Axiom’s Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy

By John J. Joex

Airs on NBC, Sundays at 8 PM EST

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars (After 5 Episodes)

BBC Import series Merlin, currently running as a Summer entry for NBC, gives us a new take on the Arthurian legends. In this incarnation, Merlin is not the wizened old sorcerer sporting a long grey beard on gnarled staff that we often associate with the tales of King Arthur. Instead, he is but a youth, perhaps in his late teens, who has come to Camelot as a greenhorn who must learn how to control the magic he has a knack for and how to deal with humility in his lowly position as a servant. And Arthur is not the brave king leading a company of knights into gallant battles against Medieval perils. His is but a brash young prince who must earn his way to the throne while constantly running afoul of his unyielding, authoritarian father, King Uther Pendragon.

When I first heard about this series, I immediately assumed it would follow a King Arthur meets Smallville track. However, right out of the gate this series established itself as something very different from that CW mainstay as well as most other shows that focus on youthful characters. It avoids the expected teen angst angle that Smallville followed early on and that last year’s Twilight flirted with. Instead, it uses the youthful perspective of Merlin and Arthur to offer us a different take on how these characters will mature and eventually assume their mantle as the ruling core of Camelot.

Merlin we discover to be a young man with immense yet raw magical talent that he has yet learned to fully control. This presents a serious problem to him as Uther Pendragon has outlawed the use of magic, which he fears, in his realm. Court physician Gaius, who also dabbles a bit in sorcery, takes Merlin under his wing and tries to guide the young acolyte in his use of magic. Arthur we see as an arrogant prince who often bullies those he considers beneath him. However, we also discover that this attitude comes in part from his royal heritage, and that a good person lives deep down inside of him. Merlin unwillingly finds himself thrown into the position of Arthur’s servant, and though the two clash initially, they have develop a mutual respect as the series has progressed.

Merlin also learns early on that he has a destiny to assure that Arthur one day ascends to the throne. This sets the stage for the series and relationship between its two leads. And each episode carries on the story of Merlin’s and Arthur’s growth into maturity and their journey into infamy. The series avoids the more intricate story arcs of domestic shows like Lost and Heroes, preferring to deliver mostly stand alone episodes. However, you can see how each episode advances the overall story of the duo’s rise to power. Note that the series completely dispenses with the more traditional canon of Arthurian legend, preferring to develop its own mythology. But we know in general the direction it is headed.

The cast of Merlin is superb, just as I would expect from a British production. Colin Morgan is sufficiently wide-eyed and hot-headed as the young, eager Merlin and Bradley James plays the young Arthur as a petulant, arrogant young man yet with just the right amount of earthiness to demonstrate his sincerity. And Anthony Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) shines as the dictatorial king of Camelot who Arthur will one day replace. We also see several more of the characters from the Arthurian legends sprinkled about through the series in unexpected places. Morgana (Katie McGrath) is Uther’s ward and Guinevere (Angel Coulby) is her servant. Lancelot (Santiago Cabrera) made an appearance in the fifth episode as a commoner who manages to win the respect of Arthur and the king.

While the series takes plenty of liberties with Arthurian legend and has more than its share of anachronisms, it succeeds as an excellent example of the Fantasy / Sword and Sorcery genre on television. And it fully embraces that genre as it gives us wizards and dragons and other creatures and concepts common to the genus. However, unlike Legend of the Seeker, the series does not become overly mired in cliché. Thus it gives us a fresh spin on Sword and Sorcery tales while also presenting fairly strong stories.

Ratingswise, Merlin has brought no magic to Sunday nights for NBC. The series debuted with a paltry 1.5 rating in the 18-49 demographic and only about 5.3 million viewers, pretty low numbers even for a Summer show. It has since slid from there, ending up with a 1.1 rating and about 4.3 million viewers this past Sunday. The good news, though, is that since this is a product of BBC, it does not live or die by the Nielsens. In fact, the show already aired in Britain last Fall to great acclaim and received a renewal for a second season. Whether we see those episodes on NBC, BBC America, or some other venue, remains to be seen. But at least we know that we have more episodes coming which is a good thing.

Go to TV.com for more info on Merlin including Episode guides and Cast bios

Watch Episodes of Merlin on Hulu.com for Free

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