Immortality isn’t for everyone.
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
Tonight’s Once took the majority of the spotlight off the primary cast and put it on Merlin and Nimue. In news that was surprising to exactly no one in the audience, Nimue was revealed as the first Dark One. The connections forged between Merlin and the Dark One in this episode really add to the worldbuilding. They twisted the Merlin and Nimue story in a clever fashion and mixed in a touch of the Holy Grail and a dash of Greek myth with the search for the last ember of Prometheus. It came together like a perfectly layered and delicious salad.
Detours away from the main cast aren’t always a great choice, but Elliot Knight is so compelling as Merlin — he deserves the extra screen time. He channels the sort of quiet wisdom you’d expect from the wizard and brings a tremendous amount of weariness and resignation to the character in the present day Camelot. You can tell how much he had a vision in mind and how disappointed he is that his vision and hopes for Arthur didn’t come to pass. Knight communicates volumes with his tone and posture.
The chemistry between Knight and Caroline Ford’s Nimue isn’t what I would call electric, but it was strong enough to appreciate Merlin wanting a mortal life with her. However, the warning signs were there with Nimue. Don’t trust anyone who grabs so eagerly for immortality. And also, she’s a terrible gardener. Those precious seeds were all that survived the attack on her village besides her, and instead of planting them properly, she threw them on top of dirt. You had one job, Nimue.
Once Upon a Time: “Nimue” Photo Gallery:
Once Upon a Time: “Nimue” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Nimue” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Nimue” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Nimue” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Nimue” Photos
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Once Upon a Time: “Nimue” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Nimue” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Nimue” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Nimue” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Nimue” Photos
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Once Upon a Time: “Nimue” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Nimue” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Nimue” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Nimue” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Nimue” Photos
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Once Upon a Time: “Nimue” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Nimue” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Nimue” Photos
Her transition into the Dark One ended up working though. She was commanding and creepy in the powerful role. It was rewarding to see Emma stand up to her, but I have mixed feelings about the scene. Emma’s powerful reaction was one of the best bits of acting we’ve seen from Jennifer Morrison in the series to date, but it was also unnecessary. We know Emma was never nothing. It’s not a revelation or an astounding proclamation. This is a character who has proved her power and skills over and over again in the series.
Answers to the why and how behind Emma’s transformation are on the horizon, but providing some clues would make scenes in Storybrooke have greater impact. Emma reforging the sword had an ominous vibe, but it would have been more emotional if we knew why she was doing it. And was anyone else looking at the crowd of Dark Ones present and doing math to see if it’s reasonable that there have been so many incarnations since Nimue? Anyway, given what happened with Merlin and Nimue, I’m concerned Hook and Emma are going to follow a similar path. On the surface, the parallel is boring, so I hope Emma’s turn is caused by something else.
Elsewhere in Camelot, Arthur was exceedingly obnoxious. He’s not a believable villain. He acts like a petulant child, and the behavior just isn’t intimidating. He’s somewhat more of a threat now but only because he has Merlin and Zelena on his side. Seriously, why is anyone trusting Zelena for any reason? When has that course of action ever ended well? Regina, at least, is too smart to give Zelena any leeway.
Best Regina quote:
“Tell your timbers to stop shivering, pirate.”
It was obvious Nimue was going to be revealed as the first Dark One so they may as well have had Merlin say it instead of having him pull an Obi-Wan. That aside, this detour into Merlin’s backstory gave greater depth to events in the present. His close ties to the Dark One make his interactions with Emma more meaningful. A hint of what turned Emma bad would have made the last scene with Excalibur more chilling though.
