Merlin has come a long way since its first season. This lighthearted, fun, and fantastical BBC show about the legend of King Arthur and Merlin before they became legends has earned a loyal following over the years. As SyFy gets ready to air the fourth season, which promises to take the show in a whole new direction, I took part in a conference call with actor Colin Morgan (Merlin) to find out what’s in store for the young warlock and his friends.

At the end of season three, Morgana (Katie McGrath) and her half-sister Morgause (Emilia Fox) failed to take control of Camelot. Morgana continues to play a central role in the series, now as the head villain, and is intent on destroying the newly crowned King Arthur (Bradley James) with the help of the double-agent Agravaine (Nathanial Parker), Arthur’s uncle and closest adviser. It’s up to Merlin to continue protecting Arthur while still keeping his magical abilities a secret.

The relationship between Arthur and Merlin has always been the heart of the show. So it’s sad to hear that with Arthur as king, their relationship becomes strained in some ways.

“We see them grow apart a little bit, actually,” said Morgan. “There’s a new character called Agravaine, Arthur’s uncle who comes on the scene. He’s exactly where Merlin should be. It’s about Merlin trying to regain that position to try to get by Arthur’s side, to be there for him and to get him to make the right decisions.”

Merlin’s attempts, apparently, are not in vain. Morgan explains that his great power this season isn’t entirely magical. It’s in the power of words and Merlin’s growing wisdom, which Arthur does pay attention to.

“Arthur listen to him a lot more. You’re seeing Arthur in fact change the way he’s thinking sometimes because of what Merlin says,” said Morgan. “But they’re also growing a little bit further apart. So Merlin has to work awful hard to try and be heard.”

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