Merlin: The Sword In The Stone Part Two Review (3.5/5)

There's no doubting that this fourth series of Merlin has been by far its strongest and most consistent run- the various twists and turns leading us much closer to the famed Arthurian lore than the past three seasons had as a whole have ensured that it's been one hell of a ride for fans and newcomers alike, especially with the newfound cinematic direction and increased budget for special effects helping things move along smoothly. It's a shame, then, that as with Doctor Who's season finale The Wedding of River Song in October, our expectations couldn't be fully matched by the magical drama's The Sword In The Stone Part Two this week. The episode sees Merlin and Arthur escape their pursuers with the help of the Great Dragon, only for our intrepid young warlock to be forced into killing the deceptive Agravaine and his allies, and to convince the once and future King of Camelot to pull the fabled Sword from its Stone. This pivotal moment in the legend was given a neat spin here with the help of Merlin's magic, even if the rushed running time of the episode (you can't help but think this would have been better suited as a one-hour special) meant that the scene couldn't be directed in such a way as to portray the total relevance of the moment in Arthur's story arc. We then had the Knights storm the castle, dispatching Morgana's allies, and ultimately witnessing the beautifully rendered marraige of Gwen to her betrothed monarch. Once again, this vital segment felt a little pressed for time, especially given the bonkers cliffhanger that followed it- how was anyone who missed the story where Merlin rescued the baby dragon meant to see its rescuing of Morgana as a bit of a deus ex machina moment, pulled out of nowhere?- but we can at least see it did wrap up the romance arc of this season nicely, and bodes well for Arthur and Gwen's relationship in Series Five. However, like many other fans I can't help thinking that the focus of the programme right now has been shifted a little too far away from the adventures of Camelot's secret wizard: Colin Morgan was clearly loving his costume changes from a dark killer of his enemies (Merlin commited an action here which I hope gets its ramifications next year, as he and Gaius were not given screen time to discuss it) to a raggedy old man deviously plotting Morgana's downfall in the dungeons, and yet for the majority the episode was focused on Arthur Pendragon himself. Within the context of this finale, I'd say that was probably the right move, but much of the latter half of this season has been centred on the Arthur/Gwen tension rather than Merlin's need to keep his secret safe, and the stupid reintroduction of Aithusa at the last minute after no mentions whatsoever of his rescue in the ten episodes that followed it was testament to how the show's writers seem to have lost their way a little in keeping the main theme of the show present. I still enjoyed The Sword In The Stone Part Two, but that's all I can really say of it: it lacked the urgency of Part One, the scares of season opener The Darkest Hour, and the justice given to pinnacle Arthurian scenes (in this case Uther's death) in The Wicked Day, and as such while it can be considered the best of the Merlin season finales so far, that's hardly much of a compliment, and within this golden age for the show it's not going to be one of the episodes I remember most fondly for its quality.