Everyone loves to loathe a truly despicable villain, and I personally relish a hero with father issues. The good news is that episode two of Merlin, "Valiant," had both. Even better news is that the ...

I waited for episode 2 of Merlin like a kid who’d broken something around the house and expected his parents home any minute. It probably wasn’t going to be pleasant, but it would be over soon enough.

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The BBC's flagship autumn outing Merlin got into its stride this Saturday, with the second episode a vast improvement on the unfocussed mess that was the opening instalment.