Page 1 of 3
There is definitely some exciting action here, but Merlin continues to underwhelm as a whole....
BBC / 536 Minutes / 2008 / Unrated / Street Date: January 15, 2013
Having more in common with shows on the WB than most shows on the BBC, Merlin: The Complete Fourth Season continues its tale of a youthful Merlin (Colin Morgan) as he learns to master his recently discovered skills in magic. See, the king - in an earlier season - outlawed all magic and the dark arts in his kingdom, necessitating a cautious use of that supernatural stuff that serves as the impetus for much of storylines and the relationships that follow.
And Merlin: The Complete Fourth Season definitely starts with a bang - in a two-parter (The Darkest Hour), we come face to face with the evil sorceress Morgana, who is hell-bent on bringing as much death and destruction as possible to the boys and girls of our show. We even get another double-episode entitled The Sword in the Stone to send off this season in fireworks.
Though its reimagining of the at this point been-there-done-that Merlin legend is interesting, Merlin: The Complete Fourth Season loses its footing a bit in comparison with seasons past. While many American sci-fi shows of Merlin's ilk have proven to be entertaining and well-written, this collection of episodes misses the mark, with fairly little to offer in regards to story or rib-sticking entertainment. Once you spend an hour or two investing in the characters you'll want to see how they end up, but that's pretty much the extent of it.