Merlin 503: The Death Song of Uther Pendragon

Halloween must be just round the corner... Merlin gave us a truly spooky ghost story! ;o)

Glad as I was to see Uther gone and Arthur finally King of Camelot, I have missed seeing Anthony Head (Giles!!!)... so it was wonderful to have him rejoin the family in a ghostly form! Poor Arthur, missing his father and still desperate for his approval, only to be put down by Uther (ghost) because, well, he's not Uther's clone! Arthur is a much better man (and King) than Uther ever was -as Merlin keeps telling him- and believes in a more just Camelot and doesn't want to rule through fear. Uther accuses him of destroying his legacy by appearing weak, allowing commoners to become knights and marrying a serving girl.  

Uther is not happy with Arthur's rule in Camelot!

And then he finds out about Merlin!!! This has to be one of my favourite moments in the whole series, Merlin facing down Uther:

"This is my kingdom. You think you can drive me from it? You are nothing but a serving boy."
"I am much more than that." (defends himself from a bench with magic)
"You have magic" (look of shock and growing realisation of what that means on Uther's face)
"I was born with it!"
"I made you Arthur's servant... You are a sorcerer!"
"Even while you were King, there was magic at the heart of Camelot."

Merlin finally facing off with Uther!

HA! Take that Uther!!! All those years of living in fear that Uther would discover his secret... of frustration because of Uther's persecution of those with magic... this moment must have been really cathartic for Merlin! Pitch-perfect delivery of that last line by Colin Morgan. :o)

Merlin saved from Uther by Arthur's timely arrival.

Of course in the end it's still Arthur who has to save the day (and Merlin from being skewered by Uther) by confronting his father and sending him back to the spirit world. "You had your turn. Now it's mine." He has finally realised that he will never get -nor does he need- his father's approval, thus freeing him from the shackles of the past.

For a more complete (and fun!) recap head on over to Billie Doux.

Elements from Arthurian Legend:

Nothing new here. Arthur, Merlin, Guinevere, the Knights of Camelot (including Mordred) and the Round Table just as before.