- “There is one that can ruin King Arthur's plans. One that can come between them. We all have our secrets and, unfortunately for Guinevere, I know hers.”
- — Morgana about Lancelot
Lancelot du Lac is the ninth episode of the fourth series of Merlin. It was first broadcast on the 26th of November 2011.
It marks Gwen's banishment from Camelot and the return, second death, and final appearance of Lancelot.
Synopsis
Sir Lancelot makes a shocking return from the dead and old feelings reignite, making Gwen fight temptation to avoid committing an unspeakable act of betrayal that would destroy the legacy of Camelot forever. With heads and hearts at stake, Merlin soon becomes suspicious. Can a man of honour break oaths and defy death, or is there something more than meets eye?
Plot
Arthur informs Agravaine of his decision to marry Gwen despite her lowly status as a servant. This worries his uncle, who rushes to inform Morgana.
When Agravaine enters her hovel, Morgana startles awake and puts a dagger to his chest, but withdraws it when she sees who he is. Agravaine tells her Arthur's marriage plans and Morgana, worried that her prophetic dreams are coming true, vows that she will not see Gwen upon her throne.
Morgana seeks help from the Dochraid, who tells her how to use her magical coin to raise a soul from the dead. Following the Dochraid's instructions, Morgana goes to the Pool of Nemhain and casts the coin into its depths. Moments later, a Shade version of Lancelot emerges from the Pool and declares himself Morgana's to command.
Back at her hovel, Lancelot reveals that he has no memory of his former life and Morgana carefully molds his mind to suit her purposes. She informs him of his and Gwen's former feelings for each other and sends him to Camelot to win her back. Meanwhile, Arthur proposes to Gwen at her house and Gwen happily accepts.
Arthur holds a jousting tournament to celebrate their engagement, and the court is shocked when Lancelot is revealed to be among the participants. Arthur, Gwen, and the Knights of the Round Table are overjoyed by his miraculous return, but Merlin becomes suspicious when Lancelot has no memory of his magic.
Later, Agravaine meets with Morgana and reports Gwen's disappointing reaction to Lancelot's return; any feelings she once had for him appear to be in the past. However, Morgana has prepared for this and gives Agravaine a bracelet for Lancelot to give to Gwen as a wedding present. The bracelet has been enchanted with a love spell that will reawaken Gwen's old feelings.
Meanwhile, Merlin uses a pentacle enchantment to determine that Lancelot is a Shade and suspects that Morgana resurrected him to harm Arthur. However, though Lancelot wounds Arthur in the tournament finals, he later yields the match to him to avoid causing the king further harm. Merlin is puzzled by Lancelot's behaviour, but then notices Gwen sneaking into Lancelot's tent after the match.
Merlin later spies on Lancelot when he meets with Agravaine and overhears the former's plans to meet Gwen in the council chambers. He attempts to stop Lancelot from reaching his destination, but Lancelot shrugs off his stunning spell and knocks him unconscious.
Meanwhile, Agravaine rouses Arthur and leads him to the council chambers, where they find Gwen and Lancelot kissing. Enraged, Arthur attacks Lancelot and they engage in a fierce duel. Merlin eventually arrives and secretly uses his magic to disarm Lancelot, but Gwen stops Arthur from killing him by throwing herself between them.
Lancelot and Gwen are arrested and thrown in separate cells. Devastated by what's happened, Gwen removes the bracelet from her wrist and throws it away, freeing herself from the enchantment. Meanwhile, Agravaine reminds Arthur that in his father's day, adultery carried the death penalty and advises him to have Gwen and Lancelot executed.
Gwen is later brought to the council chambers, where Arthur angrily questions her about what happened and why she would betray him in such a manner. Gwen apologises for her actions, telling Arthur she has always loved him but was somehow drawn to Lancelot after his return without knowing what she was doing. Unable to forgive Gwen, but unwilling to see her executed, Arthur banishes her from Camelot.
Merlin and Gaius discuss Morgana's likely involvement in the situation and whether they should tell Arthur that Lancelot is a Shade. However, Gaius points out that exposing Lancelot's true nature won't change Gwen's act of betrayal, which is what Arthur is truly angry about. Merlin later tries to convince Arthur to reconcile with Gwen, but Arthur insists that while he loves Gwen and may one day find a way to forgive her, he will never trust her again and is unwilling to live like that.
Meanwhile, Agravaine goes to Lancelot's cell and gives him instructions from Morgana to commit suicide. When Arthur is informed of his death, he states that they shouldn't be surprised, as in all ways but one, Lancelot was a man of honour. He then orders that he be given a decent burial.
Merlin takes Lancelot to the Lake of Avalon and gives him a viking funeral. Before pushing the boat containing his body out onto the water, Merlin performs a spell that frees Lancelot from Morgana's control. Lancelot briefly comes back to life for a moment and thanks Merlin, after which he dies peacefully.
Cast
Main Cast
- Colin Morgan as Merlin
- Bradley James as Arthur Pendragon
- Angel Coulby as Gwen
- Katie McGrath as Morgana Pendragon
- Richard Wilson as Gaius
- Nathaniel Parker as Agravaine de Bois
Recurring Cast
- Rupert Young as Sir Leon
- Eoin Macken as Sir Gwaine
- Santiago Cabrera as Sir Lancelot/Lancelot (Shade)
- Adetomiwa Edun as Sir Elyan
- Tom Hopper as Sir Percival
- Maureen Carr as the Dochraid
Continuity
- This episode marks the first appearance of the Dochraid.
- This episode marks the resurrection, second death, and final appearance of Lancelot.
- This episode marks Morgana's third attempt to avert Gwen's destiny.
- This episode marks the sixth appearance of the Lake of Avalon.
- Morgana uses Gwen and Lancelot's former relationship to sabotage Gwen's marriage to Arthur.
- Arthur proposes marriage to Gwen, who accepts.
- The Shade Lancelot claims to have found himself in the Feorre Mountains after stepping through the veil.
- Merlin becomes suspicious of Lancelot when he discovers he has no memory of his magic.
- Morgana uses an enchanted bracelet to rekindle Gwen's former feelings for Lancelot. Because Gwen later throws away the bracelet, the enchantment is never discovered.
- Arthur banishes Gwen from Camelot for her betrayal.
- Merlin uses his magic to free Lancelot from Morgana's control and gives him a viking funeral on the Lake of Avalon.
Release & Reception
- 26 November 2011 at 8.15pm on BBC One.
- With 6.01 million viewers, it was the most watched episode of series 4 until The Sword in the Stone: Part One overtook it with a massive 7.13 million viewers.
Deleted & Missing Scenes
- The coin Morgana used to summon Lancelot's Shade was given to her by Morgause in a deleted scene from The Secret Sharer.
- Bradley James and Angel Coulby were seen by fans in Pierrefonds (23rd June 2011) filming different takes for a scene in which Arthur, with Gwen at his arm, crossed the main square and nobles bowed to them, possibly Arthur's first official public appearance with his fiancée. The scene wasn't included in the episode, nor was featured as deleted scene in the DVD releases of the series.
- Pictures of the scene can be found at 3xcusemyfrench gallery.
Behind the Scenes
- In the throne room set up for the wedding ceremony scene in Pierrefonds (22nd June 2011), fans documented the presence of a bed on the floor placed at the end of the pink carpet. The bed was unmistakably part of the set, as it featured:
- The same flowers decorating the throne room and the outside of the castle framing it.
- The white pillows seen at Gwen’s two coronation scenes (offered to Arthur with the Queen's crown).
- A green velvet panel usually hung in a corridor outside Arthur's chambers (see "it's just our shadows" scene, The Death Song of Uther Pendragon), but also seen as part of picnic equipment (A Lesson in Vengeance)
- It is unknown why the bed isn’t seen in the episode; if it was used for or during an additional scene that didn’t make it to the final cut or if it was just meant to be seen when Arthur is in the throne room (and Agravaine comes with the news of Lancelot's death) and a wider frame that took in all the room was cut in post production.
- No official image of or featuring the prop was ever released, no member of the crew posted a picture of it, nor was it mentioned by anyone involved in the production.
- Pictures of the prop were shared by Carlospyrrhus and Archeologist_d, who took shots of the bed from different angles. (source )
Trivia
- "Lancelot du Lac" translates to "Lancelot of the Lake" in English.
- This episode, along with the finale, is Colin Morgan's favorite episode of series 4.
- The episode also received a lot of praise from crew working on the episode, as well as critics, with website DigitalSpy stating, "First of all, let's get this out of the way - 'Lancelot du Lac' is one of the best episodes Merlin has ever produced."
- Though Morgana claims Lancelot was Gwen's first love, Gwen had a crush on Merlin before she ever met Lancelot.
- Lancelot claims to have been saved by the Madhavi people, who he said found him on one of the Silk Road passes high in the Feorre Mountains.
Gallery
To view the Lancelot du Lac gallery, click here.
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Transcript
See Also
- Characters: Lancelot (Shade), Dochraid, Madhavi people
- Locations: Morgana's Hovel, Dochraid's Dwelling, Pool of Nemhain, Guinevere's House
- Creatures: Shade
- Magic: Necromancy, Love Spell, Pentacle Enchantment, Stunning spells
- Objects: Coin of Necromancy, Guinevere's Engagement Ring, Guinevere's Enchanted Bracelet, The Art Of Necromancy, Pentacle
- Events: Wedding Tourney, Duel between Arthur and Lancelot's Shade, Banishment
- Relationships: Arthur and Guinevere
Series 4 |
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The Darkest Hour • The Wicked Day • Aithusa • His Father's Son • A Servant of Two Masters • The Secret Sharer • Lamia • Lancelot du Lac • A Herald of the New Age • The Hunter's Heart • The Sword in the Stone |