Board Thread:Rewatching "Merlin" - Season One/@comment-5102537-20130309111322/@comment-5674726-20130316230905

I don't like the way the episode glossed over Uther's justifiable disapproval of the idea of Arthur risking his life to bring back the sure for Merlin.

What King would want to see his only son and heir put his life on the line?

I think that Uther had to walk a fine line between exposing his son to danger because it's expected that the heir to the throne should also prove himself as a warrior and guarding him against unnecessary risks. From his perspective, this situation would have been a very clear case of the latter; Arthur can find a new manservant much more easily than Arthur himself can be replaced. Had Arthur died, then even if Uther was able to secure Morgana's position as his new heir, assuming that he recognised her as such, she wouldn't have been able to take over Arthur's role as military leader.

Earlier in the episode, I liked the contrast between Arthur and Morgana, the young idealists who want to save everybody, and Uther, who is old enough and experienced enough to know that those who rule, and those who aspire to rule, have to make difficult choices. Sometimes, those choices will determine who lives and who dies.

I'd have preferred it if, at the end of the episode, Uther told Arthur that he understood why he went to save Merlin but that he has a responsibility to Camelot not to take unnecessary risks with his life, and that he got lucky this time.