Starz cancel CAMELOT

I'm actually rather surprised by the news that Starz have cancelled Camelot, their adaptation of the Arthurian legend, starring Joseph Fiennes and Eva Green. The ratings were decent (the premiere was a network record-breaker, the finale attracted 1.5 million, viewership was going up towards the end), but US reviews remained very mixed. Interestingly, the show's been received better by UK critics (well, from what little I've read), perhaps because we're more tolerant of a show's daftness? Deadline are reporting that scheduling conflicts with some of the actors also influenced the cable channel's decision. If true, I'm not sure what deal the actors had with Starz when they signed up, as it seems obvious you should keep your diary open once you make a commitment to a US TV series.

Oh well. Better shows have joined the "one-season wonder" club, so I'm not going to lose any sleep about it, but it's a shame the finale's set-up for season 2 won't amount to anything now. Then again, over 10 episodes Camelot explored most of the Arthurian legend's iconic ideas, and most of its own unique storylines were resolved, so it could have been worse.

Are you annoyed by the decision to axe Camelot? Could the show have improved, or did it deserve to be cancelled so soon?

CAMELOT, 1.10 - "Reckoning"

The finale of Camelot's inaugural year was enjoyable, if only because a lot of big things happened with increasing regularity after a fairly uninteresting start. A continuation of last week's "The Battle Of Bardon Pass", we caught up with Arthur (Jamie Campbell Bower) protecting the outpost alone, as his knights beat a hasty retreat, while sister Morgan (Eva Green) plotted to succeed Arthur on Camelot's throne once proof of his death (his sword Excalibur, not his corpse?) was delivered to court. Merlin (Joseph Fiennes) spent the majority of the episode either gagged or in stocks, which denied us his usual scene-chewing, although once released there was a rather amusing sequence where the bald sorcerer tried to use his powers to heal a fatally-wounded Igraine (Claire Forlani)—which was both moving and unintentionally hilarious.

The actual storyline wasn't much to get excited about, but it allowed for a handful of surprising moments, and most worked well. Leontes (Philip Winchester) put aside the fact Arthur slept with his wife Guinevere (Tamsin Egerton) on their wedding day, to return and help the King fight off the Bardon Pass horde, only to receive an arrow through his chest after their surprise victory—dying moments later, but not before his final words ("treasure her") effectively gave Arthur permission to pursue Guinevere after he's gone. What a guy. It's a little too easy how Leontes has been removed from the picture, if you ask me, but we'll see how it impacts Arthur and Guinevere next season—if Starz renew the show.

Igraine's murder, stabbed in the abdomen by stepdaughter Morgan, was in many ways better than Leontes' demise, especially because it came shortly after the reveal that Igraine (always perceived as a nasty stepmother by Morgan) actually saved Morgan's life by sending her away to a convent, as her father King Uther was going to have her killed. Claire Forlani's been very good in a sadly underwritten role, so in some ways it's a shame her character won't be back. Igraine's burgeoning relationship with the defensive Merlin was a great deal more interesting and adult than the woolly Arthur/Guinevere/Leontes love-triangle.

Corrupt nun Sybil (Sinead Cusick) also met a sticky end after weeks of deviousness, by taking the blame for the Bardon Pass treachery, thus ensuring that Morgan couldn't be punished by Arthur because there's no proof she'd arranged to have her brother killed in battle. Cusick's been one of the best elements of Camelot, and I was pleased her execution was suitably grim (decapitated by Gawaine at the edge of an open grave, watched from a distance by Merlin, who uttered "there is no God" as her body fell into the soil). Morgan's later arrival at Sybil's gravesite appeared to show that the devious nun may now become the voice of whatever "dark forces" Morgan's been lured into utilizing, so perhaps Cusick will return in spirit form and pick up where she left off? Sybil already instigated the episode's final twist, by suggesting Morgan (now stripped of her title by Arthur) can become a Queen by giving birth to a King, prompting her to shape-shift into Guinevere's physical form and sleep with Arthur. Having previously theorized that Morgan (when posing as Igraine) would become pregnant with Merlin's child, it's even creepier that her baby, as the offspring of an incestuous union, will also be her nephew! "Mordred" sounds like a good name for such a child, doesn't it...

"Reckoning" was the kind of finale that succeeded because it managed to cram plenty of juicy and conclusive moments into an otherwise thin and unremarkable plot. It also primed season 2 with some fun possibilities (a pregnant Morgan, a self-exiled Merlin, Arthur's new resolve to become a great king to make his dead mother proud), and even found time to show the birth of another key part of Arthurian myth: the building of Camelot's famous Round Table. It didn't all come together well, as the first quarter-hour was quite boring, and there remains issues with the strength and consistency of characterization. Arthur appeared to finally mature after his friend and mother died because of his sister's machinations, but then he agreed to sleep with Guinevere hours after her husband was burned on a pyre? His character is too easily yanked around, asked to do things simply because it would be handy for the plot, and not because it's something Arthur himself would definitely do in any given situation.

Overall, Camelot is still very much a show trying to discover itself and accrue enough successes to realize what it's good at. It has a few good idea, an engaging sexy/grimy tone, and a smattering of performances that are charming or delectably bonkers (Green, Fiennes), but it's also quite stupid and seems to fluctuate in quality rather sharply. I think a second season, if one's forthcoming, should spend time really nailing the characters and planning the emotional arcs of the season more succinctly. When you look back at these ten episodes, you get the impression the story could actually have concluded three or four weeks ago, and there were many early developments that felt rushed and could have been better distributed over the run.

written by Terry Cafolla & Chris Chibnall / directed by Mikael Salomon & Stefan Schwartz / 10 June 2011 / Starz

CAMELOT, 1.9 - "The Battle Of Bardon Pass"

The penultimate hour of Camelot was a disappointing dud, which felt all the more painful because Starz decided to keep us waiting two weeks after "Igraine". To be honest, it's getting increasingly difficult to review this show's episodes without just repeating myself, so part of the reason I'm persevering is because it's a relatively brief season of 10 episodes. Eva Green remains beautifully bizarre as Morgan, Joseph Fiennes tiptoes around so-bad-he's-good territory, and there are occasional flashes of a ridiculously enjoyable show struggling to find cohesion and, more importantly, consistency. Some weeks I find myself surprisingly interested in what's happening, other weeks my notes are full of nitpicks I scribble down in-between rolling my eyes. "The Battle Of Bardon Pass" was one such week...

The titular Bardon Pass came under siege from marauders who've actually been sent by Morgan (Green) to ensure her brother King Arthur (Jamie Campbell Bower) decides to get involved defending this vital trade route to Camelot—giving her an opportunity to focus on disrupting his rule by turning the people against their king. Simultaneously, Igraine (Claire Forlani) escaped from Castle Pendragon and returned to Camelot, with Merlin (Fiennes) quickly realizing that the Igraine he'd slept with was actually Morgan in disguise; and Guinevere (Tamsin Egerton) confessed to Leontes (Philip Winchester) that she slept with Arthur on their wedding day, which put Arthur in a tough predicament as the possibility of losing his people's respect became a very real possibility.

On the surface of it, there was a fair amount going on in this episode, but it was frustrating how little of it caught fire. A key problem is that the Leontes/Arthur/Guinevere love-triangle hasn't been given enough time to breathe, grow and develop plausibly over the course of this season—feeling so rushed and simplistic that it's hard to care for any of the characters involved. The actors are individually likable screen presences, but you don't feel much attachment to their interactions. A scene where Guinevere broke down in anguish, beating her husband's chest and begging for forgiveness, should have been an emotional highlight of the episode—but it just hasn't come together enough in the writing. It's like writers Chris Chibnall and Louise Fox know what they want audiences to feel, but lack the skill to have that appear because nothing's really been allowed to grow and mature over time. I'd personally have spent the entirety of this season playing with the idea that Arthur and Guinevere have a soft spot for each other, and only have them act on it later in the season—but Camelot as a whole made a creative decision very early on to rush through the legend, somewhat.

It felt a little strange to me that Igraine didn't react very much to the news Merlin slept with "Morgraine" by mistake, as she could have been either overjoyed (it proves Merlin has feelings for her) or upset because Merlin was fooled so easily. Likewise, there was no big ramifications over the fact Merlin's effectively slept with Morgan now, although I'm still predicting Morgan will announce she's pregnant with Merlin's child in next week's finale. Still, it's also amusing whenever Fiennes and Green share the screen, as they've both decided to chew on the cheesy material like feral dogs. On a similar note, Fiennes seemed to relish being able to clench his jaw and sneer his lines at Sinéad Cusick's devious nun Sybil this week, which was fun.

Overall, "The Battle Of Bardon Pass" wasn't much to get excited about because the writing hasn't been strong or consistent enough this season. It quickly regressed into an hour where you were just keeping a mental tally of all the weirdness—like the titular battle being a rather weird standoff between about 20 people, or the laughable inaccuracy of those archers when Guinevere rode onto the battlefield, which made Star Wars' Stormtrooper look like crack shots. It's entertaining on the level of a dumb Syfy miniseries, but as the setup for a big finale next week it rang very hollow. Which is a shame, because a handful of episodes this year, that embraced the ludicrous side of Camelot's nature, were at least entertaining.

written by Louise Fox & Chris Chibnall / directed by Mikael Salomon / 3 June 2011 / Starz

CAMELOT, 1.8 - "Igraine"

A flawed episode, but I found myself quite enjoying "Igraine" because of Claire Forlani's performance and the way it gently prodded situations along regarding Merlin (Joseph Fiennes) and Igraine's simmering sexual tension, and Guinevere's (Tamsin Egerton) pre-marital fling with Arthur (Jamie Campbell Bower.) It was nothing very special, but it was an engaging enough character study that made us understand Morgan a little better.

Following last week's cliffhanger, Morgan has disguised herself as a duplicate of Queen Igraine and is now roaming around Camelot trying not to blow her cover--mainly by rehearsing the phrases "good morning" and "of course", which can seemingly be used to get you out of any tricky situation. The whole episode was essentially a way for smirking Morgan to see a side of her enemies she didn't expect: the heartfelt affection a little orphan boy has for Igraine, the kindness shown to said child by Merlin, the romantic feelings Merlin has for Igraine (shared by Morgan?), and confirmation that Guinevere slept with Arthur on the eve of her marriage to Leontes (Philip Winchester.) Forlani was exemplary throughout, in an episode that rested on her shoulders, particularly in her mimicry of Eva Green's accent and sneering expressions. The character of Igraine hasn't felt very relevant to Camelot so far, and this episode didn't really change that, but it certainly made you realize Forlani's a talented actress who can tackle this material well.

The best element of the story was "Morgraine" feeling a maternal connection to the orphan boy, which blossomed into scenes where she helped Merlin celebrate the boy's birthday by presenting him with gifts, becoming parents to him for the day. Morgan's a damaged child herself, and for a brief moment we saw how she could have been a very different person with a more stable upbringing. Merlin's words about what Arthur's trying to achieve at Camelot even appeared to be sinking in ever so slightly with Morgan, and there was a nice scene where Mograine made Merlin feel sympathy for Morgan by revealing King Uther regularly beat his daughter before exiling her from Castle Pendragon to the nunnery.

It was a particularly effective moment when Morgraine accidentally caused the death of the orphan boy, during a struggle with him after he saw her face contort as her spell weakened, pushing him off a balcony to the stone floor below. The little boy was so sweet-natured it was a death you really felt, despite his brief screen-time. It's a shame more time wasn't spent building the boy's friendship with Igraine during the previous seven episodes, as this could have been a genuinely heartrending moment instead of just a sad one earned because, well, nobody likes to see cute kids fall to a premature death.

The real Igraine's story was less compelling, as she just languished in Castle Pendragon's dungeon with no idea what Morgan's up to, occasionally goaded by Sybil (Sinéad Cusick), until she managed to escape by agreeing to have sex with a guard ("who's your king!") and plunging the guard's own dagger into his back during the act. How's that for penetration? Inevitably the two Igraine's came face to face when Morgraine returned home, having slept with Merlin and told Leontes about his wife's affair, so I'm sure everyone at Camelot will soon know about Morgan's undercover mission. It just remains to be seen if Athur's regime is about to crumble to pieces if Leontes tells everyone what the king's been up to with Guinevere, and there's surely the possibility that Morgan will now find herself pregnant with Merlin's child. Is this how Mordred will be introduced into the show?

Overall, "Igraine" wasn't anything special but I really did enjoy Forlani's twin performance, and as a piece-moving episode it sets up some rather big events to come--and they're all from a character standpoints, which is great. There was also the scene with Leontes seeing a wolf in the woods to take note of, which Morgraine also saw in her bedside mirror while having sex with Merlin--which I'm taking as the symbol of the dark force Morgan's allowed into her life. Does this mean the same Evil is now after Leontes, perhaps intending to use his resentment of Guinevere/Arthur against him?

Asides

• Merlin has some rather elaborate, mystical scars on his back.
• The fact Merlin's self-proclaimed powers of perception failed when he kissed Morgraine should have been a warning sign, right?
• Vivian now appears conflicted over her loyalty to Morgan when faced with Igraine's pleading in the dungeon, eventually turning a blind eye to her escape.

written by Chris Chibnall & Steven Lightfoot (story by Chris Chibnall) / directed by Michelle MacLaren / 20 May 2011 / Starz

'CAMELOT' 1.7 - "The Long Night"

On Camelot this week, we were given a typical siege story that allowed for some exploration of a few characters, as Arthur (Jamie Campbell Bower) and his knights travelled to Castle Pendragon at his half-sister Morgan's (Eva Green) behest, only to find themselves trapped inside by the late-King Uther's nemesis Aldwulf, who's apparently trying to seize control of the castle and the nearby Barden Pass, which would cut Camelot off from vital trade routes.

"The Long Night" was notable for essentially merging the Pendragon and Camelot groups together, which in turn led to scenes where characters who wouldn't ordinarily share the screen were allowed to. In particular: Morgan had a brief girly chat with married Guinevere (Tamsin Egerton) and pried into her feelings towards her queen-less brother, and ominous nun Sybil (Sinéad Cusick) was confronted by Merlin (Joseph Fiennes) and flagrantly accused of teaching Morgan dangerous magic.

The idea that Aldwulf's threat wasn't real and the whole siege faked by Morgan (using fiery arrows shot by unseen assailants over the castle wall, and the injury of a knight who loves Morgan so much he agreed to be harmed) made for a nice twist, as the Camelot characters had their attention focused on a non-existent danger as Morgan once again manipulated people. I also like how Morgan's comrades--Sybil and loyal servant Vivian (Chipo Chung)--are beginning to resemble younger versions of MacBeth's Three Witches, conspiring to ascertain how best to ruin Arthur's reign. That said, I was unconvinced by Morgan's breakthrough that Queen Igraine (Claire Forlani) is the linchpin, and therefore the person she chose to incarcerate and, using her shape-shifting ability, physically replace. Still, it should be fun to see Morgan-as-Igraine snooping around Camelot next week, and certainly gives Forlani something more compelling to do. All she had going for her was a potential love match with Merlin, which is unfortunate because 'shippers would be forced to call their union "Migraine"--perhaps aptly?

The action throughout was decent, considering there were no actual enemies for anyone to fight, with a fairly rousing moment when Arthur rescued a stricken peasant from a fire using a hay cart, and a fun sword-fight between Leontes (Philip Winchester) and Gawaine (Colin Standen.) Leontes actually took some sizable steps forward as a credible character here, and his disagreements with Gawaine are certainly a welcome way to inject drama into the second tier characters, as the show has been primarily concerned with the leading actors. However, one downside of Camelot is that most of the female characters are written very thinly. The show clearly struggles because it can't rewrite historical fact and give the women equal rights, but the way this episode conspired to give the women archery lessons felt a little forced. Women don't need to be copying what men do to be considered strong characters, so Camelot really needs to start giving Guinevere and Igraine their own ways of proving their value. Perhaps Igraine's capture will enable that now, as I'm sure she'll be having words with Morgan about murdering her husband soon, having learned that from Merlin.

Overall, "The Long Night" was much better than last week's stinker, but a rather convoluted way to deliver a simple outcome (Morgan gaining access to Camelot as an impostor.) The fact it was more focused on character worked in its favour, of course, although Fiennes' performance is turning into something so ludicrous I'm wondering if it's intentional and he thinks Camelot's more of a silly romp than it's meant to be. Eva Green is much better, but is also guilty of overplaying moments and seems to deliver supercilious sneer at the end of every sentence. It's an oddly enjoyable acting style, though, particularly in conjunction with Green's roving Anglo-Franco accent.

written by Steven Lightfoot / directed by Mikael Salomon / 13 May 2011 / Starz

'CAMELOT' 1.6 – "Three Journeys"

Last week gave us Camelot's best episode to date, so it's a terrible shame this following episode was its worst. A triumvirate of storylines, each one as tedious as the next, only serving to reiterate points already made. Merlin (Joseph Fiennes) led the knights on a dreary quest to retrieve library books from a pillaged castle, allowing for more discussion about the extent of Merlin's powers and his psychological struggle with his gift/curse; Arthur (Jamie Campbell Bower) accompanied Guinevere (Tamsin Egerton) on a journey to see her dying father, reigniting their passion along the way; and Morgan (Eva Green) learned from a facially-burned stranger that her aide Sybil (Sinéad Cusick) was responsible for burning down her nunnery, so had to be seen to make Sybil pay for her crimes while allowing her to avoid execution.

There were a few nice moments stirred into this episode (loved the way Morgan decided the custody of a young boy by tricking his father into hastily bartering for his enslavement), but it was mostly an episode that didn't amount to much. You could very easily skip this hour entirely, as nothing of relevance happened. Even the supposed revelation that Sybil torched her nunnery was something most people suspected the moment the fire was mentioned weeks ago, as she's such an obviously suspicious woman.

"Three Journeys" didn't work because its trio of storylines were disparate and didn't even connect thematically. They were just ways to kill time with various characters and, for the benefit of latecomers, rake over old ground regarding Merlin's inner demons and Morgan's conflicts. The relationship between Morgan/Sybil is currently the most enjoyable part of Camelot, perhaps because the bad guys are always more fun to watch (in particular, Green has this soured expression that could curdle milk from 50 paces.) I'm also a little worried the show's already laying groundwork to have Merlin develop a mastery of his powers, as that would lead to the obvious problems when you have all-powerful wizards in medieval-fantasy shows. Camelot's handling of magic (treating it as a dangerous addiction, to be avoided if you can) has been one of its few wholly successful creative ideas, so why start edging away from that?

Overall, "Three Journeys" was a wasted hour that didn't have anything very compelling to impart to viewers. Why should we care about the death of Guinevere's father, when all we knew of him was gleamed from a brief flashback of him telling his daughter a bedtime story? Was the week's big quest really to source a collection of books to create Camelot its own library? Is anyone enjoying the Arthur/Guinevere romance, seeing as theirs is supposed to be one of the greatest love stories every told? A few fun moments and nice lines of dialogue (like Arthur evoking Cicero) weren't enough to stop this episode being a very badly-timed misfire.

written by Chris Chibnall / directed by Stefan Schwartz / 6 May 2011 / Starz

'CAMELOT' 1.5 - "Justice"

I didn't have much faith in this episode to begin with, but it slowly came together in a surprisingly pleasurable way that crystallized several things about Camelot and provided some much-needed glimpses at what the show's really all about. In particular, through the prism of justice, we learn that Morgan (Eva Green) is a shining example of the "old ways" (making allies by demonstrating she has the zero tolerance for criminals), while Arthur (Jamie Campbell Bower) is promoting a very modern judicial system that involves patience, investigation and fair-mindedness. Now more than ever it's easy to see them as two sides of the same coin, which heightens Camelot's drama as these half-siblings fight for the hearts and minds of their countrymen...

This week, Arthur and his men came to the aide of a villager called Colfur (Outcasts' Liam Cunningham) after hearing his daughter's cries for help while riding through a rainy forest. It appears that Colfur had murdered his village's leader by bludgeoning him with a rock, and is in the process of being lynched by his victim's brother Ewan (Luther's Steven Mackintosh), but Arthur calls a halt to the capital punishment and orders a proper trial at Camelot to ascertain Colfur's guilt or innocence. An event that a vengeful Ewan has no faith in, but Arthur believes Colfur's predicament is a great way to demonstrate his progressive attitude to lawfulness.

Over at the Castle Pendragon, Sybil (Sinéad Cusack) proved her usefulness to Morgan by summoning the locals to complain about the lack of protection from Camelot, and manipulate them into believing the true source of power in the land comes from Morgan, not the half-brother they've taken to their hearts on principle of his bloodline. This involved Sybil paying a mercenary to cause her physical harm, so the locals perceive Morgan as someone who knows their own suffering through personal experience. I said last time that Sybil's effectively Morgan's version of Merlin (a surrogate parent and mentor figure), and the parallels are fun to see play out. It was a particularly effective moment when Morgan seized on Sybil's plan and then embellished it to make converts of everyone gathered at her castle, by ruthlessly cutting the throat of Sybil's "attacker" and earning everyone's respect and admiration through a theatrical, grisly show of power and the kind of intolerance that speaks to the people of the day. She's the trusted right-wing politician to Arthur's uncommon left-wing approach to peacekeeping. Two people wanting to rule; one through hope, the other through fear.

And in a small subplot, Merlin (Joseph Fiennes) wrestled with his demons many days of self-imposed isolation in the bowls of the castle, driven to a near-manic state by the fact he caused the drowning of an innocent girl over a sword. I'm still unsure if Fiennes' twitchy performance is a masterstroke of tangled frustrations and mental toil, or simply a ludicrous case of overacting, but I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt again. It helped that there was a surprisingly good scene between him and Queen Igraine (Claire Forlani), who discovered the sorcerer's whereabouts and shared a touching moment with him that almost turned passionate, until Merlin broke the sexual tension. He's an isolated man who believes anyone who gets close to him becomes tarnished, as he's effectively playing on the outskirts of a magical world that gives him great power at the price of a normal existence. This unexpected will-they/won't-they between Merlin and Igraine is likely to return, as Merlin's the perfect example of a damaged man a kindly woman like Igraine would want to fix.

Overall, "Justice" was probably the best episode of Camelot to date, simply because it seemed to have some intelligence to it. Previous episodes have been enjoyable because of the violence, nudity and magic on display, but this story worked because the characters and ideas behind the series began to take clearer shape. Arthur's interactions with Guinevere (Tamsin Egerton) even felt more enjoyable this week, as it wasn't totally driven by mutual lust. If Camelot can keep this up, then bring the magic in to compliment things without looking too silly, I have hope the series may actually become something to look forward to each week.

Asides

• A very good performance from Liam Cunningham as the man on trial, who has his private reasons for desiring the death of a fellow villager. Cunningham was one of the main reasons to keep watching the recent BBC series Outcasts and it was great to see him give a very different performance here, in his natural Irish accent.
• I'm a little confused that people have so quickly taken Arthur to their hearts and descended on Camelot in droves. Word spreads a lot quicker than I would have thought, but we know the show likes to get a move on with things. It was also interesting to get a feeling that some villages aren't so willing to accept Arthur's new regime and may fight against change. In many ways, the big challenge to Arthur is going to be changing people's longstanding beliefs and preconceptions of what being a good King actually means, while his sister Morgan sticks to what's worked in the past: prove to people you're the biggest bad-ass in town and that they should come to YOU for protection from enemies.

written by Sarah Phelps & Terry Cafolla / directed by Stefan Schwartz / 29 April 2011 / Starz

'CAMELOT' 1.4 - "Lady Of The Lake"

A marked improvement over last week's "Guinevere", partly because there's a sense Camelot's starting to find its tone; a fun balance between reality and fantasy that reminds me of ITV's Robin Of Sherwood. I'm still concerned by how quickly the season's rushing through the Arthurian legend (this hour alone covered the Lady Of The Lake and Excalibur), but we'll see what happens when Camelot's got no iconography left to explore.

In "Lady Of The Lake", Arthur (Jamie Campbell Bower) fell out with Gawain (Clive Standen) over his unorthodox methods of teaching knights how to fight, which involves injuring them in training; Morgan (Eva Green) suffered a debilitating fever that became life-threatening, just as a mysterious nun from the convent she was exiled to reentered her life; and Merlin (Joseph Fiennes) travelled to find renowned bladesmith Caliburn (Vincent Regan), to ask him to forge the perfect sword for the king, only for his inner demons to rise to the surface and cause trouble for the retired warrior and his teenage daughter Excalibur...

At its heart, this episode was all about exploring a few character's hearts of darkness. Morgan has made some kind of deal with the Devil (perhaps literally) to get what she wants in life, and is essentially meddling in things she doesn't understand for short-term benefits. A "Faustian pact" perhaps made in the woods back in "Homecoming"'s final scene where Morgan disrobed, during a ritual referred to here as "a Summoning". And as Merlin mentioned last week, magic has dreadful repercussions for those wielding it, and Morgan felt the full brunt of that warning as her health deteriorated. In fact, only the help of pious nun Sybil (Sinéad Cusack) saw her survive the night. It seems likely Sybil will become Morgan's adviser now, as she appears to have affection for young Morgan and believes God has led her down this path. It remains to be seen if Sybil's going to be a force for good, however. Did she burn down the convent she left?

Merlin's character was also developed in an interesting way, as he was fighting his own demons in a more figurative sense. It seems he's long abstained from magic because he knows its perils, but also knows how enjoyable the sense of power is. I really like how magic in Camelot is insidious, almost like a terrible narcotic. It was a big surprise to see Merlin actually kill two innocent people, too -- through a combination of overzealous self-defence and tragic accident (again, a result of using magic.) Caliburn was roasted in a fire Merlin caused to inflame when angered, while Excalibur drowned in a lake while fleeing Merlin in a boat. As in "Camelot", the story found a fun way of tweaking the traditional legend -- with Merlin causing Excalibur's death by freezing the lake, unintentionally trapping her underneath the ice, but allowing her to pierce the surface with the sword he later named "Excalibur" in the drowned girl's honour. A satisfying twist on the usual story, but also significant because it again played with the idea that stories themselves are very powerful things in this age. Merlin mentioned the power of myth to Arthur when he was tasked with retrieving the "sword of Mars" from the waterfall, so hearing Merlin lie about how he found Excalibur (spinning a brand new folktale that's closer to the Arthurian story we know) gave the story added strength.

Arthur's subplot was the least satisfying one, and his feelings from Guinevere (Tamsin Egerton) still feel ridiculously overstated considering he's only known her a few weeks, but it was quite nice to see Queen Igraine (Claire Forlani) deciding to take a maternal interest in her son's life. And Gwaine himself appears to be having an influence on how Arthur approaches things, which came at the same time Merlin was away. That's perhaps a hint that Arthur's too easily distracted and manipulated, so people like Gwaine can imprint their own ideas on the boy-king if Merlin's not around to filter outside influences.

Overall, "Lady Of The Lake" was entertaining and certainly had a better grasp of the show's magical elements. That's definitely something it should be embracing if it's going to survive, and one of Camelot's biggest strengths right now is how it's chosen to tackle the idea of a world where magic exists, without making that into something too silly or disruptive.

Asides

• Actress Sinéad Cusack is married to Jeremy Irons, who's currently playing the Pope in another cable series over on Showtime, The Borgias.
• It suddenly dawned on me that Clive Standen played Archer in the third series of the BBC's Robin Hood remake. He was also Private Harris in the Sontaran two-parter of Doctor Who's third series.

written by Louise Fox & Chris Chibnall / directed by Jeremy Podeswa / 15 April 2011 / Starz

'CAMELOT' 1.3 – "Guinevere"

After a two-part opening that played like an average Hallmark television movie, "Guinevere" was a step backwards in most respects. It juggled three storylines poorly, and I'm still not sure it's a wise decision to have given Arthur (Jamie Campbell Bower) ready-made legitimacy with a shiny crown, loyal knights, an impressive castle, and devoted subjects.There's still the long-term goal of uniting the whole country and toppling evil Morgan (Eva Green) from his late-father's throne, but it feels like the story's already past the halfway mark.

This week, Leontes (Philip Winchester) rode off on a quest to obtain the loyalty of renowned knight-trainer Gawaine (Clive Standen) to ply his trade at Camelot, and his absence gave Arthur the opportunity to woo his friend's fiancée Guinevere (Tamsin Egerton) the day before their wedding. Concomitantly, Merlin (Joseph Fiennes) accompanied Arthur on a diplomatic mission to Morgan's court, who appears to have calmed down since they last spoke. But while naïve Arthur believes there's a chance of lasting peace with his sister (if they just get to know each other), it becomes clear that Morgan's keeping her true feelings a secret and still wants to reign as queen. Merlin also started to fear for Morgan's health after being given proof she's dabbling in magic, as it's a practice even he's reticent to use because of the costs involved.

There are a number of challenges facing Camelot at this early stage, and a big one's going to be teasing this legend out over ten episodes and beyond. I still suspect they were needlessly hasty with the two-part premiere, as I'm not hugely interested in seeing Camelot slowly restored to its Roman glory, and boy-king Arthur becoming less of a metrosexual fop. Still, as I said in my inaugural review last weekend, there are a few commendable creative choices from showrunner Chris Chibnall (such as magic being something that comes at great personal cost), but the wider story and supporting characters have yet to impress me.

I really like one subversion of the traditional legend, though: with Arthur being the person disrupting a marriage, although making Guinevere complicit kind of spoils things. It makes you wonder why she bothered to go through with her wedding to Leontes, if she has feelings for her dashing new king. We haven't seen enough of the relationship between Guinevere and Leontes to make us understand why she'd remain loyal to her betrothed, or why calling the wedding off would be inadvisable. It didn't help that Leontes had practically no screentime with his bride-to-be here, either -- particularly as the Gawaine subplot he was involved with was, frankly, a pointless distraction.

I'm still in two-minds about Joseph Fiennes' performance. His Merlin's unlike any version of the character I can remember, but perhaps there was a reason nobody's played Merlin as an uptight puppetmaster before. He's a hard man to like, and Fiennes is only just edging into so-bad-it's-good territory, but we'll have to see where he takes it. I did enjoy seeing Merlin pull the reigns on Arthur's expanding ego by pointedly reminding him how everything he's becoming is down to him; it showed how Merlin demands respect, and that Arthur's egomania could be his undoing once he's fully established as king. If you know the Arthurian legend, it feels like Camelot's already going down the path where Arthur doesn't quite attain the exacting standards Merlin requires for his masterplan to work. Arthur's likely affair with Guinevere behind her husband's back speaks to those flaws, too.

Overall, Camelot fumbled the ball here. It's annoyingly eager to rush through its tale, perhaps because it knows everyone watching is aware of the Arthurian legend -- which I can understand. However, things are moving so fast they've forgotten to lay firm foundations between the characters. The Arthur/Guinevere/Leontes love-triangle should be a key emotional part of this seasons' storyline, but we just don't know the characters well enough to care, so it's not working. Any attachment we have is a vestigial response to the Arthurian story itself, not Camelot in particular.

More speed, less haste, my liege.

Asides

• Is Leontes supposed to be Sir Lancelot? It would be helpful to know if that's the case, definitively, as audiences risk being very confused if Lancelot makes his debut in the weeks to come. I'm going to assume Leontes is Lancelot for now, and grumble about the writers being needlessly imprecise. Lancelot's an acceptable name, and one that has mythical currency along with Merlin and Arthur, so why not embrace that?
• It just dawned on me that the Fiennes brothers are playing famous sorcerers from opposite ends of the moral compass, as Ralph Fiennes famously plays Voldemort in the Harry Potter movies.

written by Louis Fox (story by Chris Chibnall & Louise Fox) / directed by Jeremy Podeswa / 8 April 2011 / Starz

'CAMELOT'; Arthurian, on the rocks

Canter over to Obsessed With Film, where I've reviewed the first two episodes of Starz's CAMELOT, starring Joseph Fiennes, Jamie Campbell Bower & Eva Green. Swords! Horses! Magic! Boobies!

The Arthurian legend is one of the most enduring of English folklore; forever being retold, re-imagined and updated for new audiences. In recent times we've had the dubious historical accuracy of 2004's King Arthur movie, together with the family-friendly magical adventures of the BBC's Merlin. Having found surprise success with Spartacus: Blood & Sand, US cable channel Starz turn their attention to the Arthurian legend for a glossy co-production with GK-TV that broadly follows the classic Le Morte d'Arthur version of the story -- with a few alterations and flourishes. But does Camelot offer enough innovations to attract viewers who've been swamped by magic, knights, castles and swords since the turn-of-the-century? Continue reading...