The Hunter's Heart is the eleventh episode of the fourth series of Merlin. It was first broadcast on the 10th of December 2011.
It marks the return of Guinevere and the first appearances of Helios and Princess Mithian.
Synopsis
Morgana finds a powerful ally in the Southron warlord Helios as the fantasy drama continues. Together they hatch the perfect plan to force Camelot to its knees.
With the kingdom - and Arthur - preoccupied by the arrival of the beautiful Princess Mithian, it falls to an absent friend to raise the alarm. But with past wounds still raw, can love really conquer all when Gwen returns? Or is a deadly arrow destined to fly straight into the heart of Camelot?
Plot
Gwen, who has found refuge in a small village following her exile, is shoveling hay to some pigs when the village is suddenly raided by Southrons. Gwen tries to flee with the rest of the villagers and is captured. However, the Southrons' leader, the warlord Helios, stops his men from killing her and declares that there's still "pleasure" to be had.
Back in Camelot, Arthur summons the court and announces that he has settled Camelot's land dispute with the kingdom of Nemeth. He also announces that as part of the deal, he has agreed to marry Nemeth's Princess Mithian.
Merlin confronts Arthur afterwards and tries to convince him that Gwen is who he's meant to marry, but Arthur insists that Gwen made her choice and must take the consequences. When Merlin responds with his belief that Arthur still loves Gwen, Arthur threatens him with exile if he ever says anything like that again.
That night, Agravaine meets with the mapmaker's apprentice, Eoghan, who he had bribed to steal the plans for Camelot's siege tunnels. Eoghan tries to back out of the deal, first claiming that it is too difficult and then admitting that he can't betray his master's trust, and Agravaine stabs him in the stomach, killing him. He later reports his failure to Morgana, who tells Agravaine to steal the plans himself.
Meanwhile, Gwen is taken to Helios' camp, where she is given new clothes and invited to have dinner with Helios himself. Helios tries to charm Gwen, but their meal is interrupted by Morgana's arrival. Gwen quickly excuses herself and leaves, using a veil to hide her face from view.
Morgana and Helios discuss their planned attack on Camelot. Helios expresses doubt in the plan, but assures Morgana that his preparations are nearly complete. He also invites her to stay, but Morgana cautions him not to get too distracted.
While Arthur and the rest of the court are distracted by Princess Mithian's arrival, Agravaine plants a letter from Odin's court in Eoghan's jacket and dumps his body off a castle wall. When the body is discovered, Agravaine uses the letter to paint Eoghan as a traitor and volunteers to oversee a complete inventory of the mapmaker's vaults. He then steals the siege tunnel plans and delivers them to Morgana, who uses her magic to copy them.
That night, at a feast celebrating Mithian's arrival, Merlin tries to use his magic to embarrass Arthur by causing him to spill soup on himself. However, Mithian responds to the slip with grace. Later, while attending to Arthur and Mithian during a picnic, Merlin again uses magic to embarrass Arthur, but his interference causes Arthur and Mithian to grow closer.
Meanwhile, Morgana delivers the siege tunnel plans to Helios and reveals Agravaine's involvement, unaware that Gwen is spying on them. As they finalize their plans to attack Camelot, the rock Gwen is standing on breaks and she stumbles backward, alerting them to her presence. Gwen escapes into the forest before they see her, but Morgana discovers her identity when she finds her old dress in the camp and leads a search for her.
Back in Camelot, the court prepares for the traditional hunting trip to celebrate the Festival of Ostara. Mithian approaches Merlin and reveals that she's noticed he doesn't appear to like her. She tells Merlin that she really likes Arthur and has noticed that he values Merlin's opinion above almost all others, and asks that he give her a chance. Merlin apologises for any offense he's caused and quietly agrees.
While searching the forest for Gwen, Morgana sees the smoke from her campfire and tracks it to her camp. The sound of her horse wakes Gwen and she flees, but Morgana easily catches her. Morgana taunts Gwen about her exile and their former friendship, then uses her magic to throw Gwen into a tree when she tries to escape, knocking her unconscious.
Hearing the sound of Camelot's hunting party in the distance, Morgana snatches Gwen's engagement ring from her neck and throws it away. She then casts a powerful enchantment on Gwen that temporarily transforms her into a deer, leaving her at the mercy of the hunters.
When the hunting party draws near, Leon spots the Deer-Gwen and points her out to Arthur. As Arthur and Mithian take aim, Merlin's magic allows him to see Gwen's true form and he quickly uses his magic to redirect Arthur's shot. He is unable to stop Mithian's, however, and her arrow hits Gwen in the leg.
The Gwen-Deer flees deeper into the woods and the hunting party runs after her. While searching for deer tracks, Arthur finds Gwen's engagement ring discarded on the ground. He is visibly affected by it and calls off the hunt, prompting a puzzled Mithian to call him a sore loser.
Merlin continues searching for Gwen through the night. He eventually finds her back in her human form, but unconscious and badly injured. He removes the arrow from her leg and uses his magic to heal her, then watches over her for the rest of the night.
Gwen wakes in the morning fully recovered and overjoyed to see him. She tells Merlin about Morgana's plan to attack Camelot and about Agravaine's involvement. Merlin asks Gwen to return to Camelot to Camelot with him and tell Arthur what she's seen, but Gwen refuses because she can't bear to face Arthur again.
Merlin returns to Camelot and tells Arthur what he's learned without mentioning Gwen. However, a check of the mapmaker's vault reveals that the siege tunnel plans are where they're supposed to be. Arthur dismisses Merlin's accusations against Agravaine and again threatens him with exile.
That night, Merlin visits Arthur in his chambers and finds him playing with Gwen's engagement ring. Arthur asks Merlin how he can love someone who has betrayed him, and Merlin responds that no one would sacrifice more for Camelot or him than Gwen and that he must do what his heart tells him.
The next morning, Arthur calls off his engagement to Mithian and cedes ownership of Gedref to Nemeth as compensation. Though upset and confused, Mithian accepts his offer and asks who it is that he has given up so much for. When Arthur admits that it is a blacksmith's daughter, without whom his kingdom means nothing to him, Mithian admits that she too would give up much for such leave and leaves Camelot in peace.
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
- Adetomiwa Edun as Sir Elyan
- Tom Hopper as Sir Percival
- Terence Maynard as Helios
- Janet Montgomery as Princess Mithian
Guest Cast
Continuity
- This episode marks the first appearance of Helios.
- This episode marks the first appearance of Princess Mithian.
- This episode marks Morgana's fourth attempt to avert Gwen's destiny.
- Arthur arranges to marry Princess Mithian of Nemeth, but calls off the engagement when he realises he still has feelings for Gwen.
- Arthur cedes Camelot's claim to Gedref to Nemeth as compensation for the broken engagement and he and Mithian part as friends.
- Morgana is revealed to have allied herself with the Southron warlord Helios to attack Camelot.
- After finding refuge in a small village following her exile, Gwen is captured by Southrons and taken to Helios' camp, where she discovers Helios and Morgana's plan and Agravaine's involvement.
- Morgana discovers Gwen's presence in the camp and chases her into the forest, where she attempts to kill her.
- Gwen reunites with Merlin and tells him about Morgana's plan, but refuses to return to Camelot with him.
- Merlin informs Arthur of Agravaine's treachery, but because Agravaine has already returned the plans to the vault, his accusations are dismissed.
Release & Reception
- It broadcasted on 10 December 2011.
Behind the Scenes
- Arthur was frequently shot from a right angle throughout this episode because Bradley James had a swollen cheek from dental surgery. It's best seen in the goodbye scene with Princess Mithian.
- The scene of Princess Mithian's arrival was shot while another unit was filming Elyan's escape from the dungeons.[1] This explains why, (a few) pics shared by the fans in Pierrefonds that day (09th September 2011) showed the presence of a stand-in for Merlin in the group that is awaiting on the stairs, and why Elyan was absent while the rest of the Knights of the Round Table are present. Both the stand-in and the lack of Elyan can be still seen in the final cut of the episode (screencap).
Production Errors
- In the scene of Princess Mithian's arrival, Colin Morgan's stand-in can be easily spotted waiting on the stairs.
Trivia
- This is the 50th episode of Merlin.
- The ridge where Arthur takes Mithian for a picnic doubles as the ridge where Merlin, Gwen, and the Knights of the Round Table spot Lamia's Castle in Lamia.
- It is unlikely that they are meant to be the same location, as Lamia's Castle is in the Feorre Mountains and the picnic takes place within easy riding distance of Camelot.
Gallery
To view the The Hunter's Heart gallery, click here.
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Transcript
See Also
- Characters: Helios, Mithian, Eoghan, Mapmaker
- Locations: Helios' Camp, Morgana's Hovel, Darkling Woods
- Creatures: Horse, Deer
- Magic: Page Copying Spells, Glamour, Shapeshifting, Telekinesis, Stunning spells
- Objects: Guinevere's Engagement Ring, Crossbow
- Events: Festival of Ostara
- Relationships: Arthur and Guinevere
References
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 |