MONDO EXTRAS

King Giles approaches the girl from the window, and asks why she's not coming to the feast. She says killing somebody is no cause for a celebration, and he tells her she doesn't know what it was like 20 years ago, and the law is necessary. As her legal guardian, he orders her to greet Lady Helen, the kingdom's finest singer, who must have just been invited, since the festivities were announced that day.

In the woods, a party of the king's men mills around a tent containing Lady Helen, who's played by Eve Myles, a.k.a. Gwen Cooper from Torchwood! Her casting, plus King Giles, plus the freaky-deaky weirdness the opening credits promise equals win. Sadly, she's just a guest star, as she hears noises outside while she's humming. Her guard reassures her, but then goes to investigate something in the woods, and the Collins mother calmly strolls into her tent and kills Helen by stabbing a pigeon a few times. She then uses her pendant to take on Lady Helen's appearance, and that's when I realize that Eve Myles is playing old lady Collins, too. That's why they went with the old-lady makeup instead of an actual old woman! Not sure why they felt that was necessary, but hey, more Eve Myles (not that I knew it was her or anything). "Helen" looks in her hand mirror, and sees old Mrs. Collins. Gah!

Sleeping Merlin hears a voice calling to him, and he opens his eyes, but he's alone in his room, which seems nicer and more private than Gaius'. He goes downstairs, where Gaius has put out a bowl of oatmeal and a bucket of water to wash with. As Merlin eats, Gaius surreptitiously knocks over the bucket. Merlin freezes it as it falls, and Gaius marvels at it. He asks Merlin how he did it again, and Merlin says he doesn't know any spells, he just did it. Gaius lets it rest and gives him a couple of vials to deliver to people, an a ham sandwich, because that oatmeal was nasty. He also needlessly reminds him not to do any magic, or he'll DIE.

After delivering one of the vials, Merlin comes across a bunch of young knightly types ordering around a boy carrying a target. The lead knight, a blonde 90210 type, starts hurling knives at the boy as he runs, always hitting the target. The boy finally stumbles and falls, and Merlin tells the knight he's had his fun. A girl shaking a sheet from a castle window looks on in curiosity. The blonde gets in Merlin's face, and asks what he's gonna do about it. Merlin isn't scared of him, and takes a poke at him. Arthur dodges the blow and puts him in an armlock and tells him he'll have him arrested for that, because he's the prince, Arthur. Apparently, he's also a huge sissy, if he can't deal with a skinny dude trying to punch him and failing. Just kick his ass, dude. Why bother sending him to jail?