Sir Lancelot is back! Well, kind of. Returning to Camelot after setting foot into the netherworld, a newly resurrected and amnesiac Lancelot plots not only to steal hearts but possibly something even more sinister. I really like the way the Merlin and Lancelot characters banter and play off each other. Let’s hope this isn’t the last time we see the bravest and most noble of the Knights.

To save Camelot, Sir Lancelot sacrificed himself and vanished behind
the veil of the netherworld – now, he’s back. “Lancelot du Lac,” a
new episode of MERLIN, airs this Friday at 10 p.m. ET/PT, only on Syfy
… and in it, Lancelot is determined not to help Camelot, but to
destroy it.

Hailed by SFX Magazine as “an extraordinary episode, bold, dark and
sad,” “Lancelot du Lac” begins with the happiest of announcements:
King Arthur asks for Guinevere’s hand in marriage. But the news
reaches Morgana, who sees in Gwen her greatest threat to assuming the
throne of Camelot. Morgana turns to the darkest of magic, necromancy,
summoning the body of Sir Lancelot to do her bidding. Lancelot is
played by Santiago Cabrera (Alcatraz, Heroes).

“We all have our secrets, and unfortunately for Guinevere, I know
hers,” says Morgana when she learns of the engagement from duplicitous
Agravaine. What Morgana knows is that, long before Arthur and
Guinevere began their romance, Gwen lost her heart, at least
momentarily, to Lancelot. As Morgana says: “Before she was Arthur’s,
she was yours, Lancelot. You were her first love. And you will be her
last.”

Dark and intense, often lushly romantic and achingly tragic,
“‘Lancelot du Lac’ is one of the best episodes MERLIN has ever
produced,” writes Digital Spy, an assessment with which series
executive producer and co-creator Johnny Capps says he agrees.

“There are lots of episodes I love in this season, but one of my
absolute favorites is when Lancelot returns,” Capps says. “The
mechanics of the storyline required quite a bit of working out, and we
had lots of arguments along the way. But in the end, I was really
pleased with the story, and I was very impressed with the central
performances – they are absolutely superb. Santiago has turned into
such a fine actor, and Bradley (James as Arthur) puts in a storming
performance.”

The episode offers grand, sweeping passion – and stunning betrayal.
As an actor, “Lancelot du Lac” provided memorable challenge, says
Katie McGrath, who plays Morgana.

“It was the best script I’d ever read – an extremely fairy-tale-like
story that captures the Arthur-Guinevere-Lancelot love triangle, and
also feels like a true ensemble piece,” she explains.

Then, McGrath adds with a laugh and a smile worthy of Morgana herself:
“Plus, you get to see Santiago Cabrera naked, which is wonderful.” She
pauses. “Better yet, naked and under my control!”

“Lancelot du Lac,” an all-new episode of MERLIN, airs Friday, March 2,
at 10 p.m. ET/PT only on Syfy. All three seasons of MERLIN are now
available on DVD and on iTunes. Be sure to follow the latest news on
MERLIN at the Official Merlin page on Facebook.