When the teasers for this show first aired, Merlin looked more like a low rent CBBC outing full of prat falls and “hilarious” comedy mishaps, similar to Young Dracula, but if the first episode is anything to go by it’s actually a fairly good 45-minute family drama. A fresh take on a hugely over done tale, this time chronicling the teenage years of the sorcerer who has yet to learn of his fate.
Richard Wilson wearing a Daft Wig
The set up is simple, Merlin (Colin Morgan, in his first lead TV role) is born with magical powers – mainly the ability to slow time and move stuff with his mind - and is sent to Camelot to fine tune them. There he meets a brash Prince Arthur (Bradley James), a servant girl called Guinevere (Angel Coulby) and Gaius (Richard Wilson wearing a daft wig), who acts as a mentor and father figure to the hero.
While the makers have obviously aimed for it to be an Arthurian version of Smallville, it’s more like ‘Merlin: The Potter Years’ as the hero tries to tackle with the pains of growing up whilst coming to grips with his destiny.
Colin Morgan Leads a Cast of mainly Unknowns
Obviously there will be lazy comparisons to the BBC’s redux of Robin Hood but there shouldn’t be as Merlin isn’t as campy or over-the-top as it could have been. The camera work is solid, there are no swooshy sound effects and the music is the usual tense orchestral vibe. It’s more like Doctor Who, whose time slot it occupies, as the focus is on plot and characters rather than quirky camera angles and fleeting references to modern society.
The BBC have also taken a gamble in casting a relatively unknown bunch in the majority of the lead roles but it’s programmes like this that make stars. Chances are Colin Morgan could become as famous as David Tennant given the series continues for another year, which it likely will.
Talking Dragons and a Mean Anthony Headas as King Uther
This first episode, entitled ‘The Dragon’s Call’, focused on introducing the main players and told a short tale of a witch (Eve Myles) trying to get her revenge on King Uther Pendragon (a mean Anthony Head), who had her son beheaded in the opening for using magic. While it was a clichéd outing, it did well in ringing the notion that magic is outlawed in this world, so it will be interesting to how this plays out in future.
Things get a little Dragonheart with the arrival of a low quality computer generated dragon (voiced by John Hurt) which almost ruined what had been a nicely written portion of TV. And judging from the preview there’s plenty more of this to come as the talking dragon will be one of the central arcs for the series. But kids will love these scenes.
Could Merlin be as big as Doctor Who?
Although there’s not enough flash, bang, wallop for the youngsters to enjoy, as Saturday night fodder Merlin is decent enough and if it’s shows like this that are keeping dreary singing and dancing competitions off the screens then all the better.
There’s still another 12 episodes to go, so the story has time to develop slowly and apart from the rubbish looking CGI dragon visually the show’s fairly good. Whether it will be as big as Who remains to be seen but most of those who saw ‘The Dragon’s Call’ should stay along for the long run.
Steven Cookson - Steven Cookson is a writer and attempted journalist based in Howden. Originally from Chester, that Hollyoaks place in North-West of ...
