Merlin: The Dark Tower Review
rating: 4
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For all its faults, the fifth season of Merlin has so far been full of surprises. From prophecies of impending doom for the kingdom of Camelot to the return of the ambiguous Mordred, it's been pretty challenging to keep a tap on what's true and what's going to change this year, though that's working more in the show's favour this week. The Dark Tower remains another strong offering that almost makes it up for the lows of Resurrection and Another's Sorrow. First up, let's get the obvious talking point out into the open- two game-changing twists came late in the day that are sure to shape the second half of the season. Elyan's death was slightly foreshadowed by star Adeotimiwa Edun announcing his departure from the show on Twitter recently, yet it still came as enough as a shock to guarantee that no Knight of the Round Table seems safe in this climactic run. On top of that, Angel Coulby did a fantastic job showing us the dark evolution of Gwen's character into someone manipulated into turning against those she loves. Top marks, though, have to go to Kate McGrath as Morgana- previously relegated to a pantomime-riffing cackling villain whose only role was to storm Camelot, her character was shown to have greater layers of depth still this week. For once, the plot to lure Arthur into the Dark Tower was well planned and clearly multi-layered given the cliffhanger at the climax, giving us a taste of what's to come in terms of the momentous battle we've seen play out in Merlin's vision back in Episode 1. Perhaps McGrath's greatest turn of the week comes as she acts as a warming presence to the terrified Gwen, harkening back to the first season in a beautiful set of moments for their two characters. On the other side of the battle were of course the regular cast of protagonists, each of whom's actors gave convincing portrayals of their respective characters. Once again, Colin Morgan and Bradley James shared some heartwarming moments of respect and comradeship on their journey to the Tower, and while Leon and Percival's visions were a bit predictable, the stars did a good job keeping the sense of tension alive. Certainly this tension was better handled than it was back in Resurrection two weeks ago, with the piece feeling less like a shallow riff on the psychological-drama genre and more of a standalone entry in its own right. The BBC now seem to clearly understand how to balance the weight of younger audience restrictions with expectations of fans of the Arthurian legends. From what I know of Geoffrey Of Monmouth's original Historia text, the adventure in the Tower didn't ever feature in the lore, yet its implementation serves as a brilliant plot crux for the midway point of the series arc, tieing together amongst the most compelling narrative elements so far into one cohesive romp. Admittedly, there was no sign of Mordred until Elyan's funeral, which was a shame given his importance in last week's Disir episode, but perhaps given the danger Vhalos' character faced last time it was right that he was left behind. Where did the episode falter, then? The Dark Tower is laden with narrative and directorial strengths, but there was one element that took things a step too far- the fairy queen. Arthur's Bane Part Two was let down by the appearance of the pseudo-alien creature who drove the narrative arc a little too far into the fantastical, and this time around the blatant prophecy of Elyan's demise just felt a little too forced as a plot element. Could John Hurt not make it in time to warn of the darkness ahead this week? Honestly, it felt as if that was the case, and while Hurt's Dragon has often been a useful story cipher, often it's the episodes that lack him that benefit the most. The less of a focus the show puts on characters such as these, the closer it becomes to bridging the quality gap between it and the likes of Doctor Who and Sherlock. Ultimately, then, The Dark Tower is another very strong offering of Merlin that manages to recapture the magic of last week's instalment and indeed the Golden Age of the fourth season. Whereas Series Five opened on a bit of an unsteady note, it now seems to have regenerated a level of quality consistency in its offerings, especially with an intriguing and dark arc developing into its second half. There's definitely a sense of conclusion present in this season of Merlin, but last week's ep and this week's entry at least leave us safe in the knowledge that the show could well end on a high.