Top 10 Merlin Episodes

I’ve been rewatching another old love from back in my high school days. First it was Doctor Who, but there was actually another before even that one... it was Merlin. Ha! What a wonderful cheeseball show! Well, it’s not the cheesiest show I’ve ever seen, but rewatching it, it’s hilarious how not completely seriously it takes itself sometimes. It goes for the comedy route rather than the drama more often than not, which is such an interesting move considering the source material. 

That doesn’t mean it’s not 100% enjoyable though. All these years later, it still holds up. 

So what is it?

It’s a sort of prequel show to the Arthurian legends, specifically the wizard Merlin and his relationship with the future king, Arthur. It focuses on Merlin as a young man as he arrives in Camelot and has to combat the ban of all sorcery while simultaneously serving and protecting Prince Arthur.

While rewatching, I’ve compiled a list of my top 10 favorite episodes. They may not be the best or most well-made, but they’re my personal favorites. So here we go... (WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD)

10) Queen of Hearts 

Morgana has a vision of Gwen becoming queen and plots to expose hers and Arthur’s secret relationship before it can come true.

Next to “Lancelot du Loc” (an episode that is actually not on this list), this episode is easily one of the most emotionally charged and intense ones in the series. The one throne room scene where Gwen is sentenced to death and Arthur relinquishes his title in an effort to save her. Ooh man! And of course, this is the first time we see old Merlin who is the best! 

9) The Sins of the Father

A mysterious warrior arrives in Camelot, challenging Arthur to a duel. After defeating the prince, the warrior is revealed to be a woman, and a sorceress at that. Instead of killing Arthur, she requests that he meet her at a different location to pass a test while also teasing that she once knew the former queen. Uther, fearing that she knows too much, refuses to let Arthur go, but that won't stop him from finding out everything he can about his mother.
I love the mystery and tension of this one. It keeps you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. Also, we FINALLY get to learn why Uther hates magic so much AND how Arthur was really born (which has been teased since season one). The climax where Arthur confronts Uther gives me chills. The sins of the father, indeed! But poor Merlin. It pains me to hear him say what he has to in order to stop Arthur. I just want to cry into my pillow. Such a good episode!

8) Sword in the Stone Parts 1&2 

Morgana finally makes her attack on Camelot and completely overthrows it. Arthur and Merlin barely escape with their lives. While on the run, Arthur begins to doubt his worthiness as a king and Merlin must find a way to regain his confidence so that they can retake the kingdom.

I never thought that this show would actually do the sword in the stone story since it was originally supposed to be the story of how Arthur became king. However, I liked the twist this show put on the classic tale and they made it extremely gratifying to watch-- both visually and emotionally. Also, that scene where Merlin takes out Agravaine’s army single-handed is easily one of the most epic and satisfying things the show has ever done, just saying.

7) The Eye of the Phoenix 

Arthur must go on a dangerous quest alone and unaided to prove his worthiness of the crown. However, he doesn’t count on Morgana throwing a wrench in the plan forcing Merlin and Gwaine to follow him in order to save his life.

I love Gwaine. Enough said. Any episode with him is automatically improved. However, I do really like the setup of this one with Arthur unwittingly getting his life force sucked away while already on a dangerous quest. I also just love any episodes with quests or tasks. It’s very Arthurian legend-esque (ha!). The bridge scene also very much reminds me of Monty Python’s The Holy Grail, as a side note. 

6) Lancelot and Guinevere 

A rival king attempts to kidnap Morgana for a ransom, but ends up with Gwen instead. When Uther won’t send out a rescue party for a mere servant, Arthur and Merlin venture out alone. However, they don’t expect to find help is already there in the form of an old friend.

This one is so good, but it also breaks my heart... which is why it’s so good. I’m here for the angsty drama! Poor Arthur! And then Lancelot is such a good guy! It’s not your typical love triangle where there’s an obvious choice (like, one of them is a total scumbag or something). I mean, you’re totally rooting for Arthur because he’s one of the main characters and you love him, but then you just can’t hate Lancelot. It’s such a good and painful episode. Also, the action is actually very solid. I think this is when the action really starts picking up and improving in the show. 

5) Beauty and the Beast Parts 1&2 

A troll plans to infiltrate Camelot by changing her appearance and wooing Uther in order to gain his wealth and power.

Now, the troll isn’t exactly the most formidable foe the people of Camelot have ever faced and most of her issues have to do with the fact that she’s absolutely repulsive and extremely greedy. While these could have just been some throwaway episodes, they were actually very well done and so much fun. The actress who plays the troll totally sells it. Plus, seeing Uther (who’s totally a piece of garbage) marrying a troll is hilariously satisfying. It’s some great comedy nicely blended with drama.

4) The Once and Future Queen

Arthur believes he is receiving special treatment because he is the prince so he decides to enter an upcoming tournament as a common knight. Meanwhile, a neighboring king sends an assassin to kill Arthur.

This isn’t exactly a new concept-- a person pretending to be someone they’re not to prove a point-- however, I think it was handled rather well. Also, the entire point of the episode was to progress Arthur’s character. He had a pretty good paradigm shift from arrogant, spoiled prince to a more selfless man of the people. And obviously, I really appreciate that this episode finally gave Arthur and Gwen the much anticipated one-on-one time that they needed to kick off their potential relationship. And it did not disappoint. Their chemistry is undeniable. Also, random, but Merlin’s rant in the middle of the episode is the best. Haha!

3) The Dragon’s Call

A young and powerful sorcerer arrives in Camelot, discovering that magic is outlawed on pain of death. He becomes apprentice to the king’s physician, Gaius, and butts heads with the king’s arrogant son, Arthur. Meanwhile, a distraught witch bent on revenge takes the place of a singer in order to infiltrate the castle and kill Arthur.

The very first episode. And it’s a very good one that does its job of setting up the characters, the plot, and the tone. Merlin immediately comes across as likable and I love his dynamic with Arthur (-“How long have you been training to be a prat?” -“You can’t address me like that.” -“Sorry. How long have you been training to be a prat... my lord?” Iconic!) And the witch is a pretty good villain for a setup episode. It’s all very well done.

2) The Secret Sharer

Morgana finally decides its time to figure out who Emrys is once and for all. Her only lead is Gaius, so she sets up a kidnapping with Agravaine’s help, making it look like he fled. Merlin, unable to accept that Gaius just left, begins his own investigation. Meanwhile, Gaius is put under intense magical interrogation to learn of Emrys’s true identity.

This one is great for a number of reasons. It’s awesome to finally hear someone say out loud how amazing and powerful Merlin actually is and what he’s destined to do. It just gives me chills. Also, Agravaine is easily the most frustrating villain in the whole show. Even though a traitor in the court is nothing new, something about Agravaine is so annoyingly frustrating. I think it’s because he's so sleazy and NEVER gets caught. I mean, in this episode, he’s literally caught red-handed with a knife in his hand and he STILL gets away with it! ...and I love it. Then, probably the best bit is there’s the whole tension with Merlin’s secret getting found out by Morgana. It’s actually quite intense and it keeps you on edge. You almost want her to find out so that they can have it out, but at the same time, if she finds out, then everyone finds out... which is bad. And then lastly, the twist ending. Always so good!

1) The Labyrinth of Gedref

While hunting, Arthur kills a unicorn. This unleashes a deadly curse on Camelot which only Arthur can lift by passing a series of tests.

I like this one because I feel like it’s so close to what the Arthurian legends are supposed to be. It’s got a sort of quest with tests of honor, magical creatures, plus it’s the moment where we REALLY start to see the true man Arthur is destined to become: the greatest king Camelot will ever know. I love stories that really progress characters forward. In this show, Arthur has the best character development of all the characters and this episode starts to showcase that. Of course, in typical Merlin fashion, there’s some good comedy in there too. The whole rat subplot is one of my favorites. It gets a laugh out of me every time. 

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

The Changeling

Uther reveals to Arthur that he has arranged for him to marry a neighboring kingdom’s princess. Unbeknownst to all, there is a Sidhe fairy living inside her, waiting to be unleashed once she becomes queen of Camelot.

The Curse of Cornelius Sigan 

A mysterious tomb is uncovered beneath Camelot filled with riches. Gaius fears it to be the tomb of Cornelius Sigan, a powerful sorcerer who threatened to return from the dead and take over the land. Meanwhile, a handsy thief plans to infiltrate the royal household so that he can access the tomb and its boundless riches.

The Dark Tower

Morgana captures Gwen and takes her to the Dark Tower in an effort to lure Arthur into a trap. Arthur takes all the knights to the Tower in order to save his queen.

The Last Dragonlord

After the Great Dragon is released, he begins destroying Camelot in revenge and nothing can stop it, not even Merlin’s magic. The only thing that can stop a dragon is a dragonlord. Gaius reveals that there is one dragonlord left, so Arthur and Merlin set off to find him. Gaius tells Merlin that the last dragonlord is actually Merlin’s father.

A Servant of Two Masters

While attempting to get to Arthur, Morgana accidentally captures Merlin instead. Rather than killing him, she decides to take over his mind, forcing him to kill Arthur for her.

Sweet Dreams

When the five kingdoms come together to sign a peace treaty, one king does not want peace. He decides to bring war upon them by using Arthur and another king’s daughter through a love spell.

Favorite Doctors

I’ve recently started watching Doctor Who again. Wow, can you believe it? The original obsession; my first geek show, the one that started it all. Anyway, I only got partway through the Twelfth Doctor’s reign and definitely didn’t watch any of the Thirteenth Doctor’s stuff, so I thought it was time to catch up. I’ve just barely finished the Thirteenth Doctor’s seasons and as I was watching and trying to warm up to yet another actor playing the Doctor, I started thinking... which Doctors have been my favorites?

For those who don’t know, Doctor Who is quite a unique show, in that every couple seasons a new actor comes in to play the main character, the Doctor. A brief overview is that the Doctor is an eccentric, but intelligent and compassionate alien who travels around the universe in his/her spaceship/time machine, exploring different planets and time zones while also saving people from monsters, political injustices, and other threats. 

The thing is that since the Doctor is an alien, he/she changes his/her face every so often when they’re dying. It’s a process unique to their species in order to save their life. Thus, every once in a while, the Doctor’s appearance changes and a brand new actor comes in to play the Doctor. 

Like I said, I was pondering which incarnation was my favorite (at least since the series was rebooted in 2005). There has now been five versions of the Doctor since then. Technically, since the show began in 1963, there has been thirteen (actually fourteen if you count the War Doctor). However, since I haven’t seen enough of the classic series, I won’t be including any of them in this list.

Here we go... a list of my favorite Doctors:

5) Thirteen... played by Jodie Whittaker

Obviously, it is very impressive that it is the first female Doctor, but there’s more to the Doctor as a character than just appearances and gender. When I first started watching her, I have to admit, I wasn't THAT impressed, but I held out hope that it would get better as the series progressed and the new writers got used to the character... I was wrong. First of all, she kinda seems like she’s sort of combining Ten and Eleven with a lot of babbling and kookiness, but it wasn't endearing me to her. She barely had that edge or dark side that makes the Doctor iconic. They tried sometimes to give her some intense moments in place of that darkness, but it just wasn't the same. What was most annoying above all else was that they thought by giving her this whacked out, crazy backstory, that could make her more dimensional and interesting. What it did instead was ruin 50+ years of canon and just make the character suddenly LESS interesting. Like, gah! I can't even express how frustrating it is! (Spoilers ahead) If they really wanted to explain where the Time Lords came from in a big twist like that, they absolutely SHOULD NOT have made the Doctor the originator! The idea that the Doctor was just another of his/her species who rebelled and ran away, growing and learning over time is what made him/her so interesting. That was literally the point of Twelve's last episode! Oh my word, it makes me so angry! They seriously could have still gone with this plot and just gotten any random child, but it HAD to be the Doctor in an effort to make her seem more interesting.
Sorry, this only sort of has to do with Thirteen a little. Mostly because the writers don't give her personality much depth other than this totally lame twist reveal. It's annoying because now it's canon, so therefore it's now all other Doctors's backstories as well. I wish I could forget that series 11 and 12 never happened and that the show ended with the Twelfth Doctor. *sulks in a corner*

4) Nine... played by Christopher Eccleston

Finally, back to the good Doctors and good writing. This decision was tough to put him this low because I actually really like Nine and I feel like he’s severely underrated. However, he only had one season and didn’t get enough time to shine. People often remember the low quality of the first season (like the less-than-par special effects, sort of hammy stories, and stuff) and forget that first off, without this season, we wouldn’t have anything afterwards, and secondly, Nine was actually very endearing in a lot of ways. He definitely had that darker edge that came out a lot and it’s understandable. He’s the Doctor fresh off the Time War, the one who just committed the genocide of two races, now the last of his species. The one moment I will always remember is when he encounters a Dalek for the first time. Ooh! So good! So intense. However, he’s still the Doctor and of course he’s still goofy and fun while he goes around saving the universe. One of my favorite lines from Nine when he turns up at a party and everyone is exchanging gifts with one another, but, obviously he has nothing, so he improvises: “I give you air from my lungs *exhales*” 
SOME OTHERS:
 -“My mum’s cooking.” D: “Good. Put her on a low heat and simmer.”
"reading a magazine That won't last. He's gay and she's an alien."
"Do you mind not farting while I'm saving the world?"

3) Eleven... played by Matt Smith

I LOVE Eleven. I remember first starting out, I wasn’t overly fond of him, but that was mostly because I was so sad over losing Ten. Obviously, I warmed up to him and fell in love. Eleven was quite different from Ten, but that's why I appreciate him now. What I want most from a new actor taking over the role is to make it their own, while also keeping the spirit of the character (this is why I wasn't that impressed with Thirteen when she first started. She just kind of seemed like she was knocking off past Doctors. Nothing against the actress, it was the writing.). Eleven is kind of like this whacky mad scientist. I think he’s probably had more funny scenes and scenarios than all the other Doctors. He’s just a complete kook. He’s kind of like a little kid who’s fascinated and excited by everything. One of my favorite episodes is this one “filler” episode where he becomes roommates with this random guy so he can investigate the room above them, all the while trying to act like a normal person (and failing spectacularly). However, he’s definitely got that dark edge. Eleven really earns the title “the Oncoming Storm.” He’s also the king of monologues. He’s had some of the most epic speeches. Go look up his speech at the Pandorica. Chills every time!
FAVORITE QUOTES:
D: "Dr. Song, you’ve got that face on again." -"What face?" D: "The ‘he’s hot when he’s clever’ face." -"This is my normal face." D: "Yes, it is."
-"What's wrong with me?" -"Nothing. You're fine." D: "Everything. You're dying."
"In 900 years of time and space, I've never met anyone who wasn't important."
D: "I think you'll find I am a mature and responsible adult." -"It's just a lot of wavy lines." D: "It shorted out. Finally a lie too big."
D: "Got a name?" -"Yes." D: "Good. I've always wanted to meet someone called 'yes'."

2) Twelve... played by Peter Capaldi

I legitimately had a hard time deciding whether or not I wanted him here or in the number one spot because my number one spot has been the same since I first started watching years ago. I remember when I first watched Twelve, I didn't like him at all. The stories were good, but Twelve himself threw me off. However, ever since I went back and rewatched some of Twelve’s episodes, I could not get enough of him. He was so different from all past incarnations. I remember, that’s what annoyed me at first. I was like, “who is this guy? That’s not the Doctor”, but after rewatching, I could not stop laughing at how sarcastic, cynical, and grumpy he was. He always had something witty and biting to say or some sarcastic threat to throw. Usually, the Doctor is more light and fun and compassionate. This guy was really not that. However, that’s why I really appreciate him now; because he’s so different. I mentioned above how I love it when an actor comes in and makes the character their own... that’s exactly what happened here, so much so that it threw me for a while. I thought his outfit was boring too at first, but then it grew on me as well plus he started to change it up eventually like the other Doctors did with their outfits. However, as I said before, what really does it for me is his blunt sarcasm, backhanded compliments, and impatience for pretty much anything. He literally has cue cards to read to help him be nice for when he's being too callous.

FAVORITE QUOTES:

“Don’t look in that mirror. It’s absolutely furious!”

-“He believed he was hearing the voices of the dead.” D: “...why? Was he an idiot?”

D: “Do people usually punch you in the face when you do that?” -“Not as of yet.” D: “Lucky I’m here then.”

D: "This is Clara, she's my..." -"Carer." D:"Yes, she's my carer. She cares so I don't have to."
-"Are you from space?" D:"No... Nobody's from space. I'm from a planet like everybody else."
D:"Have you ever cooked lasagna without pricking the film on top?" -"It explodes." D:"Don't be lasagna."
-"Is four a lot?" D:"It depends on the context. Dollars, no. Murders, yes."
"Could you hurry it up or I'll hit you with my shoe."

1) Ten... played by David Tennant

Obviously, it had to be Ten. Ever since I first watched him back in high school, he’s been dear to my heart. He encompasses everything I love about the Doctor. He's super intelligent (and knows it), he's funny, he's compassionate, he's definitely got that dark edge, he's awkward and yet he's still got swagger. As he first says of himself when he first regenerates "I've certainly got a gob" and yes he does. He's one of the most talkative Doctors, rambling on and on about things. He'll just talk his enemies to death. I think he's also one of the more emotional Doctors, that is he is more easily angered or excited than his other incarnations. And I just love it! Plus, he really has moments where his dark side is unleashed and it's plain terrifying. As much as I love our dashing hero who goes around saving planets and using his brilliance to defeat the enemy, I do love those occasional moments where he cannot contain his own inner demons. It's like "ooh chills! What are you hiding, Doctor? What happened to you?" I do think I have to place a lot of credit on the actor's shoulders because a lot of the writing and stories aren't THAT much different from other Doctors (save Thirteen), but Tennant just knocks it out of the park with his performance. Even some of the less than stellar episodes, he still makes enjoyable. And I know I just said that a lot of the stories aren't that much different from other Doctors, however I do think most of the best ones are during Ten's run, so that just amplifies his character even more.
FAVORITE QUOTES:
-"What's a horse doing on a spaceship?" D:"Mickey, what's pre-revolutionary France doing on a spaceship? Get a little perspective."
"Look at these people, these human beings. From the day the arrived on the planet and blinking stepped into the sun. There is more to see than can ever be seen, more to do than-- no hold on... sorry, that's the Lion King."
"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it’s more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey... stuff."
D:"Oh, how to explain the mechanics of the infinite temporal flux? I know, Back to the Future! It’s like Back to the Future!" -"The film?" D:"No, the novelization. Yes the film!"
"I'd call you a genius, except I'm in the room."