S01E03: 'The Mark Of Nimueh'

It's still early days, but Merlin has yet to hit its stride, although the heightened dramatic conflict in this episode showcases the potential of the series. Merlin and Uther use different methods in a bid to protect their loved ones or kingdom, but both find that the consequences can be fatal. Sadly, their real enemies are lacking that killer instinct.

A Big Bad finally arrives in the shape of saucy sorceress Nimueh, although it's hardly the most dynamic of entrances. Well, unless increasingly repetitive reaction shots of Michelle Ryan staring into a cauldron of water are considered dynamic.

Again, the Dragon makes a frustratingly mundane appearance and cuts into the budget for the episode. Couldn't the money have been better spent on making Nimueh's clay monster into something other than an Alien clone? Why does she need this creature to poison the water anyway?

It all ends in an anticlimactic fight sequence, with the supposedly scary beast doing little more than bare its prize set of gnashers (perhaps on loan from Simon Cowell) and growl at the Camelot youngsters. The BBC could have hired a Yorkshire terrier instead.

King Uther experiences his finest scenes to date, with Anthony Head drawing out the tangled moral complexities within a character desperately trying to do the right thing for his people - even if it costs lives.

Sadly, the flirtations between Merlin and Guinevere feel awfully forced. The actors, despite their best efforts, have simply been fed a procession of awfully lifeless dialogue that tries desperately to conjure up some romantic frisson. Given the staggering lack of chemistry between the pair, not even one of Merlin's spells could overcome that difficulty.

Nonetheless, Merlin's decision to use sorcery to save Guinevere's dying father led to the most dramatically effective scenes of the series so far. Seeing the innocent girl captured and sentenced to death by fire was an overdue reminder of the potentially dangerous repercussions of Merlin's actions.

Nimueh looks set to stay and weave her magic, and the backstory between her and Uther sounds fairly intriguing. Let's hope that her box of tricks will include more than just a useless lump of clay in future.

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