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It is said that to know a person's name is to know them; and a person without a name cannot be known for their identity is a secret. When the druid boy finally spoke his name, we felt the dread of the foreshadowing it foretold ... for there is no more feared name in all of Arthurian legend than Mordred.

It was fitting that for the entire episode we never heard the boy's name until the very last second. For until that moment, we all assumed he was merely an innocent boy being hunted mercilessly by Uther without good cause. But Uther even in his blind rage and hatred of those with magical abilities is not entirely wrong. For there are evil people who use their magical gifts to do very bad things. Even the Dragon tried to warn Merlin and told him to let the boy die. But as hard as Merlin tried, he could not ignore the boy's plea.

He, like Morgana and ultimately Arthur, could not turn his back on a seemingly innocent child. He could not stand by and do nothing -- even if it meant that the boy would one day pose a grave threat to Arthur. To hear Merlin exclaim with outraged indignation, "the future is not set in stone!" still rings in my ears. For in this tale, the future is set in stone. We just have not yet seen it yet -- Excalibur is just waiting.

The episode was powerful in tackling the tricky dilemma of whether it is right to let a boy die if it means that it will one day save Arthur's life.

The other sub-issue was so eloquently stated by Morgana who posed the question: "What if magic isn't something you choose? What if it chooses you?" This is the very question they all should be asking. Should a person be condemned at birth simply because they were blessed or cursed with the ability to wield magic?

Neither one of the issues were fully addressed, but perhaps we are meant to ponder on these questions for a while and see if they are answered in future episodes to come. For as Morgana reminded Arthur, “and this is how you will rule when you are one day king?”

As we continue to watch each of the characters grow, it is interesting to see what choices they make that will one day define who they are as adults: Merlin will always trust his gut instinct on who to trust and who to save; Arthur will always try to do the right thing, but then will rebel against what is supposedly right in order to do what is actually right; Morgana will follow her heart, even if it means it will be broken and betrayed; and Gwenivere will be a steadfast friend voicing her opinion when needed. It is a fascinating journey to watch such individuals discover their paths with such determination and tenacity.

What Worked

The relationship between Morgana and Arthur deepened when Morgana asked Arthur to save the boy for her and he did. Up until this point, Arthur has been the steadfast minion of his father, even going so far as to capture Morgana and the druid boy and surrendering them to Uther. Yet upon Morgana's desperate plea to "do it for me," Arthur was willing to sacrifice his own life, not for the boy, but for her.

Another endearing moment was when Arthur came to search Morgana's bedchamber and they engaged in their witty repartee where Morgana taunted Arthur to search behind the changing curtain and Arthur asked Morgana, "so you can have the satisfaction of making me look like a fool?" and Morgana teasingly replied, "in my experience, you don't need any help in looking like a fool."

Then a couple of other funny moments were when Merlin used his magic to move the boy’s tippy-toe across Morgana’s room as Arthur searched it and then again later when Merlin retrieved the keys from Arthur’s belt and then dangled them above his head and just out of his eye sight. Both those scenes were quite comical and provided lighter moments of levity in the midst of a heart-clutching episode.

What Didn't Work

It seemed redundant to have three separate scenes where Uther vented his hatred of the druids and verbally berated both Morgana and Arthur for defending an innocent boy. A single scene would have sufficed and it would have allowed more time to enjoy watching Morgana and Arthur plot to save the boy. It is a rare treat to see the two of them working together in harmony and I would have enjoyed lingering over that more than watching them get yet another tongue lashing from Uther.

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

"The Beginning of the End" was written by Howard Overman and directed by Jeremy Webb. “Merlin" stars Colin Morgan, Bradley James, Katie McGrath, Angel Coulby, Richard Wilson and Anthony Head. "Merlin" airs Sundays on NBC.