Merlin Episode 8 Series 4: Lamia.

You know, I’m going to be frank, here.

There are times when Merlin’s fourth season has had both it’s ups and down.

More up than down, I’ve thought, over these past few weeks.

And I’ll confess, tonight’s eighth episode — Lamia — is definitely an up.

And a very riveting one, at that … !

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Lamia sees Mary Howden*, an old friend of Gwenª’s, turning up on Gwen’s doorstep to ask for her help in dealing with an especially nasty form of plague that’s crippling Mary’s village.

And, as court physical, Gaius — Richard Wilson — is dealing with an outbreak of what he calls Sweating Fever‡, he suggests that King Arthur^ send Merlin† in his place: Gaius feels Merlin’s experience trailing him in Camelot’s surgery will be well within Merlin’s abilities.

Merlin, soon works out that the village is being plagued, not by disease, but by some form of sorcery: something he feels would be best dealt with by the more experienced Gaius.

The problems only get started when Merlin and Gwen — accompanied by the knights who’ve been guarding them — come across a bandit camp on the way back to Camelot.

The bandits have a captive called Lamia: a captive who is inevitably rescued by the the knights.

And who proves to be much more than she seemsº …

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Now …

Did I tell you I was riveted by this episode of Merlin … ?

I certainly meant to.

I’ve come away from Lamia having been both entertained.

AND quite happily glued to my chair.

FORGET anything I may have said, previously: Lamia is, quite frankly, the most watchable episode of series 4, to date.

Go glue yourself to a chair and watch … !

* Played by Melanie Hill.

^ Series regular, Bradley James.

ª Series regular, Angel Coulby.

† Series regular, Colin Morgan.

º Yep, you’ve got it, BANG on the money, Shine Production’s have been raiding the Mythology cupboard, again: Greek ones, this week. Unless someone’s read the entry in the Monster Manual …

‡ I’ve a feeling, here, that writer, Jake Michie, who’s penned Lamia has managed to avoid too much research … and made something up that sounds feasibly medieval …