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Part two of this Merlin series five opening story is a cracking conclusion with a lot of surprises… but we’re giving away nothing here
“Great Dragon… I must know what happens in the concluding part of ‘Arthur's Bane’.”
“Then, young truth seeker, I have the key to unlocking your desires.”
“What is it Great Dragon?”
“Watch the episode on Saturday.”
“That’s rubbish. I must know now!”
“Ah, impatience and haste, the bane of modern youth.”
“You’re useless.”
“Indeed I am not. I’m very good for roasting chestnuts.”
“I don’t have chestnuts.”
“I can warm your cockles.”
“I don’t have cockles.”
“No nuts. No cockles. You do surprise me.”
“Are you taking the piss?”
“As if. But let me tell you this. You will thank me for ruining your entertainment when you watch the episode in Saturday, because it’s full of shocks and surprises that are much better enjoyed unspoiled. The events will shape the rest of the season in ways I suspect very, very few will guess. It’s a very good episode, once again demonstrating how the show is developing and evolving.”
“Is Mordred good?”
“Very good. He’s a much more complicated and deeper character than you might expect.”
“Are there some good fights?”
“Oh yes. Lots of sword wielding.”
“Lots of Merlin and Arthur banter?”
“Not so much as usual. The episode is too full of foreboding for much tomfoolery. It is very tense. There is one moment involving carrots, though.”
“What about Morgana?”
“She suffers from a recurrence of an old affliction.”
“More! More!”
“A question mark left over from the season four finale – not addressed in part one of ‘Arthur’s Bane’ – becomes central. There are some more gorgeous-looking scenes set beyond the wall… sorry, in the snowy North. Gwaine and Percival continue to bare their pecs a lot. Guinevere continues to prove to be a very capable queen. And that’s your lot.”
“No! More.”
“Yes correct. No more.”
“No! MORE!”
“Okay, here’s where I fly in a flurry of stock footage.”
Merlin “Arthur’s Bane (Part 2)” airs on BBC on Saturday at 8.25pm (blimey, that makes the last 10 minutes post-watershed… but it doesn’t suddenly turn into Game Of Thrones )
• Read our review of “Arthur’s Bane (Part 1)”
• Angel Coulby & Katie McGrath Interviewed
• Sir Gwaine (Eoin Macken) and Sir Leon (Rupert Young) Interviewed
• Mordred (Alexander Vlahos) Interviewed
