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If love is what makes the world go round, then Camelot is in trouble

Arthur is in love, and there’s nothing to be done about it.

Wait a second … perhaps Merlin can use his magic to save the day? Shockingly, that’s exactly what’s going to happen tonight (and probably next week, too).

While hunting in the woods, Arthur happens upon a young woman named Sophia and her father. He rescues them from a certain death (with Merlin’s help of course), and brings them to castle. Sophia has a plan for Arthur; she casts a spell on him to make him fall in love with her.

At first they try to go against Uther’s wishes and marry, but he quickly dashes that idea by threatening to kill Sophia and her father. Uther’s scary side works really well, showing that even his own son’s happiness (even if it is spell-induced) doesn’t matter to him in the long run.

The young woman, Sophia, has plans for Arthur still. They attempt to elope in the middle of the night, but Morgana sees them.

Sophia and her father’s ultimate plan is to put Arthur under their spell so that they can sacrifice him to the gatekeepers at Avalon and earn their reentry into the sacred realm.

Sounds easy?

Until Merlin gets in the way.

Mid-sacrifice, Merlin quickly takes control of Sophia’s staff and kills her and her father without a moment’s thought. He rescues Arthur from the lake, and this week’s conundrum is successfully solved with all of our major characters intact.

What Worked

Morgana picks up on a problem with Sophia and her father right away. She has a dream about them, but can’t tell Uther. Uther will destroy anyone with magical abilities, and she certainly doesn’t want to become victim to this.

The most interesting part about this is that Morgana apparently has feelings for Arthur, which creates a problem for her, as he apparently doesn’t return her feelings. Morgana is not even ready to admit her feelings to him, and this will be something that will surely be built upon in the future of the series.

Morgana’s magical abilities will be developed, as Giaus suspects that she is gifted. It will be interesting to see where this goes as she is probably the closest character to Uther after Arthur.

With a few funny snippets of Merlin being bombarded by rotten vegetables as punishment for Arthur’s behaviors, this episode was a bit better than last weeks in terms of comic relief. Uther's berating of the future wizard worked really well also, Merlin's face is priceless when he actually understands the slight.

What Didn’t Work

More of the same; Merlin saving the day with his magic. Yes, the series is primarily about Merlin growing into his powers and becoming the legend, but surely some creativity can be added here and there to try and make him a bit more loveable and less dopey.

For those of us that have watched a lot of fantasy and science fiction, some of these story lines seem a bit repetitive and unoriginal. It is family entertainment, so it’s possible that the network needs to play by the rules; but can we at least try?

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

"Merlin" stars Colin Morgan, Bradley James and Anthony Head.

"The Gates of Avalon" was written by Ben Vanstone and directed by Jeremy Webb.

"Merlin" airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.