The episode opens on a dark and stormy night (of course) with a mean
looking bounty hunter pulling a cart with a cage on it into Camelot. Inside the
cage is a beautiful young woman. The bounty hunter goes inside the tavern and
leaves his prisoner out in the rain.
Merlin and Gaius who’ve been treating an ill villager spot
the girl in the cage and Gaius basically tells Merlin to stay away from her.
Our boy Merlin doesn’t listen (as usual) and sneaks out to free the girl. He
finds her a hiding place in the basement of Camelot and leaves her with his
jacket because she’s cold and wet and wearing rags…and also…castle basement.
The next morning he steals Arthur’s breakfast and gives it
to Freya, the druid girl he rescued. Meanwhile, the bounty hunter has been
brought before Uther and has to admit that his prisoner got away. Uther is
*weirdly* relaxed about this. Like laid right back and tells the guards to
search for her, but he’s not his usual MAGIC IS IN CAMELOT FIND IT AND KILL IT
NOW.
Meanwhile, Merlin is impressing Freya with a dancing flames.
He’s clearly smitten with her. As adorable as they are together, this is a
serious case of insta-love. He continues to steal Arthur’s food, trying to
convince Arthur that he’s doing it for his own good because he thinks Arthur
might be getting fat.
Later that night we see a young couple in love who are
clearly out past Camelot’s curfew, and they get mauled to death by a mysterious
creature. Uther is concerned, but still uncharacteristically laid back.
Gaius tries to warn Merlin that the Freya and the maulings are
related, but of course Merlin doesn’t believe him and continues to fall utterly
and hopelessly in love with Freya, and he plans to abandon his destiny of
protecting Arthur to run away with her. He even steals one of Morgana’s dresses
for her.
That night, two of Camelot’s guards are mauled to death and
Uther becomes a little more insistent about finding the creature. Merlin steps up
his plans to get Freya out of Camelot but before he can, she sneaks out and is
caught by Arthur and some other knights. The clock chimes midnight and she
turns into a giant black cat with wings.
The men attack the creature and wound it. Merlin distracts the
knights giving the creature a chance to fly away. He finds Freya in the
basement mortally wounded. He’s absolutely crushed and heartbroken. I will say
that he’s very pretty when he cries. He takes her back to the place she grew up
so she can die there having seen it one last time. Then he sends her off in a
boat cushioned with ferns and magically sets the boat on fire once it’s in the
middle of the lake.
Back at Camelot, he’s depressed. Arthur attempts to cheer
him up by giving him a noogie and more chores.
And now, the questions.
1.
If I’d written this episode...I know it's only an hour show, but I would have loved to have seen the writers take more time to believably develop the relationship between Merlin and Freya - like even over a couple of episodes. Even though Colin Morgan does grief beautifully, it would have been more satisfying if it had been less insta-love.
2. The thing I loved/hated most
about this episode. Loved: Actually seeing Arthur concerned about Merlin's depression. Of course, he ruins it right after that by giving him a crap ton of chores, but you know...it was there. Hated: The fact that the bounty hunter was all surprised the Freya turned into a giant, angry flying cat. Supposedly, he'd had Freya for several day and her curse causes her to turn into said giant, angry flying cat at midnight every day. How does he not know this?
.
3. Something you’ve never noticed about
this episode before. Two things, this time: A. How out of character's Uther's response is when he hears that Freya escaped and is loose in Camelot. B. How the one time Uther actually asks for Gaius' opinion/help and Gaius doesn't want to give it.
4. Favorite Costume.This is a tough week for costumes...no wait! That's not true! Arthur's bath sheet!
5. Here is Proof of some random head canon I’ve created. Don't really have anything this week.
6. What Merthur moment did Jess have the
naughtiest thoughts about? I think it was when Arthur was concerned about Merlin's depression - mostly because in her head Arthur did something entirely different to cheer him up.
7. What made Jen lose her shit (in a good or bad
way) in a bad way? Merlin's treatment of Freya vs. his treatment of Morgana in regards to magic.
1 comment:
We were pretty in line this week. :) Arthur in the bathsheet...le sigh.
And yeah, Uther was just totally out of character. And what about when Freya transforms? Arthur is just standing there, casual as can be, watching it. No panic, nothing. Just "Oh look at that."
They could have done better with this espisode. Though, like I said, Merlin sans neckerchief, getting water thrown on him, by the firelight, Arthur bare chested several times, Colin freaking Morgan acting his ass off... It makes it tolerable. :)
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