Merlin Episode 9: Love in the Time Of Dragons

*Spoilers*

I’ve got a bit of a confession to make: right now, I’m writing this whilst watching episode 9 of series three of Merlin: otherwise known as Love In The Time Of Dragons.

And so far … ?

It’s a cracker!

One that sees Pauline Collins playing Alice, an old flame of Merlin’s mentor, Gaius: played, as ever, by Richard Wilson.

So far … ?

The episode has seen the character of Alice putting the venom of a Manticore into a remedy that’s supposed to be healing Uther of an unnamed minor illness.

So far … ?

The venom looks — looks, I should stress — like it’s going to kill Urther by the end of the episode.

Alice’s treachery has been discovered.

Gaius and Merlin have already worked out that — in order to save Uther — they need to destroy the box that the Manticore has been hiding in, whilst travelling with Alice.

And it looks like Gaius — the only other person, bar Merlin and Morgana capable of any form of Magic at Uther’s court — has to destroy the box.

The only sad point in this … ?

Is that Alice — Gaius’ former lover — has just been sentenced to death, by Uther.

So far … ?

I am loving this episode … !!

In focusing almost entirely on Gaius — one of Merlin’s most underused character’s, I feel — it’s given us a very good change of pace, a step outside the usual story arc …

And one that — like the series 2 episode of Torchwood, From Out of the Rain — is an absolutely stunning little character-driven episode!