Merlin - Saturday's BBC1(Series 1)
Episode 1 (20/9/08) - Great first episode of Merlin , I was not disappointed at all it is interesting how when we first meet Merlin and the wizard he uses some very special magic but I am not going to tell you anymore about that just in case you havn't seen it yet. Everything about the episode was brilliant from the outset to the last moments of the show and they was some comedy in it too which is great. The best bit for me was when I saw the Dragon talk to Merlin. It was also nice to see some familair faces like Richard Wilson and Antony Head and a raising star.
5/5 and Viewer numbers were 6.6 Million.
Episode 2 (27/9/08) - Great Episode again... I specially liked the magic that Valiant did (Will Mellor) and the way he acted made me forget about him on Two Pints , so can't wait for the next episode of Merlin. 5/5
Episode 3 (4/10/08) - Another great episode.. Great nail-biting moments and lots more special magic from merlin. The best bit was when the clay monster attacked the gang. No doubt we will see more of Nimueh's twisted magic! 5/5
Episode 4 (11/10/08) - Another great nail bitting episode... I can't wait to see more of what Nimueh can do and it seems that everyone is starting to agree Merlin is getting better , great part was when I thought Merlin was dead! but when he awoke to continue his adventures I was happy as he will continue with great adeventures ahead... 5/5
Episode 5 (18/10/08) - Another great episode... and the best thing was where we get to see Lancealot knighted and then he gets it taken away from him! I specially liked the Griffin and the way it was killed. I also like that on the website shortly after the episode you are able to see a magic trick performed by Merlin which is cool. Can't wait for the next episode. 5/5
Episode 6 (25/10/08) - Another great episode... Keep it up BBC , I specially liked the bug trying to kill Aurther and overall it was scary to watch. I still will give it 5 stars though. I can't wait for the next episode. 5/5
Episode 7 (1/11/08) - Another great episode again... The best part was when I saw some cool fairy like creatures and also the special effects through out the episode. Also what is interesting that after every episode you can go online and watch a magic trick that merlin performs. This episode was very scary and dramatic to watch. Well Done BBC. 5/5
Episode 8 (8/11/08) - Another great magical episode.. It was interesting to watch the mystery around the young boy and I have a feeling that it is not the last time we will see him. The best bits of the episode was the boots walking on their own and the keys rattling and following Aurther around the room. I can't wait for the next episode. 5/5
Episode 9 (15/11/08) - Another great episode once again... I specially liked when Merlin tried to kill the Knight with flames and then he turned and stared at him but I wonder what will happen to Uther now he touched the sword that was ment for Arthur. I can't wait for the nex episode. 5/5
Episode 10 (22/11/08) - Another brilliant episode if dark episode... I specially liked it when Merlin made the fire ambers float in the air. I also liked it when Merlin used his magic to push away the enemy using wind magic. I also liked the way they focused on the villiages outside of the Castle instead of using the Castle all the time. Great stuff. I can't wait for the next episode and I hope they do another series after this one. 5/5
Episode 11 (29/11/08) - Another great episode... I specially liked the fate of the Unicorn! I also liked the "running out of food" story lines which was very interesting to see the different things happening like the food going rotton and the water turning into sand but the best bit was when Aurther had to face some very different tests which was interesting to see them actually connected by one man in two of them and then their was the final test. I can't wait for the next episode and to try and perform one of the magic tricks that Merlin shows you on the website. 5/5
Episode 12 (6/12/08) - Another great episode... It is interesting to see Uther on the end of the rope by Morgana and Guinevere deciding weather to kill him or not and then he is saved at the end but it was sad to see Guinevere's dad died as we havn't seen many storylines involving him but none the less a pretty exciting episode. Good work BBC. I can't wait for the next episode. 5/5
Episode 13 (13/12/08) - A brilliant dark and scary episode... I specially liked when Gaius died and it would have made a good ending but of course the person who died was of course Nimeuah in replacement of him. This episode was faultless and it was confirmed on screen it is returning again with another series and with the amount of comments on the page (Digital Spy review page) they will be plently of fans to watch it. 5/5
Merlin - Saturday's BBC1(Series 2)
Episode 1 - (19/09/09) - A great start to Series 2. It was great to see Merlin again , specially with The Dragon after a frosty end at the end of Series 1. I Specially liked the story involving a old legend in Camelot , Cornelius Sigan saying that he will return and wreck havoc in the form of Mackenzie Crook who played Cedric in the episode. Brilliant way of introducing Cornelius and his stone Phonix like birds. I specially liked How Giaus was saved by Merlin when he entered the earier room of where Cornelius Sigan soul was in a Blue stone on top of a stone status of Cornelius and stepped on a trap and a arrow fired from a mouth of one of the stone birds and Merlin managed to deflect the arrow in a slow motion scene which is always great , specially on Merlin as it seems to always work well. Really can't wait for Episode 2 if this is how Series 2 is gong to be like. 5/5
Episode 2 - (26/09/09) - I have to say this is another great episode now that you get to see them play a well known sport - Josting. It was brilliant to see Arthur competing against the other players , or should I say his elter-ego mate who took over his role for alot of the series as everyone thought he was out of town on bussiness. I specially liked the assissan trying to kill Arthur , it was interesting as it felt like Arthur was in mortal danger. During the episode they were bits that were boring and not building up the excitement that other episodes have done , but I did also like it when Merlin used magic again to clean up the room and when the camera panned out you could see the magic at work. I hope we get to see more excitement in the next episode , and that is why I am going to give this episode a lower score then the rest. 4/5
Episode 3 - (3/10/09) - I have to say that this episode was excellent. I loved the focus on Morgana and her powers that she finds difficult to deal with , and how Merlin is helping to protect her from being killed , due to her powers. I also liked when Merlin was trying to creep out of the chambers and he knocked over some stuff , and has it was being knocked over Merlin used his magic to hold the stuff in the air and then gently lower them to ground. The special effects they use in the show is always a hit with me , as it fits with showing magic in the Kingdom. I also specially like the friendship that has been developed with Merlin and Aurther in the show , but it was not focused as much this time due to the other storyline being focused on , but the episode was still a great episode to watch and if the next episode is anything like this one then I will be giving that one a high rating too. It is making me think that I wonder if Giaus will be a mentor for Morgana now , as she clearly needs guidance in her powers. We have to wait see I suppose. 5/5
Episode 4 - (10/10/09) - I have to say this episode was a really good story involving lots of action from the out-set with the team of soliders from Hengist. It was a interesting fight and I liked it as it wasn't just your standard fight between Prince Aurther and Hengist , they was a mistken identityt too with Hengist thinking that Gwen was actually Morgana and when he found out he throw the solider who attempted to deceive Hengist into the fighting ring and this interesting CGI animal came out and devoured him , the CGI stuff works really well in the show and also when Merlin used some of his magic through-out the episode to help Aurther and also to stop his enemies , it was really good to see that. They was a little comedy element in the episode too and it always seems to be just the right amount and not too over the top as it is a more of serious show then a comedy. It is also interesting to see how Gwen and Lancealot's feelings are developing in the episode , as Aurther has feelings for Gwen and he won't admit it , because his Father (Penn-Dragon) won't allow it to happen and I am looking forward to seeing how this develops and weather Lancealot will stay in the story or weather Gwen and Aurther will admit to each other how they feel. Great episode again , and love the richness about the show. 5/5
Episode 5 - (24/10/09) - Another brilliant episode from Merlin again. I specially liked the scene where Merlin was trying to see what Lady Catrina actually was , which was a troll. The troll itself was really disgusting but I am sure thats how they made the troll to be , eating rotton fruit and maggots. Nice. Anyway love the rest of the episode too specially the magic that he attempted to do to the Lady (Troll) to reveal what she actually was , but it seems she was more powerful then Merlin which neeeds make a change to normal , as everytime or so when Merlin does some music on the enemy he succeds but in this case it was a interesting twist that he didn't win this time around. I have to say though another good scene was when Lady Catrina was about to marry the King , she almost foiled by Merlin who managed to get inside the hall where the wedding was but I thought oh Merlin would just save the King and then thats the episode over with , but with another twist in the tale Merlin didn't manage to stop the wedding and the King and Lady Catrina (The Troll) managed to get married and the episode was now turned into a 2-parter which is interesting as we get to see if Merlin can save the King in the last part of the story , which my bet is that he can. Some great acting from all the team again and I will rate this episode high. 5/5
Episode 6 - (31/10/09) - Another great episode. I specially like the storyline of Lady Catrina trying to keep composure of not trying to turn into a troll again , at the wedding. Interesting storylines through-out the episode and I specailly like the bit where the troll was trying to escape and he couldn't get through a door , so the troll with its remarkable strength ripped open the door and Prince Aurther was trying to kill it and The King just looking on with some sort of stuiped gain on his face , as the power still had the hold of him making him believe that the troll was beautiful when in fact the troll was really really digusting , to the point that I almost forgot it was a nice actress behind that mask and make-up. really great way of making the troll up , and it was farting alot during the episode too! , which made the episode a bit of a comedy but just the right amount. I also liked the fact in order for Lady Catrina to maintain the appearance of the beautiful lady behind the smelly troll , the troll had to drink some liquid and when Giaus changed it around . Merlin had to try it to see if it taste disgusting as the liquid had to be and as soon as a drop touched Merlin's tounge he couldn't stand it (which means it should device the troll , which it did). Great work on the make-up and mask for the troll character and I am looking forward to the next episode. 5/5
Episode 7 - (7/11/09) - Another great episode from Merlin. I specially liked the danger that Merlin , Giaus and Morgana were going to be in. A interesting take on the fact that Magic is out-lawed in the kingdom. I felt it was touch and go for Merlin and the gang as they had been questioned by The Witch-Finder , who King Auther hired to find the person responsible for starting the ghostly horse in the smoke , just outside of the Castle. As the story progesses you find that The Witch-Finder actually used a special potion to manipulate the witnesses into thinking that what they saw was magic , when in fact they was only one mistake that Merlin did , which was to magic the ghostly horse in the smoke. Near the end of the episode we saw Giaus on the stake , ready to die. It was very sad to see this and Merlin seekd help from The Dragon but had no luck , as The Dragon didn't know what to do about Giaus. But just in the nick of time Giaus was saved by Auther and the person who was responsialbe , was revealed to be The Witch-Finder. I liked the last scene , instead of The Witch-Finder just being killed he tripped over a box and fell out of the window , after having a frog coming out of his mouth. This was another good episode and I always liked the magic that Merlin uses in the episodes. 5/5
Episode 8 - (14/11/09) - I have to say this is another really good chapter. I specially liked it as it was full of surprises , as at the beginning of the episode King Auther was knighting some people and outside of the chambers , they was a person dressed in knight gear and was fighting their way to the chamber where the King and more importantly where Aurther was. The knight finally got to the chamber where the King and Aurther was , and they placed down the Ganulet and challenged Aurther to a fight. The interesting thing about this scene was that when Aurther said "Reveal your indentity" , the knight removed their hemlet and revealed themselves to be a woman. This of course a unusal thing at the moment as the fighting was reserved for man and this was the first surprise of the episode. Aurther agreed to the challenge after wondering weather to fight a woman or not but the rules that were checked by another character confirmed it was the same as if Aurther was fighting a man in battle. I also liked the fact they was bit of a back story to Morgose (The Challenger) , as she is actually the half sister of Morgana and she helped Morgana with her bad dreams that she has as a result of the magic that she hold inside of her. The scene that was quite nerve racking was when Aurther was willing to do whatever Morgose was willing to challenge him to do. So Aurther placed his head on a block ready , and Morgose raised a sort of axe but she did not kill him as it was a challenge to see if Aurther was willing to do what she said. After the reward of meeting his mother (She died as she was having Aurther) , the audience gets to hear the back-ground to how Aurther was born and how magic was used. I can't wait to see the next episode as Morgose survived and I betting she will return to the series later. 5/5
Episode 9 - (21/11/09) - I have to say this episode of Merlin was brilliant again , as it always is. I specially liked when we see Merlin have a short relation-ship with Fraya and also the scenes around them kissing and Merlin breaking Fraya out of the cage which she was locked in being caused of doing magic. They was also a bit of comedy again in the episode which is great to see , as it brings the episode from its dark theme to a more of a lighter theme. It was interesting also to see the relation-ship developing between Merlin and the beautiful Fraya , but as the episode progessed we could see all is not well with Fraya as she turns into a monster because of a curse that was put on her many years ago , by a woman who saw her kill his son and decided that Fraya would always kill forever. At the end of the episode they was heart-break for Merlin as she was injured as a monster and it was fatal for her and Merlin did the best thing which was push her body out to sea and burn it! I suppose the reason for this is that so the body would not just degree in a bad way and to have a good ending for her. It was also interesting that Fraya said "I will re-pay the favor" does this mean she will return later in the series or something , it would be interesting to see this though. Maybe magic plays a bit in the return or something. The episode was flat at times without much action but I am still going to give this episode a high score and I can't wait to see the next episode. 5/5
Episode 10 - (28/11/09) - I have to say another brilliant episode from Merlin. This time it was all about Love between Aurther , Gwen and Vivian. It was a interesting eipsode about How Aurther was enchaunted with the love for Lady Vivian but actually Aurther loves Gwen in fact. At times during the episode I felt the episode was flat and they was not much going on with the characters and the episode was mostly about a love plot. it was also interesting that they was alot of confusion between Merlin and Aurther to who they were refering to when Aurther said to place a note with some flowers in Lady Vivian's room when Merlin thought he was talking about placing them in Gwen's room. It was also very nice to see the Dragon again and to hear his wisdon about how to help Merlin and he told Merlin to find Aurther's true love (which is Gwen) and to get her to kiss Aurther and it would then break the spell that Aurther had feelings for Vivian when in fact he doesn't. During the episode which I also found interesting was that the comedy was coming from a new character that appeared in this episode called The Jester which entertained the King and also the other Kings that arrived at Camalot to sign a peace treaty , but one King did not want to have to peace treaty to pass and that is why he caused the love spell between Prince Aurther and Lady Vivian to happen. Overall this episode was very good and I am looking forward to seeing the next episode , but they are not many episodes left of Merlin and I hope it returns next year again. 5/5
Episode 11 - (5/12/09) - I have to say that this episode was the scariest of all the episodes in Series 2 of Merlin. I specially liked the mystery sorrounding the crystal in the vaults beneath the Castle in Camalot , and also it was interesting to see the boy Morid again , as we last saw him some episodes ago and he was pleased to see Morgana again , as she helped him and his friend get the cyrstal and also Morgana helped them escape the grounds of the Castle and King Auther said if he finds out who helped them escape he would kill them , so this is another interesting storyline for the show and I wonder what would happen when King Auther finds out that Morgna helped Morid escape. Morid and his friend had also taken the crystal but it was returned to the vault , when Prince Aurther captured Morid's friend and took back to the Castle. This episode is a very interesting and dark episode as we see that when Merlin touches the crystal , he can see the future of what Camalot will be like and even though the future looks dark , Giaus tries to presuade him that it is only one possible future for Camalot and that the future is un-shaped untill we shape it ourselves. At the end of the episode in the trailer , it begans clear that the next episode will be even darker and that the Castle is going to burn. I wonder though what Merlin will do , as he discovered when he touched the crystal that The Dragon will cause all the fire on the Castle. Will Merlin free The Dragon or leave him still in the depts of the Castle. I really can't wait to see the next episode of the Merlin and I will be giving this episode another high score. 5/5
Episode 12 - (12/12/09) - I have to say this was a very dark and epic episode of Merlin and the best yet I think. It was interesting to see that when Merlin and Aurther (long with his soliders) , went into the forest and to another run down castle and found these interesting looking people that seem to not be able to die , no matter how many times you stab them with your sword , but they were only the diversion so that Morgoase could get into King Aurthers castle , and it was actually spooky to see everyone in the castle grounds ( and I assume in the villages just outside the castle grounds) all a sleep , because of a spell that Morgoase had put on them all. Only one person was not under the sleeping spell , the lady Morgana who plays a very important role in this episode and I think the next episode too. She claimed that she did not know why she was not sleeping under the spell too , but secretly she has teamed up with Morgoase and needed to carry out a plan that is yet to be revealed. It also interesting to see that most of the episode we just get to see only Merlin , Lady Morgana , Prince Aurther and Gwen and none of others (as they were all sleeping). They was a funny moment when Merlin was trying to wake Giaus and when he used one of the spells , it made Giaus stood up and have a cheesy grin on his face and it made me laugh. Another brilliant episode and I can't wait for the next one , as now The Dragon has been freed by Merlin and he is very angry to when King Aurther had locked him in the chains in the under-ground cave. What will he do now? 5/5
Episode 13 - (19/12/09) - A brilliant and very epic episode for the end of Series 2. Loving The Dragon and it was interesting to see the Castle and the villages being destoryed as it brings that epic feel to the episode and to have this right at the beginning of the episode put the audience into the action immediately. It was also interesting to see Aurther trying to defeat The Dragon without much luck , because we have now discovered Merlin is the key to killing The Dragon and stopping the destruction of Camelot. The effects were pretty amazing too , when The Dragon tried to kill the soliders in the courtyard with his fire and them stopping it with the shields , but later on the episode we see The Dragon try again and this time he killed other soliders in a different setting , just outside the castle and in a clearing. The scene where The Dragon and Merlin and Aurther was also interesting as we get to see The Dragon have some dialouge with Merlin and not just having The Dragon killing and destroying everyone. I think it also worked well to have The Dragon leave and not be killed by Merlin as then he could come back when the series returns next year. They was one noticable character missing and that was Morgana. I think they was enough action and things going on in the episode to not miss Morgana for too long , but the big question reminds "Is Morgana alive?" Brilliant final episode. 5/5
Merlin Will Return In 2010...
