Title: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, Part 2

Director: Metin Huseyin
Writer: Ben Vanstone

Sarah Parish, what can I say! Never before have I laughed so much at farts and dung eating from a gorgeous woman like yourself before.

Now, on to the episode. It picks up the night after Uther’s marriage to Catrina. We see her secure in her hold/enchantment over Uther and assures Jonas, her henchman that she can take care of Merlin and any threat he may pose to her. Uther arrives and we see her begin to set her plan in motion by accusing Merlin of stealing her father’s seal, something she claims is her last surviving link to her father. Uther falls for the lie and puts Arthur in charge of searching for Merlin.

Arthur, in turn, presents a picture of the dutiful Crown Prince doing as his father has asked, but we see that he knows where Merlin has been – cleaning his chambers – even as he sent his guards to search all corners of Camelot. Arthur warns Merlin of Catrina’s accusation and his father’s actions to find him, but Merlin insists he cannot leave for he knows what Catrina really is. Here, we see Arthur’s affection for Merlin as he states he does not care that his father has married a troll, he’d rather Merlin live. It struck me as another sign that Arthur is moving away from his father’s thinking. Merlin flees, but Arthur is left to deal with a manipulative Catrina and an enchanted Uther. Despite his attempts to dissuade them from searching for Merlin, Arthur is ordered to continue.

And then came the poo-eating. No, really.

Overall, I thought this was a great episode, filled with humour and angst. It showed us the King Arthur *wants* to be and how Gwen and Merlin are helping him see his people differently than Uther does. The difference between Uther and Arthur is more pronounced than ever, so as Arthur begins to see things differently from his father, I am so looking forward to how their relationship will change.

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