Morgana is desperate to know Emrys’ true identity…

We’re definitely moving into the endgame with this episode. Merlin, Morgana, Arthur, Mordred… even the dragon, all make deductions or learn information which puts pieces in place for the final battle that we now know will be fought in three weeks’ time.

There’s still an interesting dichotomy within the series: we hear about the age that is still to come when magic will be freely acknowledged, yet at the same time there’s this air of doom and gloom that Arthur will meet his end (as shown in the vision at the start of this year.) There are ways that the two can co-exist, and hopefully that’s the route that has been chosen.

Again, the concentration this week is firmly on Merlin: the hunt for Emrys is the focus of the episode, and Merlin has to take some chances that he is advised against. There’s an interesting upturn of the usual relationship between him and Gaius, and Mordred is definitely playing his own long game.

There’s a certain amount of light leavening – an Arthur/Gwen/Merlin gag that I suspect will be the last that we see of that sort – but things are getting progressively darker.

Verdict: A tense episode which sets up the final chapters.  7/10

Paul Simpson