After last weeks’ slightly lackluster episode I was not expecting to much from this one. I decided to watch it as I was getting ready to go out on the town to “throw some shapes in the church of dance” (yeah I nicked that line from spaced). Big mistake. I got totally ingrossed in it again and was late getting to the pub because of it.

So the episode started as usual with John Hurts voice over. There is a slow reveal of a young women in a cave molding a piece of clay whilst saying a magic spell.  She is played by the beautiful Micheal Ryan, best known here for her role as Zoe Slater but you guys may know her has the Bionic Women and is obviously up to no good. She places the clay module in to the river running through the underground system leading to Camelot.

People start falling dead in the city of a mysterious disease. As Gaius and Merlin take one of the bodies back to the good doctors room to find out what the cause of death was, they bump into Gwen who gives Merlin a single flower from a bunch she has picked for the Lady Morgana. Gaius fears the disease comes from magic but doesn’t know where to start but deducts that it may be in the water, as  rich and poor were dieing without prejudice and water would be the only thing they share. After Gaius tells King Uther that he suspects sorcery. The King starts to panic as for this very reason he band magic in the first place and orders Arthur to search ever part of Camelot for the culprit.

We see Uther making some hard decisions to protect the population at large by possibly sacrificing the few which Arthur disagrees with. Showing both Uther’s and Arthur’s compassion for the people and doing what they think is right but in different ways.

Meanwhile Gwen’s father fulls ill with the disease. Merlin wrestles with the idea of using magic to save him but is warned by Gauis not to  for if he gets caught he still face death. In the end Merlin decides to go ahead with the idea and places a magic enchantment under Gwens father pillow.

While Arthur and his men are searching Gaius’s quarters they he goes’ into Merlins’ room where he  left his magical spell book on the floor. Arthur calls for Merlin telling him he has found something, Merlin is expecting Arthur has found the book but he just teasing him for having a messy room by telling him he has found a cupboard for Merlin to put stuff in. Merlin quickly uses his Jedi powers to cover the book with a sheet. I can’t believe Arthur doesn’t see the book as it’s right in the middle of the room but there is a scene later that makes me suspect that he did but because he trusts Merlin nothing is said.

Arthur finds the enchantment in Gwens house after her father makes a miraculous recovery. He takes her to the King for using magic to which the King sentences her to death. Morgana and Arthur try and protest her innocents but when magic is involved Uther sees just evil , which Arthur thinks is not just and the punishment does not fit the crime.

Merlin turns himself in but no one believes him after Arthur and Gauis convinces the King that he is just a simple servant boy in love with Gwen. Gauis and Merlin find the source of the diseases in a clay monster that can only be created by a powerful sorcerer.

So young wizard goes to consult the Great Dragon who tells him that he can’t do it alone and that he is one side of a coin, Arthur being the other side and to trust in the elements. Gauis explains that clay is made by water and earth, two of the 4 base element so maybe wind and fire, the remaining two, will destroy it.

Arthur, Merlin and Morgana venture in to the water caves beneath Camelot where they are attacked by the clay Monster. After a bit of a scuffle between Arthur and the monster, Merlin tell him to use the torch to attack it. While the Prince is fighting the beast Merlin casts a spell out of ear shot of the others that blows wind onto the flame and kills it. At the end of the episode Gauis tells the King that he believes Nimueh was behind the whole thing to which the King is obviously scared, angry, and distressed and worryingly tells  him that “will he never be free of her”. Morgana tells Merlin that she knows that he has a secret and that it is he’s in love with Gwen. I think Gwen at least fancies Merlin but I believe he just thinks of her as a good friend.

This episode was a vast improvement on the previous one. We see the start of a bigger story ark with Nimueh and her history with Uther. Some great moments between Arthur and Merlin that doesn’t reduce the tension of the story. The acting, as usual is excellent and Arthur is becoming a great character. A good solid story made this an enjoyable and hope they keep it up.

I would give this episode 3 and a half out of 5 Excaliburs.