I guess I'd just prefer to see spells as a way of making the job a lot easier rather than an critical means of survival. It feels more human when you can win by your own powers rather than needing mysticism coming to your aid. It's more inspiring and gives more hope to an audience being shown you can be a winner in your own right rather than needing Merlin to win it for you, if you see what I mean.

So I'd have preferred it if failing to win magic meant you had to win the quest by a far tougher means, rather than making it completely impossible.

Rarely was a teams mistake SO obvious that a team should be killed off in the next room. Far rather let them relax a litle thinking they've survived a near miss, then nail 'em 'stagefright' style by presenting an obstacle that they weren't expecting. (sadly this was nearly always a causeway minus code but thats a different thread...)

For instance (apologies for not being able to quote series/team):-

Elita running off with no help despite being given what she wanted. reason: team too slow to decide.

Team not having causeway code by not winning their magic diploma from Hordriss.

My personal favourite: Blackened room, no nightsight... LF voiceover "2-nil I think............"

It's like the production was trying to get back to the old 'clueroom fear'. Yes, there's been a glitch but HAVE THE TEAM SURVIVED??

To give another side, in HStorms defence... I used to hate when the rooms taken between the initial mistake and the teams demise happen over a 'Timeout'. The team has screwed up... get rid of them, not waste part of the NEXT episode killing them off. That was down to good/bad timing I suppose... Even Pickle noticed this occurence at one point during an episode start (I believe in S4).

"The team are carrying *** and ******** but I can't help thinking they should be carrying something else"

I'd consider that a flaw in S3 if that's true, as it makes it too linear, almost a fix. Also, as I mentioned before, if the death was pre-ordained from the moment they failed the riddle, that makes most of level three seem a bit pointless.

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Not at all. There were lots of quests that weren't failed immediately because you picked the wrong objects or got a riddle wrong, and not just in Series 3. TC himself has said that making the wrong choice of objects or getting a riddle wrong put teams into a losing status, one from which they would not be allowed to win.

Not killing losing teams off straight away adds to the tension of a quest, even if you know they ARE going to fail - it's a case of waiting to see HOW.

They shoudl have won!!!! a damm good quest it was too!!!!

I suspect they couldn't have guessed the right path, despite Treguard saying "you'll just have to guess". They got the riddle wrong, and wouldn't have been allowed to win from that position. Series 3 was just that unforgiving, which is why it's so good.

I'd consider that a flaw in S3 if that's true, as it makes it too linear, almost a fix. Also, as I mentioned before, if the death was pre-ordained from the moment they failed the riddle, that makes most of level three seem a bit pointless.

Not at all. They only died because they chose the wrong path in the stained glass window room. If they'd guessed right instead, casting the Glory spell would probably have gambled it all away for nothing.

I suspect they couldn't have guessed the right path, despite Treguard saying "you'll just have to guess". They got the riddle wrong, and wouldn't have been allowed to win from that position. Series 3 was just that unforgiving, which is why it's so good - look how people get annoyed when teams are let off the hook

I think Ross being faulted on that narrow ledge was very very harsh.

I'm sure the Glory spell was a trap. If they'd cast it the 'glory' would've been Mogdred' and Mogdred's alone.

But then again if they were going to die, they were going to die anyway whatever they did!

Malice gave the same spell in S4 when a team found something for her in level 3.

I don't think that one would have been a trap.

What would ahve happend though if they had done?

Also I don't think they'd have got magic from the Gargoyle, he would of probably told them which ledge to work on.

But this is series 3 so everythings harsh so they got done out of winning coz of 1 mistake just like leo. - those guys must fume seeing later series .

Sadly, S3 was a very very tough season. Well I don't know....Maybe that is a good thing.

Should team 11 have won? Well I do think that the linearity of needing to answer the riddle right just to survive made half of level 3 seem a little pointless. I think it should have been a bit more flexible. If they'd earned the spell it would've been easier to escape Morghanna, otherwise they should have been allowed a more complicated way of fighting her off.

Come to that, that should also have applied to Julie's team against the goblins as well.

Personally - that was a shame - one riddle wrong and they lose.

What i wanted to know is why Martin didnt just run forward and try to escape Morghanna's bolts. Unles they werent allowed to.

That brings up another point - Julie's quest (say hello to the Goblins, Julie) was unfair too - they lost because they got a riddle wrong - even though they got one right, why does 100% need to be achieved in Level 2?