The Death Song of Uther Pendragon is the third episode of the fifth series of Merlin which was first broadcast on the 20th of October 2012.
Synopsis[]
When a stranger gives Arthur the power to summon the spirits of the dead, the King finds himself torn between head and heart. Unable to resist temptation, he seizes the chance to speak to the person he misses most - his father, Uther. But the Spirit World is a dark and dangerous place...
Little does Arthur realise that his decision comes at a terrible price. Against all odds, Merlin must right Arthur's mistake before Camelot and everything they have built is destroyed forever.
Plot[]
Valdis about to be executed.
After a day of hunting, Merlin and Arthur ride through the woods when they hear the screams of a hysterical woman nearby. The young king instantly rushes off to investigate as a reluctant Merlin follows.
They soon come across a village where the leader, Alrick, is about to have an accused sorceress, Valdis, burned at the stake. Arthur immediately orders a stop to the execution and Alrick orders them to leave, as the execution is none of their business. However, Arthur reveals his identity as King to the shocked crowd and says that since the village is within his lands, it is his business.
Annoyed, Alrick claims Valdis has cursed the village by spreading sickness with her magic. However, when Arthur discovers that no real evidence seems to exist and that Valdis hasn't even received a trial, he orders her release and gives the villagers his word that he will personally take her to Camelot to be tried.
While the majority of the village is satisfied with this, Alrick angrily says that Uther wouldn't have shown the witch any mercy. Arthur coldly replies that he isn't Uther and again orders Alrick to cut Valdis down from the stake. Alrick refuses and tries to light the pyre, but Arthur draws his sword and warns him that unless he complies with his orders immediately, he will kill him where he stands.
Valdis is released into Arthur and Merlin's custody and they begin the journey back to Camelot. However, they soon realise Valdis is dying from the mistreatment she endured at the hands of the villagers and stop for the night. Before she dies, Valdis thanks Arthur for his kindness and compassion and rewards him with the Horn of Cathbhadh as a gift.
Arthur visits his father's tomb.
Back at Camelot, Merlin and Arthur show the Horn to Gaius, who explains that it is a magical instrument with the power to summon spirits from the afterlife. The horn was originally kept by the High Priestesses on the Isle of the Blessed, but when Uther attacked, it was smuggled to safety before the temple fell.
According to Gaius, who had taken part in such ceremonies before the Great Purge, each year at Beltane the High Priestesses would gather at the Great Stones of Nemeton and summon the spirits of their ancestors to ask for guidance. Gaius also warns Arthur that because of the Horn's great power, it must be kept safe.
The following night is the third anniversary of Arthur's coronation and a feast is held in celebration. Mordred notices that Arthur seems upset and Elyan explains that Arthur's coronation also marks the anniversary of Uther's death. A concerned Guinevere tries to comfort him, but Arthur assures her that he's fine. He kisses her on the cheek before leaving the table and goes down to his father's tomb to mourn.
Later, Arthur sits in his chambers, thinking. He is startled when someone knocks on his door and quickly dumps a bowl of apples onto the floor so he can use the bowl to hide the Horn, but relaxes when Merlin enters and begins tidying the room. He asks Merlin to ready the horses, but doesn't tell him where they're going and warns him not to tell anyone they're leaving, not even Gwen. When Merlin questions him, Arthur comically threatens him with a spoon to the face, then makes good on his threat when Merlin scoffs at it.
Merlin and Arthur ride out to the Great Stones of Nemeton. Once there, Merlin realises Arthur intends to use the Horn to contact Uther and tries to talk him out of it, but Arthur responds by asking Merlin if he would do the same thing if he wanted to see his father. Merlin admits that he would, so Arthur walks into the centre of the stone ring and blows the horn.
The veil opens to the Spirit World and Arthur is reunited with Uther, who is at first pleased to see him, but then accuses him of destroying his legacy. Arthur objects that he has brought peace and prosperity to Camelot, but Uther claims Arthur is weak for trusting others and that the only way for his subjects to truly respect him is to fear him. Arthur retorts that he doesn't want to real by fear, but by being fair and just.
Uther criticises all of Arthur's decisions as King, especially knighting common men and choosing a servant to be his Queen. He then tells Arthur that he must leave the Spirit World or be trapped there forever, but urges him to think about what he's said, for it's not too late to change. As Arthur exits the veil, upset by his father's disapproval, Uther suddenly calls out that he will always love him, causing Arthur to look back.
After returning from the Spirit World, Arthur tells Merlin that his father does not approve of the way he has chosen to rule the kingdom. Merlin instantly defends Arthur and says Camelot is his to rule now, not Uther's.
The next day, a particularly boring meeting is being held at the Round Table when the double doors suddenly and mysterious fly open and slam shut several times. Though startled, Arthur has Sir Leon proceed with the report he was giving prior to the incident, but the chandelier suddenly breaks loose and crashes down into the centre of the table, damaging it and greatly startling the Knights.
After the meeting, Merlin follows Arthur down a hall as the king orders the Table's repair. However, Merlin is distracted by the strange occurrences and the sense of a dark presence, indicated by a gust of wind and the candles flickering.
Later, Percival is alone in the armoury when he suddenly senses a presence and calls out to see if anyone is there. A hanging shield is suddenly thrown onto the ground, startling him. Percival walks over to investigate and an axe suddenly flies of the weapon rack and hits him in the arm.
While being tended to by Gaius and Merlin, Percival tells them he assumes the axe fell by itself. However, when Gaius says the wound is oddly deep for just a falling axe, Percival confides that he had sensed a presence in the armoury and that it felt like someone was watching him.
After Percival leaves, Gaius notices that Merlin is deeply troubled and asks what is wrong. Merlin explains that Arthur used the Horn to contact Uther and Gaius reveals that if Arthur looked back as he left the Spirit World, a spirit could have fallen him out.
Deeply concerned by the increasing violence, Merlin immediately confronts Arthur and asks if he looked back as he left the Spirit World. Arthur reluctantly admits that he did, but refuses to believe that Uther's spirit is behind the recent events and asks Merlin to leave.
Elsewhere, Gwen is walking down a corridor when she suddenly senses a ghostly presence. She calls out, but the doors suddenly start to rattle and a nearby window starts opening and closing. Gwen closes it, but the shutters start banging again and the candles lining the corridor blow out.
Frightened, Gwen tries to flee, but is attacked by an invisible force. She is thrown to the ground and dragged down the hall by her arms. When the presence finally lets go, she gets up and runs away as more objects are hurled after her. She makes it to the kitchen and shuts the door just as a spear flies down the hall and embeds in the wood, missing her by inches. However, pots and pans from nearby shelves begin flying around the room and one smashes Gwen in the head, knocking her out. As she lies unconscious, a fire magically starts and the room begins to burn. Fortunately, Merlin finds Gwen and rescues her.
As Gaius tends to Gwen's injuries, Merlin finally convinces Arthur that Uther's spirit is responsible for the attack on Gwen and everything else that has been going on in the castle. Gaius tells Arthur and Merlin that they must find Uther's spirit and use the Horn to send it back to the Spirit World, but only Arthur can make Uther go since he is the one who summoned him. He also gives them a potion that will allow them to see Uther's spirit.
Soon after beginning their search, Merlin and Arthur are discovered by Leon, who is on patrol. Merlin explains their presence by claiming that he's teaching Arthur poetry for Gwen, much to Arthur's annoyance.
Arthur searches for his father's spirit.
The two press on and soon begin to sense Uther's spirit. As they search, Arthur says he never imagined that he'd have to hunt down his own father and Merlin assures Arthur that he is doing the right thing despite Uther's disapproval, stating that Camelot is a better place because of it. He also encourages Arthur to believe in himself more, stating that if he doesn't, his people have nothing to believe in.
Feeling more of the cold wind that indicates a ghostly presence, the two hear glass smashing in one of the storerooms and Merlin goes to check while Arthur enters the throne room. While Merlin's search only turns up a frantic pigeon, Arthur becomes trapped in the throne room when the doors slam shut and bolt from the outside. He calls out for his father, saying that he knows he's there. Turning around, he sees the ghost of Uther sitting on the throne and angrily demands to know why he is doing what he is doing.
Uther tells him he did not spend his entire life building a kingdom to see his own son destroy it. He says he tried to kill Gwen for Arthur's own good, as a servant knowing nothing of being Queen. Furious, Arthur counters that Gwen is wise and strong and that Uther has no right to meddle with his life simply because he dislikes his decisions.
Uther claims that it is Arthur's trust in people that makes him weak and that he alone must rule Camelot. However, Arthur coldly states he would rather not rule at all than rule alone. He says that Uther lived in fear, not strength, and that it was his fear that led to his downfall. He also tells that he loved and respected Uther, but he has to rule the kingdom his own way and do what he believes to be right.
Outraged, Uther firmly tells Arthur that Camelot must come before all else, even Arthur himself and knocks his son out by causing a shield to fly off the nearby wall and hit him in the head. Uther then approaches Arthur, but is interrupted by Merlin entering through the back entrance.
Merlin warns Uther to get away from Arthur, stating that the former king had caused enough harm in life and doesn't belong in Camelot anymore. However, Uther's spirit says that he will not be driven away, least of all by a serving boy. He then hurls a bench at him, but Merlin blocks it with his magic, revealing his secret.
Though initially stunned, Uther's shock quickly turns to rage when Merlin points that even during his rule, magic at the heart of Camelot. Uther vows that he will not let Merlin or his kind to continue "poisoning his kingdom" and Merlin retaliates by saying that Arthur is a far better king than Uther ever was.
Now insane with rage, Uther's ghost screams and tries to attack him again, but Merlin sends him flying through the door. He then searches the halls for the ghost and eventually ends up in the armoury. There, Uther traps Merlin by pinning him to wall with two spears.
Grabbing a sword, the ghost menacingly says he will take great pleasure killing Merlin, but he is interrupted by Arthur entering with the Horn. Upon seeing his son, Uther pleads with him not to blow it, saying he only did what he did for the good of Camelot. However, Arthur replies that Uther has had his turn, and Camelot is now his to rule. In one final attempt to stop his son, Uther starts to reveal Merlin's secret, but Arthur blows the horn just in time, whisking his father's ghost back to the Spirit World.
Arthur sends his father back to Spirit World.
The next day, while Merlin helps him with his armour, Arthur says that he has accepted that while he may not be able to please his father, he will never abandon his other beliefs, especially his belief in equality. Merlin tells him he shouldn't hit him anymore if he truly thinks that, but Arthur denies his request and says it's only horseplay.
Merlin grabs a glove and slaps Arthur hard across the head. While originally angry, Arthur laughs and tells him that he's doing it wrong and he will show him how to do it correctly. The two continue to laugh as Arthur puts on the glove and clenches his fist.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Colin Morgan as Merlin
- Bradley James as Arthur Pendragon
- Angel Coulby as Guinevere Pendragon
- Richard Wilson as Gaius
Recurring Cast[]
- Rupert Young as Sir Leon
- Eoin Macken as Sir Gwaine
- Adetomiwa Edun as Sir Elyan
- Tom Hopper as Sir Percival
- Alexander Vlahos as Sir Mordred
- Anthony Head as Uther Pendragon
Guest Cast[]
- Jane Thorne as Valdis
- Gordon Munro as Alrick
- Cassandra Hudson as Aylee[2]
Continuity[]
- This episode marks the final appearance of Uther Pendragon.
- This episode marks the third anniversary of Arthur's coronation and Uther's death.
- This episode marks the second time Arthur uses magic to contact a deceased parent's spirit.
- Uther confirms that he disapproves of many of Arthur's choices as King, particularly his knighting common men and marrying a serving girl.
- Uther's spirit tries to rectify Arthur's "mistakes" by attempting to kill Percival, Guinevere, and Arthur and take back the throne of Camelot.
- Merlin reveals his magic to Uther's spirit, who angrily recalls that he was the one to make Merlin Arthur's servant.
- Arthur chooses to reject his father's methods and stand by his own beliefs.
Release & Reception[]
- The Death Song of Uther Pendragon premiered on October 20, 2012 - 8.25pm on BBC One and BBC One HD. 6.86 million views.
Behind the Scenes[]
- The banquet scene was the first scene of series 5 that Angel Coulby filmed in 2012 (MerlinOfficial).
Trivia[]
- The Great Stones of Nemeton resemble Stonehenge, which appears in some legends about Merlin. Some even say that Merlin created Stonehenge.
- Many fans have criticised this episode because they believe Uther's character was ruined, while other fans of the show say that Uther's characterisation is spot on.
- This is the seventh episode not to feature Morgana, the others being The Lady of the Lake, The Last Dragonlord, Love in the Time of Dragons, Aithusa, Lamia, and A Herald of the New Age.
- This episode features a one-off change in the opening credits: the opening credits of series 5 are almost identical to the updated sequence introduced in series 4, the only exception being a shot of Uther being replaced by one of Gaius. In this episode, however, the version with Uther is used.
- This episode resembles the classical Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, where Orpheus traveled to the Underworld in order to save Eurydice, but was told not to look back at her until they had left or he would never see her again. Despite the warning, Orpheus looked back at Eurydice, causing her to disappear and suffer eternally. Likewise, when Arthur looked back at Uther, it released his angry spirit to cause mayhem in Camelot. Both actions had disastrous results for the heroes' lives.
Gallery[]
 |
To view the The Death Song of Uther Pendragon gallery, click here.
|
Transcript[]
See Also[]
- Characters: Uther Pendragon, Valdis, Alrick
- Locations: Great Stones of Nemeton, Burial Vault, Spirit World
- Magic: Necromancy, Fire Spells, Stunning spells, Locking/Unlocking Spells
- Creatures: Spirit
- Objects: Horn of Cathbhadh, Potion For Viewing Spirits
- Events: Beltane, Duel between Merlin and Uther's Spirit
References[]
| Series 5 |
|---|
| Arthur's Bane • The Death Song of Uther Pendragon • Another's Sorrow • The Disir • The Dark Tower • A Lesson in Vengeance • The Hollow Queen • With All My Heart • The Kindness of Strangers • The Drawing of the Dark • The Diamond of the Day |