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"The character of Uther Pendragon always presented something of a problem for Merlin - as long as he was around, the show couldn&amp;#039;t move forward to explore Arthur&amp;#039;s reign, but - quite understandably - producers Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy were reluctant to lose the fantastic Anthony Head. Uther eventually had to go for the sake of the story - kicking the bucket in series four&amp;#039;s &amp;#039;The Wicked Day&amp;#039; - but Capps and Murphy were always looking for a way to bring Head back into the fold... The pair finally achieve their goal in &amp;#039;The Death Song of Uther Pendragon&amp;#039; - the latest Merlin episode from Misfits guru Howard Overman is a good-old fashioned ghost story, complete with bumps-in-the-night and fake-out, &amp;#039;it&amp;#039;s only a pesky animal&amp;#039; scares. &amp;#039;Death Song&amp;#039; kicks off with Merlin (Colin Morgan) and Arthur (Bradley James) saving an elderly witch from being burnt at the stake - the current king displaying far more compassion for a sorceress than his father ever would have. But events take a dark turn when Arthur gives into temptation and uses a mystical horn (no sniggering at the back) to reunite with Uther in the spirit world...  With so much focus on Arthur this week, it&amp;#039;s no surprise that his relationship with Merlin - always this show&amp;#039;s bread and butter - is once again the focus. Five series in, Bradley James delivers a withering putdown like no-one else and Colin Morgan too delivers his sarcastic retorts with relish. Fans will lap up this week&amp;#039;s healthy dose of bromantic banter. Of course, James gets more to do than just snark at his servant in &amp;#039;Death Song&amp;#039; - he&amp;#039;s given some meaty material to sink his teeth into and more than rises to the challenge. The reunion scene between Arthur and his father - far from the &amp;#039;happy families&amp;#039; moment the young king had hoped for - is superbly played. It&amp;#039;s just one of many strong moment for James this week - his silent, tearful vigil over his father&amp;#039;s coffin earlier in the episode is another highlight. Uther&amp;#039;s bitter spirit lays a verbal smackdown on his idealistic son and though Arthur&amp;#039;s resolve may not be weakened by the ghostly reprimand as one might expect, the summoning has serious consequences...  Uther&amp;#039;s sinister spirit starts to plague the court of Camelot and - even if his own powers must still remain a secret - it&amp;#039;s refreshing to see Merlin openly working with Arthur to combat the magical threat, rather than working in secret as we&amp;#039;ve seen countless times before.  It ultimately transpires that Arthur - the man who summoned Uther&amp;#039;s spirit is the first place - is the only one who can put an end to the chaos. That doesn&amp;#039;t mean that Merlin takes a back seat - he finally reveals his magic to Uther and the emotional release for the young warlock is evident. Dependably great work from Colin Morgan. But it&amp;#039;s only right that Arthur is the one to finally strike the killer blow and vanquish Uther - it may be post-mortem, but Arthur finally stands up to his tyrannical predecessor and so finally steps out from beneath his shadow. Father and son did need to exchange final words, just not the ones Arthur had hoped. &amp;#039;The Death Song of Uther Pendragon&amp;#039; is on a par with Merlin&amp;#039;s solid series five premiere. It&amp;#039;s a different beast than the two-part &amp;#039;Arthur&amp;#039;s Bane&amp;#039; - offering less action and more emotion - but is none the worse for it. What did you make of &amp;#039;The Death Song of Uther Pendragon&amp;#039;? Let us know below! "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/merlin/review/a431343/merlin-the-death-song-of-uther-pendragon-review/>