The Eye of the Phoenix



"I want an end to my suffering, for the arrival of a new time, the time of the once and future king."

- Fisher King to Merlin The Eye of the Phoenix is the eighth episode of the third series of Merlin which was first broadcast on the 30th of October 2010.

Synopsis
Arthur embarks on a solitary quest to retrieve the Golden Trident from the Fisher King and prove himself worthy of the throne of Camelot, as the fantasy drama continues.

Beyond the protection of the citadel, Morgana sees an opportunity to use her dark magic and gives him a precious bracelet containing a Phoenix Eye. She insists he wears it at all times for protection but instead it saps him of his life force and he is left defenseless in the Fisher King's perilous realm.

With the help of Gwaine, an old ally, can Merlin reach him in time and fulfil his own quest to protect the future king of Camelot?

Plot
Merlin gives Arthur a white ceremonial cloak, Arthur then enters the main hall by moonlight. He kneels before the throne, and closes his eyes, while Merlin watches through a crack in the door. He explains to a passing Gwen that Arthur is transcending his body so that a quest is revealed to him in a vision. The quest he chooses will then prove whether he is worthy to be king. Merlin falls asleep from watching him all night, and Arthur tells of the quest he has chosen: he must enter the realm of the Fisher King and bring back his Golden Trident, alone and unaided.

Later, while eating dinner, Gaius explains to Merlin who the Fisher King was. He was a sorcerer, who was wounded in battle. The wound became infected, and the infection spread through him and his kingdom. As a result, the kingdom became a wasteland (renamed 'The Perilous Lands' by northerners), and still is. There were legends that the Fisher King was kept from death by his magic, and still inhabits his castle. Few who visited the lands have returned.

Morgana is later met in the town by Morgause (in disguise as an old beggar woman), and tells her of Arthur's chosen quest. Morgause then gives her a parcel and tells her to bind it to a bracelet and give it to the prince just before he leaves. The gift will cause Arthur to die, and Morgana will take her place as heir to the throne. As Morgause leaves, her true face is seen in a mirror by Gwen, who is confused at Morgana's well being having met her former kidnapper.

As Arthur leaves, he kisses Gwen goodbye, and Uther expresses his worries to Morgana. Merlin learns of Arthur's gift from her, and senses magic. Gaius and Merlin then discover it's a phoenix eye. Phoenix eyes absorb the life force of anything they come in contact with. If worn for too long, the wearer will die. Merlin then gallops out of Camelot to help Arthur, and to fetch a friend along the way.

That night, Morgana performs an enchantment, and Arthur's bracelet begins to glow. Gwen interrupts Morgana's ritual, and is confused by her curt manner. The next morning, Arthur fights off bandits with much less energy and skill than he usually does. Merlin enters a bar, and greets a dishevelled Gwaine. The pair then run from a group demanding money, while Merlin explains Arthur's predicament. They steal a pair of horses and ride for the perilous lands.

Arthur continues on his way, and is met by Grettir, 'keeper of the bridge'. Grettir names him courage, and informs him that he will need 'magic' and 'strength' if he is to complete his quest. Grettir also laughs at Arthur's 'good luck bracelet'. Morgana gives Gwen a day off, under the cover of an apology for shouting at her. She later returns and fetches the materials she needs for the enchantment, and performs it. Unknown to her, she is being watched by Gwen. Meanwhile, Arthur is ever closer to the castle, but faints while trekking through a swamp.

Merlin appears at the bridge, and is called Magic by Grettir, who informs him he only wants to see the Fisher King's land restored. Gwaine then appears, and is called Strength by Grettir, who announces that the trio is complete. Gwen runs into Gaius' room, and tells him of her suspicions of Morgana. She also says that she doesn't think Morgana means well, becoming the third ally of Camelot to know of Morgana's true loyalties.

Arthur approaches the castle, closely followed by Gwaine and Merlin. Despite being attacked by wyverns, the three men enter the castle safely. Gwaine and Merlin split up to search for Arthur, who collapses with the wyverns about to break through the door. However, Merlin arrives just in time and commands wyverns with power of dragonlord, and later Gwaine stabs another wyvern which for some reason returned. Merlin then removes the bracelet and Arthur wakes up. Though enraged at first that his vow to do the quest on his own is broken, he allows his friends to help him search.

The friends approach the throne room, and as Merlin enters the and doors seal shut. He is then greeted by the Fisher King, who is tortured with eternal life. Merlin realises why he and Arthur were brought here, and gives the king the eye of the phoenix. Merlin then receives water from the Lake of Avalon from the king, who promptly dies, dropping his trident and opening the doors. Arthur enters and finds the trident, and the trio return to Camelot.

Main Cast

 * Colin Morgan as Merlin
 * Bradley James as Arthur
 * Katie McGrath as Morgana
 * Angel Coulby as Gwen
 * Richard Wilson as Gaius
 * Anthony Head as Uther Pendragon

Recurring Cast

 * Eoin Macken as Gwaine
 * Emilia Fox as Morgause

Guest Cast

 * Warwick Davis as Grettir
 * Donald Sumpter as The Fisher King
 * Ian Peck as Althild

Reception
Air date : 30 October. 6.92 million viewers.

Errors

 * When Arthur first looks apon the Perilous Lands with his map, the sky behind him is perfectly blue and bright, but when the camera switches to the Perilous Lands, the sun is setting. When the camera returns to Arthur the sky is once again blue.
 * When Arthur is walking through the Perilous Lands, the sky behind him is grey, when he falls into the mud it suddenly turns pink.

Trivia

 * When Arthur wore the bracelet containing the Phoenix Eye, it should be noted that he was unaware that he was being weakened and did not suspect the Eye's danger. This is possibly because the Eye clouded his mind and weakened his awareness.
 * Merlin's horse is missing it's left eye.

Transcript
Previous story: The Castle of Fyrien | Following story: Love in the Time of Dragons