Goblin’s Gold
I’d summarize this episode as: Merlin accidently releases a mischievous goblin, which then causes all kinds of hilarious trouble for Merlin, Gaius, Uther, and Arthur. Things get out of hand, and Merlin must stop the goblin before it gets Gaius–and Merlin–killed.
Goblin’s Gold (Syfy recap – major spoilers) is the kind of episode that lightens things up while still maintaining the tension established in The Tears of Uther Pendragon. Events conspire to create possible future conflicts with Morgana and Gaius, while Arthur proves he’s not yet ready to accept Merlin as a Sorcerer.
There were a few inconsistencies of character in the story, but nothing so drastic that the episode didn’t hold together. Uther proved a bit too forgiving; Morgana didn’t take full advantage of the situation; Arthur accepted Merlin’s guilt a little too passively.
But after seeing last week’s previews of what this episode had in store, I wasn’t disappointed. Goblin’s Gold was a hilarious and fun diversion after the more serious two-part season opener, The Tears of Uther Pendragon. What did you think?
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If you’ve missed any episodes from the first or second season of Merlin, now’s a good time to catch up. Although most episodes are stand-alone, the show has been on long enough now that missing too many episodes means you might not understand the implications of everything that happens. The animosity between Morgana and Merlin, the developing relationship between Arthur and Gwen…all these things are building on previous episodes at this point.
Merlin episodes aren’t available on Amazon on Demand. So, buying the Merlin DVD sets is the best way to support the show and watch some excellent fantasy TV.