A suitably epic finale rounds off the largely impressive first season of Merlin, with the stakes raised higher than ever. The tone is chillingly dark, the cast is brilliant and the plot is consistently gripping. It’s perfect fantasy viewing for all the family.

Morgana’s prophetic doom-laden visions help to instill a sense of dread after a slightly clumsy beginning to the episode, featuring a very unconvincingly rendered monster. From then on, the episode provides Colin Morgan with his best material to date as the confused wizard, who is put in the horrible position of having to sacrifice his own life to save Arthur – or so he thinks. Morgan, as an X Factor judge would say, owns the stage in a tense confrontation with the Dragon and is similarly crowdpleasing when asserting himself on Arthur (in a purely verbal sense!) and calling him a ‘prat’.

Special mention should go to Anthony Head too, whose grief over his slain son is authentic and very moving despite the character’s past evil deeds. Richard Wilson also exudes an immense amount of selfless dignity as Gaius, benefiting from some excellent writing – especially the admission that his life has mostly been a failure and that Merlin is the son he always wanted. But just as you’re about to reach for the hankie, Gaius is spared from death by Merlin’s actions.

The finale is not without its flaws though. When Merlin’s mother turns up on Gaius’s doorstep, with Rice Krispies attached to her face, it’s hard to be too concerned about her fate as she’s hardly figured throughout the series. Certainly, if we got to know her a bit better during Merlin’s recent trip home the scenario would have been more effective. Also, Merlin’s decision to kill Nimueh – without any subsequent remorse – doesn’t quite gel with the moral messages present throughout the series. Still, what’s the betting that she isn’t really dead?

Nonetheless, Merlin bows out for the year on a high and there are plenty of narrative threads that deserve to be further explored in a second season. Let’s hope Merlin can cast a spell on the BBC programme commissioners…

DigitalSpy.