Morgana takes the first broad steps toward her pivotal role in Arthurian lore when a magic rebellion comes to Camelot in “The Witch’s Quickening,” an all-new episode of MERLIN premiering at 10:00 PM Friday, June 18, only on Syfy.
In the episode, young Mordred returns with ruthless warlock Alvarr in hopes of starting a revolt against King Uther’s mandates against magic in Camelot. Key to Alvarr’s plan is the retrieval of the Crystal of Neahtid, a precious magical relic of the Old Religion locked deep in the Camelot vaults.
Many have lost their lives trying to reclaim the Crystal, but Alvarr could succeed where they failed – Morgana is in love with him, and her strong bond with Mordred further convinces her to turn both thief and traitor. Merlin is shocked by her choice, and stunned when he looks into the mysterious crystal and witnesses its true value.
The episode serves as a turning point for Morgana in MERLIN, and is a tour-de-force for actress Katie McGrath. Morgana is beset with inner conflict – she’s been raised as the ward of a king who has outlawed magic in his country, and is just now realizing the potential for her personal magic powers.
“As her magic powers begin to emerge, you start to see hints of the Morgana she’s going to become, and she finds it very confusing,” McGrath says. “Her development brings her into dramatic conflict with Uther. All in all, it’s a huge shift from the pampered princess of the first season to the Morgana you expect from the legends.”
Further, Morgana gets her first real love interest in the series – albeit one involving a deceitful warlock with an agenda that centers on revenge, not romance.
“We wanted to see Morgana fall in love, and to fall in love with the wrong person,” says executive producer Johnny Capps. “Alvarr is a very charismatic leader of this magic rebellion, who is completely manipulating her. I think that adds to the tragedy of the story and hopefully the audience will be sympathetic to why she turns to the dark side.”
McGrath doesn’t mind the circumstances, she’s just happy her character finally has a man. “Gwen always gets all the men – she has snogged everyone!” McGrath complains. “It’s not fair. Morgana gets powers: great. I get frocks: brilliant. But no men!”
Blades figure as much as sorcery in “The Witch’s Quickening,” adding another dazzling exhibition of swordplay to the series’ growing number of battles under the direction of stunt coordinator Andreas Petrides. Actor Joseph Mawle, who portrays Alvarr, says the sword fights are marvelously personalized to each character’s personality.
“You need to work out what the characters are like – if you’re a stealthier mover, then the moves will be more stealthy than a person who is a bull in a China shop just going for it kind of Ricky Hatton style,” says Mawle. “The fight has to work for the character so you’re not just tipping and tapping. You need an actual sense of what you’re trying to do to the other person, rather than purely make some noise and clash some blades.”
Of course, now that Morgana has been granted a romantic moment, McGrath readily awaits her opportunity to engage in a battle, too.
“I’d love to do more stunts – Angel (Coulby) and I are always annoying the producers and asking to do more sword fighting,” McGrath says. “I have to sit in the stands clapping while Bradley (James) does all the sword fights. I want him to sit in the stands while I do some! It takes three days to film those sequences. So Tony (Head) sits there playing with his Nintendo DS, while I sew tapestries.”
“The Witch’s Quickening,” an all-new episode of MERLIN, debuts at 10:00 PM Friday, June 18, only on Syfy.
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