Merlin [UK-Now US-Jan]

[Escapay]

Whilst making a "Merlin" banner last week, I figured I'd do one for every episode in the hopes of updating my signature each week to promote the next episode. Since I'll be on vacation much of the time with less internet time than usual, it's less likely that I'll update my signature to have the new banner (though I did update it today with Episode 2).

So, instead, I'll post the banners here along with episode summaries (courtesy of bbc.co.uk - ETA July 5: there are some minor spoilers, so I've put the second half of the summaries in white text) and the US airdates for anyone interested in watching the series this summer.

Sunday, June 21, 2009:
8:00 - Episode 1: "The Dragon's Call"
9:00 - Episode 2: "Valiant"


Merlin, a wizard on the cusp of adulthood, arrives in Camelot hoping to find a use for his burgeoning talent for magic. He is welcomed by Gaius, the court physician, but Merlin soon learns magic has been outlawed by King Uther, the tyrannical leader of the realm, its practice made punishable by death. When the Great Dragon summons Merlin to his cave, he tells the young wizard that he has a great destiny - to use his skills to keep the young Prince Arthur safe. But Merlin hates the flashy, arrogant Prince, and Arthur despises the wizard with equal fervour. So when an evil witch threatens Prince Arthur's life, Merlin finds himself tested - will he face up to his destiny to keep Arthur safe? And can he do so without getting caught?


Camelot is hosting its annual sword tournament and knights from throughout the realm have come to compete for its coveted title. Among those hoping to win the crown is Knight Valiant. Armed with a magical shield, Valiant will stop at nothing to win his prize. Merlin tries to expose Valiant as a cheat, but even those closest to him do not believe his claims. Battling with his faith, friendships and destiny, Merlin attempts to stop Valiant's evil scheme before Arthur becomes the next knight to die by his shield.


Sunday, June 28, 2009:
8:00 - Episode 3: "The Mark of Nimueh"
9:00 - Episode 4: "The Poisoned Chalice"


A deadly plague spreads through Camelot. When it seems that sorcery can be the only possible explanation, Merlin and Gaius race to find a cure, while Gwen is arrested and sentenced to death for practising witchcraft. Venturing deep beneath Camelot to unmask the true culprit, Merlin, Morgana and Arthur are faced with a terrifying beast, conjured by the evil sorceress Nimueh. Can they expose the truth before Gwen is executed?


The evil sorceress Nimueh is back to wreak havoc on Camelot. This time Merlin is her target, and she tricks the young warlock into drinking from a poisoned chalice, causing him to fall dangerously ill. Arthur must venture to the caves deep beneath the forest of Balor to obtain the antidote, but he does not realise he is walking into a trap. Determined to thwart his quest, Nimueh does everything she can to stop him. Can Arthur overcome these magical hurdles and make it back in time to save his friend?


Sunday, July 5, 2009:
8:00 - Episode 5: "Lancelot"


On a trip to the forest, Merlin is attacked by a terrifying winged monster. Help comes from an unexpected quarter when a heroic stranger fights off the beast. His name? Lancelot. Keen to repay this debt, Merlin resolves to help his new friend become a Knight of Camelot. But at what cost? For Lancelot is not of noble blood, and to change the pages of destiny is a dangerous game. With the mysterious creature still on the loose, Merlin's actions could have disastrous consequences for Camelot - and for Arthur.


Sunday, July 12, 2009:
8:00 - Episode 6: "A Remedy to Cure All Ills"


When the Lady Morgana is struck down with a mysterious illness, Gaius is at a loss for a cure. Thankfully a new physician, Edwin Muirden, is on hand to bring the King's ward back from the brink. As the stranger charms his way further into Camelot's court, winning over everyone from Uther to Merlin, Gaius begins to doubt his credentials. Just who is the mysterious newcomer and what does he want with the royal family? Gaius' loyalty and bravery are going to be tested to the limit if he is to find out.


Sunday, July 19, 2009:
8:00 - Episode 7: "The Gates of Avalon"


Arthur's chivalry lands him in trouble when he jumps to the rescue of a damsel in distress, Sophia, and her elderly father Aulfric. Back in Camelot, Sophia uses more than just her feminine charms to take control of Arthur's heart. This strange behaviour doesn't go unnoticed by Merlin, but can he work out who the mysterious pair are, and what they want with Arthur?


Sunday, July 26, 2009:
8:00 - Episode 8: "The Beginning of the End"


When Merlin decides to help a magical young fugitive, he finds an unlikely ally in Morgana. The pair are desperate to smuggle the boy back to his own kind, but this becomes increasingly difficult, as the hunt for his whereabouts increases with every minute. Their task takes a dangerous turn when Uther declares that anyone hiding the child will be executed. With their lives now on the line, can they sneak the boy out of the castle without being caught? And perhaps more importantly, just who is the mysterious child, and how does he know so much about Merlin?


Sunday, August 2, 2009:
8:00 - Episode 9: "Excalibur"


Uther's past comes back to haunt him when a mysterious Black Knight rides into Camelot. The visitor quickly makes his presence felt, throwing down his gauntlet and challenging the Knights of Camelot to mortal combat. As the formidable fighter picks off his opponents one by one, it becomes clear he cannot be beaten; is it just his superior skill, or is there something more sinister behind his invincibility? With Arthur the next opponent set to face this deadly foe, will Uther overcome his pride and do the right thing, or is the truth too difficult to face?


Sunday, August 16, 2009:
7:00 - Episode 10: "The Moment of Truth"
8:00 - Episode 11: "The Labyrinth of Gedref"


When Merlin's village is attacked by Kanan, a fearsome raider, Merlin rushes home to help - and is surprised when Gwen, Morgana and Arthur insist on coming with him. It quickly becomes clear that the odds are stacked firmly against them. With dozens of lives at stake, Merlin's old friend William forces him to make a difficult choice. Is he prepared to use magic to save the village, and in doing so reveal his sorcery to Arthur? Or will his destiny to protect the future King lead him to keep his magic a secret, which may mean leaving his old friends to die..?


Arthur kills a unicorn and as everybody cheers for him, except Merlin, a curse arrives in Camelot, which could see the end of the city.


Sunday, August 23, 2009:
7:00 - Episode 12: "To Kill the King"
8:00 - Episode 13: "Le Morte d'Arthur"


When Gwen's father is imprisoned for treason and killed at Uther's behest, Morgana decides she must take revenge. Merlin is stunned to discover just how far she is prepared to go when he uncovers a plot to kill the King. Can the young sorcerer summon the courage to foil her plan, or is this one occasion when he should just sit back and do nothing? After all, his life would be much simpler were Uther not around...


Gaius is deeply troubled when a Questing Beast is spotted in Camelot. A creature conjured from the nightmares of a long dead king, not only is its bite fatal but it is feared as an omen of impending doom...Friendship, loyalty and love are all tested to the limit as Merlin is forced to choose between those he loves most in the world. Just how far is the young sorcerer prepared to go to protect his destiny? And what will he have to sacrifice in order to do so?

albert

[Escapay]

"Merlin" premiered tonight on NBC with the first two episodes.

Also, found some interesting articles:

NBC Conjures Merlin, the Once and Future Sorcerer from TV Guide

Review: NBC’s MERLIN is Fantastic Television! (At Least Until the Second Episode) from TheTorchOnline

NBC’s MERLIN Gets the Camelot Story Really Wrong — But Maybe That’s a Good Thing from TheTorchOnline

albert

[David S.]

I watched this on NBC tonight and really enjoyed it! It's great to see some period FANTASY on network TV for a change instead of the usual "reality" cr@p! And it's great to see a "scripted" dramatic show go in this direction instead of the usual cop, lawyer, and hospital dramas - subjects which I have zero interest in!

Thanks for the heads-up!

[2099net]

I'm intrigued that somebody enjoyed the first two episodes. They're hardly the best - at all. It will be interesting to see the reviews.

Good lord. The Hollywood Reporter liked it:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/tv- ... 6246.story Not what I was expecting at all.

[David S.]

Well, you see, modern American network telly is bloody cr@p! .

So, even if the fist two episodes aren't as good as you say some of the later ones are, they're still IMO better than 99% of the BS on offer from the "major" US networks.

And hey, Escapay seems to have enjoyed the first two episodes

EDIT - To be less flippant about what I am trying to say: I think a big reason the series appeals to me is I like to escape into "FANTASY" elements in my entertainment. And ALSO to escape to another TIME and another PLACE. Merlin does ALL three at once! Fantasy, another time, and another place.

As Escapay said early in this thread, these type of elements have become about as rare as the dodo bird in modern US network telly. The dramatic scripted shows take place in present-day America and usually deal with very unpleasant topics like the criminal justice system, medical problems, etc.

They don't offer a pleasant escape from all that is boring and unpleasant about the "real world", but instead, a sad reminder of it.

Was Merlin the best two hours of entertainment I've ever seen? No.

Was it highly enjoyable, fun, entertaining, and did it pique my interest more than any "series" I've attempted to watch on a major US network in years?

ABSOLUTELY!

I didn't read any spoilers in this thread, but I did see where Escapay and 2099net said some of the later episodes were even better than the first two. Since I enjoyed the first two, I take this as a good sign.

I really hope this series is a hit, so hopefully it will lead to more fantasy and period programming - genres which offer something MUCH more satisfying to me than contemporary stuff highlighting modern society's problems.

[TheSequelOfDisney]

I wasn't able to watch these last night but I was able to DVR them so I'll watch them sometime next week. I've heard that it was good, but I'll have to see for myself.

[Escapay]

Yay! Glad to hear you enjoyed the show David and T-SoD!

albert

[2099net]

Well this isn't good news:

http://thetorchonline.com/2009/06/22/me ... r-ratings/

But reading between the lines (well, the comments ) it appears the biggest reason is lack of publicity.

[Escapay]

But reading between the lines (well, the comments ) it appears the biggest reason is lack of publicity.

Which is quite ironic given that first sentence has this little phrase...

Merlin, NBC’s heavily-promoted effort to bring high fantasy to American prime-time, seemed to draw lack-luster ratings in last night’s two-hour premiere.



Anyway, just a reminder to US UDers, Episode 3 and 4 ("The Mark of Nimueh" and "The Poisoned Chalice") are on NBC tomorrow night at 8/7 central and 9/8 central! Please watch or DVR them! They're two excellent episodes from the first half of the season, and truly an improvement on the good-start-but-not-quite-great first couple episodes!

albert

[2099net]

But it seems that the bulk of the promotion was done on the Sci-Fi (soon to be SyFy) channel - thus the average person in the street would be less likely to know about Merlin than the viewer keen on fantasy/science fiction (such as The Torch Online). Considering the show was conceived as 'family viewing', I don't think appealing to the fantasy/sci-fi diehards is that good a strategy. (Then again, given the average Sci-Fi channel original movie, and the target IQ they seem to aim for, perhaps it is!)

The Official Merlin boards on NBC.Com has a thread complaining about pre-launch publicity, and it crops up quite often in other posts there too.

http://boards.nbc.com/nbc/index.php?showtopic=824751 < Publicity

and there's an illuminating general complaints thread too
http://boards.nbc.com/nbc/index.php?showtopic=824845 < Negative Opinions

[Escapay]

But it seems that the bulk of the promotion was done on the Sci-Fi (soon to be SyFy) channel - thus the average person in the street would be less likely to know about Merlin than the viewer keen on fantasy/science fiction (such as The Torch Online).

That explains it.

and there's an illuminating general complaints thread too
http://boards.nbc.com/nbc/index.php?showtopic=824845 < Negative Opinions

My god, they are vicious. I couldn't bring myself to read the rest of the thread after the first page.

I do agree with one poster, who asked why this had to replace "Kings". Ideally, I would have loved to have seen "Merlin" and "Kings" back to back, which, IIRC, was what was originally planned before "Merlin" got pushed back to summer. Then "Kings" got sh!t ratings and was relegated to Saturdays. Damn you, NBC.

albert

[2099net]

There's a lot of people who defend Merlin on the "complaints" thread so its not all bad reading.

Besides, it's tame compared to RTD/Catherine Tate/Squee/JNT hate posts on The DoctorWhoForum!

[David S.]

Anyway, just a reminder to US UDers, Episode 3 and 4 ("The Mark of Nimueh" and "The Poisoned Chalice") are on NBC tomorrow night at 8/7 central and 9/8 central! Please watch or DVR them! They're two excellent episodes from the first half of the season, and truly an improvement on the good-start-but-not-quite-great first couple episodes!

Well, I've now seen the first four episodes and I'm still really enjoying the show! I don't watch much network TV so I'm not sure if I would be aware of this show's existence if it wasn't for this thread. So thanks Escapay for promoting the show through your posts and snazzy banner, and thanks 2099net for starting the thread and for your feedback as well!

[Escapay]

Well, I've now seen the first four episodes and I'm still really enjoying the show!

Yay! I'm glad you're enjoying the show!

"The Mark of Nimueh" and "The Poisoned Chalice" are definitely steps up from the first two episodes (as most first episodes have that "trying to find their footing" feel anyway), and is part of the multi-episode Nimueh arc. That's not to say the first episode is bad. I rewatched "The Dragon's Call" again (I didn't last week because we were on the road), and it's very easy to get into. It easily establishes the characters and their relationships and has an excellent villain (Mary Collins/Lady Helen). "Valiant" still is a weak episode, IMO, and one that should have been a better follow-up to "The Dragon's Call" than what we got.

I don't watch much network TV so I'm not sure if I would be aware of this show's existence if it wasn't for this thread. So thanks Escapay for promoting the show through your posts and snazzy banner, and thanks 2099net for starting the thread and for your feedback as well!

It's nice to know my banners were good for something beyond "Ooh pretty!" remarks!

It's weird, I'm not normally this gung-ho about tv shows, but I really really want "Merlin" to do well in the UK and US, because it's a type of show we don't see often enough in primetime and US primetime needs something that's just an hour of fun, fantasy, and adventure. Accuracy be damned, it's all about the spirit of ye olden days, not some History Channel re-enactment.

albert

[Escapay]

Tonight's episode of "Merlin" introduces Lancelot, played by Santiago Cabrera (best known as Isaac Mendez from "Heroes").

Sunday, July 5, 2009:
8:00 - Episode 5: "Lancelot"


On a trip to the forest, Merlin is attacked by a terrifying winged monster. Help comes from an unexpected quarter when a heroic stranger fights off the beast. His name? Lancelot. Keen to repay this debt, Merlin resolves to help his new friend become a Knight of Camelot. But at what cost? For Lancelot is not of noble blood, and to change the pages of destiny is a dangerous game. With the mysterious creature still on the loose, Merlin's actions could have disastrous consequences for Camelot - and for Arthur.

(I whited out the rest of the summary as it's a bit of a spoiler for the episode)

albert

[Brer Brandon]

I had been wanting to watch this ever since I first saw it in Escapay's signature some six months or so ago. I set my TiVo to get the first episodes when it first started and had begun a stockpile of episodes. During the the first few weeks I didn't have time to watch them as I was dealing with a death in the family. Once things settled back to normal, I realized my local NBC station had aired an episode of Monk instead of the first episode and so my collection began with the second one. At the time I was busy so I just kind of forgot about it. But just this morning I finally wanted to watch so bad that I found the first episodes via ahem, underground resources and am now watching the third episode. I am delighted to hear that the first few episodes are considered weak because I've thought they've been pretty good so I can only imagine what I have to look forward to.

[Escapay]

Whoa, I've been really behind in my pimpin' out of "Merlin"!

Glad to hear you're enjoying the series, Brer Brandon! And yes, the episodes do get better as the series progresses!

albert

[David S.]

I agree. I have seen every episode that aired so far in the US on NBC, and the most recent, "The Beginning Of The End", was probably my favorite so far. The show does seem to be gaining more intensity and momentum.

SPOILER: I had a feeling the boy would turn out to be "Modred", and indeed he did

I do miss the back-to-back, twice nightly airings of the first four episodes, as that was nice being able to stay immersed in this world for twice as long on those nights But the trade-off seems to be that the episodes now are getting even better (not that the early ones were bad, IMO)

I really hope this series makes it, and that the second season gets picked up by NBC.

[Escapay]

I do miss the back-to-back, twice nightly airings of the first four episodes, as that was nice being able to stay immersed in this world for twice as long on those nights But the trade-off seems to be that the episodes now are getting even better (not that the early ones were bad, IMO)

Just finished watching Episode 9 tonight, and during the end credits, they announced that "Merlin" would return in two weeks with two back-to-back episodes. So you're getting your wish, David! The only caveat is there's no "Merlin" next week.

But the next two episodes, "The Moment of Truth" and "The Labyrinth of Gedref", are really really good. "The Moment of Truth", in particular, brings Merlin back home and we get to know more about his pre-Camelot life.

albert

[David S.]

Yes, I noticed that about missing a week and then showing two the following week. I really enjoyed tonight's episode, "Excalibur", and am looking forward to the rest of the episodes!