False accusations, a friendship betrayed, and a broken trust that can never be regained
Because of two grave errors, a kingdom nearly crumbled from within. Merlin (Colin Morgan) was foolish enough to believe that his harmless dabbling with sorcery would not be seen and Uther (Anthony Head) was foolish enough to believe that a man paid to find witches and sorcerers would not plant false evidence to support his occupation. There was a painful price to be paid for such arrogance and naiveté: Merlin was forced to watch Gaius (Richard Wilson) suffer a brutal interrogation and falsely confess to being a sorcerer in order to protect him; and Uther lost a loyal friend for life. It is said that innocence lost can never be regained. Merlin’s former innocence to the consequences of his acts and how they may bring harm to those he loves is perhaps not something he should regain. But Uther’s innocence lost is the loss of his life-long friend. Gaius will never trust him the same way again and will not have the same unquestioning faith in his king. That broken friendship will not be regained.
Yet from the ashes of all these burnt loses arose a newly forged man: Arthur (Bradley James). With a little prodding from Gwen, Arthur stopped Gaius’ execution so that further evidence could be presented. It was a bold move and it again showed that Arthur continues to step out from Uther’s shadow to challenge his law and decisions in order to pursue justice and that which is right. Like a fine weapon being tested by fire, Arthur is being melded into the king he will rightfully be — and simultaneously, Merlin is learning the wisdom to use his magic more carefully. They will make a fine team one day, yet they both still have much to learn.
What Worked
In the end, it was not Merlin and his magic that saved the day, but a mere servant girl who had the nerve to publicly approach a prince to remind him that he had a duty to his people. It was Gwen (Angel Coulby), knowing that perhaps she was the only one that Arthur would listen to, who bravely told Merlin, “Leave Arthur to me,” and quickly sought out Arthur to intervene. When Arthur tried to protest, “My father has already passed sentence, there’s nothing I can do,” Gwen would not hear of his flimsy excuses and sharply said, “You can do the right thing, Arthur Pendragon. You can show some faith in a loyal friend or you can stand by and watch an innocent man die. . . You did it once before with my father. Are you really willing to let it happen again?” As Arthur just looked at her in helpless dismay, Gwen snapped, “And you can stop looking at me like that — I know I’m only a servant. I thought you were a prince. So start behaving like one!”
Finally, unable to watch Gaius burn unjustly and with the weight of Gwen’s rebuke ringing in his ears, Arthur halted the execution. Gwen may be just a servant girl, but knowing full well of Arthur’s affections for her, she utilized that as a way to try to talk sense into him and to get him to do something. Being a prince and one day future king, Arthur cannot afford to be complacent anymore. It also shows the deepening of their relationship as Arthur continues to try to be the man Gwen expects him to be. She makes him want to be a better man. He will be all the better for her love and she will be all the better for knowing that the prince listens to her. Their relationship is starting from a strong foundation and will only grow stronger because of their ability to bring out the best in each other.
So, in the end, no matter how much evidence Merlin was able to produce, without Gwen’s assistance in getting that stay of execution, it would have been for naught. She was the necessary catalyst in ensuring Gaius got a second chance to prove his innocence before execution.
While Gwen was successful in saving Gaius, there was no saving Uther and Gaius’ friendship. Uther’s feeble attempt to apologize was too little, too late. For as Gaius reminded Uther, “But I did not suffer at [Aredian’s] hands, sire. I suffered at yours. He worked for you, my lord. He was merely following your orders . . . I am not the first to suffer in your war against magic, and not all have been as lucky as I.” Futilely trying to defend himself, Uther said, “I assure you, Gaius, every measure will be taken so that nothing like this will happen again.” Gaius only looked at him in sorrow, “I hope that is true, for all our sakes.” But after all was said and done Gaius could no longer respect Uther, for Uther’s blind hatred and fear has turned him into an angry, irrational man and not the king and friend that Gaius thought he had. Uther is soon going to find himself a lonely man as his ward fears that he will have her executed, his son no longer blindly obeys his laws and openly challenges him, and his best friend no longer trusts him and values their friendship.
As Uther is becoming more and more isolated, the bonds between everyone else are deepening. Morgana (Katie McGrath) has trusted Merlin with her secret. Arthur and Gwen grow closer. And Gaius and Merlin have shown they are willing to die for one another. In spite of Gaius’s angry rebuke, “How many times must I drill into that thick skull of yours that your magic is a secret to be guarded with your life?!” Merlin knew that Gaius was merely fearful of what might happen to Merlin. So the lines of loyalty and friendship are being drawn. It was interesting to note that when approached for assistance, the Dragon would not help. So despite Merlin’s impassioned plea, “I won’t sacrifice a friend to save myself!” the Dragon only said, “Bravely spoken, but Gaius is already doomed.” The Dragon has no answers for Merlin — or if he did, he was not sharing them.
What Didn’t Work
Like any portrayal of violent interrogation and torture, it is difficult to watch — and just as it is unnecessary because it yields false fruit — it was unnecessary to spend so much time with the visual portrayal of it. All Aredian (Charles Dance) proved was that Gaius wanted to protect Merlin and was willing to endure torture to save him. But any parent would do the same for their child so falsely accused. Torture only elicits answers that the torturer wants to hear – regardless of the truth of such admissions. A torture victim will say anything to stop the pain and protect those they love. Perhaps less time should be spent in the portrayal of something so useless, and more time spent in the portrayal of seeking out justice.
Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due
‘The Witchfinder’ was written by Jake Michie and directed by Jeremy Webb. “Merlin” stars Colin Morgan, Bradley James, Katie McGrath, Angel Coulby, Richard Wilson and Anthony Head. “Merlin” airs Fridays at 10 pm on Syfy.
