less than that" and Arthur's face! Love it.
- Morgana and her girlyness and niceness. "whether I wear this little tease or give them a night they'll really remember?"
- Merlin's slowing down time
- When Merlin looks out his window! How amazing and inspiring is that moment. It's just wonderful.
- When Merlin goes "If I can't use magic, I'm a nobody" Aww:(:(
- When Merlin wakes up and his hair's all messy and Gaius tells him off for something. Cute overload
- The whole singing scene is brilliant. So haunting and beautiful...
As for what will come out on top....they had Gwen flirt with Merlin an awful lot, I'd put that in the top 5, and those guards really are incompetent so I'd bet on that being up there too.
That is why you drink. First item on the drink list 'Someone mentions Merlin and/or Arthur's destiny'
All the Lady Helen stuff was great - especially, as has been pointed out, the cobweb effects and, I noticed, the fact that she never took a breath during the song so it was obviously unnatural.
You know, to be fair to Uther (who, I'm sorry, I've really missed!), we saw an awful lot of magic being misused in this first episode. So I can kind of see where he's coming from when he labels (unfairly, I know) ALL magic users as evil.
Merlin and Arthur's first and second meetings brought a lump to my throat. I kept remembering the conversation they had about their fight in S5, ep13. Sigh. But really, Arthur was NOT trying to kill Merlin! He barely touched him, even when he had him pinned down by the end (so, actually, Merlin didn't beat him as he claimed in the final ep!). I thought the chemistry between these two was phenomenal from the word GO!
Gwen - sweet, round-faced and angelic.
Morgana - euch! I'm sorry but WHAT a high opinion she had of herself and her 'charms'.
As for the Dragon's prophesying in this ep - well, I guess Arthur DID unite the land of Albion, didn't he? I mean, there were united kingdoms by S5, so what else was it supposed to mean?
Overall, I was enchanted (pardon the pun) by this introductory episode and I can't wait for next Saturday! I played bingo and got 8/16. Ho hum. Played the drinking game with Absolut and Diet Coke - I'm not Absolut-ely hammered but definitely a bit tipsy (by far the most repeated point on the list was people talking about Destiny, I thought!).
This was just a wonderful episode such promise, this is what I loved about "Merlin"
Mary Collins freaks me out and stuns me and mesmerises me, the way she killed the servant girl it terrifying so uninvolved, nothing personal, the poor girl was "collateral damage" in her determination to be revenged on Uther.
Merlin & Arthur & Morgana & Gwen - loved them - just the way they were.
I want a big blue box with an old fashioned phone on the outside to take me back to the beginning to start it all over again and put it right
I didn't only because they're not meant to be lies in show, it's just that the producers screwed up royally and forgot what they wrote in series 1 (and series 2, 3 and 4 for that matter!)
And quite rightly so - she looked utterly stunning. Merlin, Gwen and Arthur clearly thought so too
Yes! I still haven't watched that scene, and I've no intention of doing so.
But I don't the TPTB had that planned - not at all
The safest thing is to assume they had NOTHING planned AT ALL. You'd be right a good 95% of the time
Did this get answered yet? If I remember rightly, Gaius was well aware of Merlin and his abilities via his mother Hunith. They seemed to switch between them just being old friends and them being somehow related.
Because of his name, see below
Yup, got it in one Lowri, from the Welsh pen meaning head or chief and draig meaning dragon. It wasn't just Uther who used the name Pendragon. Ambrosius Aurelius, who is one of the many historical sources for Merlin, was also known as The Pendragon.
Geoffrey of Monmouth, in his great Historia Regum Britanniae, only uses Pendragon to refer to Uther, not to Arthur. It's only later on in the mythology that he becomes a Pendragon too.