Karolina_Avalon
Literary Queen
Book Obsessed
 Offline
CHAT
Posts: 737
|
 |
« on: February 05, 2010, 07:14:10 PM » |
|
To Kill The King Written by Jake Michie, Directed by Stuart Orme
Tom (Gwen's father) has been commissioned to do some work (melting lead) for a mysterious man in Camelot. Right in front of Tom, the man pulls out a large magical stone and proceeds (via chanting a spell) to turn the lead into gold. Just then, Arthur and the royal guards burst into Tom's forge. They arrest Tom, but the other man gets away. In his room, Merlin is abruptly woken with the sense of powerful magic in Camelot.
Uther charges Tom with the crime of treason, stating that the man he had been doing work for was a man named Tauren - the leader of a band of sorcerers who were intent on destroying Uther. He states that he believes that Tom was making weapons for the group. Morgana comes to Tom's aid and tries to reason with Uther, and does not believe him when he assures her that Tom will get a fair trail. Morgana tells Uther that if he kills Tom, she will never forgive him. Uther orders Arthur to hunt down Tauren, and punish whoever is harbouring the fugitive.
Meanwhile, Gwen visits her father in jail. Tom tells her that he did not know that Tauren was a sorcerer, and that all he had wanted was for her to have a better life. Gwen states that she doesn't understand why Tom would turn to magic for money, but swears that she will get him out of the dungeons. She visits Merlin and Gaius and relays everything she and her father talked about, including Tom's story about the stone turning the lead into gold, and that Tauren had stated that he had been conducting a scientific experiment. From Gwen's information, and from the large gold nugget that had been found with Tom, Gaius deduces that Tauren was practicing alchemy.
Morgana visits Tom's forge , in search of Gwen, and stumbles across the magic stone that Tauren had used. Morgana eventually finds Gwen resting in Gaius' rooms. Morgana shares with Merlin that she believes that Uther is just proclaiming Tom will have a fair trail as a formality, and that he will be executed regardless. It is this belief that leads Morgana to visit Tom in the dungeons, and slip him the key to free himself. Tom manages to knock out a guard and make an escape, but unfortunately his escape is reported to the King. Uther, enraged, states that the trail is just a formality, and that Tom is now to be killed on sight. Eventually the guards catch up to Tom, and he is killed. Gwen screams in anguish as her father's body is brought out.
Morgana furiously confronts Uther, to which Uther responds by locking her up. Arthur goes to speak to Gwen (who is with Gaius and Merlin), apologising for his father's actions, and telling her that her job and position in Camelot are safe. Gwen goes back to her father's forge, where she is accosted by Tauren, who is demanding to know the whereabouts of the stone, and threatens to kill her if it is not returned to him in two days.
Morgana is finally released from the dungeons, at the behest of Arthur, who promises his father that Morgana will not defy him again. Gwen is upset that Morgana had been punished by Uther because of Tom's escape. Morgana tries to encourage Gwen to go home, and Gwen breaks down and tells her of the attack from Tauren and how he wants the stone. Gwen tells Morgana where she was to meet Tauren, and Morgana takes the stone and goes to the forest to meet him in her stead. Merlin, sensing the stone's magic once again, follows Morgana to the meeting place.
Tauren is angered by Morgana's presence and wanted her killed as she is handing over the stone. Morgana tells him that he has an ally in her, as she wants Uther dead as well, and she shows the sorcerers the bruises left on her wrists from the manacles Uther had her chained in. Tauren tells Morgana that his plan had been to turn the lead into gold in hopes to bribe the royal guards to allow him access to Uther. Morgana states that she will be a far better person to enact such a betrayal.
When he returns to Camelot, Merlin visits the Great Dragon for advice. The Great Dragon seems unconcerned, and tells Merlin to allow Morgana to kill Uther, as Merlin cannot fulfill his destiny if Uther lives. Merlin struggles with this, but decides that he cannot just stand back and let Uther die.
Morgana begins her subterfuge by dining with Uther, and apologising for her actions. However, as they talk, Morgana becomes enraged again and accuses Uther of murdering her father. Morgana's father had gone into battle for Camelot, under Uther's orders, but Uther had failed to send adequate re enforcements in time, and he had died.
Back in Merlin and Gaius' rooms, Merlin is struggling with the idea of what he may have to do, and asks Gaius if he believes Uther is a good king. Gaius answers that although some of Uther's choices were ill advised, he made them in order to keep Camelot safe, and he had brought peace to Camelot. Gaius states that he believes Arthur, although showing the makings of a good king, is still too inexperienced to carry to burdens of a kingdom. Merlin refuses to tell Gaius why he is asking, but Gaius states he trusts he'll make the right decision.
Uther apologises to Morgana for his reaction to the situation with Tom. Morgana states that maybe a trip to her father's grave would mend the rift between them, and attempt to bury the past. Uther agrees to this, and Morgana makes her way to Tauren to let him know of her plan, not knowing that Merlin has seen her.
The next morning, Uther and Morgana ride out, as Merlin watches from a window. Gwen finds him there, and they start to talk. Gwen expresses her disbelief that her father tried to escape the dungeons the day before the trail, but then states that it was probably because he believed that he would be executed anyway. Merlin asks her if she had the opportunity, would she kill Uther. Gwen is horrified, and states that that would be murder. This makes Merlin's mind up, and he quickly grabs the magic book and the staff that Sophia (from the episode The gates of Avalon) had, and runs after Morgana and Uther, intent on stopping Morgana.
At Morgana's father's grave, Uther reminisces about the friendship between him and Morgana's father. He tells her that her father had saved him many times, and was never afraid to question his judgement. Merlin confronts Tauren with the staff but is knocked out when Tauren uses the stone to reflect it back. Tauren begins to sneak up on Uther, just as Uther tells Morgana that he reacted harshly to Tom's supposed betrayal, and that he sincerely regretted his order to have him executed. He also states that he would endeavour to listen to her more. Morgana is frozen in shock, and Tauren attacks. Merlin regains consciousness just in time to see Uther and Tauren wrestle on the ground, and Morgana stabs Tauren, killing him. Uther and Morgana embrace as Merlin looks on.
Tauren played by Cal Macaninch.
The key points to this episode
- the decisions that Uther makes in regards to magic. This is the first episode where none of the other characters are able to save an innocent from Uther's irrational reactions to magic, and as a consequence, Gwen loses her father.
- Morgana's decision to betray Uther is an important one, even though she does not follow through on that, just as Merlin's decision not to betray Uther is significant
- Arthur telling Gwen that she will always have a place in Camelot
- Gwen's argument against killing Uther, and the fact that this is what makes Merlin's mind up
- the discussion that Merlin and Gaius have about whether Uther is a good king.
|
Author