meridian_rose

This particular version of the well known myth has a teenage Merlin travel to Camelot to study with an old friend of his mother’s, a physician named Gaius (an excellent Richard Wilson). Merlin has innate magical powers that he’s only just learning to control; Gaius, a man with similar though lesser abilities, is supposed to help him. However Camelot is not yet the paradise of the myths and is a dangerous place for one like Merlin. Ruled by the often cruel and tyrannical Uther Pendragon, this is a kingdom where magic is forbidden on pain of death. Uther has even killed all but one of the dragons, and this last lonely creature (pretty good CGI and voiced by John Hurt) is chained up in the dungeon – where Merlin heeds its call and often visits him to be given cryptic prophecies about his role in protecting Prince Arthur, destined to unite all of Albion and usher in a golden age.

Arthur, heir to the throne, is already showing a far more tolerant, compassionate demeanour than his father; however for Arthur become king and, he must survive long enough to be crowned.

Arthur has many enemies, some of whom are actually more interested in a revenge on Uther. Merlin, a magnet for trouble, soon finds himself appointed Arthur’s manservant. What might seem a demotion from his studies with Gaius actually helps him by giving him ample opportunity to step in save the prince whenever an assassination attempt occurs.

Finally we have Gwen and Morgana. Morgana is Uther’s ward; unknown even to herself at first, she too has magical abilities. Her nightmares are actually precognitive flashes; Morgana is a Seer, reason enough for Uther to put her to death if it became known. Gwen is no Lady of the court, at least not yet; in this story she is Morgana’s chief maid. At this point Gwen is romantically interested in Merlin while Morgana is denying her attraction to Arthur so hard that its clear she actually likes him.

Now, admittedly, in most of the myths a mature Merlin takes away the child Arthur and raises him to adulthood before apprenticing him to a knight, Sir Kay. (This Merlin should be thankful he’s not changing Arthur’s nappies, never mind washing his underwear!) However there is a wide variety of myths to pick and choose from. Merlin is from Wales/Cornwall/Midlands/Ireland. Arthur pulls Excalibur from a stone/Arthur receives Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake. Arthur is taken to Avalon over the water/laid to rest in a cave in the mountains. And so on. There is no “one” myth, no “one” truth. Which is why this show should be treated as another reinvention, albeit with a very modern twist, on archetypal themes and well-known mythology.

I’m most interested in Morgana; later scholars have depicted her as evil and scheming, yet she is one of the nine sisters who take Arthur to Avalon in many versions of the tale. It’s speculated that she might even have been an early goddess before her demonization by educated males who, like Uther, couldn’t bear the thought of a powerful woman in a position of authority. This new retelling casts her in a sympathetic light – I’m just wondering what will happen when she finds out the truth about her parentage. A simple scan through some of the myths shows that in the majority of stories Uther is responsible for the death of Morgana’s father – often so that he can “marry” Morgana’s mother.

So if you have no mythological knowledge you can enjoy the show for the high adventure and low comedy it presents. But if you do, try and appreciate it on its own merits, wonder which characters might come in to play (we’ve already met Lancelot and without any context the recent “Beginning of the End” makes less sense), consider which mythological elements might be used, ponder how the great love story of Arthur/Guinevere can come to pass given the current situation.

But above all, forget how “accurate” it is, and just enjoy the ride.