{ "I think you're mad -- I think you're all mad." }

[delga]

It is unfortunate that this episode - which was sweet, funny, and truly, honestly lovely - is probably going to get rap reviews by fandom. And it is a shame, because Bradley James' performance code switched beautifully, and Richard Wilson got to show off more of his talent for comedy, and everyone was darling with one another. The actress who played Princess Elena was sweet, and she played the character with a lot of heart. Moreover all the one-on-one scenes - Gwen and Arthur, Arthur and Merlin, Merlin and Gauis - were engaging, mixing fun with something more endearing.

The one sore point - which is not a negative commentary, just something that made me ache - was Morgana's unkindness towards Gwen. Up until now their relationship has cooled off, but there hasn't been open animosity from Morgana. And I do wish there was more nuance in Morgana, because Morgause is very three-dimensional (she wants Uther's death, and some sort of vengeance for a whole host of things, but she loves Morgana, and when she first met Arthur, she did so with great kindness and sympathy); I think they could have chosen to have Morgana be more conflicted about her decisions. It's not an entirely bad thing that she isn't; she has, for the most part, the courage of her convictions, and that says a lot for female autonomy. It's just a shame that the female interaction on the show has become a negative, embittered thing, whereas the male friendships continue to be eternal or whatever. And I know why it's that way, and I know the choices behind that, and I am still a fan of Morgana, but I do miss the friendship.

I did so love the scene when Merlin hands Arthur his ceremonial sword. Firstly because: of course Merlin is a romantic. And secondly, because Merlin this year is so much more grown up than he was in the first two years. And that's right, of course, because it's been four years since he arrived in Camelot, and he's older, and he's seen and done much more. But when he's talking to Arthur about the curious nature of destiny-- I loved that. It was handled with the right amount of irony and wonder and sweetness, and was an endlessly lovely scene.

I am so, so, so excited for next week's episode, and I'm gutted that I'm going to miss it when it airs. It looks like a lot of things are going to come together - like this burgeoning thing between Arthur and Gwen, and Morgana's knowledge of it; plus, Cenred is back, along with Morgause, and Gwen's brother, of all people. !!!! It looks like it's going to be so good!

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Long story short: season 3 has been uniformly excellent!