Merlin 5.1 "Arthur's Bane Part 1" Review

Season 5 opened with knights of Camelot being chased in the snow covered North and finally a wolf catches up to Gwaine (Eion Macken).  Apparently Morgana (Katie McGrath) now has her foothold up North and is still out for revenge.  This time she has roped in Ruadan (Liam Cunningham) a sorcerer whom she has convinced or rather he is already certain that the Pendragons are trouble.  Morgana was meant to have been caught at the close of series 4 and could only see "darkness."

Arthur (Bradley James) awaits Gwen (Angel Coulby) at the Round Table counsel and she is late, having Merlin search for her everywhere reveals no sign of her.  Arthur agrees she isn't late when she finally arrives.  The knights speak of Gwaine and Percival (Tom Hopper) and three score of his men going missing and there's no sign of them.  Three years have passed with Camelot now at peace and has prospered.  However dark forces are still at work.  Arthur wants to rescue his men, as no knight is left behind and Gwen suggests he take another route into Ismere; through Queen Annis' (Lindsay Duncan) lands.

Now at peace with her also and the two of them are staunch allies, Arthur gets Leon (Rupert Young) to send a messenger.  Meanwhile Merlin seems infatuated with a new servant girl.  One to take Gwen's pace, no doubt and Merlin bumps into her outside the counsel door listening in.  Of course she was, she was that suspicious.  Can't believe no one would have her pegged as a traitor.

As Arthur and his knights set out for Annis' lands, Elyan (Adetimowa Edun) is sent to scout the ridge ahead, returns informing them of shocking news.  Dead bodies.  Merlin finds an old man inside, Lochru (Julian Glover) an old Druid seer who has been waiting for Merlin to arrive.  As he dies his hand hits the water and Merlin is shown a terrible future.  One where Arthur has a shadow, Arthur's bane stalks and kills him during the end of a battle.  This clearly causes Merlin to be distraught.  As yet again he worries about his friend and king and the future of Albion.  Arthur tells him he's seen plenty of dead bodies before.  But the images clearly have him shaken.  Especially the sight of the man who he sees killing Arthur.  Knew that was Mordred, since many years have passed, he would no longer be a boy.  Also ironic in that Arthur was the one who saved him and he is the one destined to kill Arthur.  Mordred even tells him as much in their first meeting.  Well, that he saved him.

Mordred is now in league with Morgana, of course.  Morgana meanwhile sets the knights digging, looking for a key, which she believes will help her in her quest against Arthur.  At Annis' court, the night proceedings involve a bit of action from the 'fool' as she calls Merlin and he uses magic to entertain with some juggling of eggs.  He tells Arthur he's not a juggler, shown by him being unable to catch Arthur's boots he throws at him and Merlin is still troubled by the vision.  He calls to the Dragon (John Hurt) who knows nothing of this prophecy. But only Merlin can keep Arthur safe.  Er, isn't that old news by now.

Next day Arthur and the others are ambushed by Morgana and her men.  Ruadan puts up a fight and injures Leon as well as hitting Arthur over the head.  Like to know where Merlin was during the fighting and why he couldn't use any magic.  Instead he drags Arthur away from the fight to save him.  The knights return to Camelot and inform Gwen of Arthur's and Merlin's disappearance.  Gwen immediately realizes they were betrayed as soon as Gaius (Richard Wilson) asks how anyone could have known of their route.  Gwen summons Sefa (Sophie Rundle) Ruadan's daughter, whom she saw leaving the castle the night before and she knows it was her who is a traitor.  She sentences her to death.

Here we get  to see how far Gwen as come as a queen and has a lot of say in the running of the kingdom.  Elyan looks at Gaius as if to think death is a harsh sentence, but Gwen doesn't flinch.  It appeared as if Gwen was walking in Uther's footsteps there for a second as she metes out this punishment.  Even if it is under the laws of Camelot, it was a fate she was once resigned to herself by Uther and was saved.  As well as being exiled by Arthur last season after her 'betrayal' with Lancelot.  Yet he didn't punish her by death.  Power has gone to her head.

Morgana searches for Arthur and Merlin and they spend a night together under the stars.  Merlin wants Arthur to take the urgency of the vision seriously but of course Arthur won't.  He's just a sorcerer.  Merlin is hungry and wishes they could find a pig to roast when Arthur wishes they had a horse.  Well they could have eaten the horse too, ha.  Merlin spies two rabbits on the ground and makes a play for them only to be caught in the net, together with Arthur. All that time stuck in the net and Merlin, once again didn't use any magic to free them.  Not even when Arthur was asleep.  No, then he couldn't have met up with Mordred (Alexander Vlahos) who reveals himself and suggests they let Morgana decide their fate.

The opening episode to season 5 sets up nicely the legend of Arthur and hopefully will make some inroads into Merlin using his magic more and revealing it to Arthur.  Gwen has come far since the serving wench and shows a little displeasure at being served on hand and foot by Sefa, but she's been queen three years now and you'd think she'd be used to it by now.  Especially since she has no qualms in laying down the law of Camelot.

Merlin is once again distressed by another vision of impending doom (as in season 3) and can only tell Arthur about it, Gaius not being around.  Arthur would naturally dismiss it as gobbeldy gook.  As he would.  It would have been good to see how the Round Table was established.  Suppose that would have been too much to ask!  Arthur is loyal to his men and will do anything for them, as he knows they will do for him too. They are "more than friends, more than brothers..."  Meaning what exactly, ha.

Gwaine also sees a glow come from another part of the caves where he and Percival have bee sent digging/mining.  It's a glowing creature, the Euchdag (Josette Simon).  You may recall her from Blake's Seven.  The battle Merlin sees is the Battle of Camlann, where the legendary King Arthur is meant to have fallen.  can't help but notice shades of Lord of the Rings:Fellowship of the Rings here, when Morgana turns up riding the horse in her black attire and Merlin and Arthur are hiding under the trees; as well as Game of Thrones.