Not much of a disguise is it? Experienced sorceresses from days gone by have morphed themselves into crones, or different people, or even animals to avoid detection. Nimueh wraps a scarf around her head and is instantly undetectable by anyone in Camelot, despite her being Uther’s nemesis. Still, that small conundrum aside, this week’s story tripped along nicely enough, and at least we weren’t subjected to another pointless visit to the insufferably cryptic dragon.

Maybe I’m slow to catch on, but after four episodes I’m starting to recognise that the Beeb have moved away slightly from the regular Saturday night fodder with Merlin. Whereas other dramas in this timeslot have attempted to straddle the children/adult divide, I think Merlin is strictly for the kids. It’s the only explanation for the simplicity of the plots and lack of any subtext to speak of. Not to mention the formulaic reactions of Uther, Morgana and most of the other major players.

They’re all a bit one-dimensional and predictable, and it’s becoming obvious that they’re going to do the same thing every week. Uther’s a bit thick but also pompous, stubborn and “regal.” This unfortunate combination will always lead to him jumping to the wrong conclusion, “forbidding” the only logical course of action, being proved wrong and then expressing his pride that no-one took a blind bit of notice of him and went ahead and did the right thing anyway.

Morgana is the subversive one, always there to support Arthur and help him make the right decision for, being Uther’s son, he’s also a bit thick, although fortunately not quite so dense as Uther. He must have had an intelligent mother. I haven’t read the legend for a few years – was that Igraine? Anyway she hasn’t been mentioned as far as I remember, but she was clearly a woman of intellect and strength of character, so Arthur has the beginnings of these traits but needs a nudge from time to time to convince him he should ignore his stupid father and do what’s right.

Merlin, despite his burgeoning powers, still has a lot to learn both about magic and court politics, so will continue to put himself in danger and require Arthur to bail him out. And Guinevere is there to look pretty, be a good friend, romantic interest, and occasionally also need saving.

All this is very simple, straightforward, and ideal for kids. It also makes for extremely untaxing entertainment for a Saturday night if that’s your thing. You can sit there and let it wash over you, mentally ticking off the dramatic stages as they unfold in exactly the order you knew they would, with exactly the right results. For the plots are as beautifully simplistic as the characters and can, in each case, be summed up in a single sentence.

So my review for this week could have read: Nimueh plots to poison Merlin and cause a war with Mercia, but brave Arthur fights the monster, finds the antidote and saves the day.

Which would have been a lot quicker.