Review of:  Merlin 102 Valiant

Overall Rating: 9

When Merlin learns that a knight is using a magic shield to cheat at Camelot's annual sword tournament, he must expose him before Arthur becomes the next night to die.  Watch the episode streaming online above.

Valiant is a fun episode and will be a lot of fun for fans of renaissance fairs and social combat.  I liked the sword tournament and watching Merlin try to figure out how to assemble Arthur's armor.  The mystery and obstacles have a more Harry Potter feel to it which I enjoyed very much.

Merlin's obstacles were not the typical ones found in fantasy stories and the solutions are not permitted to be standard by the setting.  It's fun to watch a hero that can not directly stand against their obstacles and advisories instead they have to empower another to do it for them.  It creates a more symbiotic relationship between Merlin and Arthur and the situation encourages more creative solutions to the obstacles.

Likes

1. the courtly intrigue

2. the obstacles that are put in Merlin's path and watching how he overcomes them.

3. the swordplay getting to see the game.

For more read Exploring: Merlin