Merlin: The Crystal Cave Review (2.5/5)

The third series of Merlin started on a high with two-part opener, but after an episode full of farcical comedy and now this sketchy romp of hazardous, constant twists, it's hard to say whether the franchise has improved at all since Season 2. We see our intrepid young wizard faced with the choice of changing the future, for better or for worse, and this is noticeably where the core problem lies: far from the chance of providing major plot developments for this season, The Crystal Cave often does a 360 on itself so it's right back where it started. Confused now? You didn't see the episode, then: THAT was confusing stuff. Even the revelation of Uther and Morgana's true heritage was mishandled, almost thrown in to please the long-term fans and ensure that something substantial did actually occur before the story's climax. As always, the redeeming factor was the superb acting from all, but Merlin's going to need a heck of a lot more than that in the coming weeks to regain its status of a decent autumn drama.