Merlin: The Tears Of Uther Pendragon Part 2 Review (4/5)

As I said last week, the first part of this opening story was a solid, darker start to the third season of Merlin, so it was up to Part 2 to take that one step further, which surprisingly it did. The Tears Of Uther Pendragon should have, by all rights, been a by-the-books opener with little accomplished other than yet another reintroduction of the main cast for newcomers. However, that wasn't the case: big events from Season 2 are referenced here as if you should have been watching the show since its beginning in 2008, and major plot-lines such as Merlin's destiny and the future love between Arthur and Gwenneviere were expanded largely for the first time here. The Great Dragon's fleeting appearance was nice, though hopefully if he's in the other 11 episodes the writers have thought of a solid reason for him to stay and help, not trying to think of a different circumstance every week. Seeing once good characters such as Morgana turn devilishly wicked is often quite disturbing stuff, and likely will be for the younger ones too! Whether this season can keep up the finale-like pace each episode remains to be seen (and the trail for the third story seems to suggest otherwise), but The Tears Of Uther Pendragon undoubtedly rivals the best of Merlin so far.