Board Thread:Rewatching "Merlin" - Season Three/@comment-5102537-20130831114747/@comment-199.68.218.74-20130903194341

Fimber wrote: I agree Merlinarthur. "The Crystal Cave" is my all time-favourite episode. Such a brilliant story. It was Greek tragedy, philosophy and character exploration all at the same time.

One of the best scenes in this episode was the one between Merlin and Uther when Uther told him his most private feelings about his children and cried. There were rare scenes in which Uther treated Merlin like a normal person and not like a servant, and this was one them. He basically talked to him like he would talk to a close friend and I was surprised to see such a scene. Seemed to be a situation where Uther forgot about status for a while and behaved like a man rather than a king when trusting Merlin with his feelings and grief. Such scenes in which the characters forgot about their usual roles but acted like normal human beings were the most brilliant ones because they brought more depth an credibility to a character than any other clichee and heroism. Sometimes the silent tones were the best ones. I was also surprsied that Uther had noticed the father-son relationship between Gaius and Merlin and it strongly contradicted "Goblin's Gold" when Uther redaily believed that Gaius would send Merlin to his doom. For once, Uther was presented as someone who indeed realised the bonds and relationships of others, like a normal person would even though Merlin was only a servant and we were always told that servants were unregarded by Uther.

Too right. I fondly remember when Uther talked to Merlin in Excalibur! Telling him that Merlin acts way beyond duty and that he shall look after Arthur. That was lovely and so different from the usual arrogance towards servants in Camelot. I think that Uther dropped his walls when he was in an exceptional situation. Loved the few scenes between the two of them, most of all the deleted scene when Uther pushes sleeping Merlin in his chair. :D Too bad they deleted it!

This episode was one of the best eps ever. I tend to believe that Merlin was supposed to enter the Crystal Cave all along and that it was his destiny to see the future, thus saving Morgana after causing her injury. Perhaps it was a test for Merlin, a test for his heart. Things probably would have turned out the same way if he hadn't tried to save her life but he probably would have failed the test? If this even makes sense.

"EMH: The primordial atom burst, sending out its radiation, setting everything in motion. One particle collides with another, gases expand, planets contract, and before you know it we've got starships and holodecks and chicken soup. In fact, you can't help but have starships and holodecks and chicken soup, because it was all determined twenty billion years ago!"

Fantastic, love Star Trek. And yes, this fits what happened in this episode.

Have to sort my thoughts first because there is so much in this one, I don't know where to begin. The reveal alone gives so much food for thought.