Merlin: The Disir Review

rating: 5

If there's just one lesson that this season of Merlin has taught us so far, it's that this run will be anything but predictable. While the show seemed to be entering its Golden Age with the phenomenal success of Series Four, early episodes of this final season seemed to indicate that the writers had lost the innovation and charm that once made the programme great. Thankfully, I can safely say without any doubt that Episode Five- The Disir- is a stunning surprise of a departure from the recent dull status quo; taking its subtle premise and running with it, this incredibly written new instalment dramatically overhauls this year's weighty narrative arc and packs some big blows along the way. Here's hoping that the rest of the writing team are taking notes, because The Disir feels like an immensely satisfying turning point for the entire season. The idea of three 'witches' from the Old Religion posed in the plot synopsis initially seemed rather tired, reeking of a Macbeth rip-off and having this reviewer worried that this would be yet another failed genre spin much like The Death Song Of Uther Pendragon. Indeed, the pre-credits teaser shed little light on the true shocks to come. All the same, once we were past the now somewhat-iconic theme tune, things took a turn for the unexpected. Alexander Vhalos' ambiguous character Sir Mordred of the Round Table was strangely absent from last week's adventure, so it was great to see him placed at the forefront of our attention off the back of the Arthur's Bane reintroduction, especially with Vhalos being such a capable and unpredictable actor to play him. Richard McBrein clearly understood the moral dilemmas surrounding this future antagonist in the kingdom of Camelot, constantly diverting viewers' expectations at an alarmingly effective rate of events. Vhalos wasn't alone in terms of star quality, either- the Old Religion followers were portrayed believably and creepily, presenting us with foreboding hints at the future of Camelot as a result of Arthur's ignorance of magic. Merlin isn't afraid to rest on its central cast for key performances, though, a fact showcased by the near-perfect portrayals of its titular character and monarch by Colin Morgan and Bradley James respectively. This pair of Brit hits have already proved their potential in countless intimate moments throughout the show's reign since 2008, yet their characters' relationship came to a beautiful head here when our hero was forced to essentially repel his beliefs on magic in order to save his friend's life. Morgan's passion for this complex role was plain to see when the aforementioned tragic scene came around, and thus it was to McBrein's credit that he then gave us another big twist as Merlin's decision was revealed to be the one which in fact placed Arthur in more danger than ever. In many other respects too, Merlin felt like a completely different show to the varied mediocre-to-poor offerings it has given us these past few weeks. For instance, the writing no longer portrayed its players as theatrical stereotypes that wouldn't look out of place in a pantomime- Morgana (Kate McGrath) has been a recent victim to this flaw, though perhaps the strength of an episode with no appearance from her says something about the need for her character to reappear so frequently? Meanwhile, the direction moved back to the great Game Of Thrones-riffing feel previously only properly achieved in Arthur's Bane Part 1. We don't need big battle setpieces every week, as proved by this directional confidence carrying through to more emotive and tear-jerking scenes rather than just those of action. True to form, whenever Merlin elects to take the quality of its episode roster to a new level, it does so with vigour and energy that elevate fine outings such as this up with the best television of the respective year. In 2012 we've had brilliant showings from the likes of Sherlock, Game Of Thrones, The Newsroom and Doctor Who, and while for a time it appeared as if Merlin could never return to match those televisual legends, with The Disir it has proven that it can be far above the kiddy fanfare on BBC1 and CBBC with which it is so often (somewhat rightly) associated. Last week's Another's Sorrow brought me to the brink of thinking that Merlin deserved the axe come the end of its fifth season, yet if we get more and more episodes like The Disir, then it will remain a hot property for British telly that deserves to keep on running for as long as possible!