In the last episode, Gwen's father was killed off the show and its impact was actually something real. I could feel that this meant the show turned a corner, when killing off a likable character became a possibility. But this week, faced with ample opportunities to kill off people, they backed out again, which frustrated me.

Out in the forest, a giant creature called a Questing Beast attacks Arthur and his men. One injury from this creature and death was certain. After a narrow escape, Uther declares that this creature must be killed. Gaius warns Uther that the Questing Beast only appears in times of upheaval. The last time it showed up was when Uther's wife died. Uther will hear nothing of it and sends Arthur to slay the beast. However, Arthur himself is hurt in the hunt and is gravely ill, certain death approaching.

Not knowing what to do, Merlin asks the dragon for advice. The dragon tells him to go to a magical place called the Isle of the Blessed where he will learn how to cure Arthur. There, Merlin finds Nimueh, who gives Merlin special water that will heal Arthur. But to save a life requires another one in return; it is the balance of things. Merlin pledges his own life in forfeit of Arthur's.

Merlin and Arthur

Merlin goes back to Camelot and saves Arthur with this water, but it turns out it is not Merlin who will die in Arthur's stead but rather Merlin's mother, who shows up covered in some strange disease. Merlin confronts the dragon for giving such advice and the dragon lets slip that Arthur must be king by any means necessary, because it will restore magic to its rightful place in the kingdom and the dragon will finally be free of his prison. Merlin is outraged at this selfishness and vows to stand in the dragon's way forever. The dragon tries attacking Merlin, but he fends it off easily.

A surprise is in store, however, as Gaius decides to give up his life to save Merlin's mother. He travels to the Isle where Nimueh takes his life. Merlin then shows up and is very angry. A magic fight ensues and Merlin blows Nimueh up into many tiny fragments. Her life takes the place of Gaius's and the old man is revived.

Meanwhile, the dragon is now obsessed with getting back at Merlin, and Morgana continues to have nightmarish dreams and premonitions.

I seriously thought that by the end of the season, Uther would be dead and/or Arthur would learn Merlin's secret. And in an episode constructed thusly, with a life at risk, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to kill off a major and unlikable character (Uther, anyone?). Unfortunately, they decided to get rid of the recurring eye-candy - I mean villain - Nimueh, which is a shame. So what great developments were there in this season finale? Morgana has bad dreams. The dragon hates Merlin. Nimueh is dead. That's pretty much it. Nobody has learned of Merlin's magic. Uther isn't on his way out. For a season finale, it didn't advance the story much at all. The subtlest advancement is the progression of the Arthur/Gwen romance. It's still not overt yet but there have been steady undertones for a while, with another scene in this episode highlighting their relationship.

I'm also not sure why Merlin would give his life so readily in exchange for Arthur's. Merlin knows that he has an important future ahead of him and that it's tied directly to Arthur. They both need to live together in order to change the world. So sacrificing himself for Arthur makes no sense. It makes as little sense as if he allowed Arthur to die. The logical thing to do would have been to search for a way in which both would survive. It would have been more interesting if Merlin had to select someone innocent but less important to die to save Arthur's life. For such a nice guy like Merlin, that choice would have been horrible but necessary. It would have been a great way to build his character.

So at the end of season one, I'm not very satisfied. I find the story is too slow moving and most episodes are inconsequential. They have a good base to build upon, but they're squandering their chances by not going far enough with their stories. I hope they learn from their storytelling mistakes and improve on the pace in season two.

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