Season 1

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Young Merlin is a teenager, discovering and then learning to master his magical gift. Magister Gaius, King Uther Pendragon's learned court physician to whom he's assigned as humble page, teaches him medicine, coaches his magical self-study, and warns him of Uther's strong aversion to magic. Merlin becomes squire to the noble but imprudent crown prince, Arthur, whose fate is linked with Merlin.

episodes
Episode 1: The Dragon's Call

Young Merlin is sent by his mother from their village to start a better life in Camelot, where he is apprenticed to Gaius, the physician to the repressive King Uther, who believes magic is evil and punishable by death. When Gaius realizes that Merlin has magical, telekinetic powers he agrees to keep the boy's secret. Uther has just executed a sorcerer, whose mother comes to Camelot in the guise of a pretty girl who charms the court to sleep with her singing. Only Merlin sees what is happening and stays awake, saving the situation without being exposed as a warlock. As a reward he is promoted to valet to Uther's son, Arthur.

Season 1, Episode 2: Valiant
King Uther Pendragon holds an annual tournament, where Prince Arthur Pendragon is to defend his title against other knights of the realm. Sir Valiant comes with a magic secret weapon: a shield from which the painted poisonous serpents can come to life and attack (Sir Valiant also murdered it's creator). Nursing snake-poisoned knight Ewan, Merlin finds out that's why the vile knight defeats adversaries as easily as Arthur (whom he informs). By the time the prince challenges Valiant, the only 'worthy' witness has died (by more serpentine magic), a servant's word is worthless against a knight: Arthur is furious to be humiliated, seeming scared, and fires Merlin. After enigmatic encouragement from the Great Dragon, Merlin decides against giving up- it's high time to resort to the magic from the book Gaius gave our hero.

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Season 1, Episode 3: The Mark of Nimueh
The dark sorceress Nimueh casts a spell on a dragon egg she throws into the castle's water. The next day a plague causes people to die, their skin turns white with dark blue veins. King Uther orders prince Arthur to search all Camelot for the sorcerer he believes to have caused the epidemic - only a magic trick saves Merlin from having his book found. When Gwen's father exhibits symptoms, Merlin waves Gaius's warning by curing him. However, when Arthur reports the recovery Uther orders her execution at the stake. Merlin tells Gwen's caring mistress, Morgana, only Arthur can help him fight the monster (an afanc), which they search for in the dragon's cave.
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Season 1, Episode 4: The Poisoned Chalice
Original Air Date—11 October 2008 While Camelot prepares to celebrate peace with Mercia's visiting prince Bayard, Nimueh forges a poisoned chalice and places it at the royal table where Arthur is to have his cup filled by Merlin. Then the sorceress warns the page-magician, blaming Bayard, so king Uther makes Merlin test the drink from the goblet (as he is a 'disposable' servant). Gaius diagnoses a fatal poison; the only cure is from a flower which grows only in certain caves, but the perilous journey to it may take too long. Arthur bravely rides, although Uther forbids him to 'risk a king' for a pawn. Nimueh plays the local damsel in distress and guide, to make sure Arthur is fully exposed to horrible monsters; but even on his deathbed Merlin conjures a magical aid. When Arthur brings the flower, Uther jails his disobedient heir and refuses to have it brought to Gaius, but now, courtier ingenuity helps out endangered magic.
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Season 1, Episode 5: Lancelot
Merlin would have been killed by a giant griffin (half eagle, half lion) if it hadn't been for valiant Lancelot, who bravely attacked it and got them safely away. Learning Lancelot's life dream is to become a knight, grateful Merlin brings him to court, and when told only noblemen may apply magically forges proof of nobility. Lancelot passes hazing and close combat tests against prince Arthur, but is found out as commoner and jailed. When the griffon attacks Camelot, even inside the royal castle, the knights' arms prove unable to penetrate the monster. Arthur frees Lancelot, and magically helps him triumph where all knighthood fails miserably, but will Uther hear Arthur's plea to allow the best sword to serve in chivalry against his law?
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Season 1, Episode 6: A Remedy to Cure All Ills
Royal ward Morgana falls ill with an unidentified brain disease Gaius can't cure after receiving lilies collected by unsuspecting Gwen. The mysterious healer, Edwin, proves that his 'remedy to cure all ills' seemingly helps her, but actually removes the cursed black beetle that hid in the lilies. Grateful king Uther lets Gaius go to instate Edwin as new court physician. Gaius gets court archivist Geoffrey to allow him illegal access to the sealed records of Uther's purge of magic, proving Edwin's parents were executed as black sorcerers. After consulting the dragon, who says he must choose whether Arthur and Merlin's time has come, and a threat from Edwin to expose Merlin's magic, Gaius tells Merlin, the 'son he never had', that the time has come and steps down. Edwin now uses another beetle to condemn Uther to an agonizing death like his parents, but takes one monumental risk: a duel of magic with 'mere novice' Merlin.
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Season 1, Episode 7: The Gates of Avalon
Arthur rescues the elderly Aulfric and his pretty daughter Sophia from being robbed and they are welcomed at Camelot. Indeed Arthur falls in love with Sophia and they plan to elope. Morgana is very worried for she has had a recurring dream in which Sophia drowns Arthur. She confides in Gaius and Merlin, who realize that she is a potential magician with the power of prophecy. Merlin follows Aulfric to a lake, where he discovers that the father and daughter are Sidhes, former immortals who have lost their immortality, and that, to regain their powers, Arthur must be killed. When the couple elope Merlin follows them.
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Season 1, Episode 8: The Beginning of the End
When a druid boy's father is caught by the king's guards he sends out a telepathic call for help, which Merlin responds to and offers sanctuary. But under penalty of death to anyone harboring the boy, will Merlin be willing to put himself and his friends in mortal danger? And when Uther's dungeon dragon hints of dark prophecies linked to the boy, will Merlin then turn a blind eye?
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Season 1, Episode 9: Excalibur
The Black Knight arrives to interrupt Arthur's coming-of-age celebrations and throws down the gauntlet to any knight who will fight him. He kills them all. Gaius discovers that he is Uther's dead brother-in-law, summoned from the grave by the witch Nimueh, and he is seeking revenge for the death of his sister, who died giving birth to Arthur. He intends to fight and kill the young prince. Merlin learns from the Great Dragon that only a special sword, burnished with the Dragon's fiery breath can kill the knight, and that sword is Excalibur. However, the Dragon tells Merlin that only Arthur can successfully wield it and Arthur has been drugged and locked in his room with his father preparing to take on the knight.
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Season 1, Episode 10: The Moment of Truth
Hearing that his village is being threatened by a warlord and his gang, Merlin travels home with Gwen, Morgana and Arthur, the latter doing his best to drill the peaceful villagers into a fighting force. Merlin's friend William is dismissive of Arthur's efforts, feeling they constitute egoism though he ultimately saves the young prince's life. Nonetheless the villagers are inexperienced in martial ways and Merlin must use magic and conjure up a wind-storm to help see off the bandits.
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Season 1, Episode 11: The Labyrinth of Gedref
Original Air Date—29 November 2008 Arthur and Merlin go hunting when they see a unicorn. Despite Merlin's protests Arthur kills the beautiful creature to bring the crass Uther its horn as an ornament. The foolish father and son ignore Gaius's warning that it is bad luck to kill a unicorn but soon the crops wither and the well water turns to sand.Then the mystic Anhora, guardian of the unicorns, arrives in Camelot to tell Arthur that his stupidity has cursed the land and he alone can lift that curse. This involves his learning much-needed humility and then riding to the Labyrinth of Gedref, where he will be tested. Merlin follows him but, by doing so, places both boys in danger and, unusually, it is Arthur who saves the day with a demonstration of selflessness, ultimately restoring the welfare of Camelot and the unicorn itself.
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Season 1, Episode 12: To Kill the King
Gwen's blacksmith father Tom is approached by Tauren, who possesses the alchemist's stone and wants Tom's help in turning base metal into gold - gold he intends using to overthrow the king. The palace guards raid the smithy and Tauren escapes but Tom is caught, sentenced to death for assisting sorcery, having been helped by Morgana. She is appalled by Uther's callousness and tells Tauren that she will help him in his plot, unaware that Merlin is listening. On the pretext of visiting the grave of her father, for whose death she blames Uther, she rides out with the king to lead him into Tauren's trap.
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Season 1, Episode 13: Le Morte d'Arthur
A huge monster, the Questing Beast, is on the loose near Camelot, and Arthur, ignoring a warning from Morgana who has dreamed that it will kill him, is bitten by the creature before Merlin slays it. Arthur sinks into a coma and the Great Dragon tells Merlin he can only save him by traveling to the Isle of the Blessed. On arrival there Merlin meets the witch Nimueh, who gives him the antidote, water from the Cup of Life, but warns him that, to save Arthur's life, another must be sacrificed. Arthur drinks the water and recovers but Merlin discovers that the witch was not lying and that both his mother and Gaius are consequently endangered. This will lead to the greatest ever test of both his emotions and his magic powers as he returns for a last show-down with Nimueh.
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