Merlin: Season 2

Merlin is back with even more magic, adventure and romance as the young wizard struggles to protect Prince Arthur in the perilous world of Camelot. While battling deadly assassins, mystical monsters and the most powerful sorcerers Camelot has ever seen, Merlin must work harder than ever to conceal his unique abilities, as King Uther redoubles his war against magic. And Merlin isn't the only one whose destiny calls-Lady Morgana , Uther's ward, discovers dangerous secrets she dare not reveal; Lancelot returns, changing everything for both Gwen and Arthur; and King Uther fall in love, little knowing that the charming Lady Catrina is secretly a hideous troll. And as Arthur continues on his path from arrogant prince to the noble and just King Arthur of legend, we see the return of the one prophesised to kill him-the mysterious druid boy, Mordred. Featuring exciting new villains, white-knuckle stunt sequences, and spectacular CGI monsters, Merlin season two is more thrilling than ever.

The Curse of Cornelius Sigan
Gaius and Merlin investigate an ancient tomb recently excavated, only to discover that it belongs to the terrifying sorcerer Cornelius Sigan from local legend. When Uther becomes taken by the treasure inside and refuses to heed Gaius's pleas for the tomb to re-sealed, Merlin and Gaius must undo the evil that is released.

The Once and Future Queen
King Odin wants Arthur dead. He commissions the deadly assassin Myror to do the deed. Meanwhile, Arthur is convinced that the other knights are going easy on him in jousts. He pretends to leave Camelot but, with Merlin's help, secretly returns and enters the jousting tournament. Much to Gwen's discomfort, Arthur hides out in her home. As Arthur learns new lessons in humility, he finds himself ever more drawn to Gwen. Even though both know that any sort of special relationship is impossible, Arthur returns to his royal duties deeply torn...nothing will ever be the same again.

The Nightmare Begins
Morgana's bad dreams are back, only now her waking hours aren't safe either. As she stirs from a nightmare, her bedroom curtains burst into flame. Arthur thinks lightning is to blame, but the King is convinced an intruder wanted Morgana. He orders Arthur to draw up a list of every person in the kingdom they suspect of having associations with magic, and arrest them. Morgana fears sorcery is to blame but she knows there was no intruder; she somehow started the fire with her eyes. She goes to Gaius, but he quashes all talk of magic in order to protect her from Uther. Merlin is torn between wanting to help her, and risk revealing his own secret.

Lancelot and Guinevere
En route to visit her father's grave, Morgana's party is set upon by bandits. After a messy battle her knights are killed and she and Gwen are taken captive. Thanks to Morgana's cunning, they manage to escape Kendrick's clutches...but not for long. When the bandits give chase, Gwen is recaptured and forced to pose as Morgana. As Uther refuses to send out a search and rescue party for a mere servant girl, it's up to Merlin and Arthur to rescue their friend.

Beauty and the Beast, Pt. 1
When a beautiful woman named Catrina arrives to Camelot, Uthur becomes smitten with the noblewoman. It is only when Gaius suspects that she is not all she seems that Merlin discovers the horrible truth. Will he save Uther in time?

Beauty and the Beast, Pt. 2
Enchanted Uther couldn't be happier with his new Queen, but Catrina is not content with a title - she has a plan for absolute wealth and power. As the new King and Queen retire to their chambers after the wedding, Catrina feigns being upset and tells Uther that Arthur's servant has stolen her precious family seal. Uther is furious and orders Merlin's immediate arrest. In hiding, Merlin must expose Catrina for the troll she is once and for all.

The Witchfinder
A paranoid Uther summons to Camelot the feared and revered witchfinder, Aredian. In the days of the Great Purge, Aredian exposed countless witches and warlocks with his grim interrogation techniques, helping Uther drive sorcery underground. Gaius tries to impress upon Merlin how serious the situation is, but Morgana needs no convincing. She's terrified Aredian will see straight through her. Merlin is first to be interrogated, and while he's confident he didn't incriminate himself, Gaius isn't sure. Further witnesses come forward with stories of magic around Camelot. Merlin knows he wasn't responsible, but Aredian makes his declaration to Uther - Merlin is the sorcerer!

The Sins of the Father
A mysterious swordsman breaks into the throne room and throws a gauntlet at Arthur's feet. The Prince accepts the challenge and orders the stranger to identify himself. The swordsman removes the helmet to reveal a beautiful woman, Morgause. Morgause shares a past with Morgana, and has the power to reveal some terrible truths to Arthur. What happens next will depend on everyone's willpower, and Merlin's quick thinking.

The Lady of the Lake
Out with Gaius one night, Merlin finds a frightened girl chained in the street. Gaius suspects she has fallen prey to a bounty hunter, and Merlin is appalled. He locks eyes with the girl and she makes a silent, desperate plea for help. He knows he must do something. As their bond grows stronger while Merlin guides her to her escape, he realizes that he must do everything to help her.

Sweet Dreams
Four kings arrive for peace talks. Among them are King Olaf and his daughter Vivian, and King Alined and his jester Trickler. When Trickler enchants Arthur, making him fall hopelessly in "love" with the beautiful but loathsome Vivian, the entirety of the kingdoms' peace treaties are threatened to fall apart, and it's up to Merlin to save his friend again.

The Witch's Quickening
Cunning, charismatic and violent, the warlock Alvarr has a plan to reclaim a precious artifact from Uther's vaults - The Crystal of Neahtid. Uther has no idea what the crystal is for, but he keeps it carefully guarded. Alvarr knows he needs the help of a palace insider if he is to succeed, and he has his sights set on recruiting the king's ward.

The Fires of Idirsholas
A farmer arrives in Camelot to report smoke over the Fortress of Idirsholas. Gaius tells Merlin that, over three hundred years ago, the seven noble Knights of Medhir were seduced by a sorcerer. As Uther bids Arthur to ride out and confirm that all is well in Irdisholas, Gaius warns Merlin not to be complacent - if someone has revived the Knights, then Camelot is under threat.

The Last Dragonlord
Camelot has been under siege since Merlin set the Great Dragon free. Merlin is overcome by guilt, but he remains at Arthur's side as the Dragon attacks. Flaming arrows fill the sky, but it's no use. Merlin asks the Dragon why he is doing this. Full of rage the Dragon responds that he will never truly be free after everything has Uther done. The only man capable of controlling a dragon is a Dragonlord, and Uther wiped them all out in The Great Purge. Or did he?

Directed by David Moore, Jeremy Webb, Metin Hüseyin, Alice Troughton,
Written by Julian Jones, Jake Michie, Howard Overman, Ben Vanstone, Jake Mitchie, Lucy Watkins
Produced by Johnny Capps, Julian Murphy

Merlin - Merlin came to Camelot after living in the town of Ealdor. It is implied that he had to leave Ealdor because they were aware and didn't approve of his magical ability. There, he found Gaius, a court physician who has given up his former magical life, and serves a ruthless king who wants magic stamped out. Although Gaius is fatherly and kind, he has a dark side that is slowly being revealed.

Arthur - The circumstances surrounding Arthur's birth are kept a close secret, even from Arthur himself. When his mother, the Lady Igraine, was unable to have a child, Arthur's father, Uther, asked the sorceress Nimueh to help them conceive one. She agreed to do so, but did not inform them of the consequences that would come of creating a child through magic. Igraine died shortly after Arthur's birth, as the rules of the Old Religion stated that for a life created, a life must be taken. Thus, Arthur was raised as an only child, until his father took in the orphaned daughter of his friend Gorlois, the Lady Morgana.

Arthur's education was centered around combat and the knightly arts. He himself claimed to have been "trained to kill since birth." Because of this emphasis, he is arguably the best knight in Camelot, and oversees the training and maintanence of the other knights in the kingdom. His skills make him rather arrogant at times, covering the fact that he has a very good heart and cares deeply for his family, friends, and future subjects.

Gaius - Gaius seems to have been the Court physician for some time and he is a respected member of the community. He appears to have been privy to all of Uther's secrets. However, Gaius also has some secrets of his own; he previously practised magic, although it seems to have lost that ability. He also knows Hunith (Merlin's mother) although it isn't clear how or what their relationship is/was.

Morgana - Morgana's father was killed fighting for Uther when Morgana was ten. From then on she became the King's ward and she is like a daughter to him. She was raised as a sister to Arthur and has served as first lady of the kingdom and the only female member of the royal family. She has magical blood and is able to use magic in the same way as merlin (as well as being a seer) though her magic is less defined as of yet as she has only just discovered her powers. She is a deeply compassionate woman, willing to risk her life for others.

Uther Pendragon - Uther is the king of Camelot. He is a stern and at times a harsh ruler, but he does care deeply for his subjects. He is well-known for his intense hatred for any and all things related to magic, and has banned its use within the kingdom.

Few people know of the source of his hatred of magic. Some twenty years earlier, Uther sought the assistance of the sorceress Nimueh in creating a child, because his wife, the Lady Igraine, was barren and thus unable to conceive. She agreed to help him, but did not inform Uther of the consequences that would come of creating a life through magic. When the birth of their son, Arthur, resulted in Igraine's death (thus taking a life in return for creating one, one of the tenets of magic), the raging and grieving Uther threw Nimueh from the court and banned magic from Camelot, making it an offense punishable by death. Many sorcerers living in Camelot were killed in Uther's subsequent purges.

A few years later, Uther took in Morgana, the orphaned daughter of his close friend, Gorlois, who died when Uther did not provide the reinforcements he had promised the other man. He and Morgana often fight with one another, most notably over Uther's policies concerning magic, but they still share a deep bond with each other.

Although he is often cold and sometimes even cruel, Uther is very devoted to Arthur as well. He will not hesitate to sacrifice his life for him, and even entered into a duel that he believed was suicide with the wraith that used to be Tristan de Blois in order to prevent Arthur's death. Because he is not often able to show his true feelings to Arthur or Morgana, he often relies on fear and intimidation to parent them, which puts Uther into conflict with them when they wish to walk their own paths.

Guinevere - Guinevere, more commonly known as Gwen, is the maidservant of Lady Morgana and the daughter of the local blacksmith, Tom. Despite living in poverty and the heavy demands of her job, Gwen is cheerful and kind to all she meets. She is fiercely loyal to her mistress, Morgana and the two have become close friends. She was also one of the first people to be kind to Merlin, who was in the stocks at the time and completely helpless. Gwen is devoted to her father and willing to do anything to help him, which has gotten her into trouble as her devotion nearly got her sentenced to death as a witch.

• Merlin Secrets & Magic
• BBC Writers' Room: Julian Jones
• Wales history: King Arthur
• Welsh myths animated stories & games
• Arthur in early Welsh literature