Episode Review
Another great episode from Julian Jones, this made for a good season ending and left me looking forward to series two.
The story looks at first like being another basic “slay the evil creature” plotline, however the Questing Beast turns out merely to be the spur to a series of events that unfold to a predictable ending via a couple of surprising twists. The Beast (which looked like something out of Primeval) is slain early (and rather too easily) but by then it’s done its work.
The characterisation was once again well done, with the story used to show the fatherly side of Uther, Merlin’s genuine affection for Arthur and the duplicity of the dragon. It also showed once again Merlin’s naivity – making a magical bargain without asking the price is a very, very bad idea.
Ah yes, magic. That’s what I want from Merlin, a climactic duel of sorcerors where we finally get to see Merlin’s true potential. Which is rather scary, epecially given his aforementioned naivity.
Overall an excellent end to series one.
December 15th, 2008
BBC, Merlin, Reviews |
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It’s been announced that Scottish actor Robert Carlyle is to star in the upcoming Stargate Universe (SGU) TV show.
Universe is the third installment of the Stargate TV franchise (ignoring the cartoon series). It will be based around a group of humans marooned on a ship in distant space and is promised to be darker than the previous series. Stargate Atlantis split fans – some loved it, personally I found it tedious. The casting of Carlyle in the Universe lead role (Dr David Rush) together with the promise of a darker feel will hopefully mean a return to form.
Stargate Universe will start filming in the new year and the show is expected to debut on the Sci-Fi channel in the summer.
From a UK perspective the casting of Carlyle in the role has clear implications. He had been one of those actors tipped as a possible successor to David Tennant in Doctor Who. However now that he has this role that seems unlikely to happen.
Unlikely, but not impossible
December 15th, 2008
News |
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Good news for all Merlin fans: there will be a second series.
The BBC has announced that the Beeb have commissioned a second series of the show from Shine Productions. Series one averaged 6.2 million viewers (28% audience share) per episode for the first eight episodes.
The most important part of the announcement is that as well as the main characters most of the other regulars will also be back. These include Katie McGrath as Morgana, Richard Wilson as Gaius and, most importantly of all, Anthony Head as Uther. Head isn’t the star of the show but his ruthlessness provides it with an essential grounding in the dark reality of medieval England.
For me Merlin never became “must see TV”, however it’s generally been pretty watchable and I welcome its return.
December 15th, 2008
BBC, Merlin, News |
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More evidence of the popularity of Doctor Who: as well as massive live TV ratings, BroadcastNow reports that series four has topped the year’s iPlayer charts.
The iPlayer is the BBC’s free video player that allows viewer to watch selected BBC shows online for seven days after transmission. At the moment the content is only available to users in the UK.
In the year since the iPlayer’s launch, Doctor Who series 4 was the most viewed programme, a great achievement considering that an average of 8.1 million people (38.7% viewing audience) had already watched the show live on TV. Whoever become the next Who has a lot to live up to.
Other shows in the iPlayer top ten included Survivors in 5th place and Merlin in 4th. Three SF/Fantasy shows in the top five suggests a pattern – however I’m not sure what that pattern says about Top Gear which took slots 2 and 3!
December 15th, 2008
BBC, Doctor Who |
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