MERLIN‘s third episode of its third season, “Goblin’s Gold”, found the drama which had laced “The Tears of Uther Pendragron” kicked aside in favour of outright comedy. The entire cast got a chance to let their comedic chops shine as Merlin, in search of a book for Gaius, unwittingly releases a goblin from its entrapment in a small container. He attempts to catch the goblin, but things take a turn for the worse when the goblin possesses Gaius.
Merlin cannot harm the goblin without harming Gaius. Until he is able to concoct a plan, and the goblin, as Gaius, is free to roam Camelot, causing mischievous havoc.
The goblin tells a man with a broken rib he is certain to die, he ignites fears about a boil-inducing plague for which he has the remedy for, at the cost of a gold coin, he gives Arthur donkey ears and gives the Knights of Camelot with boils. His remedies mainly cause braying, blisters and flatulence.
When Merlin finally confronts the goblin, revealing his ability to use magic, the goblin frames him for all of the chaos he has caused and accuses him of sorcery, pulling out Merlin’s book of spell craft as proof.
Merlin is locked up and sentenced to death. He breaks out of prison (the poor guards really need a break) and enlists Gwen’s help to capture the goblin.
They drench all of the goblin’s gold with poison, and when the goblin licks it, he leaps out of Gaius’ dying body and into…Merlin’s mouth. Merlin literally spits him á la Harry Potter, back into the casket, he finds the antidote for the poison and saves Gaius in the nick of time and all, ultimately, is well.
I was surprised how much I liked this episode; it was cheesy, certainly, but in a charming way. And it was nice to balance off the first two episodes of the series, which were quite dark and had the whole we’re all doomed tone with some comedy. I wish there had been just a smudge of development with the overarching plot, but I love any scene between Gwen and Arthur and I’m certainly happier Angel Coulby (Guinevere) had more to do in this episode.
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