’Entourage,’ ‘Human Target’ star Janet Montgomery in this weeks all new ‘Merlin’

With only two episodes left in season four, there is a lot going on in Camelot. Morgana and Agravaine plot an assault on the Kingdom while Arthur announces his intention to marry a Princess. Could this episode be merely a set up for the finale, ‘Sword In The Stone’? or will the writers try and tie up some lose ends and dangling plot threads (Kilgharrah and Aithusa anyone?). Will Camelot come first for Arthur? Does Gaius raise a suspicious eyebrow over three times in 42 minutes? Will the storyline focus more on Merlin and on his own destiny as a powerful sorcerer? Loads of drama and action, light and dark moments and what I’m hoping for… the return of Morgana’s pesky evil smirk.

As Arthur seeks to soothe his wounded heart, Morgana mounts the
ultimate plot to destroy his kingdom and steal the throne in “The
Hunter’s Heart,” an all-new episode MERLIN premiering this Friday,
March 16 at 10 p.m. ET/PT only on Syfy.

The fourth season of MERLIN has seen the series’ audience grow to its
largest ever since MERLIN began airing on Syfy, reaching an average of
2.3 million people a week through live and DVR viewing. Ratings have
also been buoyed by the availability of MERLIN on iTunes – where both
individual episodes as well as all three full previous seasons are
available for purchase and download.

In “The Hunter’s Heart,” the Kingdom of Camelot – and Arthur – are
preoccupied by the arrival of the beautiful Princess Mithian (Janet
Montgomery), with whom Arthur has pledged to form both a political and
romantic alliance. Merlin suspects Arthur’s heart is still broken over
his banishment of Guinevere, and attempts to sidetrack the immediate
attraction between the royals – with little success.

While Arthur is distracted by a new love, Morgana’s hatred comes to
full boil as she plots a siege on Camelot that leaves only an absent
friend to possibly raise the alarm: Guinevere. But with past wounds
still raw, can love really conquer all? Or is a deadly arrow destined
to fly straight into the heart of Camelot?

Janet Montgomery is no stranger to U.S. audiences, boasting film
credits including the Academy Award-nominated Black Swan and Our Idiot
Brother, and recurring roles on the popular television series
Entourage and Human Target. Bradley James was particularly enthused
with the casting of Montgomery, and their instant on-screen chemistry
is reflective of their off-screen friendship.

“Janet has always had bags of energy and enthusiasm and is full of
ideas,” James explains, “and her personality is one that many want to
be around. So I was very pleased when I found out we’d be working
together when she got the role of Mithian.”

Merlin’s magical interventions to cause separation between Arthur and
Mithian lead to one comical moment after another, mostly involving an
awkward instance of clumsiness or offense by Arthur. To Merlin’s
frustration, Mithian’s reaction is one of accepting laughter. When
Merlin prompts an unexpected series of burps from Arthur during a
romantic picnic, even James was surprised to witness his pal
Montgomery’s response.

“One skill I had not learnt Janet possessed in my years of knowing her
was her incredible ability to belch at a volume I had not previously
thought possible by a human being,” James says with a laugh. “This
came in particularly handy for a scene between the two of us where she
came close to bursting my ear drum with a ferocious example of her
belching skills. Following this display, she smiled sweetly and posed
a picture of innocence. Janet Montgomery … hidden talents.”