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What you are about to do will affect everyone, even you. But most importantly, it will bring our enemies to their knees.
Morgause to Morgana[src]

The Darkest Hour is a two-part story consisting of the first and second episodes of the fourth series of Merlin which were first broadcast on the 1st and 8 October 2011. They mark the deaths of Morgause and Lancelot and the introduction of Agravaine.

Synopsis[]

Part One[]

Merlin faces his toughest challenge yet when Morgana's blinkered determination threatens not only Arthur's future, but also the very balance of the world. With her magic now stronger than ever, the High Priestess summons the mighty Cailleach to tear open the veil between the worlds.

Hellish creatures pour forth, killing all who succumb to their touch. With Uther a shadow of his former self, it falls to Arthur and his loyal knights, including Lancelot, to protect the kingdom, but it will take more than just swords to vanquish their enemy. Merlin is shocked to the core when he discovers the only way to restore the equilibrium is to make a sacrifice of unimaginable proportions.

Part Two[]

The kingdom is on the brink of collapse and Morgana poised to strike. As Lancelot races back to Camelot with the dying Merlin, Arthur must continue on his mission to vanquish the Dorocha without them.

Though the Knights know their journey to the Isle of the Blessed is fraught with danger, none could anticipate the sacrifice Arthur intends to make there. Friendship and loyalty are tested to the limit, it could be the end for Merlin .... but in the end, the power of love changes all their lives forever.

Plot[]

Part One[]

Blood Sacrifice

Morgana sacrifices Morgause to tear open the veil between the worlds.

Sir Leon, Sir Elyan, and two other Knights of Camelot cross paths with Morgana on the Plains of Denaria. They attempt to apprehend her, but are knocked unconscious by her magic.

Morgana hurries to her cart to check on her cargo: a disfigured and weakened Morgause. Assured that her sister is unharmed, Morgana resumes their journey to the Seas of Meredor.

Back in Camelot, the kingdom has largely recovered from the Fall of Camelot. The main exception is Uther, who has become a shadow of his former self after Morgana's betrayal. Arthur's maternal uncle, Lord Agravaine, now acts as mentor and advisor to the regent prince, while Gwen acts as Uther's caretaker.

As the court prepares for the annual Feast of Samhain, Leon and Elyan return and warn Arthur about Morgana. They report that she was heading for the Seas of Meredor, from which Gaius deduces that she is actually heading for the Isle of the Blessed, and warn Arthur that her powers have grown.

That night, as Camelot feasts, Morgause and Morgana arrive at the Isle of the Blessed. Morgause instructs Morgana to use her in a blood sacrifice to tear the open the veil between the worlds and bring their enemies to their knees. Though hesitant, Morgana complies with her dying sister's wish and sacrifices her at the stroke of midnight.

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Merlin is unable to use his magic around the Dorocha.

The tearing of the veil knocks Morgana unconscious and Merlin, miles away, falls unconscious too. Both witness the arrival of the Cailleach, the Gatekeeper to the Spirit World, who addresses Merlin as Emrys and warns Morgana that, though her enemies will rue this day the destruction it brings, the one called Emrys will walk in her shadow and is both her destiny and her doom.

When Merlin regains consciousness, he tells Gaius about his vision and the physician deduces that Morgana must have torn the veil between the worlds. The next morning, a girl arrives at court claiming that her village was attacked by creatures with no faces. Arthur and his Knights investigate and discover the Dorocha, voices of the dead that can kill a man with a touch. Merlin and Lancelot also discover that Merlin's magic is powerless against them.

In the coming days, the Dorocha spread throughout Camelot, killing hundreds of people. The only way to repel them is with fire and light. People from all over the kingdom gather to the city for protection, and Percival and Elyan nearly lose their lives saving three children in the Lower Town.

Merlin grows terrified of the Dorocha because of their immunity to his magic, telling Gaius he has never felt so weak. When Merlin asks the seemingly at ease Arthur whether the prince is afraid, the latter confesses he is probably more afraid than Merlin.

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Arthur, Merlin, and the Knights use fire to ward off the Dorocha.

Arthur, Agravaine, and Merlin learn from Gaius that the only way to banish the Dorocha is to repair the veil, which would require traveling to the Isle of the Blessed and performing another sacrifice.

Arthur volunteers himself for the sacrifice and tells the inert Uther his decision. As he is about to leave, Uther suddenly takes his hand and asks him not to leave, to which Arthur replies through tears he must. Gwen also asks Arthur not to go, but he makes her smile by asking her if she remembers the time he first kissed her.

Merlin decides to accompany Arthur on his journey. Gaius asks him not to, since his magic doesn't work against the Dorocha, but Merlin reveals he plans to sacrifice himself in Arthur's place. Meanwhile, Agravaine, who is loyal to Morgana, rides to her hovel and informs her of Arthur's plan.

The next day, Arthur, Merlin, and the Knights of the Round Table leave for the Isle of the Blessed. Lancelot continually encourages Merlin to leave and protect himself, but Merlin refuses.

At nightfall, they decide to make camp in the ruins of Daobeth. The group gets a fire going, which keeps them safe for awhile until they run out of wood. Arthur and Merlin go to collect more firewood, but are attacked by the Dorocha and lose their torch. The other knights, with only one torch between them, eventually go in search of them.

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Merlin jumps in front of the Dorocha to protect Arthur.

Hiding in an abandoned room, Arthur and Merlin attempt to reassure each other and Arthur tells Merlin he is "a brave man," then joking adds "between battles." Merlin replies, "You have no idea how many times I've saved your life," to which Arthur says if he ever becomes king, he will make Merlin the court jester.

One of the Dorocha finds Merlin and Arthur's hideout just as Lancelot and the other knights arrive. Merlin shoves Arthur aside and jumps to the face the Dorocha, who flies straight through him and slams him into a wall. Lancelot and the other knights vanquish the Dorocha, then everyone rushes to Merlin's still for slumped by the wall. Arthur turns him over and Merlin appears to be dead, his face covered in frost from the Dorocha's touch.

Part Two[]

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Percival carries a badly injured Merlin.

Merlin survives the Dorocha's attack, but appears to be dying from his wounds. Arthur plans to take Merlin back to Camelot so Gaius can cure him, as he cannot bear to see Merlin die in his place. However, Sir Leon tells Arthur they cannot abandon their quest to the Isle of the Blessed, as more people will be killed by the Dorocha.

Sir Lancelot volunteers to take Merlin back to Camelot while Arthur, Leon, Sir Elyan, Sir Percival, and Sir Gwaine continue on. Lancelot takes a shortcut through the Valley of the Fallen Kings, but is forced to stop when Merlin's condition worsens. Fortunately, he encounters the Vilia, water spirits who heal Merlin and protect them both from the Dorocha during the night.

The next day, Merlin has recovered from his injuries. He and Lancelot decide to catch up to Arthur, as Merlin believes the prince will need his help to complete the quest. Meanwhile, Arthur and the others take a shortcut through the Caves of Andor, which is infested with Wilddeoren. They use berries to disguise their scents from the creatures, but are forced to flee the caves after Gwaine kills one, alerting the others to their presence.

Merlin and Lancelot stop at a deserted house for the night. They're attacked by Dorocha during the night and flee through the woods. As they run, Merlin summons the dragon Kilgharrah, who chases the Dorocha away with his fiery breath.

Gwen Unconscious

Morgana and Agravaine attempt to kill Guinevere.

Merlin meets Kilgharrah in a nearby clearing and introduces him to Lancelot. Kilgharrah tells them that the Dorocha cannot remain in the living world and confirms that the Cailleach will demand a sacrifice to close the veil. Merlin tells Kilgharrah he means to sacrifice himself in Arthur's stead, to which Kilgharrah replies that it will be an empty world without him.

Meanwhile, back in Camelot, Agravaine, who was given charge of the kingdom in Arthur's absence, orders the gate to the Lower Town closed to prevent food from running out. Gwen and Gaius angrily confront him about it and Gwen persuades the council to reopen the gate, with Agravaine reluctantly agreeing.

Agravaine meets with Morgana, who has been suffering nightmares where she begs an old man for help on a battlefield, and complains about Gwen overruling him. Morgana becomes upset and reveals to Agravaine that she foresaw Gwen become Queen of Camelot and they devise a plan to kill her.

Later, while Gwen tends to Uther, Agravaine apologises to Gwen for his earlier orders and asks her to his chambers to give him advise. Meanwhile, Morgana enters Camelot through a secret tunnel. When Gwen returns home that night, Morgana knocks her and her escorts unconscious, leaving them at the mercy of the Dorocha. However, Gaius finds Gwen and takes her safety.

Lancelot enters the veil.

Lancelot sacrifices himself to banish the Dorocha.

Merlin and Lancelot catch up to Arthur and the group resumes its journey to the Isle of the Blessed. Merlin tries to persuade Arthur not to sacrifice himself and offers to take his place, but Arthur refuses to change his mind.

They arrive at the Isle the next day and are attacked by the Wyvern who guard it. Merlin discreetly commands the Wyvern to leave, but more arrive. Leon, Elyan, and Percival remain behind to hold them off while Merlin, Arthur, Lancelot, and Gwaine go on to find the Cailleach.

Arthur demands that the Cailleach, but she refuses and knocks Gwaine unconscious with her magic when he attacks her. Arthur then offers himself as a sacrifice, but Merlin knocks him unconscious and steps forward in his place. The Cailleach is intrigued, but informs Merlin that his time among men is not yet over. Confused, Merlin looks up to see Lancelot approaching the veil. He looks back and Merlin smiles, then walks into the veil with arms outstretched, vanishing from view as the veil closes.

Back in Camelot, a funeral is held for Lancelot and Arthur declares him the most noble knight he'll ever know. Gwen tearfully tells Arthur that Lancelot did not sacrifice himself for Camelot, but to fulfill his promise to her to protect Arthur with his life.

Meanwhile, Morgana is enraged her plans have failed and tells Agravaine of her belief Emrys was the one who thwarted them. She asks Agravaine to help her find Emrys and kill him.

Morgravaine

Morgana tells Agravaine about Emrys.

Agravaine goes to Gaius' chambers and asks Gaius if he knows of a sorcerer called Emrys, to which Gaius replies that he doesn't. Once Agravaine leaves, Gaius tells Merlin that Morgana must have also seen the Cailleach and that Agravaine may not be as virtuous as he seems. He also warns Merlin to be careful, as Morgana must never find out the truth about who he is.

Cast[]

Main Cast[]

Recurring Cast[]

Part One[]

Part Two[]

Guest Cast[]

Part One[]

Part Two[]

Continuity[]

Part One[]

Part Two[]

  • This episode marks the death of Lancelot.
  • This episode marks the second appearance of the Valley of the Fallen Kings.
  • This episode marks the second and final appearance of the Wilddeoren.
  • This episode marks the second and final appearance of the Tunnels of Andor.
  • This episode marks the second time Morgana attempts to avert Gwen's destiny.
  • Merlin becomes the only person to survive the Dorocha's touch. This may be an early hint about his immortality.
  • Arthur uses the same Gaia berry trick to fool the Wilddeoren as he did when rescuing Gwen.
  • Morgana informs Agravaine that Gwen is destined to become Queen of Camelot and they conspire to kill her.
  • Merlin introduces Kilgharrah to Lancelot.
  • Merlin offers himself as a sacrifice in Arthur's place, but the Cailleach refuses because "his time among men is not yet over".
  • Lancelot fulfills his promise to Gwen by sacrificing himself to close the veil.
  • Agravaine approaches Gaius for information about Emrys, alerting Gaius and Merlin to the possibility of him being allied with Morgana.

Release & Reception[]

  • The Darkest Hour: Part One October 1, 2011 - 7.50pm BBC One and BBC One HD
  • The Darkest Hour: Part Two October 8, 2011 - 8.05pm BBC One and BBC One HD
  • As episodes of Merlin are repeated on the CBBC channel on weekends, reruns of To Kill the King and Le Morte d'Arthur aired on the same day as Parts One and Two respectively.
  • The Darkest Hour (Part One) is the first and only episode of Merlin to air on the same night as an episode of fellow BBC Saturday night drama, Doctor Who. As the finale of Doctor Who Series 6, The Wedding of River Song, was broadcasted right before the first episode of Series 4.

Trivia[]

  • A new opening sequence is introduced for series 4. The one used for the first three series only used clips from Series 1, while this one uses clips from all four series.
  • Kilgharrah's opening narration also changes slightly; he now describes Merlin as a "young man" rather than a "young boy".

Gallery[]

Wiki-wordmark
To view the The Darkest Hour gallery, click here.


Transcript[]

View the transcript here.

See Also[]

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Series 4
The Darkest HourThe Wicked DayAithusaHis Father's SonA Servant of Two MastersThe Secret SharerLamiaLancelot du LacA Herald of the New AgeThe Hunter's HeartThe Sword in the Stone
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