Merlin Episode 3 Series 4: The Wicked Day.

Actually …

That’s a VERY to the point title for episode three, that really is …

I think you know me well enough by know to be able to guess I like a certain dark tone to my television fantasy and SF.

Hmmm …

The old portmanteau, telefantasy, springs to mind, here, but explaining that is possibly for another time.

At any rate …

I’ve got to admit I’ve been watching — and re-watching — last night’s episode of Merlin: episode 3, if you didn’t know, and called The Wicked Day for a reason.

Episode three opens on Prince Arthur’s birthday: and the pre-title teaser shows us a group of gleemen arriving to help Camelot celebrate thew Prince’s birthday.

The day is spoiled, though …

Because a botched assassination attempt on Arthur sees his father, Uther, fatally wounded.

Please notice the fatally bit, there.

Because the extent of Uther’s wounds … ?

See Arthur decide that the only way that Uther can be healed is through magic.

And for that, he seeks Merlin and Gaius’ help in finding a sorcerer* who can heal Uther.

A healing attempt that — I should add — is thwarted by Morgana, with the help of Agravaine.

And a healing attempt …

That leads to the inevitable happening.

The death of Uther Pendragon.

»»Å««

The King is dead …

Long Live The Kingª.

»»Å««

Phew … !

Now, I’ve got to admit, I think the BBC’s hit a good one, with the three episodes of Merlin series 4.

Normally … ?

Dr Who fan that I am, I believe that series 6 — Matt Smith and Stephen Moffat’s second in place — to have been generally good, but a touch on the messy side, and not help by the big gap between episodes 7 and 8.

And I’m ALSO convinced that — in comparison — series 4 of Merlin is a hell of an improvement.

Both on its predecessors and on the Matt Smith episodes of Dr Who: although, granted, Moffat and co are effectively only on their second season of a completely different show.

Last night’s episode … ?

I think last night’s episode only show’s that, very well: cast, crew and writers are coming to something of a head.

AND in showing us Uther’s death, and Arthur’s coronation, has moved this version of the Arthurian myth further along to it’s sources.

All this?

And it’s still only episode three.

* Merlin: basically reusing the disguise he uses in last season’s The Queen Of Hearts. These scene’s provide a heck of a lot of the much needed comic relief for the episode.

ª There’s a possibly apocryphal story: that says when the late Queen Mother was told of her husband, George 6th’s, death, she turned around to the messenger who’d brought the news and said “You’d better inform Princess Eliza … ”. Then stopped, took a deep breath and said “You’d better inform Her Majesty of her father’s death”.