REVIEW: Merlin – The Crystal Cave

This article may contain spoilers.

Being shown the future has been a conundrum since the beginning of time. Once a person knows the future, every move they make seems to take them closer to making that future a reality. In this episode, Merlin was granted a glimpse of the future because the seer Taliesin (Karl Johnson) deemed it necessary. However, Merlin horrified but the visions he saw while in the crystal cave then did everything in his power to prevent those future visions from coming true. Yet, Merlin is an unwitting pawn in destiny. He was shown those visions in order to ensure that each vision actually came true. Without that foreknowledge, Merlin would not have done all the things he did to prevent Morgana from achieving her diabolical goals – which then set off a chain-reaction, which guaranteed that each vision came to pass.

Fortunately for Merlin, he was ultimately able to prevent the final vision from occurring – Morgana killing Uther as he slept. But all along the way, Merlin took more and more risks with his magic nearly revealing himself multiple times to Morgana. His haste to prevent the visions from occurring made him reckless and naïve. Thus, the lesson to be learned this week is that Merlin is not in control of the whims of fate. He is but a pawn in the master chess game and he reacts to each new threat in predictable ways. So Merlin had to learn yet again: no matter how hard you may fight a predetermined future, you only guarantee that it occurs anyway.

What Worked

Who could not but love the friendly banter between Merlin and Arthur as they were chased by the outlaws into the Valley of the Fallen Kings? As Arthur scoffed at Merlin’s fear of a curse, stating that he does not believe in curses for only fools would believe such superstitions, it perfectly set up the climatic moment when Arthur was shot by an arrow. Watching how carefully Merlin tended to Arthur’s wounds and his increasing frustration at not being able to heal the prince was beautiful. Thus, when Merlin finally broke down crying over the stream acknowledging his defeat and worry that he was not strong enough to save the future king, we felt his pain acutely. It is hard for Merlin to recognize his limitations and the inability to save those whose life he has sworn to protect at all costs.

After such a dramatic close-call, it was then fun to see how hard Arthur tried to revive Merlin’s spirits after his miraculous recovery, playfully saying, “Are you saying I look like a toad?” To which Merlin then half-heartedly replied, “Yep, maybe one day you’ll magically transform into a handsome prince — but since magic is outlawed, that will probably never happen.” Arthur’s bewilderment at Merlin’s out-of-spirits attitude made it clear that he sensed Merlin’s evasiveness about what had actually happened and that something much bigger was bothering him. So it was a touching gesture when in a last ditch effort to cajole Merlin into better spirits, Arthur offered, “I don’t normally say things like this, but you did a good job back there.” Receiving no response whatsoever, Arthur exasperatedly said, “Did you hear what I just said?” Merlin’s silence was because he knew that he did nothing to save Arthur’s life. Without the aid of the seer Taliesin, Arthur would have died – and with the visions of Uther’s looming death weighing on him, Merlin did not feel as light-hearted and chipper as he usually did. In fact, the visions from the crystal cave had terrified him. Arthur may have missed his friend’s normal upbeat attitude, but he has no idea of the weight of the world that Merlin carries on his shoulders.

Thus, when Merlin first saw the visions in the case, and saw Uther’s death, he screamed, “Where was I?!” His destiny has only been prophesied to protect Arthur — so that Arthur will one day be king — there is no mention of Uther. But Merlin assumes that it is his duty and destiny to protect Uther Pendragon, as well as the crown prince. In his desperation to save Uther, Merlin then rashly acted to stop Morgana causing her to fall and strike her head. Yet, his intention was to stop, not harm. The guilt he carried over her deadly injury weighed heavy upon him; so Merlin morosely told Gaius, “I had to stop the future. I had to stop Morgana from killing Uther. I didn’t mean to do it like this.” Merlin’s fear and uncertainly made us again feel his acute pain and hopelessness. Merlin could not prevent Arthur’s injury, or Morgana’s — and that hopelessness mixed with fear over a future he cannot control is raging a battle in his soul.

In addition, the increasingly drastic measures Merlin sought to undo the damage he had done was heart-rending. That Merlin ultimately compelled the Dragon to aid in healing Morgana from her mortal wounds, against the express warnings of the Dragon, was telling. Merlin is still a young man uncertain in his role in the lives of others. He was only charged with protecting Arthur, yet Merlin seems to believe he must save everyone. He will not even allow his greatest enemy, Morgana, to suffer and die. Thus, while Merlin’s compassion and desire to appease everyone is admirable, but perhaps short-sighted.

Hence his agony as he told Gaius, “I couldn’t watch everyone’s grief,” as way of explaining why he saved Morgana’s life. Yet Gaius’ soft reply, “I know. But you’re playing with things that are beyond you,” was a reminder that Merlin cannot protect everyone. There are some lives he should not save. The consequences of Merlin’s hesitation to let villains die will always come back to haunt them all.

Particularly in light of the revelation that Morgana is Uther’s daughter. Due to her scandalous lineage, Uther continues to refuse to acknowledge Morgana as his daughter, but that revelation is sure to spark a blood-fueled even more deadly than the one that Morgana was already participating. Before Morgana only hated Uther for his persecution of those with magic, now she hates him for denying her birth right. Also shocking was Uther’s cryptic condescension that magic may be the only way to save Morgana and his blessing to Gaius to use any means necessary to save her life. While Gaius would never dared to do such a thing, Uther gave him the credit for it. That poses an interesting dilemma in the future as Uther may be softening his stance on magic and may one day embrace it as a necessity to save his kingdom, for he already has demonstrated that he will turn to magic to protect his children.

Finally, while Merlin wrestled with himself over what his own actions had wrought, Merlin also glimpsed a tender moment between Gwen and Arthur. Distraught over the thought of losing Morgana, Gwen sought solace in Arthur’s arms. That moment of unguarded emotion shared between them was yet another glimpse into the future. It foreshadows that the feelings between Arthur and Gwen will be yet another self-fulfilling prophecy. If Arthur will one day have to strike down the laws against those with magic, he will have to do the same against laws preventing him from marrying the woman he loves; for both laws are arcane and only serve to prevent those closest to Arthur to have to hide in the shadows. To have complete freedom in Camelot, those laws will have to be set aside. That moment also served as a reminder that no laws will stand in the way when those the lives they care about are at stake. Arthur and Gwen will always turn to each other when it looks dire and darkest – and a love that compelling cannot be denied.

What Didn’t Work

It is too bad that more of the Valley of the Fallen Kings was not explored. It introduced a fascinating new aspect of the Camelot realm and it would be great to see what other secrets it holds.

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

‘The Crystal Cave’ was written by Julian Jones and directed by Alice Troughton. Merlin stars Colin Morgan, Bradley James, Katie McGrath, Angel Coulby, Richard Wilson and Anthony Head. Merlin airs Fridays at 10 pm on Syfy.