Camelot “HomeComing” Episode 1 Recap

We have a guest blogger, Philip the Dazed, who offered his services to write up episode recaps for the Starz Original Series Camelot. I have not decided if there will be podcast recaps of the show yet. However if I do a podcast it will not be until the show is out on DVD. Right now the show is only available in the USA.

Synopsis of Camelot:

In the wake of King Uther’s sudden death, chaos threatens to engulf Britain. When the sorcerer Merlin has visions of a dark future, he installs the young and impetuous Arthur, Uther’s unknown son and heir, who has been raised from birth as a commoner. But Arthur’s cold and ambitious half sister Morgan will fight him to the bitter end, summoning unnatural forces to claim the crown in this epic battle for control. These are dark times indeed for the new king, with Guinevere being the only shining light in Arthur’s harsh world. Faced with profound moral decisions, and the challenge of uniting a kingdom broken by war and steeped in deception, Arthur will be tested beyond imagination. Forget everything you think you know…this is the story of Camelot that has never been told before.

Enjoy and thanks to Philip the Dazed for his episode recap.

WARNING:

The recap may contain spoilers so if you haven’t watched Episode 1 “Homecoming” you may want to skip the recap.

~The Archivist

King Uther Pendragon is a cruel king, despised by and feared by almost all in his kingdom. He takes what he wants from whomever he wants it, by force or even magic, if necessary. Uther (whose own wife has since died), entreaties his court wizard, Merlin (Joseph Fiennes), to enchant him with a spell to make Uther appear to the queen he covets of a neighboring kingdom to look like her husband, but not before first having her real husband murdered. From this liaison, this queen, Igraine (Claire Forlani) bears Uther a son. He then marries Igraine. His new son, Arthur (Jamie Campbell Bower), is spirited away at Uther’s urging within one week of his birth by Merlin to be raised in the care of Sir and Lady Ector, alongside their own son Kay (Peter Mooney). Arthur grows up knowing only the Ectors to be his family.

Meanwhile, Uther has since banished his first-born daughter, Morgan (Eva Green) from the kingdom, at the age of three. He has kept from her and everyone else (but Merlin and, of course, Igraine) the knowledge that he has a son who is the true heir to Uther’s kingdom. Morgan returns home to announce to her father that, as the eldest, she intends to lay her rightful claim to the throne. She then promptly murders him by mixing poison into one of his meals. Merlin acts on this and has Uther sign a certificate on his deathbed acknowledging Arthur as his rightful male heir, and then travels to the Ectors’ town to fetch Arthur to take his place at the throne.

Realizing that she will not be accepted as the rightful heir to the throne without a consort by her side, Morgan throws in with King Lot (James Purefoy), whom she convinces (rather easily, with seduction) that he will share the throne of her kingdom alongside his own. While traveling with his brother, Kay and Merlin at his side, Arthur journeys to Camelot. Camelot will be the new kingdom Merlin envisions where Arthur, as king, will flourish and unite neighboring kingdoms in peace in the near future. Upon learning of Arthur’s existence from spies, Morgan has Lot’s minions attack Arthur en route to Camelot. Lot’s men include his eldest son, whom Arthur is forced to kill in self-defense.

Upon reaching Camelot, the three are met by defectors from Uther’s troops who have already sworn allegiance to their new king at Merlin’s behest. Chief among these men is Leontes (Phillip Winchester). Arthur also meets his birth mother, Igraine, for the first time, and she explains to him that, out of fear of retaliation from Uther, she could not reach out to him before now. Meanwhile, having learned of the death of his son at Arthur’s hand, King Lot has ordered Lady Ector, Arthur’s mother who raised him, seized, and in a fit of rage, Lot murders her right in front of Arthur. The episode ends with Arthur screams at Merlin: “What have you done to me”? “What have you done to me”?