Nimue (Episode)

"This is where the first Dark One killed Nimue, the woman I loved."

- Merlin to Emma

"Nimue" is the seventh episode of Season Five of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by Jane Espenson, and directed by Romeo Tirone. It is the ninety-fifth episode of the series overall, and premiered on November 8, 2015.

Synopsis
In Camelot, Merlin spearheads a mission to reunite the dagger with Excalibur so he can use the weapon to save Emma from the darkness threatening her soul. With Zelena in tow, Hook, Mary Margaret, David, Regina and Robin steal into Arthur’s castle to take the broken sword from the maniacal king. Meanwhile, Merlin brings Emma along on a journey to confront his ancient nemesis and retrieve the sacred spark he’ll need to reforge Excalibur. Both parties are tested, but one suffers a blow that could derail the entire operation. In a flashback to long before the Age of Arthur, young Merlin finds purpose after he is blessed with magic and immortality, but when he falls in love with a young refugee named Nimue, everything changes for Merlin, as their romance starts a chain of events that touches every one of our present day heroes.

Recap
A thousand years before Arthur's reign, Merlin and a companion are seen struggling across a desert. Merlin spots a flash of light and they walk towards it. The flash is revealed to be the Holy Grail and when Merlin's companion touches it, he's vaporized. Merlin looks skyward and asks for permission to drink it before he drinks from the cup. When he stops drinking and puts his hand down the desert is transformed into a forest and Merlin realizes that he was also granted magic.

Several centuries later, Merlin is healing people in a village. He sees a young woman but is unable to see her future. She explains that a man named Vortigan burned her village down and killed everyone there and that she survived by fleeing into the woods. She wants to seek revenge on Vortigan and plant the middlemist flowers and Merlin assists in making the flowers bloom after she puts them in the dirt.

Starring

 * Ginnifer Goodwin as Mary Margaret Blanchard
 * Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan
 * Lana Parrilla as Regina Mills
 * Josh Dallas as David Nolan
 * Emilie de Ravin (Credit only)
 * Colin O'Donoghue as Hook
 * Jared S. Gilmore (Credit only)
 * Rebecca Mader as Zelena
 * Sean Maguire as Robin Hood
 * Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin

Guest Starring

 * Beverley Elliott as Granny
 * Caroline Ford as Nimue
 * Liam Garrigan as King Arthur
 * Elliot Knight as Merlin
 * Joana Metrass as Guinevere

Co-Starring

 * Max Haynes as Young Man
 * Jackie Minns as Woman
 * Darren Moore as Vortigan
 * Jason Simpson as Adda
 * Graham Verchere as Young Apprentice

Uncredited

 * Mckenna Grace as Young Emma*
 * Unknown as Zoso
 * Unknown as Gorgon the Invincible

*Only in archive footage.

Trivia

 * -|Production Notes=

Production Notes

 * The title card features a field of middlemist flowers.
 * In the Arthurian Legend, Nimue was one of the names of Viviane, better known as the Lady of the Lake. In the Lancelot-Grail Cycle, Viviane learns her magic from Merlin, who becomes enamored of her. She refuses to give him her love until he has taught her all his secrets, after which she uses her power to trap him either in the trunk of a tree or beneath a stone, depending on the story and author.
 * In the Arthurian Legend, Vortigan is known as Vortigern. The name was altered for the show, "for its breezy easy sound".
 * -|Episode Connections=

Event Chronology

 * The Storybrooke events take place after "The Bear and the Bow".
 * The Camelot events take place after "The Bear and the Bow".
 * The first Camelot flashback about Merlin take place 1000 years before Arthur becomes king in "The Broken Kingdom".
 * The rest of Camelot flashbacks about Merlin take place 500 years later, before "Dreamcatcher", and 500 years before Emma comes to Camelot in "The Dark Swan".
 * The episode says the rest of the Camelot flashbacks take place 200 years before Emma comes to Camelot. However, Adam Horowitz confirmed it was a mistake.
 * The Enchanted Forest events at Granny's Diner take place after "The Bear and the Bow".

Episode Connections

 * Gold removed Excalibur in "The Bear and the Bow".
 * The middlemist flower was introduced in "The Broken Kingdom".
 * Emma recounted to Merlin about seeing Rumplestiltskin's manifestation, which was first established in "The Dark Swan".
 * Emma tells Merlin about the dark things she did, like breaking Henry's heart, which happened in "Dreamcatcher".
 * Merlin forged the Excalibur blade, which was first mentioned in "Lost Girl".
 * The masked figure was first seen in "Dreamcatcher".
 * Merlin tethered Nimue's spirit to the dagger, which was mentioned in "Operation Mongoose Part 2".
 * -|Cultural References=

Disney

 * The young Apprentice is wearing red robes similar to the ones worn by Mickey Mouse, who is the Sorcerer's Apprentice in Disney's Fantasia. His clothes also resemble the robes worn by young Arthur in The Sword in the Stone.
 * Merlin says, "not all wizards have long, white beards", referencing the Disney film.

Fairytales and Folklore

 * This episode is a rendition of the Arthurian Legend, featuring the origins of Merlin and Nimue. Also features King Arthur, Guinevere, Excalibur, and the Holy Grail from the legend.
 * Vortigan is based on Vortigern, a 5th-century warlord in Britain, who ultimately became incorporated into the Arthurian Legend. In the legend, Vortigern attempted to build a tower which would not stand. He was advised to sprinkle the site with the blood of a child with no father. This child was Merlin. The boy saved himself by revealing the true cause of the tower's collapse: Two dragons fighting beneath the foundation.
 * The episode also features Rumplestiltskin from the Rumpelstiltskin fairytale, Captain Hook from the Peter Pan story, Robin Hood from the ballad, the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz story and the Apprentice from "The Sorcerer's Apprentice".
 * Merlin asks the apprentice to check on the brooms; a reference to the enchanted broom from "The Sorcerer's Apprentice".
 * Also featured is Prometheus' fire from Greek Mythology.

Popular Culture

 * When Emma says goodbye to Hook, she quotes lyrics from the song "Working My Way Back To You" by The Four Seasons.

Religion

 * The Holy Grail, an object from Arthurian Legend and Christian lore, is decorated with cross pattées. The same symbol is on the shrine where Prometheus' fire burns.
 * Adda refers to the Grail as a gift from the gods. Polytheism refers to the worship of or belief in multiple deities. Before Merlin drinks from the grail, he looks up into the sky and asks for permission. The sky has important religious significance, and most polytheistic religions have a deity associated with the sky.
 * After Zelena tricks Mary Margaret, she says, "There's no rest for the wicked". "No rest for the wicked" is a phrase originating from the Book of Isaiah in the Bible.
 * -|Props Notes=

Props Notes

 * According to a sign, Nimue's village is called Oxleigh.