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If it comes to a choice between saving people's lives and revealing who I really am, there is no choice."
"You can't let Arthur know about your gift.
Merlin and Hunith

The Moment of Truth is the tenth episode of the first series of Merlin, which was first broadcast on the 22nd of November 2008.

It marks the second appearance of Merlin's mother, Hunith, the first appearance and death of his childhood friend William, and the first appearance of his childhood home in the village of Ealdor.

Synopsis

Merlin's home village of Ealdor is attacked by raiders led by the fearsome Kanen. Hunith goes to Camelot to ask for Uther's aid but he refuses to send help because to cross into Ealdor, which is outside of Camelot's boundaries, would constitute an act of war.

Merlin leaves Camelot to help defend his home - and is surprised to find help from Morgana, Gwen, and Arthur. However, an old friend of Merlin's forces him into making a difficult choice: will he use magic to save the village and thus reveal his secret to Arthur?

Plot

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Hunith requests help from Uther.

Merlin's home village, Ealdor, is besieged by raiders. They have intimidated a farmer called Matthew into giving them the village's entire harvest. The raiders' leader is Kanen, who is furious that Matthew kept back some of the food so the village wouldn't starve. He strikes Merlin's mother, Hunith, when she tries to stop the raiders and demands the rest of the harvest in a week's time.

Hunith goes to Camelot to ask for help. The village lies in Cenred's Kingdom, but its ruler refuses to act. Uther wishes he could help, but he can't because by sending soldiers there, he would be declaring war on that kingdom. Merlin announces to Arthur that he must return home to take care of his mother and Arthur thanks him for his service. Later, when Merlin sees Gwen to ask her for a sword, she and Morgana declare their intention to come with him and fight for his village.

Hunith makes Merlin promise not to reveal his magical abilities to anyone else. As they camp for the night, Arthur comes to join them. They reach the village and fight the raiders as they arrive. Kanen threatens the lives of everyone present, and orders his men to leave. Arthur tries to talk to the villagers but Merlin's old friend, William, objects. He is in favour of giving the raiders what they want so that no one will be killed.

Arthur says that unless the local people fight, they will forever be at Kanen's mercy. The whole village rallies behind Arthur and William leaves furiously. Merlin tries to talk to William, who believes that Arthur is risking their lives for the sake of military glory. Merlin says that Arthur is his friend and would not put innocent people in danger, but William replies that a real friend would have told Arthur about his magic.

William and Merlin

Merlin is reunited with his childhood friend William.

After they go to bed, Arthur asks why Merlin came to Camelot. Merlin cannot bring himself to tell the truth and just says that he wanted to find somewhere where he could belong.

The next morning Hunith tells Merlin that she thinks Arthur truly likes him. Merlin says that he would be dead if Arthur knew about his magic, but she disagrees. Merlin goes to collect wood and is followed by William, who wants to know why Merlin will not use sorcery to defeat the raiders. Merlin insists it is his destiny to help Arthur become a great king, and William is enraged that Merlin would put Arthur before his own friends and family.

Arthur trains the men of the village in basic combat. Morgana points out that the men are outnumbered and the women must also be allowed to fight, but Arthur rejects this suggestion. Merlin later overhears Gwen and Morgana admitting that both they and Arthur came with Merlin because they care about him.

Matthew, who was acting as a lookout, is killed and his body returned with a note from the raiders. It threatens that they will return tomorrow to massacre everyone in the village. William publicly accuses Arthur of responsibility for Matthew's death, then makes plans to leave before the raiders come. Merlin tries to stop him but William again says that Merlin is a traitor for refusing to use magic.

Merlin explains to Arthur that William distrusts nobility because his father was killed while fighting in the service of a king. Arthur fears William is right that everyone will die if they are made to stay and fight. Merlin convinces him that he must have faith in the villagers or they will not find the strength to win the battle.

Merlin's Whirlwind

Merlin summons a magical whirlwind during the Battle of Ealdor.

Guinevere stands up to Arthur when he tells the women to leave before Kanen returns. He agrees that they should remain to defend their home, and gives a rousing speech to the villagers. Hunith privately expresses her fear of Arthur discovering Merlin's secret. Merlin reassures her that if Arthur is a true friend he will still accept Merlin.

Arthur apologises to Gwen for not wanting the women to fight. She wants to say that she trusts Arthur, but stumbles over her words. Merlin tries to tell him the truth about his magic and is interrupted by Morgana, who informs them that the raiders have crossed the river.

The raiders are lured into a trap (with the women setting fire to the fences, hemming them in while the men ambush them) and the villagers come out to fight. William returns and saves Merlin from being hit. As it looks like the village is losing the battle, Merlin uses his magic to create a strong whirlwind that sends the raiders fleeing.

Kanen remains and duels with Arthur, who runs him through with a sword. Arthur wants to know who used magic to bring the wind up. Kanen uses his last moments to fire a crossbow in Arthur's direction, but William pushes Arthur out of the way and is hit with the arrow. He is brought in to Merlin's house, where he confesses to being the sorcerer who conjured the whirlwind. Arthur leaves and William says that he wanted to give Merlin the chance to be the servant to a great king. He dies, and Merlin sobs over his body.

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Merlin and Arthur at William's funeral.

Later, at Will's funeral pyre, Arthur apologises to Merlin for Will's death. He also assumes that Merlin had been going to tell him that Will was a sorcerer before the battle and admonishes Merlin for keeping it from him.

Merlin says goodbye to his mother and prepares to return to Camelot. Echoing the Great Dragon's words, she states that he and Arthur are like two sides of the same coin. She assures him that one day, when the time is right, he can tell the truth at last.

Cast

Main Cast

Recurring Cast

Guest Cast

Continuity

  • This episode marks the first appearance of Ealdor.
  • This episode marks Merlin, Gwen, and Morgana's first battle.
  • This episode marks the first hints of Gwen of Arthur's future romance.
  • This episode takes place during Ealdor's harvest season.
  • It is revealed that Merlin is originally from Cenred's Kingdom.
  • Gwen and Morgana cite Merlin saving Gwen's life and helping Morgana save Mordred as their reasons for going to Ealdor with him.
  • Merlin is revealed to have a childhood friend, William, who knows about his magic and who dies during the battle.
  • Arthur witnesses Merlin using magic during the battle, but William protects his secret by claiming that he is the sorcerer before he dies.

Release & Reception

  • The Moment of Truth premiered on Syfy UK at 8pm on September 10th 2017, immediately following Excalibur.
  • The episode received 7.03 million viewers.

Trivia

  • This is the first episode not to feature a magical foe.
  • None of the villagers besides his mother and William speaks to or acknowledges Merlin during this episode. This may be a reference to what Hunith said in her letter to Gaius in The Dragon's Call about Merlin being at odds with the people of Ealdor, which was one of the reasons she decided to send him to Camelot.

Gallery

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To view the The Moment of Truth gallery, click here.


Transcript

View the transcript here.

See Also

Series 1
The Dragon's Call  • Valiant  • The Mark of Nimueh  • The Poisoned Chalice  • Lancelot  • A Remedy to Cure All Ills  • The Gates of Avalon  • The Beginning of the End  • Excalibur  • The Moment of Truth  • The Labyrinth of Gedref  • To Kill the King  • Le Morte d'Arthur

Mini-episode: Merlin in Need

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