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By the power vested in me, I crown thee, Morgana Pendragon, Queen of Camelot.
Geoffrey of Monmouth

The Coming of Arthur is a two-part story consisting of the twelfth and thirteenth episodes of the third series of Merlin. They were first broadcast on the 27th of November and 4th of December 2010.

It marks the Fall of Camelot, the returns of Gwaine, Elyan, Lancelot, and Freya, the death of King Cenred, and the formation of the Knights of the Round Table.

Synopsis

Part One

Arthur and Merlin embark on a dangerous mission to retrieve the Cup of Life, a powerful magical artefact that carries the gift of immortality. However, before they are able to retrieve the Cup, they fall prey to Jarl, an unscrupulous slave trader.

They manage to escape when a trusted friend comes to their rescue, but with Cenred's help, the Cup of Life ends up in Morgause's hands. With an immortal army at their disposal, will Morgause and Morgana topple Uther once and for all?

Part Two

The newly crowned Queen Morgana begins a reign of terrible evil over the innocent citizens of Camelot. With Morgause's immortal army at her command, it seems there is no hope for Uther, who must watch his kingdom crumble under the unimaginable cruelty of his own daughter.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Camelot, Arthur regains his strength and, with Leon, Gwaine, Lancelot, Elyan and Percival at his side, plans a brave counter attack. But Merlin knows that even Arthur cannot vanquish an immortal foe. Can he reclaim the great sword Excalibur from the Lake of Avalon in time to save all those he holds most dear?

Plot

Part One

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The Druids use the Cup of Life to save Sir Leon.

Messengers from Cenred's army arrive at Camelot to inform the court that a Camelot patrol has been killed for trespassing into Cenred's lands. Sir Leon is believed to be among the fallen.

Meanwhile, a group of Druids come upon the slain patrol and look for survivors. When they find that Leon is the only one still clinging to life, the Druids take him to their hidden cave and use the Cup of Life to revive him.

Leon later returns to the court of Camelot and recounts to the tale to Uther, who fears that the Cup isn't safe with the Druids and may fall into Cenred's hands. Gaius later explains to Merlin that in the wrong hands, the Cup of Life could become a very powerful weapon. Many centuries ago, a great warlord used it to create an immortal army that wrought unimaginable carnage.

Uther commands Arthur to retrieve the Cup in secret for fear of its power. Morgana overhears them and summons Morgause. She informs her sister of Arthur's quest and that he will be traveling through Cenred's lands. Morgause is pleased with this information and explains with the Cup in their possession, Camelot will be at their mercy. They decide to use Cenred's spies to follow Arthur to the Cup.

The next day, Arthur and Merlin set out on their quest. While traveling through the Forest of Ascetir, they are are captured by the slave trader Jarl, who holds them prisoner in his fortress. There they are reunited with Gwaine, who was also captured.

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Merlin, Arthur, and Gwaine in Jarl's Fortress.

Jarl decides he wants to see a fight and chooses Merlin to face his champion. Arthur volunteers to take his place, after which Gwaine reveals that he is Jarl's champion. Arthur and Gwaine battle while Merlin is forced to watch. He eventually intervenes by using his magic to ignite the ropes hanging above the crowd and he, Arthur, and Gwaine escape in the chaos.

In the forest, Merlin tells Gwaine about their quest and he decides to join them. When they finds the Druid's cave, Arthur takes a young boy hostage and demands the Cup. However, Iseldir offers him the Cup willingly and warns Arthur of its power. He also implores Merlin telepathically to guard it well, addressing him as Emrys.

Unfortunately, Jarl informed Cenred of where Arthur was headed (after which Morgause killed him), and Cenred sent men to ambush them on their way back to Camelot. During the ambush, Arthur is shot in the leg with a poisoned arrow and loses his hold on the Cup. Merlin uses magic to blast a soldier away from it, but the Cup is blasted away as well and rolls down a hill, where it falls into the hands of the enemy.

That night, Gwaine and Merlin keep watch over Arthur as he develops a fever due to his wound. Merlin suggest Gwaine look for more firewood, and once he leaves, tries using magic to heal Arthur, but to no avail.

Meanwhile, Morgause uses the Cup to perform a ritual that makes Cenred's army immortal. Cenred comments on the beauty of his army, to which Morgause retorts that they are her army, since she cast the spell to make them immortal. When he challenges her, Morgause decides she no longer requires Cenred and has one of his men kill him, thereby demonstrating the army is completely bound to her magic.

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Morgause uses the Cup to create an immortal army.

Later, Sir Leon sees Morgause's army marching on Camelot. He escapes the soldiers' attack and returns to court to inform Uther, who orders prepares Camelot's army to gather its defenses. Gaius points out the only way this could have happened is Camelot has been betrayed, and Morgana is seen smirking.

In Morgana's chambers, Gwen watches the immortal army gather outside the city. Morgana tells Gwen that not everyone has to perish and there is always a choice, to which Gwen hesitantly replies she has and always will be loyal to her mistress.

Meanwhile, Arthur awakens and learns the Cup is now in the hands of Cenred. Gwaine, Arthur, and Merlin make their way on foot to Camelot and pass a burned out village and a patrol of Camelot soldiers who have been massacred. The lack of enemy corpses tells them they are facing an army of immortals as they make their way to the city.

Once there, they head to Gwen's house and find Elyan, who explains the city was overrun by soldiers who could not be killed. The four of them decide to go to the citadel, passing numerous corpses on the streets. Once inside, they come upon more slain Knights of Camelot.

As Arthur's leg injury begins to worsen, Gwaine and Elyan head towards the dungeons to see if they can find the king or Gwen. Merlin carries Arthur toward Gaius' chambers, where they find Gaius hiding in a cupboard. Noticing Arthur's injury, Gaius wants to redress it to reduce the inflammation, but Arthur refuses and asks for something to keep him going.

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The Coronation of Queen Morgana

Elyan and Gwaine burst through the door and inform them the king is being brought to the throne room. Arthur then send them and Gaius to the woods while he and Merlin go to the throne room. They crawl towards the edge of a balcony and watch as the immortals force Uther to kneel.

Morgause takes Uther's crown away, stating he won't be needing it anymore. Uther angrily roars this is unlawful, as she has no claim to the throne, but Morgana appears and reveals that as his daughter, she does. Morgana takes her place on the throne and is crowned Morgana Pendragon, Queen of Camelot as Arthur, Merlin and the captive Uther watch in horror.

Part Two

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Morgana confronts Uther about her betrayal.

One week after her coronation, Morgana has a shackled Sir Leon brought to her and demands he and the Knights of Camelot serve her. Leon replies he would rather die, nobly declaring his loyalty to Uther and Arthur.

Later, Morgana has Leon and the other Knights taken to the courtyard and again demands their allegiance, but even under the threat of her immortal soldiers, they refuse. Outraged by their defiance, Morgana has her archers fire at the citizens of Camelot instead, much to Leon's horror.

Watching from a cell window, Uther begs her to kill him and not Camelot's innocent people, but she replies they are no different than the hundreds Uther executed for no greater crime than having magic. She also promises to kill Uther, but only after he has suffered enough, leaving Uther shocked and heartbroken at just how much his own daughter hates him.

Hiding in a cave close to Camelot, Merlin, Gaius, and the others are at a loss; they have no way to fight back and Arthur is in despondent shock over Morgana's betrayal and his father's lie about her true paternity. Merlin desperately tries to convince him that he still has a duty to his father and to Camelot, but Arthur despairs of any success.

In private, Merlin and Gaius discuss how they can defeat the immortals. Gaius explains the only way to end the magic is to spill the blood in the Cup of Life, as once it is emptied, the enchantment is broken, and Merlin reveals he retrieved the Avalon Vial from their chambers before they fled the citadel.

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Freya returns Excalibur to Merlin.

Later, Merlin takes out the Avalon Vial the Fisher King gave him and decides to experiment with it. He tries several different spells on the vial, but none of them have any effect. He eventually falls asleep and the vial slips from his grasp and shatters on the floor. Merlin is initially horrified, but then watches as the water begins to glow and forms a puddle in a small crevice of rock.

Freya appears in the puddle and reminds a stunned Merlin of her promise to repay his kindness. She explains that Morgause's spell did not make her army immortal, but transformed them into the living dead. As such, Merlin will need the sword Excalibur to destroy them, as it is the only weapon with the power to slay the undead.

Merlin summons Kilgharrah and asks the dragon to fly him the Lake of Avalon. There, Freya retrieves Excalibur from the bottom of the lake and returns it to Merlin, who takes it back to Arthur's cave.

Meanwhile, back in Camelot, Gwen convinces Morgana to let her speak to Leon and convince him to join her; in truth, she persuades Leon to escape with her to try and find Arthur. However, unknown to them, Morgause and Morgana are listening from above. Furious, Morgana wishes to execute Gwen, but Morgause advises patience, suggesting that they can use her to find Arthur.

Later, when Gwen claims she has persuaded Leon to join Morgana, the queen offers her a glass of wine spiked with a tracking potion. That night, Gwen steals the key to Leon’s cell, makes a copy and gives it to him. When they escape the next evening, Morgause and a group of immortal soldiers follow them.

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Arthur gathers his allies around the Round Table.

At the cave, Arthur finally snaps out of his depression, commenting that in one of his rare displays of wisdom, Merlin was right; he does have a duty to his people.

Gwen and Leon arrive soon afterward, closely followed by Morgause and her men, who give chase as they flee. Fortunately, Lancelot and his friend Percival arrive (having been summoned by Merlin) and drop boulders to block the narrow path behind Arthur and his allies, halting Morgause's advance and covering their escape.

The group retreats to an abandoned castle that was once ruled by the ancient kings of Camelot. Arthur finds their round table in the ruins and invites the group to join him at it, explaining that none of them would have survived without each other and they are equal in their cause.

Arthur then announces his intentions to return to Camelot and rescue Uther. One by one, the others agree to join him. In gratitude, Arthur knights Lancelot, Gwaine, Percival and Elyan.

That night, Merlin tells Lancelot his plan to go after the Cup of Life and Lancelot volunteers to go with him. The next day, Arthur and the knights devise a plan to rescue Uther without getting caught. Lancelot suggests removing the warning bell so that the soldiers cannot communicate. Arthur agrees and Lancelot asks for someone who knows the castle to accompany him. Merlin quickly volunteers.

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Merlin and Lancelot battle Morgause for the Cup of Life.

Gaius, having overheard the conversation between Merlin and Lancelot, warns Merlin that Morgause will kill them if she catches them, but Merlin is determined to go ahead with the plan. Overwhelmed with pride for Merlin's bravery and self-sacrifice and fear for his safety, Gaius embraces him tearfully.

The group head for Camelot; Gaius and Gwen are to stay hidden and tend to the wounded. When they arrive at the citadel, Arthur, Gwaine, Percival, Elyan and Leon are to head for the dungeons to free Uther and the knights, while Merlin and Lancelot stop the guards from raising the alarm (though in truth, they plan to go after the Cup of Life). However, once Arthur, Merlin and the others have left, Gaius disappears.

The plan goes well and the rescue party is able to get into Camelot without being seen. In the dungeons, Arthur finds Uther badly shaken and in a hopeless state. The group manages to release the imprisoned knights, but when the alarm is inadvertently sounded, Arthur and his allies find themselves trapped. Surrounded by the immortals, they decide to go down fighting.

Meanwhile, Merlin and Lancelot fight their way to the throne room, Excalibur easily destroying any immortals. However, as Merlin reaches the Cup and is about to spill the blood, Morgause appears and uses her magic to stop him. As she is about to kill him, Gaius arrives and uses magic to blast Morgause across the room.

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Morgause and Morgana defeated.

Though surprised, Morgause recovers from her fall and turns to attack Gaius, but before she can, Merlin uses his magic to smash her into a pillar, seriously injuring her. He then grabs Excalibur and uses it to knock the Cup of Life off its pedestal, spilling the blood within and breaking the enchantment. All over Camelot, the immortals instantly perish as the spell is broken.

In the throne room, a horrified Morgana runs in, distraught at both her army’s destruction and the sight of an unconscious Morgause lying on the ground. As she cradles her sister’s body in her arms, Merlin tells her it is over, but a devastated Morgana swears it is only just beginning.

In her grief and rage, Morgana starts to scream, and her magic causes her cries to make the chamber begin to collapse. Merlin, Gaius and Lancelot escape, but Morgana and Morgause seemingly perish when the throne room's ceiling collapses on top of them.

In the battle’s aftermath, Arthur expresses concern that Uther won’t recover from Morgana’s betrayal, to which Merlin suggests that Arthur may have to take the throne as regent king. Gwaine, Elyan, Lancelot, and Percival then arrive in the armour of Camelot’s knights, Gwen with them. Arthur greets them all and, for the first time, kisses Gwen publicly.

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Merlin places Excalibur in a stone.

In Gaius’s quarters, Merlin worriedly mentions that the guards searched through the rubble but found no trace of Morgana or Morgause; they may have survived after all and escaped. Gaius then tells Merlin, in regards to all he has done, what he deserves to hear and what no one else will tell him: "Well done".

Later, Merlin takes Excalibur and, honouring his promise to Kilgharrah, uses his magic to embed the blade in a stone in the middle of a forest.

Cast

Main Cast

Recurring Cast

Part One

Part Two

Guest Cast

Continuity

Part One

Part Two

  • This episode begins one week after the Fall of Camelot.
  • This episode marks the first appearance of Percival.
  • This episode marks the second appearance of Freya.
  • This episode marks the third appearance of Lancelot.
  • This episode marks the fifth appearance of the Lake of Avalon.
  • Gwen reveals her mother was a maid in Sir Leon's household.
  • Uther suffers an emotional breakdown due to Morgana's hatred and betrayal.
  • Gwen tried to convince Morgana of her loyalty by reminding her that Uther killed her father.
  • Merlin is revealed to be in contact with Lancelot; he knew he was staying in Haldor and sent him a letter informing him of the Fall of Camelot.
  • Merlin recalls how the Fisher King gave him the Avalon Vial to provide help in Albion's time of need and uses it to contact Freya's spirit.
  • Freya fulfills her promise to Merlin by retrieving Excalibur from the bottom of the Lake of Avalon.
  • Kilgharrah confirms his allegiance lies with Merlin and willingly flies him to the Lake.
  • Gwen helps Leon escape from prison by using her father's forge to make a duplicate key to his cell.
  • Lancelot returns to Camelot and joins Arthur's rebellion with his friend Percival.
  • Arthur discovers the Round Table of the Ancient Kings in the ruins of their castle and decides to adopt their policy of equality in all things.
  • Arthur knights Gwaine, Lancelot, Elyan, and Percival for their loyalty, making them the first commoners to become Knights of Camelot.
  • Gaius uses magic to save Merlin from Morgause.
  • Merlin severely injures Morgause and destroys the immortal army.
  • After their army is destroyed, Morgana escapes from Camelot with Morgause.
  • Merlin fulfills his promise to Kilgahrrah by hiding Excalibur in a stone in the Forest of Ascetir.

Release & Reception

  • Part One air date: 27 November 2010. 7.12 million viewers.
  • Part Two air date: 4 December 2010. 7.67 million viewers.

Behind the Scenes

  • Every seat at the Round Table is marked by an engraving with an Old English word that is meant to describe the person that was originally planned occupy that seat. More about this matter at the Round Table page.

Production Errors

  • For some unknown reason, the Cup of Life - previously introduced and seen in Le Morte d'Arthur - changed from silver to gold-plated.
  • The Round Table was officially designed with specific seats for the nine characters but, for reasons unknown, only Arthur, Merlin, Gwen, and Leon sit where Art Designer Paul Cripps planned.

Gallery

Wiki-wordmark
To view the The Coming of Arthur gallery, click here.


Transcript

View the transcript here and here.

See Also

Series 3
The Tears of Uther Pendragon  • Goblin's Gold  • Gwaine  • The Crystal Cave  • The Changeling  • The Castle of Fyrien  • The Eye of the Phoenix  • Love in the Time of Dragons  • Queen of Hearts  • The Sorcerer's Shadow  • The Coming of Arthur
Interactive quest: The Quest for Morgana
Mini-episode: Merlin in Need special
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