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My name is Edwin Muirden, and I have a remedy to cure all ills.
Edwin Muirden introducing himself to Arthur

A Remedy to Cure All Ills is the sixth episode in the first series of Merlin, which was first broadcast on the 25th of October 2008.

Synopsis

When Morgana falls ill with an unidentified brain disease that Gaius is unable to cure, a mysterious scarred physician Edwin Muirden arrives in Camelot claiming to have a remedy to cure all ills. He successfully heals Morgana and maneuvers a grateful Uther to instate him as Court Physician, while a suspicious Gaius investigates why Edwin seems so familiar to him.

When Gaius eventually uncovers Edwin's true identity and his plot to kill Uther, Edwin threatens to expose Merlin as a sorcerer, forcing Gaius to choose between Uther's life and Merlin's as the fate of Camelot hangs in the balance...

Plot

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Uther asks Gaius to examine Morgana.

A man is seen enchanting a beetle which then crawls inside a flower he is holding. A bunch of these flowers is anonymously left for Morgana. The man, whose face is heavily scarred, watches her window from the ground below. As she sleeps that night, the beetle comes out of the flower and goes into her ear.

Two days later, Morgana has become dangerously ill with an inflammation of the brain. Gaius cannot find the cause and does not know what to do for her. Merlin offers to try and help her using magic, but Gaius reminds him that his previous use of a magical cure led to Gwen nearly being executed.

The scarred man arrives at the castle and introduces himself to Arthur as Edwin Muirden, a physician who claims to have "a remedy to cure all ills". Arthur turns him away, but Edwin promises to be at the inn should he be needed.

Morgana is now only hours away from death. Arthur becomes so afraid for her that he tells his father about the mysterious Edwin. Uther orders Edwin to be summoned at once. Gaius believes he and Edwin have met before, but Edwin denies this. While examining Morgana, he asks for privacy; Gwen enters the room unawares, but he angrily confronts her and orders her to bring water. When she leaves, he uses a spell to remove the beetle.

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Edwin Muirden removes the beetle from Morgana's ear.

Edwin tells Uther that Morgana had a cerebral hemorrhage and indirectly accuses Gaius of incompetence in treating her. Uther is delighted by her miraculous recovery. When questioned by Gaius, Edwin again says they have never met. A suspicious Gaius asks the court genealogist, Geoffrey of Monmouth, for records of the Great Purge, but Geoffrey refuses to open the records because they know the king would forbid it.

While looking at Edwin's magical equipment, Merlin finds a box containing what appears to be dead beetles. There is a magical enchantment carved into the lid. He reads it, and when he does so, they come to life. Edwin catches him and is impressed by his magical ability. He encourages Merlin not to be afraid to use magic to do good and offers to be his mentor. Merlin says that Gaius will not allow him to use magic, but Edwin insists magic is a wonderful gift, and they could become great by working together.

Geoffrey goes to Gaius and tells him that he trust him enough to produce the old records after all. Meanwhile, at dinner with Uther, Edwin casts doubt upon Gaius's capability as a physician.

Later that evening, Gaius confronts Edwin with his newfound knowledge: Edwin's parents were old friends of Gaius, sorcerers executed on Uther's orders when he removed magic from Camelot. Edwin reveals that he knows about Merlin and that his face is scarred because he tried to save his parents from being burnt at the stake. He believes they died because of Gaius, who was also a sorcerer but chose to save himself rather than his old friends. He threatens to tell Uther about Merlin if Gaius tells anyone, including Merlin.

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Edwin uses Merlin to pressure Gaius.

Edwin now tells Uther that Gaius has become too incompetent in his old age to continue as court physician. Gaius visits the Great Dragon, who states it is Merlin's destiny to unite Albion alongside Arthur, and "their time cannot come until (Uther's) has passed." He says it is now Gaius's choice as to whether that will happen sooner rather than later. Gaius refuses to sacrifice Uther for Merlin, so the Dragon tells him to turn a blind eye as he did before.

Uther dismisses Gaius from the job of court physician, thanking him for his many years of loyal service and saying he will give him a generous allowance and allow him to use his quarters until he can find other accommodation. Gaius resolves to leave Camelot. He tells Merlin that they have been like father and son and reminds him of his great destiny.

The next day, Edwin poisons Uther, replacing Gaius's potion to treat an old wound. Gwen encounters Gaius as he is leaving. She does not trust Edwin, but Gaius says there is nothing he can do. Edwin has paralysed Uther and inserts one of the magical beetles into the king's ear. It will eat into his brain and kill him within hours.

Gaius returns to the castle, swearing that Edwin will not kill Uther. He could not bring himself to help Edwin's parents because he knew they were using dark magic. Edwin encases Gaius in a ring of magical fire, but Merlin walks in, and Gaius tells him the truth.

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Edwin surrounds Gaius with a ring of fire.

Merlin refuses Edwin's offer to rule the kingdom together using magic. Because of this, Edwin enchants an axe from the wall to fly towards Merlin. Merlin magically returns the axe towards Edwin, and Edwin is killed.

Gaius and Merlin remember the king and rush to his side. Merlin is reluctant to use magic to save Uther, but Gaius tells him it is the only way. Using his own magic rather than Edwin's, Merlin removes the beetle, and Uther is cured.

A recovered Uther believes it is Gaius who saved his life. He reinstates Gaius to his job and makes him a freeman of Camelot, stating (in private) that Gaius is the only man he can trust in the fight against magic.

Cast

Main Cast

Recurring Cast

Guest Cast

Continuity

  • This episode marks the first time Uther is personally targeted by a victim of the Great Purge.
  • This episode marks the first time Merlin saves Uther's life.
  • When Merlin offers to heal Morgana with magic, Gaius reminds him that healing Gwen's father nearly got her executed.
  • While trying to convince Uther of Gaius' incompetence, Edwin claims that Morgana's frequent nightmares were an early symptom of her illness.
  • Gaius visits the Great Dragon for the first time in twenty years.
  • The Great Dragon confirms Gaius' suspicions about Merlin and Arthur's shared destiny.
  • Gaius is retired from and then reinstated to his position as Court Physician.
  • Uther makes Gaius a Freeman of Camelot as a reward for saving his life.

Release & Reception

  • A Remedy to Cure All Ills premiered on Syfy UK at 8pm on September 8th 2017, immediately following Lancelot.
  • Despite remaining in the earlier 5.50 pm timeslot, the ratings for the sixth episode rose by 480,000 viewers to 5.48 m and 28.6% audience share.

Production Errors

  • When the beetle first approaches Morgana it crawls onto her right side, but when it crawls into her ear, it crawls back onto her, this time from the left.

Trivia

Gallery

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To view the A Remedy to Cure All Ills gallery, click here.


Transcript

View the transcript here.

See Also

Series 1
The Dragon's Call  • Valiant  • The Mark of Nimueh  • The Poisoned Chalice  • Lancelot  • A Remedy to Cure All Ills  • The Gates of Avalon  • The Beginning of the End  • Excalibur  • The Moment of Truth  • The Labyrinth of Gedref  • To Kill the King  • Le Morte d'Arthur

Mini-episode: Merlin in Need

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